Michael A. Crane, MD, MPH, right, gathered with speakers, from left, the Rev. James Hayes, MA, MDiv; the Rev. Amy Strano, MDiv; and Roberto Lucchini, MD, near a plaque outside Guggenheim Pavilion in observance of the World Trade Center attacks.
The 18th anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks was solemnly observed on Wednesday, September 11, at Stern Auditorium, in an event led by Michael A. Crane, MD, MPH, Medical Director of the World Trade Center (WTC) Clinical Center of Excellence (CCE) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. More than 22,000 responders are being treated at Mount Sinai’s Center, which is the largest in the World Trade Center Health Program.
At the event, about a dozen staff teams presented videos about their roles in caring for 9/11 patients, in fields such as clinical care, billing, data management, and claims certification. “I think it’s important for us—because we work with this every day—to take a moment to feel proud of the work that we do,” Dr. Crane told the attendees. “While we will always feel the sorrow, let’s not be afraid also to celebrate the excellent work that you do.”
Speakers included Manish Arora, PhD, MPH, the Edith J. Baerwald Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Sandra M. Lowe, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine, and Medical Director of Mount Sinai WTC CCE Mental Health Program; and Roberto Lucchini, MD, Professor of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine, and Director of the WTC CCE Data Center. Another speaker was the Rev. James Hayes, MA, MDiv, a chaplain for The Mount Sinai Hospital, who was present when the World Trade Center towers fell and spent the next year ministering at the site. “You are a blessing to every first responder and every person who spent time at Ground Zero,” Father Hayes told the attendees. “You provide us with respect and hope.”
Mickie Brown, RN, led a session on mindfulness for staff members involved in the care of 9/11 responders. The meditation, with the theme of loving kindness, began and ended with the tone of a bell.
The event was preceded by a special mindfulness session attended by about 30 staff members of Mount Sinai’s WTC CCE. “On this day—which has left a mark in the history of our world, our country, and our personal lives—we want to honor those who have suffered and those who we have lost, and also the work we have done,” said the leader of the session, Mickie Brown, RN, Clinical Manager of Education, Mindfulness and Patient Well-Being at the Selikoff Centers for Occupational Health, home of the Mount Sinai World Trade Center Clinical Center of Excellence.
The session focused on an ancient meditation called Metta, or loving kindness, which Ms. Brown said could serve as “an antidote to anger and fear.” Participants sat in a quiet conference room and were invited to contemplate the phrases “may I be well; may I be happy; may I be free from suffering.” They were asked to gradually broaden those wishes to friends and loved ones, to strangers, to those who have done harm—to lead them toward peace and change—and finally to all beings. “Mindfulness sessions like this provide staff members with a set of evidence-based tools to maintain balance,” Ms. Brown said, “and ensure our capacity to be present to continue to serve the unique patient population that we care for.”