As manager of the dental department, Ernesto Hart lives the mission of The Floating Hospital, embodying a family-centered care model that encompasses far more than teeth. Dr. Sarajane Brittis, the hospital’s organizational development consultant who has worked with him for 20 years, noted that there could not be a better named person. “He is the heart of the organization. Everything he approaches is done with love and care.”
In May, he was presented with the 2026 Dr. Beverly A. Largent Access to Care Innovator Award from the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation in Las Vegas. The national award honors leaders transforming access to dental care for children, and Ernesto was the first non-dentist to receive it. Known for his modesty, his nomination and this profile was drawn primarily from those who have observed his work over the past three decades.
From summer intern to department builder
Joining The Floating Hospital just out of school as a summer intern in 1992, by fall, he was a full-time dental assistant. Hart spent his first decade working onboard our ship, which sailed New York Harbor until 2001 and provided food and other relief services, health education, and medical and dental care to the city’s poorest children and their mothers. Over the years, he advanced through roles of increased responsibility to dental outreach worker, and dental coordinator, before he was named dental manager in 2021.
When we transitioned to land-based operations, Hart kept the dental department going, finding space in cramped quarters, and keeping a single dentist very busy. In 2021, when we moved into a customized four-floor facility in Long Island City, he was tasked with building a full dental department from the ground up.
Care with trust and dignity
Families and staff call his group “the gentle dental team.” Creating such a dental program for children in a clinical setting, particularly for young victims and witnesses of domestic violence, was no small feat. Dental care can be challenging enough for kids. In addition to a care philosophy that is gentle, patient-centered, and even fun, the department layout includes exam rooms large enough for families to be seen together, easing anxiety for the kids, and giving busy moms a chance to receive their own checkups and care.
Some parents who have survived domestic abuse have come to us with multiple teeth missing, and Hart makes sure that their mouths are restored. One woman, who was very self-conscious about missing some teeth, had her dentures stolen. The team refitted her and returned her smile and, she said, her faith in humanity.
Time and again, the dental team has earned the trust of children as well as their parents, making the clinic a welcoming and reassuring place for kids with additional challenges. One mother of a child with autism was initially very scared to come. But she was won over when she saw how much her son enjoyed coming to the dentist, something that has continued into adulthood.
When the dental staff treated a deaf child, whose family only spoke Spanish, his mother said she felt they could hear her son, and he could hear them. Hart said stories like these are why he wants to be at The Floating Hospital, where the care is “beyond words,” and they were able to connect with the child and make him feel comfortable.
A department and a culture built on generosity
Today, Hart manages a group of 10, with two dentists, a hygienist, dental assistants, and a scheduling team. The department functions as a clinic within the clinic with a separate dental patient management system, treatment suites, and equipment. Since its opening, the team has seen thousands of patients.
During Easter, he collects new plush toys and leads an egg hunt for kids to find plastic eggs with tickets matched to one of the toys. It’s one of many ways he creates positive experiences for our younger patients.
A driver of staff morale, he is also a founder of The Floating Hospital’s Welcome Committee, which has regular events to welcome and get to know new staff outside of regular work settings. There is an annual picnic with team-building games and a winter potluck where employees are encouraged to bring dishes from their culture to share and discuss, followed by a karaoke contest.
“Everyone is welcome here” reads the sign on his office door, and it is not an empty promise. His humanity is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do, and it inspires those he encounters every day.
