Advocating for a Vulnerable Patient During the Pandemic

Angie, a 34-year-old, Spanish-speaking patient with Down syndrome, became infected with COVID-19 and was intubated at The Mount Sinai Hospital. No visitors were allowed, out of an abundance of caution during the pandemic, so Joanna Sheinfeld, MD, Angie’s visiting doctor of more than 10 years, strongly advocated for a virtual visit with the patient’s mom.

Erica Rubinstein, MS, LCSW, CPXP, Vice President of Patient Experience, arranged an in-person visit with the help of leadership, ensuring that the appropriate steps were taken to keep the staff, the patient, and the patient’s mom, Delfina, safe during the visit. Even though Angie was heavily sedated, hearing her mom’s voice, feeling her mom’s touch, and feeling her mom’s love and unconditional support gave Angie a reason to smile and the strength to keep fighting for her life.

“She showed me that she was listening to me, and little by little, she began to recover,” Delfina said. And in between visits, she said, “the nurses would always tell me when they were with Angie, I always had communication, very good communication.”

“It was really incredible to see the collaboration to get this done,” says Silvina
de la Iglesia, Associate Director of Language Services at Mount Sinai. “There were staff from Social Work, from Spiritual Care, from Patient Representatives. I was in communication with Delfina on a daily basis, making sure not only that she was communicated with in Spanish, but she was given proper updates about medical needs and care.” The team also made sure that security was ready for the visits since the pandemic was “a tough time for visitors to come to the hospital.”

After multiple visits from her mom, Angie left the ICU and was transferred to the Medical Progressive Care Unit. Jamie Ruhmshottel, BSN, RN-BC, then the unit’s clinical nurse manager, says her team treated Angie like a princess, providing her a lot of TLC, besides medical care. Child Life Specialists also provided entertainment for Angie, including games, tablets, and coloring books. “Angie became everyone’s favorite patient,” Jamie says. “Angie stayed with us at the hospital for 45 days, but she will stay in our hearts forever!”

Delfina is forever grateful. “All that love, that affection. It does matter. Even if it is a grain that you do every day, all of that starts accumulating and starts coming together, and you start seeing results,” Delfina says.

“I don't know how to pay for the love or the sacrifice, attending so many sick people during this time in the hospital. But I will never forget, because I carry it in my heart.”

- Delfina