As New York’s leading healthcare provider, Northwell Health treated over 300K COVID-19 patients, more than any other healthcare system in the country. Anxiety, fear, and fatigue were omnipresent, confusion about shifting mandates swirled, and those on the front lines bravely fought a common invisible enemy as best they could. With our hospitals, city, state, and entire nation beleaguered by COVID-19, Northwell and its nurses recognized an opportunity to provide another avenue of healing: music. With a consistent mission to lift spirits, they stepped onto some of the largest stages in the world, facilitating moments of connection and shared humanity, creating astonishing momentum, and driving substantial brand awareness.

The Northwell Nurse Choir was formed at a time when hope, inspiration and optimism were in short supply, and healthcare heroes themselves were often overwhelmed. Made up of 18 frontline Northwell nurses, the Choir used the healing power of music to comfort patients and each other. Soon thereafter, Northwell saw that their uplifting music could benefit people beyond their own facilities. To inspire a battered nation, the Northwell Nurse Choir stepped onto some of the nation’s most famous stages and into the homes of millions across the country, becoming a beacon of light in the darkness of COVID, and a powerful ambassador for the brand.

In earlier phases of the pandemic, healthcare workers were often hailed as heroes, but hospitals were widely feared as centers of disease – places to avoid if at all possible. In this challenging landscape, Northwell saw an opportunity to inspire hope and optimism by tapping into the healing power of music. The Choir was first created to lift the spirits of employees and patients, but it soon showed promise beyond our walls. For a nation besieged by COVID-19, this musical healing proved to be both valuable and entertaining, and the Choir’s success soon snowballed.

The Northwell Nurse Choir’s origins were simple: A call went out to thousands of employees to enlist those who wanted to join together to sing. Soon, 18 nurses - from orthopedics to oncology, from Long Island to Staten Island - were gathering regularly.

After gaining traction within Northwell, the Choir first performed virtually on Nurse Heroes Live which premiered and became available for streaming on Peacock. That early success led Northwell to hire Glee’s iconic music producer, Tim Davis, who helped move the Choir from the front lines to center stage. They auditioned for America’s Got Talent in June, receiving a golden buzzer and finishing in the top 10 in September’s finale. With every additional media placement, their exposure increased and their fanbase grew: a true snowball effect.The unforeseen success of the Northwell Nurse Choir ushered Northwell beyond its regional market, and captured national mindshare in a unique, compelling way.

The Northwell Nurse Choir became unstoppable as they garnered 43MM brand impressions, drove a 5000% growth across Northwell’s owned social channels, 1.1B online and print impressions via 1000+ article references, and 245MM TV impressions via streaming and 350+ broadcast stories.

Northwell fielded 200+ inbound requests for the Choir to perform, ultimately making 11 in-person and 40 virtual appearances at places like Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall, and Broadway. Before long, national platforms came calling: The Today Show, Time, Live with Kelly and Ryan – even the White House!

Tangible business metrics are difficult to quantify due to this being entirely an earned media stunt, but the impact, particularly on awareness, was outsized. The Choir inspired, motivated, and united 78K Northwell employees and the nation, proving to be noble ambassadors for Northwell, the nursing profession, and all frontline workers.