'Tonight, We Remember': 1 Year Later, Coronavirus Memorial Held

RIVERHEAD, NY —Monday marked one year since the first coronavirus case was identified in Suffolk County. The year has been marked by tears and loss but also by resilience, courage, tireless dedication, and hope as front-line heroes fought the battle against the coronavirus.

Wearing scrubs as a symbol of their work as caregivers, healthcare workers gathered to mark the year when so much was lost during a "Covid-19 Day of Remembrance Ceremony" held at Peconic Bay Medical Center-Northwell Health on Monday.

The event was organized as a time for reflection and remembrance and to mark the many lives lost to the coronavirus — as well as to "acknowledge the ongoing grieving and widespread loss felt throughout the pandemic," organizers said.

Those gathered reflected on how much was learned as, faced with the unknown, healthcare workers came together to deliver care differently and stand as a powerful force against the deadly virus, officials said.

The building will be illuminated in lavender from March 8 to March 14, and a memorial monument was unveiled at the ceremony, which was filled with heartfelt thanks to the many healthcare heroes who never wavered in their dedication throughout the battle.

Peconic Bay Medical Director Executive Director Amy Loeb said at a retreat, healthcare staffers learned that "everyone is someone's someone."

And then came the pandemic, plunging the community into a new world, with everyone home and facing new, unprecedented fears.

"We were ready to take care of everyone's someone that came in our doors, and how did we do that? It's because we stood together," she said. "Today is a day of remembering of loved ones and lives lost across the world. And it is also a day of remembrance of how we stood together."
Everyone stepped up and did what they could do, what they’d been called to do, every day, beyond what anyone could expect, Loeb said. "You are heroes and always have been."

Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Zilberstein added that during COVID, medical professionals were reminded of their mission and purpose. "We were taking care of people. And that’s our purpose and that is what we have to remember. That remains to this day. COVID, non-COVID, today, tomorrow, forever, that’s our purpose, our purpose is to take care of each person’s someone.”

Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer Christine L. Kippley remembered the fear of the unknown, not knowing how many patients would come to the doors in need of care, and envisioning unthinkable scenarios.

But, she said, “Despite the fear we needed to come together. . . And that’s really what we did and we got through it.”

Her voice filled with tears, Tara Anglim, senior director of patient and family-centered care, remembered the outpouring of love and food and thanks from the community.

“We cared for our community and our community cared right back for all of us. We will never forget that. And for me today is remembering our ‘why’ and that everybody is somebody’s somebody and that we’re all in this together," she said.

The day was cold but the air would thaw, Anglim said, and a remembrance garden would stand as a testament to all that was lost during the past year. "We're right on the edge of change and hope. Just hold on for that spring, because it's coming," she said.

Staffers will be encouraged to write on rocks and leave them in the garden, a place for collective remembrance and pride, as well as grief, for the many lost to the pandemic.

"Tonight, we remember," another speaker said, before those gathered, tears in their eyes, listened to a mournful "Amazing Grace.

The words on the memorial stone, written by an unknown author, echoed in the hearts of all present: "It's memory's lovely garden that soothes the hurting heart."