Aaron Siegel, nursing student, Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing
Aaron Siegel is a first semester student at the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing, in its Accelerated Bachelor of Science program. Originally from Detroit, he had his first health care experience administering COVID-19 vaccines for the New York City Department of Health in 2021 and went on to work at a clinic for vulnerable populations. This kind of experience recently enabled him to save a stranger in need.
Prior to starting classes in early September, Aaron worked in a Low Threshold Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) clinic, treating opioid use disorder, at St. Ann’s Corner of Harm Reduction in the South Bronx. St. Ann’s offers nonjudgmental health care services to vulnerable people including drug users, homeless individuals, and sex workers. He saw patients both in the clinic and in a mobile van. He also performed wound care and tests for HIV and Hepatitis C. In addition, Aaron is a New York City Department of Health trainer in dispensing naloxone, an aerosol drug that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
On September 20, Aaron had just come up the stairs from the subway station at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue, on his way to class a block away, and saw a man lying in the middle of sidewalk. His position did not look right to Aaron, who also noticed that the man’s head and hands were bleeding, indicating that he likely fell and hit the sidewalk hard. Aaron took a closer look and saw that the man was not breathing. Another passerby had naloxone in his bag, so Aaron took over, administering it and doing chest compressions between two doses. The man began breathing, but not fully. Aaron asked another bystander to run over to the OnPoint Overdose Prevention Center a block away to get more naloxone. After a third dose, the man’s breathing greatly improved, and he regained consciousness, which is when emergency medical technicians arrived. Aaron consulted with them and then continued to class. His classmates were already chatting about what had transpired; Aaron had been filmed on the Citizen app, and within minutes his efforts to revive a stranger had been viewed by thousands of people.
Aaron does not see himself as a hero, despite his lifesaving actions. “So many people walked by this man. He could have been in cardiac arrest or been suffering from any number of conditions,” he says. “It only takes a few seconds to see if someone is conscious. This man would have died within 10 minutes if he was not treated.”
Not surprisingly, Aaron is passionate about the use of naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan®, to treat overdoses. “In the last few years I have reversed around 10 overdoses with Narcan. Narcan training was provided on the first day of class, which really impressed me; I commend PSON for that. “It’s important for everyone to know how to respond in these situations and be aware that if someone is unresponsive, but you’re not sure it is an overdose, you can give them Narcan anyway. It’s completely harmless if they are not having an overdose.”
Aaron is clear about his future plans upon graduation. “I want to work in mental health and addiction treatment. Individuals living with addiction have experienced trauma—both psychological and physical. And they often have untreated conditions like diabetes and hypertension.” He is likely to work one-on-one with patients, perhaps even back at St. Ann’s, but is aware of the opportunities that exist at Mount Sinai. “It’s terrific that Mount Sinai has an Addiction Institute and a Center for Research on Emerging Substances, Overdose, and New Discoveries (RESPOND). Nurses and health care workers should be aware of the dynamic nature of the poisoned street drug supply. New substances are being introduced, and it’s getting deadlier and more unpredictable.”