The MediSys Health Network’s Patient-Centered Services Department is proud to announce the installation of bi-directional communication boards in all in-patient rooms.

The boards, which are 3’ x 2’ have been placed at the foot of each bed and are intended to convey information between the patient and the care team, enhance patient and family engagement, and improve the patient experience.

“What Matters to You, Matters to Us” is boldly written across the top of each board to emphasize the importance of effective communication and understanding.  The board is split into two halves underneath this title. Each half contains blank fields that are to be filled in daily by the care team and patient together.

The left side of the board is designated as the patient side. On this side of the board the patient can express how they prefer to be addressed, their goals for the day, their language of choice, and any questions or concerns they want to share with their healthcare team.

The right side of the board is to be completed by the care team and includes important information such as the names of everyone on the healthcare team. It can also identify any special needs the patients might have as well as address the care plan for the day.

The response to the bi-directional boards has been overwhelmingly positive with employees stating that the boards are “helpful,” “engaging,” and “good for the patients.  The patients are appreciative as well, sharing that they “really like them” and that the boards make them “feel cared about.”

The implementation of the bi-directional boards is one of many initiatives MediSys has taken to demonstrate a commitment to patient-centered care.

Congratulations to Flushing Hospital’s C.A.R.E (Compassion Advocacy Respect and Engagement) award recipients.

The hospital’s Person-Centered Care Department created the C.A.R.E award program to recognize employees who received positive remarks (written and verbal) from patients or their loved ones after receiving high-quality and compassionate care.

Criteria for the award require that recipients exemplify G.R.A.C.E:

G- Gracious: Having a courteous and kind demeanor.

R- Respect: Treating others the way they want to be treated.

A- Assisting: Anticipating needs and concerns (example wayfinding).

C- Communication: Talking to patients and family members according to their health literacy.

E- Empathy: Using the patient’s perspective, making the patient feel understood, ensuring that their feelings are validated.

We congratulate the following employees, and thank them for their contributions to making Flushing Hospital a high-reliability hospital that focuses on patient-centered care:

1. Dr. Yasser El-Hennawy

2. Dr. Tamar Toronjadze

3. Dr. Manuel Lopez

4. Dr. Rakesh Gupta

5. Dr.Joel Sliverman

Congratulations to Jamaica Hospital’s C.A.R.E (Compassion Advocacy Respect and Engagement) award recipients.

The hospital’s Person-Centered Care Department created the C.A.R.E award program to recognize employees who received positive remarks (written and verbal) from patients or their loved ones after receiving high-quality and compassionate care.

Criteria for the award require that recipients exemplify G.R.A.C.E:

G- Gracious: Having a courteous and kind demeanor.

R- Respect: Treating others the way they want to be treated.

A- Assisting: Anticipating needs and concerns (example wayfinding).

C- Communication: Talking to patients and family members according to their health literacy.

E- Empathy: Using the patient’s perspective, making the patient feel understood, ensuring that their feelings are validated.

We congratulate the following employees, and thank them for their contributions to making Jamaica Hospital a high-reliability hospital that focuses on patient-centered care:

1. William Nugent
2. Santhosh Alex
3. Jebun Nahar
4. Mykola Alyskewycz
5. Kim Shelly
6. Kava Robinson
7. John Ritumalta RN
8. Vyacheslav Galibov
9. Cornelius Brown
10. Jo-Ann Campudoni
11. Shiv Kumarie Santram
12. Ma Ruth Rosalyn Jose RN
13. Maria Santos RN
14. Violetta Isakova RN
15. Adela Refamonte RN
16. Myrna Escario RN
17. Ivonne Dabovich
18. Mendy Tan RN
19. Sharon Scott RN
20. Elizabeth Weinman

On February 17, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the formation of his administration’s COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Task Force. This task force was created to advise the administration on long-term, comprehensive policies around health equity and health access.

This roughly 40-person commission, unprecedented for its diversity, is comprised of a group of leaders from 11 different industries from across the city. One of those chosen to join this esteemed panel of leaders is MediSys (Jamaica and Flushing Hospital) President and CEO, Bruce J. Flanz.

Mr. Flanz, along with the other members of the COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Task Force will meet monthly and focus their attention on continuing the city’s path to a speedy, effective, and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as building a healthier and stronger city for all New Yorkers.

