BETHPAGE BEST OF LONG ISLAND By Michelle Gabrielle
Centamore
Many hospitals on Long Island were
inundated with COVID-positive patients
after the pandemic hit the region
in March. Of those healthcare heroes
who answered the call—putting their
own lives at risk to help others—the
2020 Bethpage Best of Long Island
winners distinguished themselves.
The winners include Stony Brook
University Hospital, which won the
title of Best Hospital on Long Island;
NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island
in Mineola, which won Best Maternity
Ward on Long Island, and Pro-
HEALTH Urgent Care, which won
Best Urgent Care.
Each of these establishments exhibited
an extraordinary response to COVID
from the get-go and their medical
and professional staff proved their remarkable
skills, strength, and character.
Healthcare practitioners rose to the
daunting occasion and used both their
interpersonal and professional skills
not only to save lives but to touch lives.
So, what defines a healthcare hero?
Read on to see what these standout facilities
and their first-rate staff have in
common.
BEST HOSPITAL
STONY BROOK
UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
LEADS PATIENTS AND
STAFF THROUGH THE
STORM
Stony Brook University Hospital
was quick to respond to the needs of
the community, and all hospital staff—
physicians and nurses, radiology, and
housekeeping—united to assure that
each patient had their best chance at
recovery and that colleagues felt supported
in the process.
Spearheading efforts to increase capacity
at Stony Brook’s Intensive Care
Unit (ICU) was James Vosswinkel, MD,
FACS; Chief, Trauma, Emergency Surgery
and Surgical Critical Care; Medical
Director, Trauma Center, and Surgical
ICU, Stony Brook Medicine.
Stony Brook’s medical team collaborated
with other healthcare professionals
on a local, nationwide, and
international level, Dr. Vosswinkel
said. Hospital departments worked to
ensure they had an adequate supply of
oxygen, ventilators and other respiratory
supplies, PPE and more.
“We were a really well-oiled machine
where each department put their
best foot forward and was integrated at
a very high level together to truly address
the pandemic,” the doctor said.
Stony Brook tripled their entire ICU
capacity in an effective, safe fashion.
“We provided patients with the best
that modern medicine could offer to
try to get them to recover,” he added.
“We came together and really supported
one another and worked together
toward a common goal of
keeping each other safe but also doing
the best we possibly could do for our
patients,” said Dawn Teer, RRT, NPS,
CPFT, a respiratory therapist at Stony
Brook University Hospital.
Teer was a lead therapist and staff supervisor
at the height of the pandemic.
She also took regular assignments, making
herself available and present to patients
and staff as much as possible. Teer
recalled a young patient who was intubated
for months and came very close to
losing his battle more than once.
“We never gave up on him,” she said.
“We kept trying different kinds of ventilator
strategies, we wouldn’t give up and
he wound up coming off and living.”
Strong leadership offered staff
and patients the support needed to
get them through a most challenging
time. Sofia Marie Reyes, staff and relief
charge nurse at Stony Brook, assumed
responsibility as a relief charge nurse in
the first pop-up COVID Intensive Care
Unit at Stony Brook University Hospital.
Reyes was responsible for training
other nurses from non-ICU units who
had little to no experience in an ICU.
Some of the nurses hadn’t stepped foot
on a critical care unit in up to 15 years
if at all—and they were understandably
initially intimidated, recalls Reyes.
“I wanted to help alleviate their fears.
I couldn’t imagine what they were going
through—dealing with the machines and
the ventilators, the IV pumps, and just
how sick these patients were,” Reyes said.
She took the time to get to know
her staff, learn all of their names and
get them to a place of confidence. She
patiently explained to them how to run
an IV, administer medications and use
the ventilators. Reyes said she was able
to lead by example due to the tremendous
collaboration and support from
all at Stony Brook.
“I feel that my COVID ICU had
strong teamwork between the MICU
and PACU nurses, MICU attendings
and fellows, the respiratory therapists,
and the ancillary staff, clerks and nursing
assistants,” she added. “I had—still
have—an amazing and supportive
nursing leadership—my nurse manager
and clinicians—who assured we had
adequate PPE and as much staffing and
resource supplies as we could get.”
BEST URGENT
CARE CENTER
PROHEALTH URGENT
CARE HEALS AND
EDUCATES
ProHEALTH Urgent Care’s Long Island
facilities were exemplary in meeting
their patients’ needs safely and effectively.
“The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic
846 BETHPAGE BEST OF LONG ISLAND 2021 • VOTERS GUIDE • BESTOFLONGISLAND.COM
changed medicine for the urgent
care clinicians,” recalled Kevin
Patel, PA, of ProHEALTH Urgent Care
in Jericho. “At its peak, the hospitals
were at maximum capacity and general
clinicians were unable to care for
patients in an outpatient setting. We
were overwhelmed with high volumes
daily throughout the months of March,
April, and May.”
The facility received support from
providers from different departments
of ProHEALTH.
“It became a group effort to make
sure the community was tested and
contact tracing was done by the department
of health to stop the transmission
and lower the rate of infection,” Patel
said.Patients were doing everything they
could to avoid a trip to the emergency
room and ProHEALTH medical staff
were doing everything they could to
support those patients who would otherwise
have taken their symptoms to
the hospital.
“It became our jobs to make sure
these patients got the best care necessary,”
Patel said.
“We developed a very effective system
for evaluating COVID patients in
a safe manner,” said Diane Peterman,
MD, of ProHEALTH West Islip Pediatric
Urgent Care. At the pandemic’s
peak, patients were treated in their
cars. Dr. Peterman says, “We were able
to obtain vital signs, test and evaluate
individuals without exposing them
to other ill patients. The entire staff
remained positive, professional and
cohesive while maintaining a safe environment.
We were very fortunate to
receive support from our fellow colleagues
from other departments. It was
a unique opportunity to work with a
wide variety of specialty groups who
offered their time.”
Patient education was also a priority,
noted Dr. Peterman.
“I would prescribe supportive medications
such as inhalers, nebulizers,
supplements and encourage patients to
take time to exercise and get fresh air
and sunshine,” she said.
Nurses at Stony Brook University Hospital support a recovering COVID patient.
Photo credit: Stony Brook University Hospital
Sophia Marie Reyes, RN stands in
the Stony Brook University Hospital
Intensive Care Unit. Photo credit: Stony
Brook University Hospital
Kevin Patel, Physicians Assistant, Pro-
HEALTH Urgent Care, Jericho. Photo
credit: ProHEALTH Urgent Care
/BESTOFLONGISLAND.COM
