On November 14^th, Jamaica Hospital’s Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care hosted an art exhibit in observation of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

The pieces were created with the intention of providing hospice patients and their families with visual escapes to serene gardens, countrysides, beaches, and plains.

Over two dozen pieces of art were painted and donated by amateur artists from the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District. The paintings took three to eight weeks to complete by students varying in ages from 18 to 92. All works of art were painted in either oil or acrylic.

“The students come from varying backgrounds in occupation, culture and family settings but all have this bond of commonality in art.  What is amazing is that they can use their love of art to help patients in need of comfort at a difficult time, at the end of life,” shared Marion Arbuco, Director of the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District

There has always been a correlation between art and health care. Art can evoke positive emotions beneficial in helping patients during their healing process. It can also serve as a respite for those going through a difficult period toward the end of life.

Hospice care is a specialized kind of care provided to those who are facing the advanced stages of life-limiting illnesses.  This specialty focuses on making patients as comfortable as possible while receiving treatment and support from an integrative health care team.  At Jamaica Hospital’s Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care, a high priority is placed on making sure that a person’s last days are spent in comfort and dignity.  Many amenities are provided to patients on the unit that promote serenity and allow them to feel more at home.

“Providing our patients and families with a sense of serenity during a difficult time is very important to our staff.  The art painted by the students from the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District will help us to create a tranquil space. We are thankful to the students for dedicating their time and donating these beautiful paintings.” said Dr. Alan Roth, Chief of Palliative Care Medicine at Jamaica Hospital.

To read more about the art exhibit in the Queens Courier, please click https://qns.com/story/2018/11/15/jamaica-hospital-receives-artwork-renovated-hospice-care-center/

A characteristic that has become synonymous with Jamaica Hospital’s high level of service is our ability to promote a strong sense of community among our staff and patients.

Over the years, several initiatives have been implemented to ensure patient satisfaction and foster positive experiences.  One that continuously receives excellent feedback from our patients is the Happy Birthday Telegram program.

In 2016, Jamaica Hospital’s Central Transport Services division began the program as an effort to help patients admitted to our hospital feel special on their birthdays. “Being in a hospital during your birthday isn’t the most ideal situation, so we try to bring some light to the day,” explained Arleen Reinoso, Director of Central Transport.

“The patient experience is very important to our team; we believe that happiness and genuine acts of kindness help with the healing process, “shared Reinoso.  To cheer up patients on their special day, Central Transport delivers a personalized birthday card, along with a puzzle and a small gift.  The team also surprises patients by gathering together to sing the Happy Birthday song. “It is special to see the patients’ reaction when we sing to them; it’s even more amazing for me to see the staff so engaged and happy to do this for the patients. We even include the clinical staff on the unit in the celebration so the patient feels extra special,” said Reinoso.

Successfully running the program has been a collaborative effort between, Central Transport Services, the Epic Patient Access Team, and all clinical staff who join in during the celebrations.

A satisfied patient is our hospital’s greatest reward.  We thank everyone who participates in the Happy Birthday Telegram program and other initiatives created to improve patient satisfaction.

Join us in congratulating nurses Chenfei Huang, Intensive Care Unit; Stella Egbo, Michelle Si and Yelana Abayeva, Emergency Department, for their Good Catch!

Every month, Flushing Hospital Medical Center recognizes employees for their contributions to patient safety.

Employees who go above and beyond to ensure the safety of our patients are recognized and awarded a Certificate of Excellence for their Good Catch.

Good Catch nominees receive recognition based on their actions in preventing the potential harm of patients. These actions may include correcting a medication order, preventing a patient fall or reporting a significant change in patient status.

By identifying problems before they became patient safety issues, our nominees have helped Flushing Hospital to improve our quality in patient care.

To our Good Catch recipients, thank you for being exemplary members of our team and contributing to our goal of being a High-Reliability Hospital.

To report a Good Catch, fill out the Good Catch Form and send by interoffice mail to Rehana Jamali, Pharmacy,  email rjamali.flushing@jhmc.org or call ext. 5415 to leave a message.

This week, a group of judges convened in the office of Jamaica Hospital’s Volunteer Department to determine the winner of the 2018 MediSys Thanksgiving Basket Contest.

In the spirit of goodwill and a little competition, many departments across the MediSys Health Network submitted a total of 55 beautifully decorated baskets filled with Thanksgiving food items.

The criteria for Best Basket included originality, thoughtfulness and design.  The judges were shown a variety of baskets and boxes that ranged in sizes and were adorned in festive colors.

Three finalists were selected based on overall appearance and the number of food items collected; they included Jamaica Hospital’s Quality Improvement Department, the Ambulatory Care Nursing Staff, as well as the hospital’s Epic Training Team.  The judges made a unanimous decision, and the Quality Improvement Department received first prize.

Although a winner was selected, the best prize received in this year’s competition was the collective generosity of all the departments that participated.  All Thanksgiving gift basket donated will be given to local families in need.  We are happy that we were able to do our part in bringing members of our community a Happy Thanksgiving.

Monday, October 22^nd  was the first meeting of the Needle Arts Community.

This program was initiated by Emilia Escamilla-Rebaza, RN, Assistant Director of Patient Experience, Sharon Narducci, RN Chief Quality Officer, and Susan Iovino RN, Interim Chief Nursing Officer with the purpose of bringing hospital employees together for an hour each month to relax and learn from one another how enjoyable the needle arts can be. Research has also shown that needle arts have many health benefits that include:

• Reducing stress
• Reducing depression and anxiety
• Providing a distraction from chronic pain
• Increasing the sense of well being

One of the objectives of the Needle Arts Community is to allow members of our staff to spend one hour a month during their lunch break to socialize with other employees that they might not have a chance otherwise to interact with. It is a known fact that if staff members are happy they will make a greater effort to provide our patients with a better overall experience.

