NEW YORK CITY — For the medical professionals dealing with the overwhelming numbers of coronavirus patients, hearing a New York anthem blaring through their hospital's public address system is cause for celebration.

When Alicia Keys' sings "Let's Hear It For New York," the overworked staff at The Bronx's Montefiore Medical Center have something to smile about. It means somewhere in the hospital, a coronavirus patient has been taken off a ventilator or is going home. The classic song is played every time a battle is won.

And Alicia Keys loves it. A Montefiore Hospital worker took to Twitter Monday to share good news: during the first six hours of his shift, @firstsecndTh3RD heard the song play twice.

Replied Keys, "My heart flows wide open with the love I feel from this!!!!" To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in NYC, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.



My heart flows wide open with the love I feel from this!!!! https://t.co/NfFYdTQPBb

— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) April 13, 2020 "Empire State of Mind," a collaborative anthem produced by Keys and Jay-Z, has become a 5-times platinum song and took home two Grammys since its release in 2009.



The hospital worker, who did not respond to Patch's request for an interview, has since taken to sharing how many times the anthem plays.

