The Mount Sinai Health System has unveiled two exhibits to celebrate contributions from its staff who battled through the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to find a way every day to care for their patients. These exhibits can be seen at Mount Sinai Morningside (MSM) and The Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH).
Mount Sinai Morningside has recently revealed Faces of Resilience, a photo installation celebrating and honoring staff who battled COVID-19. Inspired by the experiences and stories of frontline staff at MSM, photographer Claudia Paul aimed to capture resilience of the individuals who battled the first surge of the pandemic. The Faces of Resilience series include 32 portraits of frontline staff from various roles and departments within MSM along with a quote from each staff member describing that time.
Each photo curated for this exhibit symbolizes resilience within the MSM community while illustrating the teamwork needed to fight the pandemic and inspiring hope and the courage to carry on. Photo subjects within the exhibit include doctors, nurses, and researchers, along with staff who work in patient transport, radiology, engineering, ambulance services, spiritual care, digital and technology, and more to tell their stories through the pandemic but also how and why they continue on taking care of patients. The permanent exhibit can be seen in the main lobby of Mount Sinai Morningside at 1111 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10025.
"Partnering with Claudia Paul on this exhibition has resulted in a transformed entrance to our hospital," said Arthur Gianelli, FACHE, President of Mount Sinai Morningside and Chief Transformation Officer of Mount Sinai Health System. "It signals to staff, patients, and visitors that we embody all that is necessary to fight the pandemic. This inspiring installation reflects the staff of Mount Sinai Morningside's commitment to excellence. The individuals featured represent the excellence, teamwork, compassion, and valor it takes for everyone to care for our patients and community."
The second exhibit, We Find a Way, is a photo installation that captures a glimpse inside the Mount Sinai Health System community in various moments of employees caring for patients through compassion, skill and often times going beyond in. Australian photojournalist and writer, Ashley Gilbertson, who typically covers war zones and social unrest, was able to capture powerful moments between a patient and health care worker.
This photo installation is part of Mount Sinai's overarching branding and advertising campaign that launched in June 2021 and presents an emotional and raw view of what it takes to overcome challenging and complex health and scientific problems. The We Find a Way campaign and exhibit drew inspiration from the entire Mount Sinai community who went above and beyond to save countless lives during the pandemic, and how it seeks to do so for all health conditions. Their work has led to the development of new COVID-19 protocols, diagnostics, and therapeutics.
"This campaign reveals the soul of our organization, the resilience of our people, and our humanity," said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Mount Sinai Health System. "I'm inspired by the people who make us who we are, who entered into this profession because they care and are unsatisfied with the status quo, and who embody the Mount Sinai way."
Throughout the photos, Mr. Gilbertson was able to showcase the deep humanity in how Mount Sinai's staff finds a way to go above and beyond for the care of patients. Within the exhibit, Mount Sinai doctors, nurses, researchers, and other staff are seen committing to every single patient, even through the worst of the crisis.
"This casts an authentic spotlight on what we do and who we are," said David A. Feinberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System and Dean for Marketing and Communications for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "The distinctive experiences captured beautifully and thoughtfully reveal the essence of our community and Health System."
Images include a physician's assistant braiding a patient's hair while the patient was under anesthesia and wouldn't know, a patient in the operating room when their heart starts beating again, an occupational therapist helping a patient through rehab, quiet moments before surgery, researchers looking for solutions, a toddler patient returning home after a life-saving transplant, and more. The photo installation can be seen within The Mount Sinai Hospital at 1 Gustave L. Levy Place New York, NY 10029-6574.
