Mount Sinai Health System in New York City is perched at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. With thousands of cases throughout the system, Mount Sinai’s employees are working more shifts and longer hours, upending their normal commutes. As authorities advise that the risk of infection is amplified by being in close quarters with others, many workers who regularly commute by mass transit are instead driving to work in private vehicles.

Mount Sinai’s operations team partnered with Walker Consultants to secure additional employee parking options near multiple hospital and medical office sites in three NYC boroughs.

Will Rhodin, Senior Consultant in Walker’s Philadelphia office, has been overseeing the project. “We were able to quickly secure agreements with about 25 nearby parking facilities. We implemented solutions immediately, even overnight in some cases.”

Hundreds of Mount Sinai employees are now parking in facilities near their places of work daily, mitigating what would otherwise be a major obstacle in the health system’s efforts to staff its operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mount Sinai is covering the cost of parking for staff.

Walker also assisted with Mount Sinai’s employee shuttle system by contracting additional full-sized coach buses that give workers more room to follow social distancing standards.

Walker continues to be a resource to the health system by updating informational documents, communicating with the garage and shuttle operators, and reviewing parking invoices to ensure that billings adhere to agreed-upon terms.

Rhodin adds, “We’re pleased to be of service to the hard-working, dedicated and selfless healthcare workers at Mount Sinai. Our hope is that they’re able to get to work in the safest, most efficient way that puts themselves, their patients, and the community at the lowest risk. We are also grateful for the eager and generous participation of several NYC-area parking companies, including Champion Parking, Garage Management Corporation, GGMC Parking, Icon Parking, LAZ Parking, Little Man Parking, Manhattan Parking Group, Park It Management, and SP+ Corporation. They each provided facilities to quickly accommodate the Mount Sinai community, and they continue to be partners as needs change during this crisis.”

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