Coronavirus Kills 3 South Nassau Hospital Employees

OCEANSIDE, NY — Three employees of Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital died from the new coronavirus over the last few weeks, the hospital said.

The three employees — a doctor, a physical therapist and a painting foreman — died within the last few weeks, the hospital said. One of them had worked at the hospital for decades.

"They exemplify what makes every Mount Sinai South Nassau employee and medical staff member special, the willingness to be present during a time of unprecedented crisis with a special commitment to the patients we serve," said Richard J. Murphy, president and CEO of Mount Sinai South Nassau. "I cannot sufficiently express my appreciation and respect for the contribution each of them has made to the life of Mount Sinai South Nassau."

The first death was that of 54-year-old Dr. Jesus M. Zambrano, an attending physician at the hospital who died March 29. A Brooklyn resident, Zambrano had a pediatric practice in Freeport and started working at South Nassau in 2012. He attended medical school in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and trained for his pediatric residency at Lincoln Medical Center in the Bronx.

Ferdinando Moretti, 73, was a painting crew foreman at the hospital who died April 4. Moretti worked for the hospital for 31 years and retired in 2014. He came back to work as a per diem employee in 2015 to help with the hospital's various expansions. The hospital said that he was always lighthearted and quick with a joke, and could talk about anything from construction to cooking. He leaves behind a daughter, Andrea, a son, Mario, and four grandchildren.

The third death was that of Mario Salonga, 59, who died April 10. Salonga was a physical therapist who would see patients in their homes. He worked for South Nassau for the last five years and also worked for the Visiting Nurse Service. His daughter, Katrina, said that Salonga was dedicated to his profession, and raised her and her brother with the belief to "always put others first." He lived by those words every day, she said.

Salonga left behind his wife, Cecilia, his son, Joseph, and his daughter.