Jamaica Hospital Hospice Renovation Fundraising Bake Sale

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has announced plans to completely renovate and expand its hospice care unit.

The hospital has provided inpatient hospice care services since 2010 and in that time has provided compassionate, comfort care to countless patients facing end of life. “As a community-based hospital we have made a commitment to provide the highest quality hospice care services to all those who need it,” stated Jamaica Hospital President and CEO; Bruce J. Flanz.

The organization’s commitment to the community was the inspiration to conceptualize what will be the newly developed Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care.  The unit’s redesign will provide patients and loved ones with a home-like environment that promotes privacy and serenity. The new unit will offer many upgrades and amenities including family meeting rooms as well as a relaxing lounge that offers families a space to gather, decompress or reflect.

“Every detail from the lighting to the tranquil artwork will be carefully considered to offer our patients and families a sense of peace” said Chairman of Family Medicine and Palliative Care, Dr. Alan Roth.  He continued, “As hospice professionals, we understand how important a comfortable environment is during what can be a difficult time.”

To achieve the goal of completing the new Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care, Jamaica Hospital has embarked on a $1,000,000 capital fundraising campaign.  Numerous supporters of the hospital have already made generous contributions through naming opportunities and by purchasing memorial plaques.

Last week, the hospital hosted a bake sale to raise funds as well as awareness for the hospice renovation.  The event was highly supported and a great success.  Many employees and visitors were in attendance to buy the baked treats and show their support.

The plans for renovating the hospice unit at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center have been enthusiastically received. Hospital leadership, staff and supporters are excited about the future of The Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care, which is set to begin construction this fall.

Every month, employees at Jamaica Hospital who go above and beyond to help coworkers, patients and visitors are nominated for the G.E.M award.  G.E.M stands for Going the Extra Mile and recipients are recognized for simple acts of courtesy, team spirit, kindness and professionalism.  This month’s G.E.M recipients are:

*Joel Cupid- Guard, Security
*Joe Green- Administrative Assistant,Nursing Home and
Rehabilitation
*Abel Rosario- Maintenance Worker, Engineering
*Oscar Bermudez- EMT, Pre-Hospital
*William Miller- EMT NYFD
*Francis Block- Guard, Security

We congratulate the honorees on a job well done and thank you for your dedication.

According to the most recent data from the American Diabetes Association, nearly 30 million Americans are living with diabetes, many of whom are undiagnosed.

Diabetes is a serious condition that if not managed properly can lead to a variety of health problems and it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States.

For many diabetics, living with the disease means juggling medical appointments with various specialists to help them manage their condition. To help those living with diabetes in our community properly maintain their health, Jamaica Hospital has coordinated many services under one roof. The hospital’s MediSys Family Care Center in St Albans recently added ophthalmology, podiatry, and nutritional counseling to its list of services and a schedule was created so that each service would be available on the same day, allowing patients to easily go from one appointment to the next without leaving the building.

“We are happy to provide all of these services to our diabetic patients under one roof, especially on the same day” stated Dr. Nicholas Pantaleo Medical Director of the site. “By creating this comprehensive range of services, we are helping those living with diabetes better maintain their health. Our goal is to improve the health of our community and we hope that this coordination of services helps us achieve that goal.”

For more information about the full range of diabetes services at Jamaica Hospital’s MediSys St Albans Family Care Center, including hours of operation, please call 718-206-9888.

Prevention Partners has awarded Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center with the top award for reaching the highest standards in tobacco cessation systems for inpatients and outpatients.

Both hospitals achieved this award by earning all A-grades in the Patient Quit-Tobacco System assessment, a Prevention Partners initiative addressing tobacco use for patients.

Jamaica and Flushing hospital were recognized for their commitment to patient health and initiating comprehensive systems for identifying tobacco-using patients and linking them with smoking cessation resources. Additionally,  the hospitals earned the Gold Star Recognition from the New York City Department of Health’s- NYC Tobacco-Free Hospitals Campaign for their excellence in developing inpatient and outpatient tobacco cessation systems.

