Nonprofit Talk: Bayside hospital cared for NYC’s most critically ill kids even before the pandemic arrived

Dr. Edwin Simpser is the CEO and president of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside. Photos courtesy of St. Mary’s Hospital

By Dr. Edwin Simpser, as told to the Eagle

Dr. Edwin Simpser is the CEO and president of St. Mary’s Hospital for Children in Bayside. St. Mary’s has been the primary provider of long-term and rehabilitative care for New York’s most critically ill and injured children since 1870. This year St. Mary’s is celebrating 150 years of serving New York’s kids and their families. 

We are now more than six months since the pandemic essentially shut down most of New York City. How has your organization adapted during this time?

COVID-19 has presented one of the biggest challenges in our history. Since all of our patients are children, family and parental support are integral to our mission. But when hospital visitation shut down, our parents faced being temporarily separated from their kids. Twenty parents ended up making the hospital their home for quite a while and our staff ensured that other families were able to stay connected with their children virtually though video calls and bedside technology. 

How are you now adjusted in serving your patients?

We have shifted a good deal of our in-home care programs to virtual services. This includes physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. It’s been a challenge, but a wonderful one, allowing us to try techniques and involve families in care in ways we hadn’t before.

How are you balancing the needs of your patients with the level of risk to your employees?

As New York City’s only post-acute pediatric care facility, St. Mary’s treats the city’s most critically ill and injured children. Medically complex children are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases and St. Mary’s is taking extraordinary measures to ensure the safety of our children, their families, and our staff. It has been heartening to see how committed our community has been to ensure that our kids remain safe and the hospital virus-free.

As you look the remaining part of 2020, what are your expectations and hopes?

We are celebrating 150 years! The hospital was founded in 1870 when the Sisters of St. Mary established a small, 15-bed hospital in Hell’s Kitchen to provide free medical care for sick children. Now we treat thousands of children each day, both in a 124-bed inpatient facility and in the community through family-centered home care programs. We continue to innovate and expand; our mission has remained the same since our founding—to heal and serve the critically ill children of New York.

What types of support do you most need support now?

More than 90 percent of our patients need a level of care that exceeds what their families are able to afford and what Medicaid covers. Fundraising is what allows us to provide innovative therapies to our patients. This year we’re moving our annual gala online and we hope to “see” you there! All funds raised will go directly toward supporting programs and treatment for patients. 

Learn more about St. Mary’s Hospital at.stmaryskids.org.