Honoring a Freeport hero

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Nassau County Legislator Debra Mulé honored fellow Freeporter Nydia White on July 27 for her service to the local community during the pandemic as a nurse manager for critical care at Mount Sinai South Hospital. 

Nydia White has spent her entire nursing career, of 17 years, at MSSN Hospital. For her work in helping her team and local patients through the coronavirus pandemic, Mulé presented White with a Nassau County citation, a bouquet of flowers and a gift certificate as a token of appreciation. 

“Nydia White is emblematic of the many heroes in healthcare who provided comfort and compassionate care to our community during the darkest days of the pandemic,” Legislator Mulé said. “It was a true honor and privilege to celebrate her leadership and contributions to our region’s ongoing COVID-19 response.”

Along with being named one of the Herald Leader’s Hometown Heroes, White was also named a Warrior for Wellness by New York State Assemblywoman Judy Griffin in May. The Warriors for Wellness program acknowledges and expresses gratitude to healthcare workers, first responders and essential workers at the front lines of the pandemic. 

Griffin also noted despite the strife and struggles caused by the pandemic, White continues to foster a love for her career and her fellow human beings. 

“Nydia continues to be fascinated every day about all of the intricacies associated with critical care and, ever the optimist, is convinced that this experience has caused everyone’s hearts to grow larger as well,” Griffin said. “For Nydia and [the other Wellness Warriors], this pandemic has made them truly understand how vital their role is in the hospital ecosystem. Not only as the primary human connector between the patient and their families, but also as the one person who can physically be there to offer comfort, reassurance, and peace of mind.”

White was also featured in MSSN’s “Being the Mask” ad campaign, which aired throughout July as a salute to front-line workers at MSSN for her ability to keep her staff level-headed despite the historic number of patients coming into critical care. 

“ I normally take care of 22 patients, and the maximum number of patients we went up to was 84,” White said. “We are literally in the storm sometimes, so I tell my staff, ‘Be the calm in the storm.’”