Both hospitals have partnered with the American Lung Association to offer Freedom from Smoking, a comprehensive and successful group-based smoking cessation program.  The program provides a series of sessions facilitated by trained professionals in a small-group setting. Participants can learn how to overcome tobacco addiction and enjoy the benefits of better health in a fun and interactive environment.

“Jamaica and Flushing Hospital set a high bar in their commitment to providing comprehensive patient care,” says Meg Molloy, President and CEO of Prevention Partners. “I applaud this great effort and the commitment of the hospitals’ leadership to ensure the highest standards in patient health.”

For more information or to register for the Freedom from Smoking Program at Jamaica or Flushing Hospital, please call 718-206-8494.

While there is no single way to eliminate  healthcare-associated infections, improving hand hygiene compliance can have a significantly positive impact.  Eighty percent of infections are spread by dirty hands.  In fact, washing hands is often the single best defense against illness.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center‘s (FHMC) journey to become a high-reliability organization has made prevention of hospital-acquired infections one of its priorities.  To realize this goal, FHMC embarked on a campaign to improve hand hygiene, which began earlier this year and has resulted in some promising advancements.

The hand hygiene campaign used a multi-prong approach that involves increasing awareness, education and monitoring. Specific steps include placing alcohol-based hand sanitizers in easy-to-access locations, displaying posters that ask,” Have you washed your hands today,” education on the correlation between infectious rates and hand hygiene and active surveillance of employee adherence.

Administrators personally visited with staff on each unit to raise awareness for this important campaign. Hospital personnel were asked to take a pledge to actively engage in infection prevention through adherence to hand hygiene.  Currently, the hospital has a 92%  hand hygiene compliance rate.

Flushing Hospital will continue to make strides in infection prevention efforts and strive to sustain hand-hygiene practice improvements.  The organization will continue to motivate employees to be supportive of and committed to proper infection control practices. Jamaica Hospital has also required its staff to take the Hand Hygiene Pledge and has taken steps to raise awareness of the importance of washing hands to prevent infections and the spread of germs.

Every month, employees at Jamaica Hospital who go above and beyond to help coworkers, patients and visitors are nominated for the G.E.M award. G.E.M stands for Going the Extra Mile and recipients are recognized for simple acts of courtesy, team spirit, kindness and professionalism. This month’s G.E.M recipients are:

*Frank Filloramo – Paramedic – Pre-Hospital Care
*Florence Johnson, RN – Radiology
*Jonathan Sanchez,ASL – Language Assistance Program

Dr. Raoof visiting patients during MAD Rounds with administrator James Villavicencio.

Dr. Sabiha Raoof; Chairwoman of Radiology for Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center was featured in last month’s edition of  the American College of Radiation’s  publication, the ACR  Bulletin.

Dr. Raoof was interviewed for an extended article titled “A Combined Approach”, which highlighted radiologists who are ‘working with their colleagues to improve the patient experience through initiatives big and small.’

The article delved into the importance of optimizing the patient experience, by simply finding out what patients want.  Methods used to obtain this type of information typically include extracting opinions and data from electronic surveys.

Dr. Raoof was recognized for her unique approach to finding out what patients want by meeting with them directly.  She initiated the MAD (Making a Difference) Rounds project at Jamaica Hospital, which was created along with the help of hospital leaders to ensure that patients receive the best quality care during their stay.   The project, later adopted at Flushing Hospital, involves the participation of nearly 100 clinicians and administrators who make rounds each day, asking patients how they are feeling and if they need anything. “The MAD team’s goal is to solve any issues a patient has immediately,”Dr. Raoof explained.  She went on to say “We want patients to feel empowered to ask questions and tell us how we can make their health care experience better.”

Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center are taking steps to becoming “High-Reliability Hospitals.” The MAD program is one of several initiatives that have been created to increase patient satisfaction.  Hospital leaders and staff are continuously exploring ways to make time spent at both campuses a positive experience for all.

