This week’s Homegrown Hero is Michael Massa, Practice Scheduling Associate at Northwell Health. Since 2016, Michael has also been a part-time coach with the New York Red Bulls in their Youth Programs. He currently works in Region 3, assigned to West Side Soccer League, one of the Red Bulls’ longtime youth club partners.
This past week we caught up with him to know more about his story, and what he has experienced since the pandemic started. We thank Michael for all his efforts and for inspiring our club with his acts.
Tell me about your career and what inspires you every day?
I work for Northwell Health in an outpatient ambulatory facility, part of Cohen Children’s Northwell Health Physician Partners. In my facility I am responsible for scheduling appointments for pediatric patients for one of our 17 pediatric specialists. What inspires me is providing exceptional patient care to everyone that walks through our doors. Visiting a doctor for the first time can be scary. So I try and make everyone’s experience here an easy and effective process, make sure that everyone gets the time and attention they deserve, and I advocate for their care.
How much have your job duties changed since the pandemic started?
Several of my job duties have changed since the pandemic started. The main shift has been the transition from in-person appointments to virtual appointments. The first part was the creation of telehealth services and protocols. The second part was then implementing these services and converting all existing appointments. This was a large undertaking and required a lot of troubleshooting. I feel that telehealth will continue to be a large component in healthcare moving forward.
What’s the biggest lesson/s you’ve learned during this time period?
The biggest lesson I have learned is to take things one day at a time. Each day is a gift and to live each day to the fullest. In all this heartbreak during the pandemic, there are many shining stories of people doing good to help others because we are all in this together.
