MediSys Network News

National Patient Safety Awareness Week at Brookdale

March 8 through 14, 2009 marked the National Patient Foundation’s Patient Safety Awareness Week.  The entire week focused on an education and awareness campaign to improve patient safety by encouraging patients and their families to become more involved in their health care

As stated by Mark Chassin, President of The Joint Commission, “All patients have a right to safe care.” Research has shown that patients who are informed and involved in their care are more likely to have better outcomes. With this in mind, the Clinical Pharmacy team under the leadership of its Director, Qazi Halim, and Dr. Rehana Jamali, Associate Director organized a medication safety campaign on March 9th. Topics included teaching patients and their families about the safe use of insulin therapy, anticoagulants and increased awareness with venous thromboembolism (blood clots),  safe medication storage and  general drug information.  The team also solicited suggestions from patients and hospital staff for future programs.

On Wednesday, March 11 - the Department of Nursing Staff Development conducted an informational session in the main lobby entitled “Speak Up For Your Safety - No Question is too Simple or too Small to Ask”.  Educational packets were distributed to patients, their families and visitors with literature that emphasized a patient's right to to “speak up” and ask questions about their care on such topics as: hygiene (washing hands), medications, infection prevention, physicians’ training, pain management and surgery.

Another session was geared toward employees and held a duel purpose:  to educate the staff on the patients’ rights and how they should respond to an informed and concerned patient or family member. Participants were quizzed on their knowledge and prizes given to the top 100.

 

 

Psychiatry Symposium Held at Jamaica Hospital

On Thursday, March 19, the MediSys Health Network held its first annual Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Symposium. More than 150 participants gathered at Jamaica Hospital for the  educational conference on “Bullying and Violence in Schools: Diagnosis, Interventions, and Preventions.”

Social workers and doctors from the MediSys Network and other area hospitals were joined by teachers, guidance councilors and representatives from local schools and community-based organizations at the symposium where they received informational material and watched presentations on several subtopics, including understanding bullying and harassment, bullying and culture change, school mental health, and community responses to violence. In addition, participants took part in a Q&A session.

“The purpose of this symposium was threefold,” explained Mr. Anthony Maffia, Vice President of the Department of Psychiatry for the MediSys Health Network.  “We wanted to address the issue of bullying and advocate for children and their well being, position the network at the forefront of raising consciousness about this social problem, and connect with local resources so that we could collaboratively offer our expertise and deal with bullying.”

In recent months, “cyberbullying” and “sexting” have been the subjects of several media stories. Children are now using the computer to intimidate their peers and their cell phones to send compromising photos of others to their friends. As a result, victims of bullying are resulting to violence, either committing suicide or harming others. 

The symposium offered positive techniques for dealing with the psychology of bullying and will ultimately help create a culture of peace and non-bullying in schools.

Guest speakers at the symposium included Dr. Rona Novick, Director of the Fanya Gottersman Heller Doctoral Studies Program at Yeshiva University; Dr. Peter D’Amico, Director of Child and Adolescent Psychology at Schneider Children’s and Zucker Hillside Hospitals; Scott Bloom, Director of School Mental Health Services at the Office of School Health; and Amy Ellenbogen, Project Director of Crown Heights Community Mediation Center.

 

MediSys Health Network Celebrates National Nutrition Month

To celebrate National Nutrition Month, the Departments of Nutrition at Brookdale, Flushing, and Jamaica Hospitals have scheduled an array of fun-filled and healthy activities for employees.

With events ranging from nutrition fairs to midday power walks to special meal options, employees can truly spring into the season with a healthy start.

“We use this month to help our employees make nutritionally balanced decisions when eating and to inform them about the importance of incorporating exercise habits in their daily routines as well,” said Nelly Katan, Clinical Nutrition Manager at Jamaica Hospital.

According to the American Dietetic Association, National Nutrition Month focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

The events at Jamaica, Flushing, and Brookdale Hospitals achieve these goals.

In addition to providing nutrition education to employees, the hospitals also acknowledged registered dietitian day with luncheons (Jamaica and Brookdale Hospitals) and a webinar (Flushing Hospital). Other Jamaica Hospital events include a weight loss contest, employee gym open house, and a healthy cooking demonstration/class. Brookdale Hospital activities also include an organized a canned food drive and several nutrition-based games.

To find out more about the remaining activities for the month, please contact the Department of Nutrition.

Flushing Hospital Celebrates the Year of the Ox

Several Flushing Hospital employees, along with their families, braved the frigid weather to participate in the 14th annual Lunar New Year Parade last month. The event, which celebrated the Chinese New Year, was attended by nearly 500 people and included traditional Chinese dances and performances, as well as several participating organizations and companies.