According to Mayor Adams, “We cannot build a just and prosperous recovery for all New Yorkers without bringing together and listening to experts and community leaders from across the city. The COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Task Force brings not only the best minds together to build a speedy recovery, but a lasting one. I’m grateful to the members for bringing their time and ideas to the city as we work towards this shared goal.”

First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo added, “I’m thrilled to have leaders from every corner of New York City as part of our COVID-19 Recovery Roundtable and Health Equity Taskforce. Thank you to everyone who has joined this effort, I’m looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and getting to work developing long term policies to guide our city through a just and equitable recovery.”

Mr. Flanz stated, “I am extremely proud to serve on this task force and I commend Mayor Adams for addressing these important issues. Representing two Queens-based hospitals located at the epicenter of the COVID pandemic, I witnessed first-hand the devastating effects the pandemic had on our communities that already face many socio-economic challenges. I look forward to working with this diverse group of talented individuals to address these disparities and create a more equitable health system for all.”

Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections, (or CAUTIs) are the most common type of nosocomial (or healthcare-associated) infections. They account for over 1 million cases annually, or approximately 40% of all infections in hospitals and nursing homes.

To improve the quality of care delivered to our patients, a team at Flushing Hospital Medical Center took steps to address this important issue and the results have been nothing short of outstanding. As of Wednesday, February 2^nd, the hospital announced that it has been an entire year without a single CAUTI case, which is a milestone that is being celebrated across the institution.

This achievement is the result of the hard work and diligence of many including Flushing Hospital’s nursing department, physician champions, and infection preventionists. To safeguard against CAUTIs, the hospital incorporated a series of Best Practices, including holding “Time Outs” and utilizing checklists to ensure the appropriate insertion and maintenance of urinary catheters.

To celebrate, Flushing Hospital nursing leadership rounded on each unit to personally thank the team for their efforts and deliver trays of cookies. The hospital also shared this accomplishment with the community on its social media platforms so everyone could know that we are delivering the highest quality care to our patients.

Congratulations to all involved.

On Thursday, January 13th, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi visited Jamaica Hospital Medical Center to learn about the MediSys Health Network’s efforts in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several topics were highlighted in a meeting with network leadership including:

• How Jamaica and Flushing Hospital (both located at the epicenter of pandemic) treated a massive influx of COVID-19 patients in March and April 2020.
• How both hospitals have successfully met the needs of their communities over the past 22 months.
• How the network is managing the current Omicron surge and the challenges it has presented.
• How both hospitals are utilizing resources, consolidating services and load-balancing patients.
• How the network continues to simultaneously combat the pandemic and care for communities with other trauma and emergent health needs.

During the meeting, leadership also shared details of other covid-related initiatives created by the network including the implementation of the emergency management task force, mass vaccination efforts, community engagement programs, as well as employee wellness and support programs.

The Commissioner listened intently to the presentations, asked questions, and offered to support the network in meeting any challenges.  

Overall, the meeting was a great success.  Dr. Chokshi commended the MediSys Health Network on its hard work in caring for Queens communities.  He stated, “As a proud Queens resident, I am grateful to have learned about the incredible work happening in my backyard. I appreciated the chance to learn about your lifesaving work—both during the Omicron surge and throughout the pandemic—and discuss how we can better serve our Queens communities. Thank you for all of your work.”

We thank NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi for visiting the MediSys Health Network and are humbled by his kind remarks. We truly appreciate his leadership and the support of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene during this time.

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center had the pleasure of welcoming back Dr. Wayne Jonas to its campus for Grand Rounds and a series of meetings to discuss advancements made by the hospital’s Integrative Health program.

Dr. Jonas is a board-certified practicing family physician, an expert in integrative health, and a widely published scientific investigator. He has held several leadership positions in numerous organizations, including serving as Director of the Medical Research Fellowship at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Director of the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health; Director of the World Health Organization Center for Traditional Medicine; and President and Chief Executive Officer of the Samueli Institute.

In addition to these accomplishments, he is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Medical Corps of the United States Army.

Dr. Jonas currently serves as the Executive Director of the Samueli Foundation’s Integrative Health Programs, an effort supported by Henry and Susan Samueli to empower patients and doctors by providing solutions that enhance health, prevent disease, and relieve chronic pain. Their continued support has helped to establish and sustain many integrative health initiatives at Jamaica Hospital.

