The New York City Department of Health’s Community Cares Project (CCP) presented Flushing Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center with the Shining Star Award. The hospital was recognized for implementing measures to improve screening rates among uninsured patients and reduce disparities.

According to the City’s Department of Health, “Insurance status continues to play a role in determining whether New York City residents 50 years and older receive a colonoscopy screening.” Flushing Hospital was asked to present its best practices for resolving this issue at a CCP Partner Recognition Ceremony. Some of the hospital’s best practices included:

• Overcoming barriers such as language by providing  interpretation services
• Educating patients about procedure prep instructions
• Scheduling appointments and following up with patients prior to the procedure
• Reviewing results with patients and their Gastroenterologists

Flushing Hospital representatives were applauded for their presentation and thanked for their collaboration with the CCP on this special project.

Pricilla Echevarria de Sepulveda, MPA, Project Manager, Patient-Centered Medical Home, at Flushing Hospital stated, “Our team was happy to work with the Department of Health’s Community Cares Project and we were proud to accept the Shining Star Award on behalf of Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

In an effort to improve the overall wellness of our surrounding community and employees, Flushing Hospital Medical Center has partnered with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation’s, Shape Up NYC, to offer free core strengthening and circulation classes to everyone.

Jordan, a trained specialist in fitness who knows how to make exercise enjoyable for everyone leads the class.

According to Shape Up NYC, “this class includes core strengthening and circulation techniques to improve balance and improve intestinal health, dynamic and static stretching, calisthenics and plyometric bodyweight strengthening, Cardiovascular exercises, core-focused breathing postures to slow the mind and for a stronger body, and meditation.”

Class began on March 5th and will take place every Tuesday at 5:00 pm at the 5^th Fl. Auditorium/Conference Room A, corner of 45^th Avenue and Burling Street. Employees are encouraged to attend.

You can sign up at the time of attendance and please bring your own mat.

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.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) employees hit another grand slam on Saturday, September 8, 2018, at their Second Annual Softball Tournament and Family Day.

Employees from  Flushing Hospital participated in playing ball, volunteering, cheerleading or just being a spectator. Teams of players from Jamaica Hospital and Healthfirst also participated in the day’s festivities.

The event took place at Cunningham Park where employees and their families were treated to a delicious BBQ,  home-cooked specialties, face painting, and healthy snacks.

“Once again, we came together as a team and played hard.  It was great to see people that we work with every day, participate in this event.  I really believe that the comradery that was built on Saturday will carry over to the workplace and help lift the morale of our employees” stated Rob Arbitello, the event organizer.

FHMC leaders Bruce Flanz; President and CEO, Robert Levine; VP and COO, and Catherine Ferrari; Administrator, were on hand to watch the game and encourage the teams, They joined employees’ family members in cheering for every run scored.

“I want to thank our hospital’s Administration for their support. Knowing they were on the sidelines really meant a lot.  The event takes time to prepare, but it is a labor of love.” stated Rob Arbitello. “Healthfirst is a true partner in this event and they are this year’s Champs!”

The Second Annual Softball Tournament and Family Day was an even bigger success than last year’s tournament.  The hospital is looking forward to the 2019 gathering and games.

On August 7^th, 2018, Flushing Hospital Medical Center hosted a breastfeeding informational table in its lobby in observation of World Breast Feeding Week and to celebrate receiving official designation as a Baby-Friendly USA® Hospital.

The event was attended by many hospital staff members, administrators, visitors and special guest, Congresswoman Grace Meng.  The Congresswoman presented a Certificate of Recognition from the U.S. House of Representatives and the NYC Council on behalf of Council Member Peter Koo to honor the hospital’s achievement.

To receive Baby-Friendly® status, institutions must successfully implement the “Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding” which include providing appropriate education to enable families to make informed decisions about infant feeding, encouraging mothers to hold their babies skin-to-skin immediately following birth, and offering expert lactation support throughout and beyond the hospital stay. Baby-Friendly® practices are designed to optimize mother-baby bonding and to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in the first few days of a new baby’s life.

Flushing Hospital has successfully fulfilled the requirements for Baby-Friendly® designation by implementing several breastfeeding initiatives within the hospital and in the communities it serves.

“We serve a diverse population of patients at Flushing Hospital with representation of many different ethnicities and cultures. We are proud to provide breastfeeding education in several languages at public libraries and offer classes and support groups at our facility, free of charge,” stated  Maria D. Smilios, Director of Nursing.

“Our goal is to educate expectant mothers on how breastfeeding is a key nutritional value for their newborns, and how it fortifies bonding between the new mom and baby,” shared Jimena Grimaldi, Lactation Consultant.

