“The value of receiving care from a warm, understanding medical provider is priceless,” says oncology patient Nena Rudy.
Recently, the bond between patient and medical provider was reinforced when Nena presented Kesha Bright, RN, an oncology nurse at the Blavatnik Family-Chelsea Medical Center of Mount Sinai, with a pin to mark her certification from the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation. They have known each other for 10 years.
Kesha was among 38 RNs and Nurse Practitioners recently honored at The Blavatnik Family-Chelsea Medical Center, Mount Sinai Downtown, and Mount Sinai West for their commitment to the excellent care of cancer patients and the pursuit of scholarship in oncology. The first-time “pinning” events were held separately at each location. To receive certification, the nurses were required to complete a minimum of 1,000 hours of adult oncology nursing practice, in addition to continuing education in oncology.
Nena calls Kesha a “star” for her judgment and skill in administering cancer treatment. In fact, Nena encouraged Kesha to pursue her nursing degree several years ago, when Kesha decided to advance her career as a medical assistant.
Kesha says, “Nena is one of the strongest women I know. She has been through a lot, but she always manages to come in with a smile.” Nena creates special hand-stitched cards that are signed by the staff of the Chelsea infusion department and given to patients who need extra encouragement or have finished their oncology treatments.
Becoming oncology-certified, Kesha adds, “is one of the most important actions that I can do for my patients. As an oncology nurse, it is important for me to stay abreast of changes and updates to oncology practices. I make sure that I am an effective educator for my patients and coworkers. Patients have better outcomes when they receive evidence-based information.”
Ruth Mermelstein is everyone’s special volunteer at Mount Sinai Brooklyn, where she visits up to 80 patients a day on Mondays and Thursdays, helping to accommodate requests, facilitate communications, and put smiles on patients’ faces.
On one occasion, Ruth noticed that a patient had not touched her lunch. When she learned that the patient was unable to cut her chicken, Ruth did it for her and sat by her side while she ate. On another occasion, a patient asked for a Bible and another asked for a Hebrew prayer book with English translation. Ruth went directly to the hospital chaplain to obtain both.
Patients appreciate Ruth’s warm and compassionate nature, according to Maia Makharadze, Coordinator, Department of Volunteer Services, who says, Ruth’s “enthusiasm is inspirational.”
Last spring, Ruth was honored with the hospital’s 2018 Best in Brooklyn Volunteer Award—the latest in a series of awards she has received from Mount Sinai Brooklyn since she began volunteering there in 2009. “After my husband passed away, I decided to volunteer at Mount Sinai Brooklyn because this is my hospital,” Ruth says. “This is where my family has always gone for our medical needs.”
Ruth and her husband Ernest, both Holocaust survivors, were married for more than 60 years and raised three children in the United States. She has 12 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. As a child, Ruth says, she wanted to become a nurse, but her plans were derailed because of the war. Her parents and six siblings were murdered during the Holocaust.
“I can honestly say Mrs. Ruth Mermelstein is a grandmother to everyone in the Mount Sinai Brooklyn community, where she is loved and admired by all,” says Maia. “We are fortunate to have been chosen as the place where she continues to devote many hours in service to others. Her sensitivity, talent, dedication, and hard work have immensely benefited our patients and staff.”
Patient Yitzhak Haronian and wife Dalia, to his right, with members of the Mount Sinai Heart Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
The entire staff at Mount Sinai Heart’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) was cheering for patient Yitzhak Haronian on the morning of Monday, July 30, after he underwent heart transplant surgery. The successful surgery was the culmination of his six-month stay in the CICU, during which time Yitzhak faced several medical setbacks and deep disappointments.
Yet even during those lows, Nurse Manager Kimberley Ennis says Yitzhak—an international patient who came from Israel—remained positive, caring, and considerate of everyone around him. “I’ve never met a more positive person,” Kimberley says. “He became like family to the staff. There was never a feeling that caring for him was our job.” As a result, she adds jokingly, “every nurse has found time in their schedule to check in with him, so he has 11 nurses assigned to him in addition to all the patient care associates, administrators, the manager, assistant manager, and medical team!”
