Category Archives: Flushing Hospital

MediSys Health Network Research Day

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The MediSys Health Network of Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital Medical Centers recently held its Third Annual Research Conference and Poster Competition. Sponsored by the Department of Research Education and Innovation and the Department of Clinical Research, the event allows the entire MediSys hospital community to present any scholarly activity they had done over the past academic year of 2023-2024.

Director of the Department of Research Education and Innovation, Dr. R. Jonathan Robitsek explained, “The competition is a great showcase of the intellectual curiosity of all that participate”. He also highlighted the importance of the competition noting, “It’s high-quality research some of which has been presented at national and international medical conferences”.

There were 131 posters submitted between Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital. Those posters were broken into three categories, Case Reports, Empirical Research, and Quality Improvements. Each poster was then graded on a rubric of five areas: format, visual, content 1, content 2, and impact.

The first-place winning posters in the Case Reports category were, “A Cycle of Complications: Trastuzumab-induced Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Causing LV Thrombosis Complicated by Thromboembolic Stroke” by V. Patel, J. Patel, J.L Lee, and T. Okan (JHMC) and “Making the Distinction between Cardiac and Vasovagal Syncope in a Patient with an Intracardiac Mass” by D. Desta, P. Kiarie, and R.P Gupta (FHMC).

Second-place winning posters of the category included, “Subcapsular Liver Bleed Secondary to Mal-Placement of a Lucas Device” by I. Agha, S. Montaquila, M. Guerges, A. Mangla, and R. Lakowski (JHMC) and “When the Lungs Become the Battlefield: Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome in GVHD Post Stem Cell Transplant for AML.” by J. Bawa, A. Inghirami, S. Desai, J. Silverman (FHMC).

And finally, the third place posters were, “Impact of Social Media in Acute Onset of Psychosis in Young Child” by H. Ruparel, G. Zelin, S. Peteru (JHMC) and “Skin Deep: Exploring Erythema Nodosum Induced by Dupilumab Therapy” by J. Bawa, E. Malana, N. Tasnim, S. Farhan, A. Khan (FHMC).

In the Empirical Research category, the posters that won first place were, “Demographic Analysis of Patients Seen by a Palliative Care Service Found to be Unbefriended/Unrepresented” by P. Gordon, I.J Wang, R.J Robitsek, A. Tewari, E. Divino, K. Forbes (JHMC) and “Attitudes and Barriers to Utilization of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Clinical Practice Among Residents and Medical Students: A Survey Study” by C. Bodden, M. Alla, P. Kiarie, M.A Louis (FHMC).

Second-place winning posters were, “Does Marijuana Legalization Result in Increased Psychiatric Emergency Visits for Cannabis Induced Psychosis?” by G. Zelin, N. Siddiqui, A. Miele, R. Kamal (JHMC) and “Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation in Emergent Non-Cardiac Surgery: Incidence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes” by D. Giannis, R. Zhao, L. Fernandez, N. Nikolov, C. Sneed, P. Kiarie, A. Miele, M.A Louis, N.R Mandava (FHMC).

Lastly, the third-place winning posters of the category were, “Systematic Review of Hematologic Values Among Transgender Patients: Establishing Standardized Reference Ranges to Improve Clinical Care” by L. Yap-Separovich, M. McDonald, L. Alhakim, J. Langaman, T. Millingen, A. Mir, L. Gance, C. Nienaber, A. Roth, G. Basello, E. Brondolo (JHMC) and “The Effect of Circadian Rhythm on the Glucose Challenge Test in Pregnancy” by A. Makol, M. Sun, L. Keating, I. Ngai (FHMC).

In the final category of Quality Improvements, the first-place winning posters were, “Advance Care Conversations in Primary Care Settings: Prevalence and Sociodemographic Factors” by I.J Wang, D. Patel, A. Spinelli, M. McDonald, A. Miele, R.J Robitsek, F. Falcone, K. Forbes, E. Brondolo, A. Roth, S. Mathew-Geevarughese (JHMC) and “Evaluating the Long Term Impact of Standardizing Written Sign Outs” by T. Lildar, W. Thu, S. Falak, M. Syed, S. Desai, A. Miele, K.L Cervellione, T. Toronjadze (FHMC).

