MediSys Network News

Jamaica Rx INC. Opens For Business

The much anticipated Jamaica Rx retail pharmacy has finally arrived in the location formerly occupied by the Gift Shop in the main lobby area. For the convenience of patients and staff, Jamaica Rx carries prescription medications, a limited amount of over the counter medications and surgical supplies.

Discharged patients can now avail themselves of the items they need to continue their care at home before they even leave the hospital. And for the staff, the convenience of having your prescriptions filled at work is immeasurable. It takes the pressure off having to run home to a local pharmacy to get prescriptions filled before closing time.

On the lighter side, Jamaica Rx. also carries LOTTO, greeting cards and small gift items

Hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm with Saturday hours soon to be available.

Most insurance plans, including 1199 are accepted.

New Sickle Cell Pulmonary Program at Brookdale

The Department of Pediatrics at Brookdale University Hospital & Medical Center announces the opening of the Sickle Cell Pulmonary Program under the direction of Dr. Mayank Shukla, Director of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine and Drs. Kusum Viswanathan and Donna Boruchov of The Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. This unique program has been established to evaluate prospectively and treat lung disease in patients with sickle cell disease.

Ninety percent of adults with sickle cell disease have abnormal lung function. Thankfully, the number of children with sickle cell disease surviving into adulthood is increasing, but with that, so too are the number of adults that are at risk of developing pulmonary complications. There is poor recognition of this complication especially in pediatrics hence the establishment of this program that has an overall goal of improving the long-term survival rate and quality of life of children with sickle cell disease.

The Sickle Cell Pulmonary Program has four main objectives.

• Enroll all children with sickle cell disease over the age of eight.
• Evaluate their lung functions annually.
• Treat the lung disease early with the best available therapy to reduce their morbidity and mortality.
• Educate the physicians and families of children with the sickle cell disease about their lung problems.

For further information and enrollment please call Dr. Mayank Shukla at (718) 240-6852 or email him   at mshsukla@brookdale.edu

FHMC Proves You're Only As Old As You Feel

Ms. Adele Antonio is a living testament to the cliche “You are only as old as you feel." If you were to ask Ms. Antonio she'd probably say that on most days she feels like a 25 year old.

Ms. Antonio recently celebrated her 101st birthday with the staff of the Geriatric Clinic at Flushing Hospital who presented Ms. Antonio with a bouquet of flowers and a cake. Adele has been a long time patient at Flushing Hospital and has been donned "The First Lady of Flushing" since she is the oldest patient seen at the hospital.

Adele Antonio has been a patient of the Geriatric Clinic and the Adult Day Care Center, a comprehensive center of care that focuses on the specific health care needs of the elderly, for over two decades.  Both Ms. Antionio and the Geriatric staff were pleased to celebrate such a joyous occasion.

Jamaica Nominates Employee of the Season

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is proud to announce the latest employee of the season, Mr.Kumar Narayan of the Respiratory Care Department. Mr Narayan has been a dedicated employee at Jamaica Hospital for almost 10 years.

Nominations for employee of the month/season are submitted to Yip Ling Ng in Jamaica Hospital's Human Resources Department and the lucky winner is chosen from a pool of entries by a nominating committee.  If you would like to nominate someone to be Employee of the Season please contact Ms. Ng at Jamaica Hospital, at 718-206-8672.  To nominate an employee at Flushing or Brookdale Hospital, please contact the respective hospital's Human Resources Departments.

The MediSys blog will continue to post future winners of this special honor.

MediSys Physicians Speak Out About HIV/AIDS and Female Genital Mutilation

On February 28, 2007, Adrian Sangeorzan M.D. and Wayne Cohen M.D, Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Jamaica Hospital Medical Medical Center participated as panelist at a United Nations discussion on Women's Health and Empowerment issues. The well-attended forum, which was held at the Appignani Center for Bioethics, was called "The Impact of HIV/AIDS and Female Genital Mutilation.

Let's Play

The Pediatric Department of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center recently unveiled its new state-of the-art playroom, sponsored by the Toys "R" Us Children’s Fund and the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation. Unlike the previous pediatric playroom, the new playroom is outfitted with ammenities including a flat screen tv, interactive learning stations, and a variety of age appropiate toys, all made possible by Toys "R" Us.

Attendees of this event included David Rosen, President and CEO, Dr. Rapaport, Chairperson of Pediatrics, members of the Toys "R"Us and Starlight Starbright staff, and a host of hospital administrators and pediatric staff. The children of the pediatric unit were also on-hand to help cut the ribbon and take photos with Geoffrey the Giraffe, the Toys "R" Us mascot.

Medical Interpreter Workshops Hosted at Brookdale, Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals

During the month of March, Human Resources presented medical interpreter workshops at Brookdale, Flushing and Jamaica Hospitals.   The workshops were attended by the MediSys Health Network Certified Medical Interpreters (staff who have passed the NYU Certified Medical Interpreter training course).  Also in attendance were those staff members who met the standards to be listed in our Language Banks as Qualified Medical Interpreters.  The workshop topics included the Role of the Interpreter, National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health Care, Cross-Cultural Interpreting, Medical Terminology, Policies & Procedures and a demonstration on simultaneous and consecutive medical interpreting.

To acknowledge and thank the Qualified Medical Interpreters there were raffle prizes of American Express Gift Cheques and Starbucks Gift Cards.  The Certified Medical Interpreters were also eligible for additional $100 American Express Gift Cheque prizes.  All Qualified Medical Interpreters received a colorful coffee mug with “Thank You” printed in a number of languages.