TIME CAPSULE

Nursing staff at Kaspare Cohn Hospital, a precursor to Cedars-Sinai that was founded in 1902.

A Tale of Two Pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic inevitably draws comparisons to the last global viral scourge: the flu pandemic of 1918. Cedars-Sinai’s predecessors, Mt. Sinai Hospital and Kaspare Cohn Hospital, were both transformed by that virus.

Kaspare Cohn Hospital, then just 16 years old, was hit hard. Wards were filled to capacity and staff members were pushed past the point of exhaustion. The hospital was forced to temporarily suspend operations following the deaths of its superintendent and several nurses. It reopened just a few days later, and stayed open until it moved to a larger location with a new name: Cedars of Lebanon.

Meanwhile, a modest hospice in the Boyle Heights area of East Los Angeles, founded independently by the Bikur Cholim Society for victims of the 1918 flu, would become Mt. Sinai Hospital. The charitable organization began by sheltering one needy patient in a two-room bungalow during the pandemic. Less than a year later, the group was laying the groundwork to build a hospital.

Fast-forward a century and CedarsSinai is caring for the sickest COVID19 patients in the region. As of December 2020, Cedars-Sinai had treated more than 2,000 patients for the disease and made grants of over $10 million to support COVID-19 response in Southern California.

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In This Issue

30 Double-Edged Sword

Inflammation is the body’s defense against injury and infection but, left unchecked, it can ravage organs and trigger diseases like cancer and depression. Cedars-Sinai scientists are on a quest to dampen its harmful effects.

36 The Beat Goes On

Advances in minimally invasive techniques are making major operations safer for patients in their 70s, 80s and even 90s—patients like 77-year-old drummer Denny Seiwell, a founding member of Paul McCartney ’ s post-Beatles band, Wings.

42 Being Patient

Transplant surgeries have a complex relationship with time. Wait times can be long—while the need for an organ is urgent. Cedars-Sinai transplant teams help patients sensitively navigate this frustrating balance of “hurry up and wait. ”

20 Empowering Advocate

Margo Minissian, PhD, RN, shares her deep commitment to empowering patients to improve their health and nurses to advance their careers—and outlines her plans for cutting-edge research and education.

24 Mission Critical

Vice President of Clinical Transformation Sharon Isonaka, MD, explains why healthcare providers must uncover and examine racial disparities in COVID-19—and work to address the underlying inequities that fuel them.