The newest member of Flushing Hospital’s surgical team has been described as world renowned and a revolutionary in the field of minimally invasive surgery. This prestigious new member of the team also needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet.

The da Vinci Robotic Surgical platform is now at Flushing Hospital, offering our patients the most technologically advanced surgical system in the entire region.

 Robotic surgery has been available for a number of years and offers patients many benefits, including minimal pain, faster recovery time, less blood loss, and shorter hospital stays. What makes Flushing Hospital’s robotic platform so exciting, however, is the new single-site robotic technology it offers.

 The single-site robotic platform provides Flushing Hospital’s surgeons the same increased dexterity, control and high definition 3-D vision found in traditional robotic surgery, as well as the added benefit of performing some operations through a single, nearly invisible scar hidden in the patient’s naval. Previous surgeries might require multiple incisions or one larger incision. “This technology offers a tremendous cosmetic benefit to our patients and underscores Flushing Hospital’s commitment to providing the highest level of surgical care, using the most advanced minimally invasive surgical options,” stated Dr . Neil Mandava, Chairman of Surgery at Flushing Hospital.

 In addition, da Vinci is equipped with Fluorescence Imaging Vision, also known as Firefly. This feature combines fluorescent dye with a specialized camera, endoscope, and laser based illuminator, allowing surgeons to identify blood flowing through vessels and tissue in 3-D during minimally invasive surgeries.

 During a robotic procedure, the surgeon sits comfortably at a console, viewing a 3-D, high definition image of the patient’s anatomy. The surgeon uses controls below the viewer to move the instruments arms and camera. In real-time, the system translates the surgeon’s hands, wrist, and finger movements into more precise of the miniaturized instruments inside the patient.

 Flushing Hospital is planning its first single-site robotic procedure later this month. While many of the hospital’s surgeons are already trained and certified, many more are completing their training on the da Vinci Skills Simulator and plan to fully take advantage of the many surgical applications the da Vinci system has to offer.

 Flushing Hospital is also planning a “Robot Week” where employees and community members will have an opportunity to meet and name da Vinci in the near future.

On May 20, 2014, Dr. Orlando Santandreu, his father, and his son were featured on New York 1 News for Cuban Independence Day. He and his family were interviewed at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, on the fifth floor in the Women’s Health Center.

During the interview with reporter Rolman Vergara, Santandreu stated, “It is a beautiful profession because I get to see women become mothers and assist in the birth of their children. I am grateful to Flushing Hospital for giving me the opportunity to help the diverse, multicultural Flushing community.”

Dr. Santandreu has been a practicing OB/GYN at Flushing Hospital for approximately 15 years and is a highly valued member of the hospital’s community. He feels close to his Cuban roots because he and his family maintain Cuban traditions, enjoy Cuban cuisine, and large, extended family parties. Although it is inevitable to become Americanized once in the United States for a substantial period of time, keeping cultural traditions allows one to maintain his or her individual identity and heritage as an American. Dr. Santandreu, along with his father and son, are an inspiration to not only the Cuban community, but also to the entire Flushing Hospital family.

To see Dr. Santandreu’s article and clip from New York 1 News, click the link below:

http://www.ny1noticias.com/content/noticias/fiestas_patrias/208988/cuba–tres-generaciones-de-m%c3%a9dicos-honran-su-herencia-cubana

Identifying critical events and improving the level of patient safety provided has always been a priority at Flushing Hospital Medical Center. The implementation of the Good Catch program highlights the hospital’s dedication to this effort.

The Good Catch program was created to provide employees with an opportunity to share their corrective actions or interventions, in hopes to reduce adverse patient outcomes.

According to Robert Levine, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, “the goals of the Good Catch program are threefold: to encourage identification of potential errors, to recognize our staff for identifying issues, and to share our findings across the organization.”

Rehana Jamali, Medication Safety Officer added, “Flushing Hospital is committed to developing new safety strategies by listening to the efforts our staff has taken to prevent any incidents that could potentially cause adverse outcomes to those we care for.”

Employees who wish to report a Good Catch are encouraged to complete a Good Catch Reporting Form. All submissions will be sent to the Patient Safety Officer and shared with the Good Catch Committee for implementation. Everyone who submits a report will be recognized with a personalized thank you card and those who submit a noteworthy entry will receive an Excellence in Patient Safety award from Administration for their efforts.

The Good Catch program is currently being piloted on the hospital’s pediatric and surgical units. The plan is to eventually expand the program throughout the hospital in the near future. “Patient Safety is a priority for the institution and our hospital staff play an integral role in designing safe systems for the delivery of patient care,” stated Rehana.

For more information about the Good Catch program, please contact Rehana Jamali at 718-670-8793.

