March was National Nutrition Month and Registered Dieticians across the MedISys Health Network participated in various educational activities for patients, employees and members of the community.

Patients and residents at Jamaica Hospital and Trump Pavilion received nutrition tips on their food trays every Tuesday and word searches to keep the mind healthy on Fridays. On March 13^th the Nutrition Services Department celebrated Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day by hosting a health fair in the main lobby.

During the day, dietitians were on hand to distribute delicious snacks while providing nutrition education to hospital employees and visitors. Throughout the month there were cafeteria lunch specials and cooking demonstrations to promote healthy eating habits. Jamaica Hospital celebrated the conclusion of National Nutrition Month with an annual fitness event led by a certified personal trainer. The staff had the opportunity to get active and receive tips on their spring fitness routine while sampling healthy snacks.

At Flushing Hospital, outpatient dietitian, Laura Wang presented the importance of reading nutrition labels at two senior centers. She also hosted a healthy snack workshop at a local elementary school.

The inpatient dietitians all held nutrition-related events on their individual floors such as a “Dress Up Your Salad” presentation and a “MyPlate” presentation for the pediatric floor.  On National Registered Dietitian Day members of the Flushing Hospital team enjoyed a lunch and presentation on a multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with diabetes. Lastly, every week throughout the month employees were treated to Nutrition Tip Tuesdays.

The MediSys Health Network appreciates the very important service provided our Registered Dieticians and our entire Food Service Departments. Their efforts not only during the month of March but throughout the year, help improve the health of our employees, patients and community.

The MediSys Health Network has deployed a team of medical personnel to Puerto Rico to help provide much-needed healthcare services to the areas devastated by Hurricane Maria. We are the first two Queens-based hospitals to send staff to the island.

The 20-member volunteer team of largely bi-lingual employees, including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, emergency medical technicians, paramedics and administrators were deployed on the morning of Tuesday, October 24^th.

Before departing, the entire team met at Jamaica Hospital, where MediSys Health Network President and CEO, Bruce J. Flanz  offered his support and appreciation to the group. The team was then escorted to JFK International Airport via a Port Authority bus, before boarding an 11:00 a.m. flight to Puerto Rico.  We are happy to announce that all 20 members arrived safely in Puerto Rico by mid afternoon.

The MediSys Health network has a long history of providing disaster relief to those in need. Some of our past relief efforts include:

• Hurricane Andrew – Homestead, Florida, 1992
• Northern Country Ice Storms – Watertown, NY, 1998
• World Trade Center Attacks (9/11) – New York, NY, 2011
• Hurricane Katrina –Louisiana & Mississippi, 2005
• Hurricane Sandy – Far Rockaway, New York, 2012

To fund this effort, the Network’s Board of Trustees, medical staff and employees set a fundraising goal of $100,000. To date, roughly half of that goal has been achieved.  Staff can still make a donation to support our efforts one of two ways. You can make a secure online donation by going to either hospital’s website and clicking on the “Hurricane Relief Efforts” banner. You can also go to the Public Affairs Department and make a donation in person. Payments are accepted by check, cash, or credit card. All checks should be made out to “The MediSys Health Network.”

We will continue to monitor the team’s activities and report back to our employees. Please look out for future updates.

The Occupational Health department is offering the flu vaccination free of charge to employees, volunteers, students, contract personnel and independent licensed practitioners who are affiliated with the MediSys Health Network.

Flu vaccination protocols for health care workers have become a widely discussed topic over the past few years. Several state and federal agencies have issued guidelines and will be closely monitoring their implementation. There is now mandatory reporting for New York State Department of health and CDC/CMS. The Joint Commission expects that 90% of hospital personnel will receive the flu vaccine every year.

Employees from all hospital departments, both at the main campus as well as the off-campus locations, are expected to participate in the organization-wide Flu Vaccination campaign. Any staff member who decides against the vaccination must sign a refusal form. If the vaccine is given by an outside agency or by a private physician, written proof must be submitted to the Office of Occupational Health. Any person who has an allergy to egg protein will be given a vaccine that is egg-protein free.

For those who have opted not to receive the flu vaccine, we remind them that un-vaccinated personnel will be required to wear surgical masks while in areas where patients are present from November 10th throughout the period when influenza remains prevalent in our region. Employees who decide not to receive the vaccine and who have not signed the opt-out form will be locked out of Kronos after December 1st. For further information regarding the flu vaccination program at Jamaica Hospital please contact the Occupational Health Department at 718-206-6812.

Jamaica Rx, the retail pharmacy located in the hospital’s main lobby, is extending its hours as well as expanding the services it offers to patients at Jamaica Hospital.

Recently, the retail pharmacy added Sunday hours. The added convenience helps patients discharged from the Emergency Department or in-patient units by offering the convenience of filling their prescriptions without leaving the hospital. The new Sunday hours are 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

In addition to the newly expanded hours of operation, the pharmacy is now also offering a Pharmacy Concierge service. As a part of this service, the staff of Jamaica Rx will dispense medications and offer bedside counseling to our patients upon discharge. By offering this service, patients will have an opportunity to have all their questions answered, which will lead to improved medication adherence and increased satisfaction.

The concierge service is currently being piloted on 6 South, Monday through Friday, with plans to expand throughout the facility in the near future. Patients are being encouraged to ask a member of their health care team for more information about the program.

Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital recently jointly celebrated World Breast Feeding Week with several wonderful events promoting breastfeeding in our community. This year’s theme was “Breast Feeding, a Winning Goal-for-Life.”

World Breast Feeding Week is celebrated every year during the first week of August. The goal of this campaign is to promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life. This has been shown to yield tremendous health benefits such as providing critical nutrients, better immune responses, and protection from deadly diseases such as pneumonia.

Some of the events that were sponsored by the hospitals were baby showers where mothers were given gift bags with literature on the benefits of breastfeeding. Healthy snacks and drinks were provided and many raffle prizes were won by those in attendance.

Another event that took place during the week was a joint health awareness day held at the YMCA in downtownJamaica. Breastfeeding consultants attended this event and spoke to many of the women who came to the event. Healthy snacks were provided and participants were able to have their blood pressure and BMI checked. 

A Breast Feeding symposium was also held for our staff at which Dr. Virginia Robertson, medical specialist for provider education at the NYC Department of Health.  The topic of Dr. Robertson’s presentation was “The Role of Multidisciplinary Collaborations in Promoting Breast Feeding.”

All of these events were organized by staff from the Women’s Health and the WIC departments at bothJamaicaHospitalandFlushingHospital. The breastfeeding campaign is all throughout the year. The events that we participate in during World Breast Feeding Week show the importance of this initiative and serve to educate women of the benefits to their children and to themselves.