Honoring Our Colleagues Lost to COVID-19: A Salute to VNSNY Physical Therapist Mario Salonga

The heroism shown by the staff of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York in tremendously challenging times is legendary. From the influenza epidemic of 1918 and the polio outbreaks of the mid-20th century, to the emergence of AIDS in the 1980s and the devastation of the 9/11 attacks and Superstorm Sandy, VNSNY’s courageous women and men have always been there to provide care and comfort to New Yorkers in troubled times, despite the risk to themselves.

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Over the past two months, we have been working tirelessly and with unsurpassed determination under incredibly difficult circumstances so that our patients and plan members can continue to receive the care they need. Many of our colleagues have been stricken with COVID-19 themselves. Thankfully, most of them have recovered and many have even returned to work. Sadly and tragically, however, eight of our coworkers have died. They include six home health aides with Partners in Care, a physical therapist with VNSNY Home Care, and a social worker with VNSNY Hospice.

“These VNSNY heroes dedicated their lives to caring for others, and their contributions will never be forgotten,” says VNSNY President and CEO Marki Flannery. “We will remember them, honor them, and celebrate their lives.”

As part of this remembrance, with permission from families, we will be publishing Frontline tributes to our fallen colleagues over the coming weeks, beginning today.

Mario Salonga

Physical Therapist Mario Salonga was with VNSNY for 28 years. He started in VNSNY Home Care’s regional office in Queens, then transferred to the Nassau office 15 years ago. “For me, Mario was the ultimate professional,” says his manager, Maureen Sioris. “He was a calm support to his colleagues, always going the extra mile to help out, and always accepting changes in stride. Patient care was his priority, and his patients loved him. I was often told, ‘I only want Mario.’”

To his patients, he was known as “Super Mario.” Nurse Allison Kenny recalls a patient that she once shared with Mario. The patient was recovering from reconstructive knee surgery, and lived alone. “One day, when Mario was on his way to visit, the patient slipped on the kitchen floor,” she says, “Mario found him there and helped him off the floor, then called the patient’s doctor and his son, who was an hour away at work. Mario stayed with the patient until his son could get there to bring his father to the doctor. He was always so comforting, and he cared for his patients as though they were his own family.”

Speech-language pathologist Lisa De Pasquale adds that when the Nassau region first started on the HomeCare HomeBase electronic records system, it was Mario who would guide her through any difficulties she had. “I was so nervous about it,” she remembers, “but Mario was always so calm and reassuring, and always walked me through my problem.”

Today, Mario’s colleagues are wearing Super Mario buttons to remember him. Alicia Kennedy, also a Physical Therapist in Nassau County, had the buttons made as “a way to keep him in our thoughts as we work,” she wrote in a note to her coworkers. “Mario was reliable, responsible, and always ready to extend himself in support of his teammates and to ensure that patients’ needs were met,” adds Arna Brammer, Director for Nassau/Suffolk Branch 1. “He truly exemplified what it means to be a team player.”

Mario lived in Valley Stream, Long Island, and is survived by his wife Cecilia and two adult children, Joseph and Kathrina. Mario’s daughter, Kathrina, said he was dedicated to his profession—adding that she was raised by the motto “always put others first,” and that her father exemplified this.

If you would like to make a donation in Mario’s memory, please click here to visit his GoFundMe page. If you would like to submit a special story or remembrance about Mario, please send it using the Contact Us page on Frontline. We will post these responses as they come in.

REMEMBRANCES FROM COLLEAGUES

5/8 from Debbie Starace

“I worked with Mario for the past 15 years.  He was a fabulous Physical Therapist and a beloved colleague. Here are a few photographs of some of Mario’s colleagues wearing their Super Mario pins.”