Commemorative speech – Bravery and teamwork of staff at NYU Langone
Where: NYU Langone Medical Center, Farkas main auditorium
When: October 29, 2017 (5 years later)
Given by: The chief of staff
Given to: NYU Langone – about 500 people.
Introduction:
Good afternoon fellow medical and administrative staff, supporters, guests and friends.
I am honored to stand in front of you here to celebrate NYU’s Langone successes, five years after Hurricane Sandy.
I want to thank our Dean and CEO, Dr. Robert Grossman for his extraordinary leadership. We continue to be recognized as a top academic medical center.
I also want to thank our Chief Clinical Officer, Dr. Andrew Brotman; our Chief of Hospital Operations, Dr. Robert Press and our leadership teams who have also contributed to this success.
Most importantly, I want to thank you. You who come day in and day out to work at our Medical Center as our doctors, our nurses, our administrators, our medical secretaries, our maintenance personnel, our cleaning staff, and many others who are present here today. You are what makes NYU Langone Medical Center what it is today –a place we are proud of; a place we call our second home.
History:
On October 29, 2012, New York City was badly hit by Hurricane Sandy. It was considered the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of 2012. That day Hurricane Sandy, unknowingly to us, would destroyour home to the point of a shut down. We were one of three hospitals that were badly affected in Manhattan.
Who would have thought this would happen?
Like many of you today, I also saw images of newborns and elderly coming out of our unlit hospital in the news.
Like many of you today, I saw the destruction of the hurricane - torn down doors, our water filled basement and our non – functioning operating rooms.
Like many of you today, I also lost connection to NYU’s email. Losing all forms of contact. Unsure of what would happen next.
Like many of you today, I also questioned if and when would I be able to go to work.
And here we are.
Like many of you today, I am proud to be part of the NYU Langone family.
And here we are better than ever. As our Dean and CEO Dr. Grossmanstated , “When people are tested they often discover strengths they never knew they had.”
Highlights:
It has been five years since that day when we all came together for our patients and evacuated 280 that night. When we all worked together around the clock and through the weekends. When we relocated offices to see our sick patients.
In two months, we all managed as a team to get our hospital back up and running. It was a miracle that we were back in action.
Since then, we have been recognized and ranked number 1 for overall patient safety and quality among leading academic medical centers for the last 5 years.
We have opened five additional ambulatory centers including a women’s center and a men’s center. We recently opened a children’s hospital - our newest addition to our home.
Our physicians continue to be recognized as leading doctors in the New York metro are.
Closing:
We have accomplished so much since the Hurricane Sandy.
Our perseverance has allowed us to continue to grow.
Our high quality patient care has allowed us to serve more patients than ever
Our commitment to integrity, service, respect and excellence has given us a solid reputation like no other.
Let’s give ourselves an applause. for the wonderful work we have achieved.Let’s stay committed to our journey of making NYU Langone the best hospital!
Thank you all for joining me today in our celebration!