Congratulations to those who placed, the honorable mentions, and everyone who participated in this year’s Research Day Conference and Poster Competition.

MediSys Health Network Named a Top Hospital for Fair Share Spending by the Lown Institute

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A female doctor smiling.The MediSys Health Network has been named as one of the top 10 hospital systems in the United States for fair share spending by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit organization that promotes equity and transparency throughout the American healthcare system. MediSys was one of many hospital systems across the country included in the Lown Institute’s 2024-25 fair share analysis, which compared hospitals’ tax exemptions to their community spending.

Only 20% of the 2,425 nonprofit hospitals included in the analysis (including MediSys) had a fair share surplus, meaning that their spending on community-focused initiatives surpassed the total value of their tax exemptions. Both Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center were also listed individually as hospitals with a fair share surplus.

We’re proud of the work performed each day by our teams at both Jamaica and Flushing Hospital to provide high-quality care to the Queens community, as well as the various community initiatives and programs created to ensure that this care is as comprehensive and accessible as possible. Thank you for all that you do, and congratulations for achieving this national recognition.

Flushing Hospital Receives Gold Safe Sleep Certification from Cribs for Kids

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Flushing Hospital Medical Center has been recognized by the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program as a Gold-level Safe Sleep Hospital for their commitment to best practices and education on infant sleep safety. It is currently the only New York City hospital outside of the city’s public hospital system (NYC Health + Hospitals) that has achieved this certification level. Previously, Flushing Hospital held Bronze-level certification since 2016.

The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was created by Cribs for Kids, a national infant sleep safety organization that works with healthcare organizations to prevent infant sleep-related deaths due to sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) and accidental suffocation.

As a Nationally Certified Gold-level Safe Sleep Hospital, Flushing Hospital is recognized for following safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and providing training programs for healthcare team members and family caregivers. Requirements for achieving Gold-level certification include:

  • Implementing hospital-wide Infant Safe Sleep Policy
  • Promoting safe sleep education on the hospital website
  • Promoting hospital-wide infant safe sleep imagery
  • Providing safe sleep training to staff caring for infants for more than one year
  • Providing safe sleep education to family/caregivers of infant for more than one year
  • Identifying families needing a safe sleep space and providing resources
  • Implementing Quality Improvement measures based on compliance audits
  • Using and/or gifting wearable blankets, or assigning Cribs for Kids Hospital-Wide Training Module to every hospital employee
  • Engaging in at least two community outreach initiatives to educate the community on infant sleep safety

In the process of meeting and staying up to date with these requirements, some of the specific infant sleep safety initiatives implemented by Flushing Hospital include:

  • Hourly rounds to monitor baby safety
  • Instruction of medical staff, patients, and families on putting babies to sleep safely
  • Community outreach, including educational events in the hospital lobby and clinics
  • Educating and providing sleep sacks (which reduce the risk of strangulation or suffocation of babies) to patients

“Flushing Hospital consistently strives to educate parents and our community on how to provide the safest sleep environment for their babies,” said Maria DeMarinis Smilios, Director of Nursing – Maternal and Child Services at Flushing Hospital. “We feel this most recent Gold-level designation demonstrates our commitment to that goal.”

We thank everyone at Flushing Hospital who made this achievement possible and for their work to make our hospital the safest environment possible for newborns and their families.

Schwartz Rounds Return at Flushing Hospital Medical Center and Jamaica Hospital

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Healthcare professionals and leadership at FHMC attending a Schwartz Rounds panel discussion.On November 23, 2023, 152 staff members at Flushing Hospital Medical Center attended the first Schwartz Rounds event held since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel discussion included attending physicians, residents, nurses, and social workers, all of whom shared challenges they experienced with building trust and meeting family expectations in cases with unexpected outcomes.