Yitzhak’s wife Dalia also grew close to the clinical team. Dalia assisted the staff in decorating the unit for a competition during National Donate Life Month and she helped decorate the unit for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women initiative. For Dalia’s birthday, the staff celebrated by giving her a fruit platter, balloons, and a Mount Sinai sweater.
Assistant Nurse Manager Shirin Marie Agay says Yitzhak and Dalia were always thoughtful toward the staff. “They understood that our jobs could be stressful and would ask how our day was going. When you hear that it makes your day 100 percent better.”
The couple touched everyone in the unit. On the night of July 29, when the long-awaited call came into the CICU saying a heart was available for Yitzhak, the night staff created a banner to wish him well that contained all of their signatures. They gathered around his bed to present it to him and sang songs, wishing him a safe surgery.
As Patient Advocate Manager for the Mount Sinai Health System’s Opioid Treatment Program, Brenda Davis helps people overcome addiction. Brenda also finds it incredibly gratifying when these patients go on to help others by becoming certified peer advocates through a New York City program that trains them to help people in recovery.
That was the case with Charles Young, who entered Mount Sinai’s Opioid Treatment Program in October 2015, and now— three years later—is working toward his certification as a peer advocate himself. “The work I have been doing with Ms. Davis and the Mount Sinai team has expanded my vision of what recovery can be,” says Charles.
But when he first met Brenda, Charles was estranged from his family, using a variety of drugs, and sleeping in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village. Brenda’s first priority was stabilizing his health and getting him support. Then, she connected him with peers who were doing well in treatment. Overwhelmed by the positive stories he heard, Charles blossomed.
“Bringing purpose to people who have lost their way is what peer recovery is all about,” says Brenda. “Helping people recognize and embrace recovery helps them stand strong together.”
Zeida Quinterro-Canetti took on a new role at the Mount Sinai Health System in May, when she began helping native Spanish-speaking patients translate the notes of their outpatient medical providers that are written in English. The notes are filed in each patient’s MyMountSinaiChart account.
The initiative, called “OpenNotes,” is part of a national movement to make medical office visit information more transparent to patients by enabling them to read the notes written by their doctors. Mount Sinai began piloting OpenNotes in English at the end of 2015 and is recognized as the first health system in New York State to offer it in English and Spanish.
Recently, Zeida, a Clinical Research Coordinator with the Department of Population Health Science and Policy, translated notes for Irolando Carpio, a longtime patient at The Mount Sinai Hospital, whose knowledge of English is limited. Irolando says that having his doctors’ progress notes available to him in Spanish is advantageous, “since I easily forget what my providers and I discussed the day of the visit.” He says his ability to understand the notes helps him better understand and control his health.
“It has been incredible to see how appreciative patients are of the OpenNotes program,” Zeida says. Since May, she has helped translate notes for more than 130 patients.
After undergoing successful surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital in May 2017, to have squamous cell carcinoma removed from his right nostril, Lamiel Watts returned to work after four days.
“I went home with very little pain and bleeding,” says Lamiel, who attributed his smooth recovery and lack of anxiety to his physician, Mike Yao, MD, Associate Professor, Otolaryngology. “I had several follow-up appointments with Dr. Yao and a PET/CT scan the following September, which showed no evidence of disease.”
But one month later, while Dr. Yao was examining Lamiel in his office in Mount Sinai Queens, he noticed an extremely tiny lesion in Lamiel’s left nostril. “I knew it wasn’t normal, but I didn’t think it was cancer,” says Dr. Yao.
The lesion, just four millimeters in size, was so small it could only be detected visually on endoscopy, and would not have been picked up on a scan. Unfortunately, the biopsy results came back positive for cancer, and on November 30, Lamiel was back in the operating room having the second lesion removed.
“Today I have no evidence of disease. I believe many other doctors would have taken a wait-and-see approach because I had a clean PET/CT scan a month earlier,” says Lamiel, but Dr. Yao was thorough and meticulous.
“I spend a lot of time with patients and give them ample time to ask questions and understand what comes next,” says Dr. Yao. “Mr. Watts was a wonderful patient, an upbeat, positive man. Luckily, we caught this very early and he did not have any side effects.”