June is a time to celebrate graduates, and Jamaica Hospital’s Department of Medicine has great reason to do so as their graduating class of Internal Medicine Residents has one of the highest pass rates in the tristate region and is among the highest in the entire country.

Based on a three-year rolling average (2013-2015), the medical residents at Jamaica Hospital have an average pass rate of 99%, well above the national average of 87%. In addition, of the top 20 internal medicine residency programs in the country, only three can boast more graduates than the 74 who have completed the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center over the past three years.

Dr. Thomas Santucci, Chairman of the Department of Medicine points to multiple factors that have contributed to the success of the program. “First, we place an emphasis on teaching from experience. Therefore, we implement monthly case-based exams, bedside teaching and daily interactive conferences. These interactive conferences include actual case presentations that give the residents the opportunity to ask questions and learn.”  Another reason for the program’s success is the department’s very selective recruitment process where they look for specific criteria before selecting prospective residents. Lastly, much of the credit goes to the fact that Jamaica Hospital Medical Center employs a full-time teaching staff of over forty attending physicians who are dedicated to educating our residents.

Dr. Richard Pinsker, Program Director, understands the importance of the residency program for Jamaica Hospital. “The quality of the education we provide our residents has a direct correlation to the level of care provided to our patients.  We are providing our residents with the necessary tools to offer high-quality care, which will result in better outcomes and a healthier community.”

Many residents who have been graduated from the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Jamaica Hospital have gone on to receive additional training or hold high positions in many prestigious institutions across the country, including Sloan Kettering, the Mayo Clinic, and the Cleveland Clinic, but according to Howard Rosen, Administrator for the Department of Medicine, “We are most proud of those graduates who continue to work at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and are now participating in the education of the next generation of doctors.”

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center encourages and supports a mother’s decision to breastfeed. The hospital’s most recent show of support was demonstrated at the opening ceremony of the new Mother’s Nursing Room on June first.

The two-station room is located on the ground floor of the main hospital and allows women more privacy to feed their babies in a clean and spacious environment. It is the Medical Center’s policy that any employee or member of the community who needs to express breast milk or breastfeed their infant will have access to this room. The room is accessible 24 hours a day. For entry, visit the admitting desk to get a key.

“The opening of the Mother’s Nursing Room at Jamaica Hospital is a smaller part of a larger public health initiative to feed infants by breastfeeding” says Marge Lilienthal, Nursing Director.

A further example of JHMC’s support of nursing mothers who return to work is the human resources policy which mandates extended breaks for breastfeeding mothers. In accordance with New York State Law, the Medical Center will increase the allotted break period by an additional five minutes for employees who need to express breast milk.

To get more information on the benefits of breastfeeding and how to breastfeed your newborn, a Lactation Consultant is available five days a week. Please call, 718-206-8645.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center now offers a free Diabetes Support Group program.  The initiative was implemented by the hospital’s Diabetes Team to raise awareness and offer patients and loved ones the tools needed to manage the disease.

The group meets on the third Wednesday of every month and is facilitated by team members Rehana Jamali; PharmD/Medication Safety Officer, Maria Savarese; Clinical Practice Nurse/ Diabetes Specialist and Michelle Hill; Outpatient Dietitian and Nutritionist. Topics such as Controlling Diabetes with Nutrition, the Importance of Glucose Monitoring and Management, as well as, Medication Management will be discussed.

“The group will provide a great opportunity to meet other individuals and family members with similar experiences,” said Dr. Jamali.  Participants will also have opportunities to “ask the expert” and receive helpful resources to better manage their diabetes.

The meetings are conveniently located in the auditorium of Flushing Hospital Medical Center, on the 5^th Floor.

Summer Schedule is as follows:

The Third Wednesday of Every Month-6:00pm – 7:30pm

Upcoming Topics –

June 15, 2016 –                 Controlling Diabetes with Nutrition

July 20, 2016 –                   Importance of Glucose Monitoring and Management

August 17, 2016 –              Medication Management

For more information or to confirm a reservation call 718-670-5000, ext. 8232.