The Schwartz Rounds program offers our healthcare providers a regularly-scheduled time during their fast-paced work lives to openly and honestly discuss social and emotional issues they face while caring for patients and their families. Unlike traditional medical rounds, these discussions focus on shared experiences, thoughts, and feelings centered around thought-provoking topics drawn from actual patient cases. The goal of the program is to provide caregivers with a greater ability to make personal connections with patients and colleagues by offering greater insight into one another’s responses and feelings.

Panelists from diverse disciplines participate in the sessions. After listening to a brief presentation on a particular case or topic, caregivers in the audience are invited to share their own perspectives and discuss broader related issues. Participants in Schwartz Rounds report that the honesty and vulnerability involved in these discussions help them to feel less isolated in their own experiences.

Our Schwartz Rounds committee members thank everyone for their participation in this first panel discussion and invite all employees to attend future rounds throughout 2024. These rounds will take place on 3/14, 6/27, 9/26 and 12/19. Additional rounds will also take place at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center on 1/19, 4/19, 7/26, and 10/25.

If you have any questions about Schwartz Rounds, please contact Oksana Galibova, the Program Coordinator for Schwartz Rounds and Network Director of Person-Centered Services, by sending an email to ogalibov@jhmc.org.

Exploring the MediSys Health Network’s Tea Time Program

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Patient satisfaction is always a priority across the MediSys Health Network. One new initiative designed to improve our patients’ experience is the Tea Time program, where hospital volunteers offer friendly interaction along with hot beverages and healthy snacks.

The program was first introduced at Flushing Hospital Medical Center last month, where it has been well-received by patients. Now, after working to expand the initiative’s reach, Network Director of Person-Centered Services Oksana Galibova has brought Tea Time to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

“So far, the feedback has been amazing,” said Oksana. “The feeling of making somebody happy is very motivating for our volunteers.”

According to the program, Tea Time volunteers visit each patient unit with a decorated cart carrying the items they serve. Volunteers also take time to interact with patients and assist with small tasks like cleaning up garbage in their rooms and moving items so that they’re easier to reach. All of these tasks are important parts of making sure patients are receiving a high level of care.

The Tea Time program has been a rewarding experience for the volunteers. What they enjoy most is interacting and conversing with those patients that are lonely is especially important for making sure their experience at the hospital is as positive as possible.

Given how new the program is at both hospitals, there’s also plenty of room for it to change and grow over time as Oksana continues to receive feedback, whether that comes in the form of new snack options like Jell-O or revising the program’s schedule.

“There are enhancements we’re considering for the future of the program,” said Oksana. “As Tea Time continues, we’ll look at our progress and the feedback we’re getting to see what kinds of changes we can make.”

Flushing Hospital Shares Information About BRAAVR Program

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in the number of verbal and physical acts of violence against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. According to a recent NYPD report, there were 131 hate crimes targeting Asians in New York in 2021 as compared to only 28 in 2020 and only one in 2019.

This dramatic rise in racist attacks prompted the wellness team at Flushing Hospital Medical Center to create the BRAAVR (Building Resilience Against Anti-Asian Violence & Racism) program.  This community wellness program was designed to help people who have been impacted, either directly or indirectly, by anti-Asian racism, receive counseling and support from culturally competent, multi-lingual mental health professionals. The program is available to all, regardless of their ability to pay. Services are provided in-person, through the mobile crisis intervention program, or virtually through the telehealth program.

On Monday, May 23rd, in recognition of Asian American Heritage Month, Flushing Hospital held a press conference to officially launch the BRAAVR program and invited Congresswoman Grace Meng to join them for the announcement. The Congresswoman has been a strong advocate for addressing anti-Asian hate and mental health awareness in the Asian community. Among Congresswoman Meng’s many accomplishments to combat anti-Asian hate was the enactment of her COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The bill was overwhelmingly passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Biden in May of 2021.

During her remarks, Congresswoman Meng pledged her continued support for Flushing Hospital and thanked the wellness team, led by Dr. Daniel Chen, Chairman of Psychiatry. After the program, Congresswoman Meng was given a tour of Flushing Hospital and was very impressed with all the modernization projects taking place, including the New Beginnings Mother-Baby Unit.

