In April 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, The New York Times and other media outlets reported that Dr. Lorna M. Breen, medical director of the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital, died by suicide in Charlottesville, Va., where she had been staying with family, as confirmed by her father and police. She had, reportedly, been treating many coronavirus patients prior to her death.

 

According to a pre-pandemic, 2014 Work/Life Profile of Today’s Physician, most doctors work between 40 and 60 hours per week, but nearly one-quarter work between 61 and 80 hours per week.

 

Meanwhile, a study carried out in 2020 by the National Institutes for Health on psychological distress, coping behaviors, and preferences for support among New York healthcare workers during the pandemic found that 57 percent of respondents reported acute stress, 48 percent reported depressive symptoms, and 33 percent, anxiety.

 

Doctors at Jacobi Medical Center received a mental health boost on Aug. 31 when a new physician wellness center was opened at the hospital, located at 1400 Pelham Parkway South, in Morris Park. The hospital is part of New York City Health+Hospitals, the City’s public hospital system, and the new wellness center was opened courtesy of the Physician Affiliate Group of New York (PAGNY).

 

According to PAGNY, a tax-exempt, professional corporation which focuses on “delivering exceptional, patient-centered care,” wellness centers help prevent physician burnout, which is especially important during the pandemic.

 

To celebrate the center’s grand opening, PAGNY representatives and Jacobi officials and physicians gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and were joined by Assembly Member Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80). “This past year has shown that, more than ever, we need to ensure the wellness of those who take care of us,” the assemblywoman said.

 

Thanking PAGNY and New York City Health+Hospitals, for making the center a reality, Fernández added, “I am excited for the opening of Jacobi’s new physician wellness center today to demonstrate our community’s commitment to the wellness of our physicians.”

 

Located on Jacobi’s medical campus in the Morris Park section of the Bronx, the over 6,400-square-foot, wellness center features a newly renovated kitchen, fitness area, lounge area, workstations, and a bathroom for doctors to use as a work and relaxation space.

 

Jorge I. Montalvo, chief operating officer at PAGNY, said a team of physicians working at Jacobi were recruited as consultants to help design the new center. “Really, it was all led by physicians,” said Montalvo. “That’s kind of the special part about all of this and why, I think, it came out well. It looks different, it feels different, and it was led by what they needed, and after the last year and a half of what they needed, it was the least we could do,” he added.

 

Sandra Maldonado, chief affiliation officer for Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospitals, said hospital officials felt it was important for doctors to have a place to wind down and relax. “We approached the executive administration here for some space, and they were gracious enough to give us the space, and this is the result of it,” said Maldonado. Although COVID delayed the completion of the center, she said the most important thing was that it was now completed. “We’re here, so that’s what matters, that it’s available for them,” she added.

 

Mengyang Sun, M.D., an attending physician at Jacobi, said she had been hearing about the wellness center for a while, but didn’t believe it was going to happen until it opened. “It’s really great,” Sun said. “I think a lot of people have put in a lot of work to make this happen, and I think it’s a testament to how much we are valued.” She added, “Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like it because we work really hard, and this is a public hospital.”

 

PAGNY is one of the largest physicians and health professional groups in the country. The organization has nearly 4,000 physicians and allied healthcare providers working in public health facilities throughout New York City. Through its partnership with Jacobi, PAGNY physicians see more than 325,000 outpatient visits, more than 100,000 emergency room visits, and more than 20,000 inpatient admissions annually.

 

In conjunction with its research foundation (PHRF), PAGNY fundraised to finance the new center. According to its website, PHRF supports PAGNY physicians’ health research and programs, benefiting uninsured and underinsured New Yorkers. It also runs professional development and wellness programs for PAGNY’s physicians and allied health professionals.

PAGNY said this is to ensure that such professionals maintain top-notch skills and the resilience needed to provide ongoing quality care in New York City’s public hospitals, clinics, and correctional institutions.

 

Montalvo said it was heartwarming to see the reaction of all the doctors to the new center, and he was excited to report that back to PAGNY’s board of directors since they, too, are physicians. “So, we’re all excited today to open, to see the reaction of even the CEO of the hospital who had given us the space,” he said. “To see the faces who are, like, ‘Oh, this is very nice. This is so different,’ really kind of makes us all happy.”

 

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.