There is a new performance improvement initiative at Flushing Hospital that is addressing issues aimed at improving patient satisfaction — Making A Difference (MAD). 

Inspired by senior management, the MAD initiative is comprised of interdisciplinary teams, staffed by managers from nursing, social work, dietary, housekeeping, and financial services, just to name a few, who work together to improve the patient experience by rounding on the medical units and interacting with the patients. Specifically, the teams work to increase staff responsiveness in all areas of care. If a issue is brought to the team’s attention, they work to resolve it (in a timely manner) to ensure patient satisfaction.

To respond to these challenges, the teams initiated daily check-ins and instituted a “heads up/no pass zone”, where all staff members, both clinical and non-clinical, on the unit are responsible for immediately responding to the needs of their patients.

The MAD initiative was piloted at Jamaica Hospital and preliminary results showed a significant increase in patient satisfaction scores during the period of the performance improvement effort. Success of this pilot has led to a hospital-wide implementation of any new protocol developed through the process.

Deborah Duke, Patient Advocate and Director of Customer Service at Flushing Hospital, designed the teams and set the MAD round schedules. “We welcome the program and commend senior management and each team member for their dedication and commitment to raise the satisfaction of our patients experience at Flushing Hospital,” she stated.

United States Congressional Representative Grace Meng recently visited Flushing Hospital to tour the hospital’s Labor and Delivery Unit and observe the facility’s WIC Program.

The tour was the result of a NYS Board of Directors for WIC Programs meeting.  After the meeting, the Board suggested that Congresswoman Meng, who favorably supports WIC, tour a facility with a reputable program, in the community she represents. Flushing Hospital’s WIC program was selected.

Rep. Meng was given a tour of the WIC office and the hospital’s Labor and Delivery Unit. While on tour, Rep. Meng and hospital leadership discussed prenatal care and breastfeeding, and was informed that infant care made up the majority of care being provided by the hospital.

Rep. Meng was impressed and pledged that she would do all that was within her power to make sure that funding for such necessary programs remained intact.

On Saturday, April 27th,  Flushing Hospital participated in the JIB’s (Joint Industry Board of the Electrical Industry) 4th Annual Health Fair held at the Electrical Industry Center Auditorium in Flushing, NY.

The event was attended by members of the Electrical Union Industry and was geared towards wellness. Flushing Hospital provided blood pressure and blood glucose screening for hypertension and diabetes, as well as oral screenings for general dentistry and oral cancer.  In addition to medical screenings, the hospital provided information on hypertension, diabetes and dental health.

Over 100 participants were either screened or given informtion regarding the different medical specialities that are available at Flushing Hospital.

Project Preemie, an effort by a local girl scout to deliver handmade items such as tiny crocheted hats and socks to premature babies, has provided relief and comfort to the parents of premature babies in Flushing Hospital’s NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).

Jasmine Wu, of Troop 4570, with the help of her troop, youth group, and friends, crocheted and hand-delivered over 150 articles of clothing to premature babies at Flushing Hospital and several other Queens’ hospitals.

“Jasmine’s project is great”, said Monique Hamlett, whose son has been in Flushing Hospital’s NICU since February. “I really appreciate the hats and booties she’s made for my son. Finding something to fit his head and feet is one less things I have to worry about.”

Having a child in the NIC U is a difficult experience for most parents, an experience that Jasmine has witnessed.

“I began this project after my cousin delivered her daughter prematurely and had a hard time finding hats and socks for her,” said Jasmine. “I began wondering how many other parents were out there going through what my cousin went through and was just in need of a small gift that could lift their entire day.”

The crocheted hats and socks are delivered in a brightly colored gift bag, along with an inspirational and comforting quote for parents.

Jasmine Wu was recently named Queens Person of the Week and her delivery to Flushing Hospital’s NICU was featured on NY 1 News.

On Saturday, April 20, at the Mu Dan Hall (Queens Crossings), Flushing Hospital participated in the American Cancer Society’s “Community Health Day.” The purpose of the event was to provide much needed health information and services to the under-served Asian immigrant community.

In past years, the American Cancer Society and Flushing Hospital have organized health fairs in different communities with participation from many community health organizations, local businesses, social services agencies and volunteer health care providers. Every year, over 700 community members attend these health fairs. For “Community Health Day,” Flushing Hospital  provided blood pressure and blood glucose screening, administered by a member of the hospital’s nursing staff, to determine the possibility of hypertension or diabetes in the person being screened. Oral screenings for general dentistry and oral cancer were also performed. Being sensitive to the language barrier that may have existed, Flushing Hospital’s medical professionals worked with a translator to make sure that each person screened fully understood the results of their testing.

Flushing Hospital is proud to participate, annually, in this event and looks forward to a continued relationship with the American Cancer Society.