Local Teenagers Earn Dorothy M. Sharer Scholarship for Exemplary Volunteer Service at Mount Sinai South Nassau

In recognition of their selfless service as junior volunteers at Mount Sinai South Nassau, seven Long Island class of 2020 high school graduates have been awarded the hospital’s annual Dorothy M. Sharer Scholarship.

The recipients are:

• Krista Baumann, West Hempstead HS, West Hempstead
• Reian Daniels, Valley Stream North, Valley Stream
• Zoe Long, St. Anthony’s HS, East Islip
• Richard Smocer, MacArthur HS, Wantagh
• Doug Mandel, Hebrew Academy of Five Towns, Woodmere
• Thomas Musto, East Rockaway HS, East Rockaway
• Roshan Torbati, Hewlett HS, Woodmere
  

They have combined to volunteer 1,560 hours of selfless and dedicated service to the mission and vision of Mount Sinai South Nassau thus far. The late Dorothy M. Sharer was a devoted and beloved volunteer at Mount Sinai South Nassau for more than 33 years and over 30,000 hours. Recipients of the scholarship emulate Ms. Sharer’s trait of serving others through volunteerism, while demonstrating a desire to pursue degrees in higher education that would prepare them for careers in health care.

“From the moment they started volunteering to this very day, Krista, Reian, Zoe, Doug, Thomas, Richard and Roshan have been the essence of this most honorable award,” said Anne Marie Fernandez, Mount Sinai South Nassau’s director of volunteer services. “On behalf of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s staff and board of directors, I thank them for their dedicated work in support of the hospital and its patients.”

A volunteer since November 2017, Ms. Baumann has logged 142 hours of service while serving in the admitting department and participating in the hospital’s Nurses 2B program. She will attend Florida Southern and intends to major in psychology.

Ms. Daniels joined the volunteer staff in May 2017. She has logged 161 hours of volunteer service, primarily serving in maternity, pediatrics, and radiology units. She will attend St. John’s University and major in pharmacology.

Credited with being among the junior volunteers that helped launch the “Painting with Patients” program, Ms. Long has been a volunteer since November 2017, logging 205 hours of volunteer service.  In addition to serving as a Morning Greeter in the hospital’s main lobby, she has served in the Transitional Care, F1 and Maternity units. She will attend Emory University in the fall.

Mr. Mandel has been a volunteer since December 2017 and has logged 272 hours of volunteer service with a special emphasis on SIBSPlace, a behavioral health service affiliated with Mount Sinai South Nassau that serves children who are coping with parents or siblings with devastating illnesses. Mr. Mandel, who will attend SUNY Binghamton in the fall in pursuit of a medical degree, tutored and organized activities and games for SIBSPlace children and assisted with greeting and escorting patients in the hospital and performed various tasks in the hospital’s outpatient rehabilitation center.

Mr. Musto has logged 255 hours of service since joining the volunteer staff in November 2017. Primarily a lobby greeter and messenger, Mr. Musto impressed hospital security guards with his quick action and helpfulness regardless of the request.  He will attend the Nassau Community College/Empire State College Dual-Enrollment Nursing Program in the fall.

A volunteer since November 2018, Mr. Smocer has logged 380 hours volunteering primarily on D2West Unit. Mr. Smocer has been a welcome addition to the unit, answering phones, rounding on patients, answering call bells and performing a variety of duties as needed.  He has also served in External Affairs, assisted with the annual Flu Shot Pod, helped host junior volunteer orientation and trained new junior volunteers for work on patient care units. Mr. Smocer will attend Molloy College in the fall to study nursing.

Always willing to help with a smile where needed, whether as a messenger or Maternity Unit assistant, Ms. Torbati, has been a volunteer since May 2018, totaling 145 hours of service.  She too was instrumental in the start-up of the “Painting with Patients” program. Ms. Torbati will be attending Molloy College in the fall to study nursing.

Volunteering at Mount Sinai South Nassau can be both satisfying and enriching. No experience is necessary: anyone with a little spare time, an easy smile and a kind heart qualifies. Junior high and high school-aged young adults can volunteer after school, on weekends or during spring and summer breaks. It's not only an excellent opportunity to help others, but also a great way to get a firsthand look at the healthcare field for those young students who may be considering this as a career.  For more information about the junior volunteer program or volunteering at Mount Sinai South Nassau, please call Volunteer Office at 516-632-3928.

About Mount Sinai South Nassau
The Long Island flagship hospital of the Mount Sinai Health System, Mount Sinai South Nassau is designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care. Mount Sinai South Nassau is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,500 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services and operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County, along with Long Island’s only free-standing Emergency Department in Long Beach.

In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, Mount Sinai South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and offers Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies. Mount Sinai South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Island’s only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department in Long Beach. Mount Sinai South Nassau also is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons; is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program; and an Infectious Diseases Society of America Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence.  For more information, go to www.mountsinai.org/southnassau.