Healthcare Hero: Jessica Marangio, MSN, RN, PMH-BC, VP Behavioral Health Services, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital
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Title
Healthcare Hero: Jessica Marangio, MSN, RN, PMH-BC, VP Behavioral Health Services, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital
Description
Prior to COVID, I was an assistant director of nursing for adult inpatient Psychiatry. I did daily management of our adult inpatient Psychiatry unit and oversaw our nursing staff. Fast forward to the pandemic, where a lot of our patients were staying home and our unit census was as low as I’d ever seen. We needed to shift focus. We rounded in other units, which was very different for many. We were used to taking care of our own patients, and suddenly we were setting out to help our colleagues. As we continued rounds, we began to see a need and felt the pulse of the hospital - we saw a lot of sadness, exhaustion, and anxiety. We know the effects of trauma on a person’s mental health, and this was traumatic. We wanted to do more. We organized a fundraiser to make wellness baskets for every unit with calming activities, essential oils, teas, and snacks. We were then able to open an Employee Respite Area on 12 North, staffed 24-7 by our Psychiatric nurses who provided support, a calming environment, mindfulness activities, aromatherapy, meditation, a place to rest, snacks and beverages. We had over 19,000 visits to the area between April and July 2020. I’ve since taken a position at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital to oversee inpatient and outpatient Behavioral Health services, but I can’t stress enough how important it still is to be careful. Wear a mask. Don’t gather in large groups. It’s just too soon. We really need to stay vigilant.
Subject
Extent
1 file
Language
en
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Type
Format
Identifier
cap-hch-JessicaMarangio
Date Submitted
2021-06-13
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Attached media
cap-hch-JessicaMarangio.jpg
