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Running head: PROFESSIONAL MEETING PAPER

Analysis of Mount Sinai Professional Meeting: COVID-19

Zoë Raine

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

NUR 3142

Dr. DuBois

4/26/2020

“I pledge”
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Running head: PROFESSIONAL MEETING PAPER
Analysis of Mount Sinai Professional Meeting: COVID-19

The global pandemic caused by coronavirus type SARS-CoV-2 is causing chaos in the

health care system. To combat the chaos hospitals are holding meetings to update staff on the

latest recommendations from the CDC- Center for Disease Control and Prevention and WHO -

World Health Organization. These meeting communicate changes within the hospital as the

cases increase and the situation worsens. Mount Sinai, a hospital in New York, one of the

epicenters of the outbreak, held a town meeting to express needs of their patients, ways to protect

oneself and others, special droplet precautions, restrictions, and other information to work

through the crisis. The meeting also provided information about the medical school associated

with the hospital as well as a brief question and answer session. The meeting exemplified

important aspects of the healthcare system such as leadership, business of healthcare, advocacy,

and quality and safety.

Leadership

The gathering consisted of the president and chief operating officer of Mount Sinai

hospital Dr. David Rich, the dean of the school of medicine Dr. Dennis Charney, hospital’s

infection preventionist and epidemiologist Dr. Gopi Patel, and the health system epidemiologist

Dr. Bernard Camins. They led the meeting in an authoritative and authentic manner,

communicating information in an honest and open way but with full control over decisions

making. The members of the meeting are forthright about the situation being ever evolving and

plan to continually update the hospital staff through town hall meetings. This kind of leadership

seems to be ideal in a crisis situation because decisions must be made rapidly and for the best of
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Running head: PROFESSIONAL MEETING PAPER
the whole system, but, usually, without input from subordinate participants. The communication

is made based on the knowledge and feelings of those at the top and then travels down the chain

of command.

Although leaders are the ones making the big decisions they do so for the advantage of

their community and the maintain the importance of working together. They are self-aware and

genuine about the situation probably getting worse. The leadership in this meeting coordinates to

the ANA – American Nursing Association standards of practice of communication and

consultation. The plan is made and the leaders are communicating the changes and they are

consulting with epidemiologist and infection preventionist in meeting to ensure the efficacy of

their plan (ANA 2010b).

Business of Healthcare

The meeting is organized in a way that lets employees know their responsibilities.

Business must continue, so those staff like nurses, x-ray techs, respiratory therapists, and anyone

specific to COVID-19 care must continue to come into to work. The leaders express that those

who can do their jobs outside of the hospital are required to do so. These employees can obtain

that information from their specific heads of staff or managers. This is an example about the

business going down the chain of command. The leaders share the broad information and

decisions and the individuals figure out their specified roles from their immediate overseer. This

structure helps communication go smoothly in the evolving environment.

It is important to that the system stay as organized and efficient as possible in a crisis

situation like this. The meeting discussed the changes in the hospital units to yield enough space

to care for COVID-19 patients. They converted ICUs and med-surg units to isolations units. This
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action relates to the APA standard of resource utilizations, as the system is using the open

spaces, they have to provide safe and effective care as well as remaining financially sound. It

also reflects coordination of care as these alterations make it possible for the hospital to increase

capacity for virus ridden patients without impacting other hospital patients (ANA 2010b).

Advocacy

The leadership mention opportunities for students to aid the hospital during the

pandemic. This shows they care and are advocating for education and the success of their student

body. The leaders do care about their students and employees and want them to be safe and able

to help in the ways they are capable and skilled. They advocate for all employees not just those

on the front lines but allowing those, who can, to work from home to keep business running as

best it can.

