From left: John Fiddler, NP, Lillian Espinoza, LCSW ACHP-SW, Stella Rubina, DO, and Chaplain Rachelle Zazzu

Three palliative care providers at Mount Sinai Queens have established themselves as the go-to team for patients and their families who are faced with serious or life-threatening illnesses, and those who need expert guidance for end-of-life decision making.

Lillian Espinoza, LCSW ACHP-SW, Stella Rubina, DO, and John Fiddler, NP, deliver pain and symptom management and help patients and families better understand their illness and options for treatment.

Lillian says the team helps ensure their colleagues at Mount Sinai Queens “understand the patient’s emotions and psychosocial needs.” According to John, patients and their families can “get lost in medical terminology, test results, and a system that can make patients feel powerless.”

Dr. Rubina characterizes the team as a small group with “a big footprint.” She adds, “Empathy is key. Once patients know you care, they are so grateful.”

Recently, the team created a scatter-bed program that provides Mount Sinai Queens’ terminally ill patients with the same level of care they receive at a dedicated inpatient hospice facility.

The team is also piloting a program in the outpatient oncology setting that assists patients with their advance care directives.

“I am continually struck by the level of care, compassion, and wisdom demonstrated by this team for patients and their families,” says Mount Sinai Queens Chaplain Rachelle Zazzu, who works closely with them.

In November, staff at The Mount Sinai Hospital helped roll out the new STAR Recognition Program outside the Plaza Café .

The Mount Sinai Hospital recently launched a new STAR (Strive to Achieve Relationships) Recognition program, which provides faculty and staff with a meaningful way to recognize and celebrate colleagues outside their departments and disciplines who embody the Mount Sinai Health System’s values and service behaviors.

Since The Mount Sinai Hospital launched the STAR program in early November, more than 180 staff and faculty have submitted more than 300 STAR recognitions.

The courage and optimism of the patients Duane Hampton, BS, MS, RN, NP, treats in The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Cardiothoracic Unit at 7 West, inspire him to be the best nurse he can be.

His care includes educating patients and families about what to expect after surgery, listening to patients, and helping them maintain their dignity and privacy.  “All of these little things add up,” he says.

At The Mount Sinai Hospital’s recent Town Hall meeting, Duane was called out for the outstanding care he provides. More than 20 years ago, Duane joined Mount Sinai in the Building Services Department. Since then, he has received his MS, RN, and NP degrees. Teamwork and communication, he says, are critical for delivering an excellent patient experience. “We are truly an interdisciplinary team,” he says. “We have to make sure we are all on the same page.”

Jack McNally and Rohene Dhanraj

“Putting yourself in the patient’s place and treating each patient as you would want a family member to be treated,” are behaviors that have guided Jack McNally’s work for 10 years as a security officer at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai.

That commitment, Jack says, creates an outstanding patient experience. At NYEE’s recent Town Hall meeting, Jack was recognized as a recipient of the Eye Hear You’re Great award. He was nominated by Rohene Dhanraj, Patient Care Representative.

In addition to verifying the identity of everyone entering the hospital and protecting the hospital by monitoring security cameras inside and outside the building, Jack’s job involves welcoming patients and directing them to the correct location. Wayfinding, he says, is particularly helpful to new patients who have never been to the hospital before and arrive anxiously awaiting a medical procedure. “Patients feel reassured when they see me there to help them as they walk in,” he adds.

Recently, a patient who previously had undergone surgery on one eye and was returning to have the same procedure performed on the other eye, told Jack how relaxed he made her feel the first time. “That meant a lot to me,” he says.

Milly Gleckler, RRT

Saving patients requires clinical skill and the interdepartmental coordination that can only be built and maintained through teamwork centered around that common goal, says Milly Gleckler, a Respiratory Therapist who works in the Emergency Department (ED) at The Mount Sinai Hospital.

“Our patients are not saved by tasks. They are saved by relationships, and the stronger those ties are the better,” she says.

Milly was among the speakers at The Mount Sinai Hospital’s recent Town Hall meeting, where she described the high level of teamwork that goes on 24 hours a day in the ED. Many departments work “side by side together at what unites us,” Milly says. “We care for people and each other, save lives, and make a difference every day, every shift, every hour.”

Milly’s work as a Respiratory Therapist requires her to apply a BiPAP mask to the faces of emergency patients who need help breathing. Patients often enter the ED anxious and scared, she says.

“It is my role as part of an incredible team to take care of them with kindness and love and skill, and reassure them that they are in the best hands, because they are.” When Milly and her team are able to stabilize patients and improve their breathing, they can avoid intubation, admission to the Intensive Care Unit, and even life support.

Town Hall meetings held throughout the Mount Sinai Health System this fall provided faculty and staff with updates on the systemwide Patient Experience iniiative.

Hospital presidents and leaders emphasized Mount Sinai’s core values of safety, agility, creativity, empathy, and teamwork. They said every employee has a role in the patient experience.

Even giving patients and visitors a warm welcome to the hospital and helping them find their way to an appointment go a long way in improving their experience.

“Better Together,” Mount Sinai’s new rallying cry, connects these core values and reinforces the importance of employees caring for one another, so that patients benefit from teamwork and the delivery of safe, high-quality care.