The Work We Do: Brookdale University & Medical Center

Brookdale University Hospital & Medical Center is one of Brooklyn, New York’s largest hospitals—a level-1 trauma center with over 500 beds, several clinics, and a nursing home. It serves a large section of eastern Brooklyn including Brownsville, East New York and Canarsie. The hospital is a struggling safety net institution that provides care for large numbers of poor and uninsured patients. The historic healthcare law that will provide coverage for 32 million uninsured is a beginning towards increasing revenue for Brookdale and hospitals like it. But there is still much work to be done in creating a healthcare system that works for everyone. While that’s happening, the low-income and uninsured will continue to rely on our vital safety net institutions and the people who work in them for their care.

1. MRI technologist Carlos Anguiano performs a brain MRI on patient Jasmin Rivera. “This MRI imaging modality is one of the newest,” he says. “When I was in school I wrote a paper about MRIs and the more I wrote about it the more I wanted to become an MRI tech.”

2. George Lennon sweeps up the pot-washing area after spending time loading the dishwashing belt. “I’m flexible. I have a lot of skills,” says Lennon. “I’m an ex-inventory control manager. I did that for 17 years. I do pantry work here and I’m also the night porter. I clean up in the back here.”

3. Lenworth Lewis has worked in Brookdale’s kitchen for four years. “It’s non-stop until you go to lunch, then you’re back on again,” he says. “Some days you’re really exhausted. Especially when workers call out sick or when it’s really hot in the summer.”

4. Christopher Decoteau has worked in Brookdale’s house - keeping department for 21 years. He works on the Mother Baby Unit. “The challenge of the job is getting everything done,” he says. “The buffing, mopping, dusting, cleaning—everything. And making sure it all gets done between 7:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.”

5. Advanced imaging technologist Paulette Forbes demonstrates the preparation of a patient for bone density testing. “It’s important for women to have these tests,” says Forbes. “Women in menopause and pre-menopause even. We help the doctors who use the information to determine if treatment is needed going forward.”

6. Olubunmi Oduwusi, an x-ray technologist and mammographer, is training in bone densitometry and MRI. “People always call us technicians but we’re tech - nologists,” she says. “Technicians fix things. We make images. We save lives.”

7. Dietary worker Hector Alvarez does maintenance and a multitude of other tasks in Brookdale’s kitchen. “I wash the machines and the floors. This machine is the kettle. They make foods like gravy and soup in it. It holds about 25 pounds. We make all the food here for our hospital and nursing home.”

8. “When I come in I get my stuff together and start the patients’ rooms,” says housekeeper Olga Dawkins. Dawkins also works on Brookdale’s Mother Baby Unit. “I sweep, clean the bathroom, wipe down everything that’s within their hand reach. I clean their bathrooms and face basins. I want to make sure they have comfort and can be happy.”

9. Michael Deboulet cleans pans in Brookdale’s kitchen. “Sometimes I work on the line, sometimes I clean. My shift just started and the day is young. I usually work 12 to 8:30. It’s hard work,” he says. “I try to watch the news when I get home sometimes and I fall asleep, but it’s what pays the bills.”