Earlier this month, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center staff participated in the Jamaica Jams Festival in downtown Jamaica. This is an annual event and one of the biggest street festivals in the borough of Queens.

As we have done in past years, we collaborated with Healthfirst in their Senior Health and Wellness Pavilion. Thousands of people came out on this beautiful day to partake in the festivities, and we were happy to provide them with health screenings and educational activities.

Some of the services we offered included: dental, ophthalmology, blood pressure, stroke, and podiatry screenings as well as lung cancer assessments for screenings in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering. We also provided educational materials about nutrition, women’s health, mental health and wellness, asthma and respiratory care, aging in place for seniors, and trauma prevention.  Lastly, we offered COVID-19 vaccines to anyone interested in receiving one.

On Wednesday, March 6^th, members of MediSys Health Network’s leadership participated in the HANYS Health Care Advocacy Day meetings in Albany. These meetings aim to make our elected state lawmakers aware of the issues that affect New York hospitals.

Representatives from other healthcare facilities joined members of the MediSys contingency. Together, we shared our hospitals’ and health systems’ stories and championed legislative action to stabilize New York hospitals and health systems.

It is always the goal of these Healthcare Advocacy Days to inform our New York State lawmakers about the importance of protecting healthcare providers from harmful cuts in funding and New Yorker’s access to care.

The first baby of the New Year is always a special event at Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital Medical Centers. Special thanks to the staff who assisted with these deliveries.

These are our first babies of the New Year:

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
Baby Boy:  Abdiel Elias Espinoza
Weight: 6 lbs 01 oz
Length: 18.5 inches
Time:  10:14 AM on 1/1/2024
Mother: Rosinel Espinoza Rivero

Flushing Hospital Medical Center
Baby Boy: Novoa Arevelo
Weight: 6 lbs 1.4 oz
Length: 18 inches
Time: 12:08 AM on 1/1/2024
Mother: Merlin Novoa Arevelo

In addition to Baby Novoa being the first baby born at Flushing Hospital, he was also one of the first babies born in New York City on New Year’s Day.

Congratulations to the families. We wish them a lifetime of happiness.

On Wednesday, March 22^nd, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and LiveOnNY held a flag-raising ceremony to honor donor heroes and their families along with the dedicated healthcare workers who assist in obtaining organ donations.

Introductory remarks were given by Jamaica Hospital’s EVP and COO, William Lynch, and the hospital’s Chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and Chief of Palliative Medicine, Dr. Alan Roth as well as Mr. Leonard Achan, President and CEO of LiveOnNY. They were followed by Pamela Ariza who spoke about what organ donation has meant to her family and the legacy her daughter Alexandra “Allie” Ariza left after becoming an organ donor hero. Additionally, Dr. Sheree Watson spoke about her experience as a liver recipient and emphasized the importance of registering to become an organ donor.

Before raising the flag, Mr. William Lynch, Dr. Alan Roth, Dr. Sally Mathew-Geevarughese, Associate Director Palliative Care Fellowship Program,  Dr. Oscar Corzo, Attending Physician Palliative and Hospice Department, and Dr. Khalid Gafoor, MICU Director,  were all presented with certificates for their efforts in raising in awareness for organ donations.

One organ donor can save up to 8 lives. More than 8,000 people in New York State are currently on the organ transplant waiting list and more than 100,000 are waiting across the nation, hoping that a donor hero will save their lives. If you are interested in registering as an organ donor, please visit www.liveonny.org.

We are pleased to announce the opening of the Pre-Admission Testing and Private Outpatient Lab on the ground floor of the Staff Residence Building at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Construction of our new office began in August of 2022 and was completed in February of 2023. The work was performed by the dedicated Jamaica Hospital Engineering team.

Our patients now get to experience a modernized office with calming earth tones including a landscape mural in the waiting area. We have a registration area for three Pre-Admission Testing staff members, a room that accommodates our four ASU/Admitting staff members, two evaluation rooms, and two rooms for EKG and phlebotomy.

The Presurgical Testing department evaluates perioperative patients scheduled for elective procedures at Jamaica Hospital. Patients are evaluated by our family nurse practitioner prior to their procedures with the coordination of pre-procedure labs . Evaluations may include EKG, X-rays, specialty consults, and covid screenings.

In addition, the staff will perform pre-employment labs referred by Occupational Health Services and outpatient lab referrals from providers.

