Bronx Hospital Thanks Frontline Workers, Shares Survivor Tree Seedling One Year After

Montefiore Hospital marked the one-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 patients arriving at the Bronx facility with a special ceremony thanking all frontline workers and remembering the 28 hospital workers who died trying to save lives. 

"We lost 28 of our dearest colleagues to COVID-19, despite our best efforts,"  Dr. Philip O. Ozuah, President and CEO of Montefiore Medicine told hospital workers in a special remembrance ceremony that was held at the hospital and livestreamed on YouTube Thursday. "Their memory inspires us even as we grieve." 

As Dr. Ozuah recognized the year of suffering and sacrifice and offered hope for the future in a ceremony themed "United We Remember, United We Rise," the Survivor Tree seedling was on display as a symbol of resiliency. Montefiore was one of five hospitals, one in each borough of New York City, to receive a seedling from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in 2020 to recognize the hard work and sacrifice of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The hospital plans to plant the seedling later this spring.

By 9/11 Memorial & Museum Staff