It is my honor to share the news that Stony Brook University Hospital has been recognized by Healthgrades as one of 24 leading hospitals in the nation, and the only one on Long Island, that provided exceptional patient care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic — all while managing the highest volumes of patients with coronavirus. This recognition reaffirms what I’ve known all along about Stony Brook: When we are faced with seemingly overwhelming challenges, we always come together and move forward as one to address them and succeed.
Even before we had our first patient diagnosed with COVID-19, we immediately assembled the Hospital Incident Command System (HICS) in March 2020. HICS brought hospital leaders together to meet on a regular basis — in fact the team still meets to this day — and enabled them to mobilize resources and staff quickly and efficiently to successfully manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employee communication, especially in the early days of the pandemic, was critical in keeping everyone informed, as protocols and practices were constantly changing, and in providing crucial support for employees. The hospital’s “Coronavirus Update” email was developed and sent regularly to all hospital employees and medical staff.
As I reflect on that time, we faced so much uncertainty, but I was struck by our ingenuity, creativity and the ability to act quickly to provide outstanding care for our patients and the community. There were many obstacles to overcome, and it was your resiliency and perseverance that carried us through it all.
In the two years since the pandemic, we accomplished a considerable amount to care for and support those who were diagnosed with COVID-19. Here are some of the highlights:
- At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Stony Brook added 350 inpatient beds to support the volume of COVID inpatients, and since the beginning of the pandemic, our staff cared for more than 6,100 inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 using evidence-based standards, led by our clinical leadership teams, to achieve optimal outcomes.
- Stony Brook University Hospital also took steps to ensure patient access to healthcare services during the pandemic. For patient and staff safety and convenience, telemedicine visits were expanded from a few hundred to more than 20,000 visits per month at the height of the pandemic. Specially configured smartphones and iPads helped to facilitate safe, virtual care between patients and clinicians in the Emergency Department.
- Since the beginning of the pandemic, widespread COVID-19 testing has been a critical factor in identifying, isolating and treating individuals who were infected with COVID-19, as well as helping public health officials track the virus’ spread. This resulted in increasing our lab testing capacity to address the significant growth in volume.
- The Facilities Planning and Physical Plant teams coordinated efforts to ensure safe, social distancing throughout our buildings and reconfigured inpatient rooms with negative pressure and isolation room resources as needed to protect patients and healthcare providers.
- The “Face Behind the Mask” initiative was developed safe to reduce patients’ anxieties about the anonymous caregiver faces hidden by masks. While interacting with patients, hospital staff wore pictures of themselves on their gowns, so patients could see the full face of the staff member caring for them.
- “My Story” poster boards were created and hung in a patient’s room so that details about the patient’s life could be shared with our caregivers. It was a way for people to connect under the most difficult circumstances.
- The COVID-19 Monoclonal Antibody Clinic opened in late 2020, and as of early 2022 provided infusions to more than 1,060 patients who were COVID-19 positive from throughout the community. Including treatments administered in the Emergency Department, close to 1,900 outpatient monoclonal antibody treatments have been provided.
- In late 2020, the Post-COVID Clinic at Stony Brook Medicine Advanced Specialty Care in Commack was created to offer ongoing care and assessment of adult patients who are recovering from COVID-19 and still experiencing symptoms. Additionally, a COVID-19 virtual support group was created to deliver professional care to those struggling with the disease.
In addition to providing outstanding patient care, we also took great care of our staff. We never ran out of PPE. In fact, our staff benefited from research at Stony Brook University that resulted in the production of face shields with 3D printers and deploying masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
When our isolation gown supply was running low, we followed a lead from Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and worked with a local company to produce our own gowns. The company cut the gown shapes using a digitized pattern and plastic material that met infection control specifications for use in healthcare settings. Once cut, the gowns were shipped to the hospital, where student volunteers and others assembled the gowns.
Employee support resources were also a huge component of our early COVID efforts, and many still exist today for our employees. The Employee Respite Area provided caregivers with much-needed relief from the daily challenges they faced. Opened 24/7, this peaceful retreat featured soothing music, aromatherapy and places to rest, shower and reenergize with snacks and beverages. It eventually moved to a permanent location on the fifth floor of the hospital, now known as the Resilience at The Brook.
We were tremendously thankful for the overwhelming support from the community to further assist our employees, which included uplifting messages, performances and videos; donations of comfort care items and supplies that allowed us to increase our PPE reserves; and delicious meals and snacks to help keep us going.
Additional support resources included an employee help line staff by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health for caregivers and staff who were feeling stressed or overwhelmed; a Spiritual Care line supported by Chaplaincy Services; wellness and support channels through Microsoft Teams, which includes the Daily Mindfulness Meditation sessions; and virtual pet therapy sessions, to name a few.
As we enter spring and all the joys brought on by its rebirth, I hope we can soon look forward to enjoying a new sense of normalcy. I am forever grateful to each and every one of you for your strength, dedication and commitment to caring for our patients, our community and each other, and would like to express my sincere appreciation to you for your contributions to this remarkable achievement.
Carol