The One Brooklyn Health (OBH) Gospel Choir shared the gift song throughout their medical centers last week, as they embarked on a holiday tour, appearing at various OBH medical centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Comprised of vocalists from OBH at Brookdale, Interfaith, and Kingsbrook campuses, the choir ushered in the holidays by serenading patients, visitors, and staff with festive melodies to spread cheer and best wishes for the season.
This year, OBH is spreading holiday cheer not only through joyous music, but also through festive décor at all three campuses. The décor, thoughtfully created by Provost Events, a Black-owned event design company, features beautifully decorated trees adorned with custom OBH ornaments.
Each display was designed to brighten the hospital spaces while symbolizing the unity and strength of OBH as an integrated health system, connecting staff, patients, and visitors across all three campuses.
During their tour, the choir performed beloved holiday classics including “Silent Night,” “O Holy Night,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Joy to the World.” At the end of Joy to the World, choir members took a moment to introduce themselves, sharing their names, the OBH campus they work at, and their department, highlighting the unity and diversity that make up the OBH family.
At Interfaith Medical Center, patients were also able to enjoy the performance from their rooms, as the concert held in the chapel was broadcast directly to their in-room televisions, ensuring everyone could share in the celebration.
The choir was a featured at the OBH Gospel Fest, an annual community event designed to celebrate the connection between physical and spiritual wellness in collaboration with central Brooklyn clergy partners. The OBH Gospel Choir is a unique consortium of voices from various OBH facilities that include nurses, dietary staff, clerical staff, and management, who enjoy inspiring healing and inspiration through the gift of song.
“The choir is important for our OBH staff across various campuses because it unites us as one body,” said Tahisha Solages, Assistant Director of Marketing, Communications & PR at OBH, who also serves as the Choir Director for the group. “Together, the choir inspires and encourages healing, motivation, and inspiration through music for our community and patients.”
Music has the power to speak to the mind, emotions, and spirit, and has been proven to be therapeutic. It can relieve symptoms of depression, ease fatigue, and manage pain.
With this in mind, the choir was committed to reaching as many patients as possible, singing through the hallways of units where patients were unable to leave their beds.
“This is a great blessing and honor to be a part of the OBH Gospel Choir and the festive season, where the three hospitals came together to celebrate the holiday season.
Everyone joined in the hope that our music can lift spirits and bring comfort to patients in need. Seeing the beautifully decorated spaces across all three campuses while singing these beloved holiday songs truly reminds me of the unity and joy of the OBH family.” said Beverly Wedderburn, Registered Nurse OBH at Interfaith Campus.
One Brooklyn Health (OBH) was established to preserve and enhance healthcare services in the communities of Central Brooklyn and is composed of three hospitals and their affiliated facilities: Interfaith Medical Center (IMC), Brookdale Hospital Medical Center (BHMC), and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center (becoming the KJMC Medical Village).
The system strives to provide the highest quality and widest breadth of healthcare services available throughout Central and East Brooklyn. OBH has an extensive network of primary care, behavioral health, and specialty care locations to provide care close to home for community members.
OBH’s Gospel Choir will soon venture further into the community in 2026, to support events hosted by community partners and organizations throughout the central Brooklyn neighborhood.
by Amanda Barrett, OBH