The event was well covered by multiple Asian media outlets including The Korean Channel, Sino Vision, and NTDTV.  In addition, New York 1 News covered the BRAAVR program in their “Around the Boroughs” segment. To see the clip, click the following:

Congratulations to the wellness team on their efforts to provide this important service to our community.

Flushing Hospital Receives NYSPQC Award

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The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Flushing Hospital Medical Center was a  recent recipient of “The New York State Perinatal Collaborative (NYSPQC) Enteral Nutrition Improvement Project Improvement Award”

This award recognizes Flushing Hospital’s participation in the NYSPQC quality improvement initiative which goals are to maximize early enteric nutrition, minimize post-natal growth failure in preterm babies  (less than 31 weeks gestational age) and improve the outcomes in this vulnerable population of newborns.

As part of this initiative, Flushing Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Unit Care team has worked to develop and implement policies and procedures to optimize the nutrition of preterm newborns by utilizing human milk as the only mode of enteric nutrition-initiating early nutrition, improve family-center care, decrease inequities, and foster a culture of safety and improvement. “This exemplary work was a collaborative effort of the entire NICU team, and we continue to keep our commitment to this goal to ensure ongoing success,” stated  Dr. Lourdes Cohen, Pediatrics Director.

Marilyn A. Kacicia, MD, MPH, Executive Director, New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative, Medical Director. Division of Family Health, New York State Department of Health stated, “We congratulate and recognize the work the Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s birthing team has done to reach the goal of optimizing early enteral nutrition and postnatal growth among very preterm newborns. We thank you for your dedication to improving the health outcomes for these vulnerable newborns.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flushing Hospital Unveils A “New Beginning” For Mothers And Babies

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Flushing Hospital Medical Center is delivering a series of brand new, state-of-the-art in-patient upgrades to benefit women and newborns.

LDR Rendering

The hospital recently unveiled its plans to expand and modernize the entire 5th floor of the hospital, including its Labor Delivery and Recovery (LDR) suites, Mother-Baby Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and newborn nursery to provide the ultimate mother-baby experience.

Flushing Hospital’s project, which has been named “New Beginnings,” will feature an expansion of the hospital’s current LDR suites from eight to 11 and converting the existing triage space from one large semi-private area to four completely private rooms. In addition, the hospital is increasing the number of recovery rooms on the unit from three to five and adding one additional delivery room to accommodate more Cesarean section deliveries.

LDR Rendering

On the Mother-Baby unit, Flushing Hospital will now offer exclusively private rooms to our patients.  Each of the 28 remodeled rooms will feature many amenities including ADA compliant private bathrooms with showers, sleeper beds to accommodate a designated support person overnight visitation, and an electronic information board and bedside tablet for mom.

Flushing Hospital also relocated the newborn nursery to a more convenient location in closer proximity to the Mother-Baby unit and remodeled its neonatal intensive care unit, where premature babies or babies born with complications receive expert care.

The entire floor will also receive an enhanced air circulation system, with all rooms having the ability to provide negative pressure. This is extremely important for patient safety, especially during the COVID pandemic.

The name “New Beginnings” was given to this project not only because it marks a new beginning for Flushing Hospital, but more importantly, it also provides the families in our community an ideal environment to welcome a new addition into their world, which signifies a new beginning for them as well.

“Flushing Hospital Medical Center wanted to create an atmosphere that matches the high-quality care our team has always offered our patients” stated Dr. Hajoon Chun, Chairperson of Ob/Gyn, who added, “The completion of our New Beginnings project will ultimately provide a birthing environment that focuses on comfort and safety and we are excited to offer it to our community.”

Flushing Hospital anticipates the first two model rooms to be finished before the end of the year and will work tirelessly until each aspect of the project is completed.

Flushing Hospital Receives Grant To Continue Efforts To Prevent Congenital CMV

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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that can affect people of all ages. In fact, over half of all adults have been infected with CMV by the age of 40, but in most healthy adults, the immune system will prevent the virus from causing illness while some may experience mild symptoms such as fever or sore throat.

