According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States.

In  Asian- American communities, approximately one in every eight Asian-American men smoke cigarettes and nearly one in every forty Asian-American women smoke cigarettes.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) is committed to reaching out to the Asian-American community in an effort to share educational material and methods to quit smoking.

The hospital was pleased to support the New York State of Health,  Affordable Care Act (NYSOH ACA) event at the Taiwan Center Association in Flushing. Members of the FHMC Smoking Cessation Team participated in the event by discussing ways to quit smoking and sharing information on what effects smoking and second-hand smoke has on the body.

Over 300 participants went home with information about treatment options, such as nicotine replacement therapies, designed to provide individuals with a safe alternative to smoking tobacco cigarettes.

Quitting smoking can be overwhelming.  Quitting is not only about breaking a powerful physical dependence on an extraordinarily addictive substance but also about significantly changing lifestyle habits and coping strategies that will ultimately improve the length and quality of life.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center offers a Freedom from Smoking Tobacco Cessation Program to help you overcome your addiction to tobacco and enjoy the benefits of better health.  For more information, please call 718-206-8494.

The  2016 Korean Health Fair was held at Flushing Hospital Medical Center and an astounding 155 participants from various parts of the community received medical screening in the following specialties:

• Internal Medicine
• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Ophthalmology
• Vascular Surgery
• ENT
• Podiatry
• Orthopedics
• Gastro Intestinal
• Pain Management
• OB-GYN
• Dental

Additionally, participants, both male and female, were able to receive Alzheimer’s and obesity screening.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center takes its commitment to community outreach seriously and is continuing to develop innovative ways to bring wellness to those who would not otherwise seek medical attention.

The MediSys Health Network’s 14^th Annual Behavioral Health Conference was a resounding success.

The amply attended conference took place last month at Flushing Hospital Medical Center. This year’s topic, Preventing Suicide: An Aspiration Goal and Practical Steps was  selected due to a recent federal government report indicating that the national suicide rate has increased 24% from 1999 to 2014.

The purpose of the conference was to increase recognition of suicide risk factors and taking steps to prevent them, as well as improving suicide prevention communications amongst individuals, families, providers and communities.

Following welcoming remarks by Seeth Vivek, MD, Chairman of Psychiatry and introductory remarks and comments by Mr. Bruce Flanz, President and CEO of MediSys Health Network, Anthony Maffia, LCSW, Vice-President, Psychiatry and Addiction Services, Mr. Robert Levine Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Flushing Hospital , the eager participants began their day.

This year’s keynote speaker was Carolyn Clancy, MD, Deputy under Secretary for Health for Organizational Excellence, Department of Veterans Affairs.  Dr. Clancy spoke on the topic of Towards Organizational Excellence: Predicting and Preventing Suicide.

Our special invited speaker, Lloyd Sederer, MD, Chief Medical Office, NYS Office of Mental Health spoke to the group on the topic,  Suicide and Depression: Reducing Disability and Death through Depression Management in Primary Care.

Hospital experts in their field, such as Dr. Daniel Chen, Vice Chairman, Psychiatry and Addiction Services, Ira Frankel, PhD, LCSW, Administrator, Psychiatry and Addition Services, Flushing Campus, Carmen James, Esq, Director of Risk Management, Flushing Campus conducted presentations and lively discussions throughout the day.

Dr. Ira Frankel, event organizer and his planning committee thanked all who attended and is looking forward to the 15^th Annual Behavioral Health Conference next year.

On Wednesday, September 14, 2016, Flushing Hospital Medical Center hosted its annual Celebration 2016 Dinner Gala, at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach.

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

This year, President and CEO, Bruce J. Flanz welcomed nearly 400 guests to the venue and spoke with great pride about this year’s honorees. The honorees were chosen because of their devotion and contributions to Flushing Hospital.

This year’s nominees included Mr. Sang Ki Han, President, The Korean Channel and Trustee at FHMC, Alexander Kintzoglou, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Medicine, as well as, Barbara Hill-Boyd, Director, Patient Advocacy.As each honoree’s name was announced, those in attendance stood up and cheered in celebration of their achievements.

Each honoree spoke with passion about the place Flushing Hospital holds in their hearts. Honoree, Barbara Hill-Boyd said it best when she stated, “When I think about my time at Flushing Hospital, the word gratitude comes to mind; gratitude for my co-workers, my supervisors, the patients and their families. You have all touched my life in so many wonderful ways.”

Overall the event was a great success. The leadership and staff at Flushing hospital thanks everyone who has supported the hospital and continues to do so over the years.

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.

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.

On April 27, 2016, Flushing Hospital Medical Center was the sole hospital provider at the first of many health and wellness seminars in partnership with the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens. The event was hosted at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston.

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

The workshops focused on behavioral health, hypertension, stroke prevention, nutrition and managing diabetes.  Blood pressure, vision, medication counseling, hearing, skin and foot wound care as well as oral cancer checks were some of the health screenings provided at the event.

Dr. Alexander Kintzoglou, Chairman of Flushing Hospital’s Department of Medicine participated in the mid-day panel discussion entitled Health and Wellness among Faith Leaders. During the discussion, Father Bryan Carney, from Pastoral Care at FHMC, applauded the hospital for reaching out to his colleagues. Robert Levine, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer responded, “The hospital and our wonderful team of employees are always looking for opportunities to further improve the health of our community!”

Overall, the event was a success.  Those in attendance thanked Flushing Hospital’s leadership and staff for their work, dedication and demonstration of compassion.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center is excited to announce that it has been officially recognized as a National Bronze Certified Safe Sleep Hospital by Cribs for Kids.  The certification program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to reducing infant sleep-related deaths through the education and promotion of safe sleep practices.

In order to earn the bronze certification, hospitals need to:

1. Develop and maintain a Safe Sleep Policy
2. Provide staff working on the units serving infants and children under the age of one year with training on infant safe sleep
3. Provide infant safe sleep education to the parents of infants prior to discharge

Judith A. Bannon, Executive Director and Founder of Cribs for Kids wrote, “Flushing Hospital has demonstrated a commitment to community leadership for best practices and education on infant safe sleep.”

“It is important that new parents are educated on how a baby should be placed in the crib and what items should be removed from babies’ sleep space.  Being recognized as a Bronze Safe Sleep Hospital reinforces that our hard work has not gone unnoticed,” stated Maria Smilios, Director of Nursing for Perinatal Services.

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