Our Health Care Heroes
Honoring the 40,000+ health care workers that saved New York during the COVID-19 pandemic.
About
This website is a digital salute and multi-platform storytelling project featuring stories and experiences that honor the 40,000+ brave NYC Health + Hospitals workforce heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to their dedication thousands of New Yorkers with COVID-19 recovered in our hospitals and have returned home.
The mission of the site is to document and preserve their heroic legacy for future generations and inspire the recovery of our city in months and years ahead. We also hope the site serves as a powerful archive for all New Yorkers to reflect on these experiences, show gratitude to our health care workers and provide support to them and their families.
Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Health Care Heroes in the News
Dedication
This project is dedicated to all the NYC Health + Hospitals' fearless health care heroes who made unmeasurable sacrifices to save lives before losing the fight to COVID-19.
Acknowledgements
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund for their generous donation that made possible the photography and video sections of this website.
All NYC Health + Hospitals staff members who shared their stories for this project for their generosity and commitment to their teams and to NYC Health + Hospitals at large and for their devotion and compassion for our patients and their families.
Credits
This website was created by the Communications and Marketing team of NYC Health + Hospitals with photography by John Rae and videos by the Bronx Documentary Center.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation serving more than 1 million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs including 11 hospitals, five nursing homes, dozens of community-based health centers, a home care agency. The public health system also manages correctional health services in the city's jails, and has its own health plan, MetroPlus. Its diverse workforce of more than 40,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. The system's mission is to care for all regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.
Our Heroes
Profiles of Courage
Meet 25 health care heroes from our hospitals, nursing homes, and other parts of the NYC Health + Hospitals system. Each profile offers a closer, intimate look at the vital role each staff member played in our pandemic response.
Dr. Chinyere Anyaogu
We're All Health Care Providers, First.
Dr. Alfredo Astua
Pulmonary Doctor Gives Every Single Ounce of Strength.
Sebrina Bernal
Protecting Staff At Sea View.
Dr. Noella Boma
"Uncontainable Joy" Upon Patient's Recovery.
Marly Caraballo
Fighting a Virus, While Scared for our Lives.
Marialeah Cervantes
A Devoted Nurse and Healer on the Frontlines in Queens.
Dr. Mohammad Choudhry
Being Present In The Toughest Time Of A Patient's Life.
Charleen Clark
Guiding Nursing Team With Calm And Strength.
Dr. Regina Hammock
"Happy" Music And Tears Of Joy When Patients Go Home.
Dr. Dave Holson
Leading from the Trenches in Queens.
Dr. Laura Iavicoli
In Pandemic's Epicenter, Doctor Tends to her Beloved Community.
Kerline Jean-Glaude
A Calming Force At McKinney.
Dr. Matthew Langston
In the Crosshairs of the COVID-19 Crisis.
Dr. Melissa Lee
Bravery in the Trenches.
Sun McGuirk, LCSW
Providing Support to Families.
Dr. Divya Sridhar
Finding Hope in Harlem.
Khadine Thomas
Nursing Assistant Inspired By Patients' Recovery.
Fabiola Tony, RN
Nurse Redeployed to Support Patient Surge.
Dr. Amit Uppal
Caring for the Most Critically Ill Patients.
Alexandra Vazquez
Respiratory Therapist Beats Covid-19, Returns To Help Others.
Man-Hong Wan, Rn
Care At Home, With A Focus On Safety And Human Interaction.
Mayra Washington
Painful Moments at Testing Sites.
Dr. Mark Watson
A Fighter For Patients First.
Meng Zhong
Providing Comfort At Coler.
Photos
Scenes of a Pandemic
Fighting a Virus and Scared for Our Lives
A gripping photo essay and powerful visual narrative of the pandemic as it unfolded at our facilities -- from the frantic intensive care units and emergency departments, to the pure and tender moments of our heroes caring for patients and supporting each other.
Video
Inside the Surge
A series of documentary-style videos featuring the heroic work of our staff. The first two videos of the series feature the experiences of Respiratory Therapists and the support provided to staff facing emotional and psychological trauma through our Helping Healers Heal program.
Struggling to Breathe
Two Respiratory Therapists share how they cared for hundreds of patients whose lungs were attacked by the virus.
Helping the Healers
Health care staff faced grief and devastation over the loss of patients and friends. A powerful emotional support system helped them heal and continue saving lives.
Data
COVID-19 by the Numbers
Data trends, patient volume, PPE use and other key indicators that made the NYC public health system a leader in pandemic response locally and nationally.
The data in this section covers different periods between March and July of 2020.
Patient care
25,000 COVID-19 patients
received care.
Patient care
3,000 Additional ICU beds created to deal with the surge of COVID-19 patients.
Patient care
5,000 Additional nurses recruited to care for patients.
