Hans Arrieta may not be directly involved in patient care, but he sees patients at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn each day to make repairs, ensure air and water quality, and keep everything around the hospital running smoothly to support hospital operations. He is one of the many heroes supporting NYU Langone’s response to 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19)—and he’s doing it all in isolation from his family to keep them safe.

“We work in the hospital, and our mission is we’re saving lives; we’re saving all this life, and that does mean a lot to me because tomorrow it can be me, can be you, can be your mother, tomorrow can be my son,” Arrieta tells the New York Post.

When the pandemic hit New York, Arrieta and the rest of the maintenance team had to work around the clock to make sure the hospital was prepared, Deb McCarthy, vice president of hospital operations, facilities management at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, says.

“Every person who walked inside these doors are heroes,” McCarthy says. “They walked in not knowing whether they were putting themselves or their family in danger. But they came to work because they knew that what they were doing involved patient care and the need to help people.”

Read more from the New York Post.