Although CMV is not considered a serious problem for most, when CMV is passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn child, this is referred to as congenital CMV. One out of every 200 children are born with congenital CMV each year, making it one of the most common viral infections in the United States. While 10-15% of infants with congenital CMV have clinical symptoms at birth, some babies with congenital CMV without clinical symptoms at birth develop health problems later in life. Children born with congenital CMV may develop permanent medical conditions and disabilities, such as hearing loss detectable after birth or even later in life, developmental and motor delay, vision loss, and seizures.

Understanding the importance of preventing congenital CMV, Flushing Hospital Medical Center recently initiated a newborn screening protocol for all babies born at the hospital who are suspected of having a hearing impairment. This screening program is interdisciplinary as it involves the coordinated efforts of the Pediatric, Neonatology and Audiology Departments. If a suspected newborn is diagnosed with congenital CMV, the hospital can provide referral to Early Intervention, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and Pediatric ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat specialists) to help improve complications associated with hearing loss and other potential neurological and developmental outcomes.

In addition to the screening program, Flushing Hospital has also concentrated its efforts on providing education and support to the community about CMV.  The hospital now also offers multi-lingual materials explaining how to prevent infection during pregnancy as well as early warning signs for CMV in newborns. This information is available in the prenatal and pediatric outpatient waiting areas of Flushing Hospital.

For their efforts, Flushing Hospital was recently awarded an $8,000 grant by the National CMV Foundation. Flushing Hospital is one of only three hospitals nationally to receive this grant.   With the additional funds, the hospital plans to increase awareness through a series of community-based and digital initiatives.

Thank you to Dr. Shirley Pinero-Bernardo, Vice-Chair of Pediatrics, Dr. Lourdes Cohen, Director of Neonatology, and Maria Smilios, Director of Nursing-Maternal and Child Services and their staff for organizing this effort and improving the outcomes of patients and families with congenital CMV.

Flushing Hospital Receives Healthgrades 2019 Women’s Care Excellence Awards

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Healthgrades, a leading online resource for information about physicians and hospitals, recently revealed its list of recipients for their 2019 Women’s Care Excellence Awards – and Flushing Hospital Medical Center is among the privileged and few recipients.

These awards recognize hospitals across the nation that demonstrate exceptional outcomes and excel in women’s healthcare services. The awards were broken down into three separate categories, including:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award – This award highlights hospitals for exceptional clinical outcomes while caring for women in childbirth, as well as during and after gynecologic surgeries and procedures.
  • Labor and Delivery Excellence Award – This distinction recognizes the top 10 % of all hospitals evaluated for the exceptional care provided to mothers during and after labor and delivery.
  • Gynecologic Surgery Excellence Award – This award recognizes the top 10% of hospitals evaluated that provided outstanding performance in gynecologic surgery, including hysterectomy and surgery related to the female reproductive system.

Flushing Hospital received all three awards and was the only hospital in Queens to receive the Gynecologic Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence awards.

According to Maria Smilios, Director of Nursing, “Flushing Hospital has done many things that have contributed to earning these awards, including creating standards to prevent inducing labor before 39 weeks gestation to reduce the chances of complications at birth.” Maria added that “providing our patients with continuity of care throughout their pregnancy and stressing the importance of maintaining proper prenatal care have also been major factors in our success.”  Other reasons to cite the hospital receiving these accolades include having dedicated gynecologists and gyn specialists on staff, as well as the addition of the daVinci robotic surgical system,  which has improved gynecological surgical outcomes for Flushing Hospital patients.

Approximately 3,000 babies are delivered at Flushing Hospital every year. The gynecology division performed over 1,500 procedures in 2018 and the hospital’s Women’s Health Center had nearly 14,000 outpatient visits last year.

“We are honored to receive these awards” stated Dr. Hajoon Chun, Chairman of Ob/Gyn at Flushing Hospital Medical Center. “It signifies the hospital’s dedication to providing the highest quality care to women in our community and is another example of why Flushing Hospital is the hospital of choice for so many seeking obstetrical and gynecological care.”

Congratulations to all of the physicians, nurses, and support staff responsible in earning this recognition.