The Needle Arts Community will meet on the second Monday of every month at noon in the fifth-floor conference room of the “D” Building. Further information can be obtained by contacting Ms. Escamilla-Rebaza at extension 8983.

Join us in congratulating Klara Gavrilov, RN; Veronica Zafonte, R.Ph.; and Dr. Mahendra (MC) Patel on their Good Catch!

Every month, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center recognizes employees for their contributions to patient safety.

Employees who go above and beyond to ensure the safety of our patients are recognized and awarded a Certificate of Excellence for their Good Catch.

Good Catch nominees receive recognition based on their actions in preventing the potential harm of patients. These actions may include correcting a medication order, preventing a patient fall or reporting a significant change in patient status.

By identifying problems before they became patient safety issues, our nominees have helped Jamaica Hospital to improve our quality in patient care.

To our Good Catch recipients, thank you for being exemplary members of our team and contributing to our goal of being a High-Reliability Hospital.

To report a Good Catch, fill out the Good Catch Form and send by interoffice mail to Letha Walters, PI Department, Axel Building 4th floor or call ext. 8409 to leave a message.

To help continue to meet the educational requirements of the hundreds of members of our professional staff, Flushing Hospital Medical Center was recently awarded Accreditation with Commendation for its Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY).

The six-year accreditation will allow Flushing Hospital to continue to provide attending physicians, residents, midwives and other medical professionals across the MediSys Health Network the opportunity to receive the necessary continuing medical education credits needed to fulfill their annual requirements. Every year, Flushing Hospital offers hundreds of free opportunities to our clinical staff to gather their CME credits through regularly scheduled departmental conferences and seminars.

Although Flushing Hospital has been offering CME credit opportunities for decades, this is the first time that the hospital has received accreditation with commendation. This additional designation highlights that Flushing Hospital not only met but exceeded all of the expectations set forth by the MSSNY for maintaining its CME status.

This status was made possible through the leadership and guidance of Dr. Alessandro Solinas, MD, Associate Chairman, Department of Medicine, and Frances Goulston, Coordinator, Continuing Medical Education.

“We are honored that MSSNY has appreciated our hard work and we are pleased by the recognition of the strong academic foundation in all the activities performed at FHMC,” said Dr. Solinas.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center plays a key role in the formation and direction of CME activities across their entire CME program. The hospital shows complete flexibility in planning and carrying out continuing education activities.  The CME Committee members work closely with various hospital departments to develop highly informative educational seminars.

The administration and employees at Flushing Hospital congratulate our Continuing Medical Education program on a job well done.

Robert Levine, Executive Vice President and COO. accepting a check on behalf of Flushing Hospital

On Friday evening October 13^th, Angels on the Bay held their 23rd annual Anniversary Ball at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach.

Angels on the Bay is a non-profit corporation, founded by the Russo family and members of the community to raise funds for children’s programs and health care services.  The organization’s primary goal is to help make a difference in the lives of children who are challenged by physical limitations, developmental disadvantages and life-threatening diseases. To date, they have raised over $3.8 million dollars to help these causes.

This year, the MediSys Health Network and others hospitals within our region were awarded checks to support initiatives that provide care to pediatric patients.

Over the years Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center have received a total of approximately $700,000 in donations from Angels on the Bay.

We thank Angels on the Bay for their generosity and support.   MediSys looks forward to continuing our mission to improve the lives of our pediatric patients.

Jamaica Hospital was recently awarded the Stony Wold-Herbert Community Grant which will be used to train one of the hospital’s Respiratory Therapist (RT) to become a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C).

An asthma educator is a health professional who, in addition to their clinical licensure training, has earned a certification from the National Asthma Educator Certification Board. Becoming an asthma educator requires passing the National Asthma Certification Exam.

Queens has one of the highest asthma-related emergency department visit rates in New York City; and while there is a downward trend in hospital admission rates, Queens is still among the highest. Research has shown that patient education and disease self-management can help reduce emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to asthma.

Our Respiratory Therapist / Certified Asthma Educator will work with Discharge Planning over a five-month period, approximately ten hours per week, seeing patients who are being discharged to educate them on their disease as well as the use of medications and self- management.

While Jamaica Hospital’s overall goal is to decrease emergency room visits and hospitalizations, we also hope to improve the quality of life for our patients who suffer from asthma, as well as their families through this effort.

On Wednesday, September 12, 2018, Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) hosted its annual Celebration 2018 Dinner Gala, at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach.

Each year, our Celebration event receives overwhelming support from the hospital’s administration and staff, as well as members of the community.

President and CEO, Bruce J. Flanz welcomed over 400 guests to the venue and offered his heartfelt gratitude to this year’s honorees, each chosen for their devotion and contributions to Flushing Hospital, its patients, and the surrounding community.

Celebration 2018 honorees included Neil Mandava; MD, Chairman, Department of Surgery, Ruben Silvestre; RN, Chief Nursing Officer and Emilio Villegas; MD, President & CEO, Excelsior Medical IPA.

Each honoree addressed the crowd of supporters, thanking them and relaying why they were honored to have been chosen to receive their award.

Mr. Flanz concluded the program by thanking all the honorees for their outstanding work, and those who were in attendance for their continued support.

The guests spent the rest of the night enjoying a wonderful dinner and fun-filled dance floor. As in years past, a great night was had by all.