Patient care
100,000 N95 masks used every week.
Patient care
90,000 Calls to COVID-19 Hotline for clinicians to answer questions on the virus, assess symptoms, and connect patients to care.
Staff Support
$30,000,000 Raised in cash and in-kind donations to support our staff with hotel rooms, meals, taxi rides, groceries and, more.
Staff Support
3,353 Hotel rooms.
Staff Support
256,313+ Meals to hardest hit areas and service lines of the system. Plus over 1 Million meals (through Bloomberg Philanthropies and World Central Kitchen).
Staff Support
60,000 Taxi rides.
Staff Support
81,108+ Non-perishable food, personal hygiene and home cleaning product bags.
Staff Support
1,068+ took advantage of free child care services.
Staff Support
1,000 Helping Healers Heal Peer Support Specialists at hospitals to address trauma.
Staff Support
31 Wellness Rooms created in city public hospitals to help with stress.
Staff Support
60,000 Staff visits to Wellness Rooms.
Staff Support
160 Calls to the Emotional Support Hotline.
Join the Conversation
Send notes of gratitude to our heroes and share their stories on social media.
Say thanks to our heroes:
View your message, as well as others here:
Share a hero story and say thanks on social media. use the hashtag: #HealthCareHeroes
Help us help them.
In this COVID-19 crisis, our dedicated, compassionate, brave workforce of more than 40,000 employees are needed more than ever before. Your non-restricted donation can help us provide much needed services and support to our doctors, nurses, and other health care workers on the front line.
DONATE
Timeline
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March 2020
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March 1
First confirmed case of COVID-19 in New York City
- March 2
- March 3
- March 4
- March 5
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March 6
NYC Health + Hospitals meets with NYC Medical Reserve Corps to request volunteers
- March 7
- March 8
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March 9
New visitor policy issued to increase safety and reduce transmission
- March 10
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March 11
First reported COVID-19 death in New York City
- March 12
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March 13
NYC Health + Hospitals treats first confirmed COVID-19 patient
- March 14
- March 15
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March 16
All NYC Health + Hospitals clinic visits converted to televists.
- March 17
- March 18
- March 19
- March 20
- March 15
- March 21
- March 22
- March 23
- March 24
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March 25
Crisis intensifies as 13 patients pass away in 24 hours at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
- March 26
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March 27
NYC Health + Hospitals opens new 350-bed hospital, Roosevelt Island Medical Center to handle increasing number of COVID-19 patients.
- March 28
- March 29
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March 30
USNS Comfort arrives in New York City
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March 31
Temporary hospital opens at Billie Jean Tennis Center to relieve need at Elmhurst
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April 2020
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April 1
NYC Health + Hospitals recruits 5,000 nurses and 1,500 other health care staff from across the country to help with mounting surge of COVID-19 patients.
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April 2
NYC Health + Hospitals outlines plan to triple ICU capacity to 3,000 beds
- April 3
- April 4
- April 5
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April 6
Over 700 federal health care workers from Dept. of Defense deployed to public hospitals to help fight COVID-19.
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April 7
New York City hits a tragic COVID-19 milestone, reporting 590 deaths in New York City in one day.
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April 8
NYC Health Dept. releases report showing coronavirus is killing black and Latino New Yorkers at twice the rate of white people.
- April 9
- April 10
- April 11
- April 12
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April 13
NYC Health + Hospitals launches text-based monitoring program for discharged patients
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April 14
Bloomberg Philanthropies donates $6 million for World Central Kitchen to provide daily meals to more than 30,000 health care workers on the frontlines of COVID-19.
- April 15
- April 16
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April 17
City announces COVID-19 testing in hardest-hit communities.
- April 18
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April 19
New York Times Magazine publishes photo essay on NYC Health + Hospitals entitled: "Epicenter-Inside New York City's hospitals as they face the pandemic."
- April 20
- April 21
- April 22
- April 23
- April 24
- April 25
- April 26
- April 27
- April 28
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April 29
City partners with Dept. of Defense to Address trauma in health care workers.
- April 30
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May 2020
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May 1
NYC Health + Hospitals hits milestone of 5,000 patients discharged
- May 2
- May 3
- May 4
- May 5
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May 6
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx marks completion of 20 new ICU beds to manage surge of COVID-19 patients
- May 7
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May 8
Mayor announces new Test & Trace Corps
- May 9
- May 10
- May 11
- May 12
- May 13
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May 14
Mayor says all New Yorkers should get tested for COVID-19
- May 15
- May 16
- May 17
- May 18
- May 19
- May 20
- May 21
- May 22
- May 23
- May 24
- May 25
- May 26
- May 27
- May 28
- May 29
- May 30
- May 31
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June 2020
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June 1
Launch of NYC Test & Trace Corps