Flushing Hospital’s goals are in line with Healthy People 2020 breastfeeding objectives put in place by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services- to increase the number of infants that have ever breastfed to 81% and increase the number of infants breastfeeding at six months of age to 60.6%.

“Each year, Flushing Hospital delivers approximately 3,000 babies, and we strongly support the philosophy that every child has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, beginning with providing mothers with the resources needed on how to supply their babies with the best nutrition possible,” explained Smilios.

To read the Times Ledger article on our accomplishment visit – https://www.timesledger.com/stories/2018/32/flushinghospital_2018_08_10_q.html

Each week, the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) highlights the many ways their member hospitals and health systems are transforming healthcare with their “Innovation Spotlight” campaign.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) is proud to have been highlighted as an “Innovator” in the fight against Type 2 Diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition that can permanently affect a patient’s quality of life.

The article praises FHMC for launching a community-based initiative, in accordance with the National Diabetes Prevention Program, to reduce diagnoses of type 2 diabetes in pre-diabetic patients.

FHMC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program has been successful in achieving full recognition by the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The initiative is designed to prevent chronic diseases, specifically the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

The program is a full year course created to educate patients on healthier eating, the importance of physical activity and ways to reduce stress. The goal of the program is to have participants lose 5% to 7% of their initial weight, which along with healthy lifestyle changes, has proven to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%.

“We are proud to serve our patients and promote wellness in our community,” stated Eligio L. Infante, Patient Navigator.

HANYS notes that FHMC and many other New York area hospitals and health facilities are implementing new and innovative approaches to healthcare delivery despite fiscal constraints.

To read the entire article visit – https://www.hanys.org/tripleaim/case-studies/?a=vs&s=Flushing_Hospital_Medical_Center_FightsType2Diabetes

On June 26^th, 2018, Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC)  collaborated with the Gift of Life Marrow Registry on hosting a Bone Marrow/Stem Cell “Swabbing” event in the hospital’s main lobby. The event was held to benefit Carolyn Inzirillo and all those waiting for a life-saving match. Tracey Kavanagh, RN, Department of Surgery, at FHMC was instrumental in organizing the day.

Carolyn Inzirillo has deep roots in the FHMC community, so it was an emphatic “YES!” when the hospital was asked to host a registry table. Both of Carloyn’s parents were FHMC employees before moving to Florida over 20 years ago.  Her dad, Mike Inzirillo, was a Supervisor in Respiratory Care and her mom, Debbie (Sostack)Inzirillo, was a graduate of the Flushing Hospital School of Nursing and worked at Flushing Hospital in the ICU and Emergency Department.

Carolyn is a first-grade teacher in Florida.  She is 34 years old and has been battling leukemia for four years.  Due to a relapse in February 2018, Carolyn now requires a lifesaving stem cell transplant. Unfortunately, her only sibling is not a match and currently, there are no matches in the National Registry.

“Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s on-going commitment to boosting the numbers of donors in New York State made us a natural fit to host this important event.”, stated Robert Levine, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at FHMC.

Healthy volunteers between the ages of 18-60 from all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to join the registry to help someone in need.  A simple swab from the inside of your cheek is all it takes to determine if you are a match for Carolyn Inzirillo or someone else.  Visit www.giftoflife.org/cure4carolyn to request a free swab kit.  You can also call the Inzirillo’s family representative, Christine Sostack at 516-314-2893 if you have any questions.

The MediSys Health Network has received the American Heart Association’s/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the network’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized and research-based guidelines.

Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures included the evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines. Protocols were also put in place to ensure that patients received education on managing their health and care transition interventions before discharge.

The MediSys Health Network is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative. The tools and resources provided, help us track and measure our success in meeting evidence-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes. We are pleased to be recognized for our commitment to stroke care.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

On April 26, 2018, Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) was the sole hospital provider at the Immaculate Conception Center’s Health and Wellness Seminar in partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens.

After months of planning, a full day of screenings and workshops were offered to educate the over 150 Priests who were in attendance.

The workshops focused on behavioral health, urology, hypertension, stroke prevention and diabetes management.  Blood pressure,  oral cancer, vision,  as well as hearing, were some of the health screenings provided at the event.

Ira Frankel Ph.D., Administrator of Psychiatry for Flushing Hospital’s Department of Mental Health participated in the mid-day panel discussion entitled: The Behavioral Health Conundrum: Finding the Cure for Everything Mental, Physical, and Spiritual that Afflicts Us.

During a speech, Father Bryan Carney, from Pastoral Care at FHMC, applauded the hospital for its ongoing commitment to providing quality services to his community. Robert V. Levine, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer responded, “Both the Bishop and Deacon of the Diocese came up to speak with me to thank FHMC for all our outstanding efforts in coordinating another successful Health and Wellness Seminar for all of their Clergy members. I commend all those involved in making this day such a great success.”