Electronic Health Reporter

The Mount Sinai Health System has partnered with Sana Labs to launch Project Florence, a personalized learning platform to enhance the skills of nurses treating COVID-19 patients in New York City. The group, facilitated by the New York Academy of Sciences, is also making the platform available for free to hospitals around the world to improve medical response and care during the pandemic.

The virtual training platform, available through Sana Labs, provides a curriculum developed by Mount Sinai that includes the latest on industry resources and policies from organizations including the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.

After users complete an AI-powered adaptive assessment that measures their knowledge, the platform recommends personalized content in real time to address individual skills gaps. It can be accessed from any internet-connected device including phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. The project was officially launched at the Mount Sinai Health System on Monday, April 13.

“The profound shortage of intensive care nurses and respiratory therapists will be one of the most significant hurdles facing U.S. hospitals treating critically ill COVID-19 patients,” said Jane Maksoud, RN, MPA, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, Mount Sinai Health System. “Project Florence will be a great benefit to staff preparing to care for critically ill patients. We are grateful for the partnership we have developed with Sana Labs and the work we have done together to assist our nurses on the front line.”

A projected 4.8 million Americans will be hospitalized for COVID-19, according to the American Hospital Association. Of those hospitalized, an estimated 40 percent or nearly 2 million patients will require admittance to the ICU. While there are currently about 550,000 critical care nurses in the United States, tens of thousands of nurses will be in demand in the coming months.

“I’m very excited to bring this innovative approach to Mount Sinai hospitals to help advance the skill set of our nurses,” said Diane Adams, MS, Chief Learning Officer of Mount Sinai Health System. “Not only are we advancing the essential skills of our staff, but we are also meeting the needs of our community during a particularly critical time across New York City, the United States, and the rest of the world.”

As hospitals shift priorities from other departments to ICUs, the two-day curriculum is tailored to each individual and suitable for nurses, as well as other medical professionals who are called to assist and may require an update on their understanding of ICU equipment and procedures.

“Project Florence is designed to deliver personalized learning at scale and we look forward to making it available to every hospital in need of upskilling nurses for intensive care of critical COVID-19 patients,” said Joel Hellermark, Founder and CEO of Sana Labs. “We’re honored to be working with the leading health care systems to personalize learning for health care workers who are sacrificing so much to save others.”

Ellis Rubinstein, President Emeritus of the New York Academy of Sciences and former editor of Science Magazine, noted that Project Florence is one of the first online tools to meet the requirements in responding to a global event at this magnitude.

“This is a once-in-a-century event,” said Mr. Rubinstein. “As health care systems the world over face the scarcity of trained talent, the global network of the New York Academy of Sciences is prepared to link Project Florence to those in need.”

Hospitals can now sign up for access to the free platform and curriculum at www.sanalabs.com/projectflorence.