Last month, NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx held a final “clap out” and appreciation ceremony for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) medical team which had been deployed to work at the hospital to support the medical staff during the height of the Omicron surge amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The hospital’s healthcare workers and senior officials joined the DoD team for a final farewell ceremony which included the presentation of certificates of appreciation to the members of the team.

 

As reported, in early February 2022, Gov. Kathy Hochul joined various elected representatives and NCB officials in thanking the DoD medical teams for supporting health care workers at North Central Bronx amid the ongoing pandemic. Officials included NYC Health + Hospitals president and CEO, Dr. Mitchell Katz, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, and District 11 City Council Member Eric Dinowitz.

 

The DoD team comprised providers, nurses, army medics, respiratory technicians, and command staff. They arrived in late January and were trained on hospital policies and procedures before they began to shadow staff. Their first full day at the hospital was Friday, Jan. 29.

In the context of DoD team’s arrival in February, Hochul said that as the City battled the COVID pandemic over the last two years, health care workers at North Central Bronx Hospital and across New York State had been on the front lines, providing life-saving care. “On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank our federal partners and the Department of Defense medical team for answering the call of duty and joining our fight against the pandemic,” she said at the time. “Working together with our health care heroes in New York, I know they will be a critical part of our efforts to defeat the winter surge.”

 

Meanwhile, Katz said at the time that North Central Bronx staff had done a tremendous job taking care of the hospital’s patients through every wave of the pandemic and that it was time they got a much-needed break. He added, “It was great having Gov. Hochul at our hospital, visiting with our staff and meeting the military medical team. We thank the governor for her continued leadership and support, and we’re grateful to the Biden administration and the Department of Defense for assisting us in the fight against COVID-19.”

 

Also speaking in February on the arrival of the troops at the hospital, NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx CEO, Christopher Mastromano, said at the time that Bronx families had been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and that the borough continued to see some of the highest COVID-19 positivity rates across the city. “Our staff has been working around the clock to care for our neighbors and we thank the DoD medical team for supporting us as we nurse The Bronx back to health,” he said.

For her part, U.S. Army Capt. Elizabeth Hizenga, said at the time of her arrival with her team, “My soldiers, active-duty military doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists, come from a variety of military installations across the nation and bring with them an overabundance of medical experience and knowledge, and a ‘can do’ spirit.” She added, “Our attitude and expertise, coupled with the proficiency of the NCB hospital staff, will prove invaluable as we work together to tackle a rise in hospitalizations from coronavirus.”