COVID-19 Time Capsule Buried At NJ Hospital, To Be Opened In 100 Years

HACKENSACK, NJ — In 100 years, someone will dig up a time capsule buried March 2, 2022 at Hackensack University Medical Center.

Hospital staff and leaders placed the capsule in a hole on the HUMC campus Tuesday, to mark a grim anniversary. Two years ago on March 3, the hospital accepted its first COVID-19 patient, a news release said.

Inside the capsule are thank-you notes from the community, photos of clap-outs & food donations, homemade masks sent to team members; hand sanitizer especially made for the hospital, and more, the news release said.

Hackensack UMC's president and chief hospital executive, Mark D. Sparta, told his team they are true American heroes, according to the release.

Sparta said the hospital was "bracing for the worst," and added no one could have imagined how "overwhelming" the virus would be.

A physician's assistant, 32-year-old James Cai, was the first COVID-positive patient at the hospital.

“Mr. Cai’s case was completely new to all of us but just 19 days after being admitted to our Medical Center, we sent him home to his family, including his 20-month old-daughter,” said Sparta, a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. “Together, our entire team not only navigated the early days of the pandemic, they built a dynamic path forward helping thousands more patients recover and also go home to their families.”

Sparta said the time capsule is a representation of the hospital's legacy.

"It’s a new day and we are taking what we learned, delivering a new kind of care and we are never going back," he said.

“We have learned so much about medicine, resilience and most importantly, humanity,” added Lisa Tank, M.D., chief medical officer.