If those employees essential to the care of patients battling this virus are required to come

into work then it is imperative the leadership show they are advocating for their staff. The

leadership also discusses ways to prevent being infected and slow transmission, like washing

hands, staying isolated or distanced, avoid touching your face, and using PPE appropriately. This

is another way they’re not only advocate for their staff but also for the community. Advocacy

and safety intertwine because to advocate for someone is to make sure they have what is

necessary to succeed and keeping them free form injury is a success in healthcare. The ANA

standards of practice here is health teaching and health promotion. Teaching proper PPE training

and allowing students to help in the lab are promoting health and advocating for a positive result

(ANA 2010b).
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Running head: PROFESSIONAL MEETING PAPER
Quality and Safety

One of the main purposes of this meeting was to communicate the importance of taking

responsibility to keep oneself and the community safe. The leaders mention that all PPE –

personal protective equipment is standardized until further information about transmission is

shared. This means they started with the highest level of PPE until the droplet precaution

information was shared by the CDC. Providing substantial PPE is a primary way the leadership

can advocate for the health and safety of their employees. The leaders mention that all workers

caring for COVID-19 patients, whether they are waiting for results are actively showing systems,

must wear required PPE.

It is hard to tell how “safe” those on the front lines, and their families, actually are.

Throughout this pandemic it is important to research and record how essential healthcare

workers are being affected. Quality improvement can make a difference in the future, as this

continues or if a pandemic like this is to happen again. The ANA standards of quality of practice

and collaboration are relevant here. If each individual does commit to a high quality of practice

and collaborate on distancing than the safety of all is less at risk (ANA 2010b).

Reflection

I think the leadership at Mount Sinai is doing well by updating staff with current

information and advice. “Crisis requires effective communication to a variety of audiences with

widely differing needs, views, and frames of reference” (Boin, et al. 2017). I did find it strange

that no clinical care lead was a part of the leadership team as they are the ones closest to patient

care, which is where one sees what truly needs improvement or alteration. It seems like any

progress being made to improve the system for nurses is now in reverse as the system is
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swallowed by this pandemic. I have learned that is important to advocate for yourself, even if

those above believe they are advocating for you. Many issues slip through the cracks as they rise

through chain of command. I hope that leaders remember that mistakes are not personal failures

but those of the system as a whole.

The federal government and some state governments are not advocating for the health

care systems in this country by opening their economies back up. Some state governments are

doing well and public leadership in those states is taking responsibility for the welfare of its

citizens. A crisis is a difficult time to be a public leader, but choosing economy over society

seems to be the wrong choice. In time, we will see who managed this uncertainty and adversity

with reason and compassion.

Conclusion

In healthcare it is necessary to anticipate the unexpected but what do you do as a leader

when there just is not enough supplies to keep your team safe? It is still the responsibility of a

leader to advocate and promote quality work even, and especially, in times of crisis. These

meetings provide updates to the staff and managers and allow for some peace of mind. The

question and answer portion is a good way for the member on the bottom of the chain of

command to communicate with those at the top. A quote from one of the lessons is “leaders

bridge the gap between talk and action” (BSMCON, 2020), making a leader responsible for

implementing changes necessary to calm to the chaos and to organize and equip a team for

success. It is necessary for leaders of all levels, federal, state, healthcare system, unit, to

coordinate and make choices that are best for their respective teams, and therefore for society as

a whole.
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References

American Nurses Association (2010b). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring,

MD: American Nurses Association.

BSMCON. (2020). Quality initiatives past and present. [Softchalk Lesson]. Retrieved from

https://bsmcon.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?

content_id=_344009_1&displayName=SoftChalk

%3A+Quality+Initiatives&course_id=_5905_1&navItem=content&href=%2Fwebapps

%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Fblti%2FlaunchLink%3Fcourse_id

%3D_5905_1%26content_id%3D_344009_1

Boin, A., Hart, P., Stern, E, & Sundelius, B. (2017). The challenges of strategic crisis

management. The Politics of Crisis Management: Public Leadership Under Pressure.

(12-15). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Mount Sinai Health Systems. (2020). March 16, 2020 COVID-19 town hall meeting. [Youtube]

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydWCxCvRf2I&feature=youtu.be