The first baby of the New Year is always a special event at each of our two hospitals. The first MediSys Health Network babies posed beautifully for our photographer. Special thanks to the staff who assisted with these deliveries.

These are our first babies of 2023

Baby Girl:  Antonella

weight 7 lb 2.6 oz

length 18.5 inches

time 3:33 AM. on 1/1/2023

Mother: Wendy Gutierrez

Baby Boy:  Noah

weight 6 lbs 14.6 oz

length 18.75 inches

time: 1:58 AM on 1/1/2023

Mother: Itai Ojeda Martinez

On Tuesday evening October 11^th, the non-profit children’s charity, Angels On The Bay held its 28^th annual fundraising gala dinner at Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach. This event serves to raise money for chronically ill and disabled children.

At this year’s gala fundraiser, Flushing Hospital Medical Center was the recipient of a check in the amount of $20,562. This is the second of a three-year grant of $61,686. The funds will be used to replace three infant warmers with updated equipment to ensure that babies will be kept warm while being assessed for breathing difficulties. The devices are also equipped with built-in scales to assist in heat loss prevention while babies are being weighed.

The advantage of having these new warmers on the unit is versatility as they can be used not only in the newborn nursery but in any of the eight labor rooms or in the two operating rooms for cesarean births.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center thanks Angels on the Bay for its’ generous donation.

The Hospital Association of New York State (HANYS) recognizes member hospitals and health systems across New York that invest in forward-looking initiatives that strive to improve health outcomes and care quality outcomes. The HANYS member spotlight categorizes these initiatives into three categories, Innovation, Community Health, and Commitment to Excellence.

The MediSys Health Network was highlighted recently for Innovation for placing a priority on employee well-being. In the spring of 2022, the network creatively adapted and provided much-needed care for its healthcare team. This initiative was created in response to the extraordinary impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers which could have potentially threatened the quality of care to our patients.

MediSys implemented a multi-faceted approach to provide increased support for its team’s mental and emotional well-being. This program continues to grow as the pandemic persists.  The programming includes:

• Staff wellness stations – physical spaces set up to facilitate relaxation and access to verbal and non-verbal therapeutic modalities
• Wellness Rounds – therapists walk through medical units to briefly check in with staff and other support.
• Aromatherapy and handmade affirmation cards
• Wellness groups – therapeutic art groups facilitated by licensed creative arts therapists
• Wellness sign-outs that focus on guided meditations and discussions
• Individual phone calls to offer wellness resources to all frontline team members
• Individual wellness sessions – therapists provide short-term, confidential emotional support to staff experiencing difficult life circumstances

Congratulations to all involved, specifically Karen Codd and Deb Brass for their hard work and dedication to the overall wellness of the MediSys Health Network team.

For more information, contact Karen Codd, MPS, LCAT, ATR-BC, DAT-c, Jamaica Hospital senior wellness coordinator, at kcodd@jhmc.org, or Deb Brass, MS, LCAT, ATR-BC, Flushing Hospital senior wellness coordinator, at dbrass@jhmc.org. 

In collaboration with hospitals across the state, the MediSys Health Network is conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment survey to determine the most important health concerns of the community, and we would greatly appreciate your input.

The Community Health Needs Assessment survey will assist in the development of a plan that involves many community partners to improve the health of our community. The results of this survey are very important as they can also impact funding, spending, and other wide-reaching decisions about healthcare delivery systems.

The survey is open to all community members residing in New York. To access it, please click here, and share what issues matter to you most. The MediSys Health Network encourages all employees to complete the survey and to share it with family, friends, and others so that their input can be heard. All responses are confidential.

Thank you for your time and for helping us gain valuable insights into the needs of the community. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Andrew Rubin at 718-206-8949.

The first baby of the New Year is always a special event at each of our two hospitals. The first MediSys babies posed beautifully for our photographer. Special thanks to the staff who assisted with these deliveries.

Congratulations to the families, we wish them a lifetime of happiness.

These are our first babies of the New Year:

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Baby Girl:  Ocean

Weight: 7 lbs 1.9 oz

Length: 18 inches

Time: 5:17 PM. on 1/1/2022

Mother: Rakiva J. Obryant

Flushing Hospital Medical Center

Baby Girl: Saiteros Paguay

Weight: 6 lbs 1 oz

length 18 ½  inches

Time: 7:09 AM on 1/1/2022

Mother: Jessica Saiteros Paguay