The group of approximately 50 Flushing Hospital employees wore red t-shirts imprinted with Ox logo and “Happy New Year” along with Ox head gear, all symbolizing the lunar new year of the ox. Two employees even dressed up in ox costumes and entertained the crowds. In addition, the Flushing Hospital’s ambulance, decked with red balloons and other festive decorations and blaring traditional Chinese music on its sound system, drove down the parade route.

“This is our 10th year participating in the Lunar Parade and we remain involved because it serves as a reminder that we are part of this community and committed to serving it” said Dr. Robert Crupi, Chairman of Emergency Medicine. “We also want to show respect to the traditions and cultures of our culturally diverse community”.

The parade was also attended by several local politicians, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Congressman Anthony Weiner, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, Councilman John Liu, U.S. Rep Gary Ackerman, State Assemblywoman Grace Meng, and State Senator Toby Stavisky.

The Lunar New Year Parade was organized by the Flushing Chinese Business Association and the Korean American Association of Flushing.

Medicine Residency Program at Brookdale Receives Accolade

Back in April of last year, Brookdale’s Internal Medicine Residency Program and the Fellowship Programs for Nephrology and Hematology/Oncology were rigorously surveyed by ACGME.  It wasn’t until December that the notification letters were receiving outlining their findings. 

“We hit the Trifecta…..all three programs received the maximum full five year accreditation and were noted to be in substantial regulatory compliance,” said Dr. Ira Reiser, Chairman of the Department of Medicine.  Both fellowship programs were citation free and the core Internal Medicine program had 4 minor elements requiring a written progress report to be submitted by August 3, 2009.  The program was lauded by the surveyor on the involvement of the Faculty, Administration and the advanced employment of new innovations to meet many of the ACGME guidelines. 

Congratulations on a job well done to all and thank you for the support of all involved including program leadership, faculty, support staff, and administration.

Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals Respond to Caritas Closing

The recent closing of Mary Immaculate and St. John’s Queens Hospitals has created a situation that leaves many Queens residents searching for alternate healthcare resources. This issue has serious implications for the MediSys Health Network.

Since Caritas announced its bankruptcy and closure plans earlier this month, Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals have seen an increase in patients in our Emergency Rooms, which already operate near or at capacity. Jamaica Hospital, specifically, now treats 360-370 patients a day in the Emergency Department; up 25% from its previous 300 ER visits a day.

The MediSys hospitals presented their plan to cope with the healthcare needs of the community to the NYS Department of Health and the State DOH awarded a $4.5 million grant to help support our efforts to expand inpatient capacities and emergency room services.

With the funds, Jamaica Hospital will add 40 patient beds to the sixth floor, 4 critical care beds, and expand the Emergency Department. The current Emergency Management Command Center will be relocated, creating an expanded space for the hospital’s Fast Track Center.

At Flushing Hospital, 21 previously closed inpatient beds on the third and fourth floors will be reopened and the Wound Care Center will be relocated to the ground floor.

Even with the much needed expansion, a lot is still required of the hospitals and our staff, as patient volume continues to reach record numbers.

While we sympathize with our colleagues at the neighboring hospitals, we are thankful that our hospitals can continue to meet the health care needs of our community,  and we have confidence in the commitment and dedication of our employees and medical staff to meet the task at hand.

We thank everyone for their efforts during this very busy period.

Photo courtesy of the Queens Courier

MediSys Health Network Boasts NYC’s First Transitional Care Unit

The MediSys Health Network—comprised of Jamaica, Brookdale, and Flushing Hospitals—was selected from among 300 hospitals to become one of only five approved Transitional Care Unit projects in New York State, and is the only one in the metropolitan region. O f the five approved projects, MediSys' TCU is the only “virtual”  unit, with 20 beds spreadout across the network (seven-bed units at Jamaica and Brookdale Hospital and a six-bed unit at Flushing Hospital).

The Transitional Care Unit offers services to patients who, while in the hospital, still need additional time for recovery and medical management. It is aimed at transitioning patients from an acute hospital stay to a quick and safe return home. This is achieved through individualized and continued patient care.

“Our Transitional Care Unit focuses on restoring patients to their lifestyle prior to their hospitalization, facilitating a safe discharge plan, and reducing their total length of stay,” said Dr. Angelo Canedo, Vice President of Rehabilitation Services at Jamaica Hospital. “The unit will also provide a strong emphasis on educating patients, which will ultimately promote independence, reduce ER visits, and prevent the number of re-hospitalizations.”

The TCU provides several multidisciplinary services, including complex medical management, activities of daily living care, skin and wound care, social work/case management, and various therapies, to name a few.

There is a pre-admission selection criteria for patients considered for the Transitional Care Unit. Patients must require medical, skilled nursing, and/or rehabilitation services on a daily basis. Critical condition patients are not eligible.

Most recently, Jamaica Hospital opened its Transitional Care Unit. Flushing and Brookdale Hospitals are scheduled to open their TCUs later this year.