I first want to thank everyone who stood with Mount Sinai’s demonstration of solidarity this Tuesday and those who took a stand in their own way throughout the week. MSBI has a long history of fighting for justice and equality. We will continue to speak up, take action, and care for everyone who needs it, regardless of backgrounds, races, religions, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, and more.
Today I want to shine a light on a few of the people who are taking care of us during this increasingly stressful time.
While we have many forms of support for our employees, what I love about our chaplains and the Department of Spiritual Care and Education is that they are so present and integrated into our patient care and operational work. This allows them to develop deep relationships with our employees that gives the team an opportunity to check in with staff frequently.
During our COVID-19 surge, this team demonstrated incredible agility as they shifted their work to cover new units, help out at Mount Sinai Brooklyn, and offer different services to patients. They also took turns rounding very early in the morning, along with our social workers and many others, to check in with our night staff.
“During the crisis, being present mattered,” said Chaplain Max Reynolds.
Chaplain Leanne Dodge agreed. “People needed human connection. The pandemic affected them professionally, but also personally, and they had to carry that in their work. We were there to hold space for whatever emotions or release they needed.”
This team also supports our patients who, during this time, could not have visitors. The chaplains often helped in different ways, calling patients, offering support through new technology, or even just sitting with patients and helping them call a family member. Their generosity, patience, and presence inspire me.
Because they are so present on the units, our chaplains often help connect our MSBI colleagues to the additional resources they need. They work closely with the patient experience, employee assistance, behavioral health, social work, and wellness teams, and many others to provide support to staff.
Derrick Williams, LCSW, offers short-term counseling to employees through the Employee Assistance Program and is a collaborative partner to Spiritual Care.
Derrick helps employees with a wide range of challenges such as anxiety, family relationships, work stress, and other psychosocial needs. During the crisis, he saw many people who struggled with the loss of life they had witnessed, their fear of getting sick or getting their family sick, and even feelings of isolation because of working from home
“I am honored to be serving our frontline and all our employees. I have profound respect for everyone who is putting their life on the line,” he says.
He wants to remind employees that four simple things can help us weather this storm:
- Movement
- Mindfulness
- Meaning, (e.g., religion, values, passions)
- Mastery (i.e., being able to use your skills gained from challenges in the past to help you today)
Jo Hirschmann, our Director of Spiritual Care and Education, says that her team witnessed incredible resilience from MSBI during the height of the crisis and so much change.
“We still have processing to do. We can help people cultivate their own resilience through spirituality, values, and community,” Jo says.
I know that having these two programs, along with many others, has helped our MSBI family stay centered and connected during this time.