Voting–In Sickness and In Health

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J.R. Seebacher, MD (left), a Phelps orthopedic surgeon and patient at the hospital, with Spencer Boutin, (right) program manager, patient experience at Phelps

November 6, 2024

By Jeff Wilson–

When Lauren Novotny was admitted to Phelps Hospital on Friday, November 1, she had another concern besides her health. “How do I go about voting if I’m in the hospital?” she wondered. The Tarrytown resident, who’d hoped to be home by Election Day, apparently hadn’t considered the single best reason for early voting: unforeseen circumstances, like a medical emergency.

Fortunately for Novotny, Phelps (and its sister, Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco) have just adopted VoteNorth, a program launched in 2018 by parent company Northwell Health to enable hospital patients to vote by absentee ballot.

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“It’s a big election, so this is the year to start,” said Melissa Eisele-Kaplan, Director of the Office of Patient Experience at Phelps, in an interview. The patient experience team, many of them volunteers, just ran a voting operation reminiscent of the Pony Express: on Monday morning, November 4, they combed through wards identifying patients like Novotny who were eligible to vote – there would ultimately be 24 – and assisting them with absentee ballot registration forms. That afternoon team members – “runners” – ran applications to the Boards of Elections in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Orange Counties, with Eisele-Kaplan emailing them so the ballots would be ready when the runners arrived.

It all worked according to plan. Early on Election Day, volunteers went up to the wards with pens and absentee ballots. “We gave the patients privacy; they voted on their own,” explained Eisele-Kaplan. That afternoon she personally dropped off completed ballots, delivering Westchester’s to the Philipsburg Manor polling station and leaving with a roll of “I VOTED” stickers which she handed out to her grateful patients. The remaining ballots Eisele-Kaplan took to the Sleepy Hollow Post Office, where they were hand-stamped under her watchful eye.

Novotny’s voting experience was an unforgettable one. At the time ballots were being distributed, she was undergoing testing in another area of the hospital. As she was awaiting transport back to her room, Novotny was surprised by Eisele-Kaplan, who’d tracked the patient down to give her a ballot, which she filled out on the spot. “She found me!” Novotny marveled. She went on to express her gratitude toward both Phelps and the USA, though not in that order. “I’m very grateful that we [Americans] have the right to vote, and I was able to exercise that right while I was in the hospital,” she declared.

Northwell Phelps Hospital’s VoteNorth team of staff and volunteers identified patients who were registered to vote and provided them their absentee ballots

One of three caregivers who voted was John Marcogliese, who’s been at Phelps watching over his ailing wife for the past three weeks. The Mt. Kisco resident, who has a healthcare background himself, admits that he prefers to vote on Election Day rather than mail-in. But the 12-to-13-hour days he spends by his wife’s bedside prevent him from doing so. So Marcogliese asked Eisele-Kaplan if he could vote too. “If they were willing to do it for the patients, they should have no problem with caregivers,” he reasoned. His wish was granted, his ballot delivered. Marcogliese is appreciative of the opportunity to speak as a voter, especially in such an important election as he noted. And unlike some, he’s aware of the so-called down-ballot candidates, those in state and local races whose impact, because of their influence closer to home, is often greater than the president’s. “That was important for me, to vote for the locals,” Marcogliese stated. “I was able to understand both people’s point of view.”

Eisele-Kaplan is pleased with Phelps’ influence reaching beyond its clients’ medical needs and into their civic lives as well. “It’s amazing. We’re allowing our patients to have a voice,” she enthused.

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