During his visit, Dr. Jonas hosted a series of engaging presentations for providers, staff, and a host of virtual participants. In his first presentation, entitled Healing in the Time of COVID, Dr. Jonas discussed where health comes from and how medical care can access it; how the COVID pandemic has impacted health and health care; new models of whole-person care emerging for transforming medicine after COVID; and new tools that providers can use now to enhance healing and transform their practice.

Dr. Jonas’ succeeding presentation entitled Placebo Research in Practice, explored three core mechanisms of the placebo response and how they manifest in practice; seven clinical practices behaviors that utilize placebo mechanisms; implications for person-centered vs. evidence-based decision making; and tools for incorporating enhanced placebo healing in routine practice.

Throughout the course of his visit, Dr. Jonas imparted a great wealth of knowledge that will help Jamaica Hospital provide quality integrative healthcare to the communities we serve. We thank Dr. Jonas and the Samueli Foundation for their continued support of our Integrative Health program and look forward to working together in future endeavors.

Congratulations to Jamaica Hospital’s C.A.R.E (Compassion Advocacy Respect and Engagement) award recipients.

The hospital’s Person-Centered Care Department created the C.A.R.E award program to recognize employees who received positive remarks (written and verbal) from patients or their loved ones after receiving high-quality and compassionate care.

Criteria for the award require that recipients exemplify G.R.A.C.E:

G- Gracious: Having a courteous and kind demeanor.

R- Respect: Treating others the way they want to be treated.

A- Assisting: Anticipating needs and concerns (example wayfinding).

C- Communication: Talking to patients and family members according to their health literacy.

E- Empathy: Using the patient’s perspective, making the patient feel understood, ensuring that their feelings are validated.

We congratulate the following employees, and thank them for their contributions to making Jamaica Hospital a high-reliability hospital that focuses on patient-centered care:

1. Richard Hernandez CNM
2. Anita Sookoo RN
3. Elizabeth Philip RN
4. Maria Labra RN
5. Tiara Lagrasta RN
6. Diane Aitcheson
7. Merle Pike, RN
8. Karla Johnson RN
9. Yangdon Tenzin RN
10. Danny Agpalo PCA
11. Elizabeth Dufort RN
12. Laurence Benn RN
13. Kim Gazze RN
14. Yuping Guo RN
15. Irina Khayumova RN
16. Ronnie Ramah CNM
17. Brenda Williams RN
18. Ma Ruth Rosalyn Jose, RN
19. Roxanne McQueen RN,
20. Nadine Sorrell RN
21. Jingky Benedicto, RN

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is one of the busiest trauma centers in New York City and the five boroughs, and the only trauma center providing care for a large community in South Queens.  We are proud to be designated as a Level 1 Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons, the highest designation level.  This means that our trauma center is prepared to provide emergent life-saving care to the most seriously injured patients 24 hours a day.

In the spring of 2020, while our community began to recover from the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, we noticed a disturbing trend, more and more patients were coming to Jamaica Hospital for firearm-related injuries.

We recognized the importance of expanding our efforts beyond patients’ medical needs to potentially impact other determinants of gun violence in our community.  By taking a true public health approach to gun violence, we can make a meaningful change in not only our patients’ lives but for all of Queens, as we work as a community to end gun violence.

With that, we are proud to announce Jamaica Hospital’s V.E.T.O program, for Violence Elimination and Trauma Outreach.

As our clinical group of trauma physicians and nurses focus on healing injuries, our team of social workers and case managers will focus on addressing non-medical determinants of health for gun violence survivors by providing violence intervention services and guidance to hospital and community resources.  We are fostering relationships with community organizations to provide additional support for gun violence survivors and their families and working to raise awareness on the epidemic of gun violence.

Congratulations to Jamaica Hospital’s C.A.R.E (Compassion Advocacy Respect and Engagement) award recipients.

The hospital’s Person-Centered Care Department created the C.A.R.E award program to recognize employees who received positive remarks (written and verbal) from patients or their loved ones after being provided with excellent and compassionate care.

Criteria for the award require that recipients exemplify G.R.A.C.E:

G- Gracious: Having a courteous and kind demeanor.

R- Respect: Treating others the way they want to be treated.

A- Assisting: Anticipating needs and concerns (example wayfinding).

C- Communication: Talking to patients and family members according to their health literacy.

E- Empathy: Using the patient’s perspective, making the patient feel understood, ensuring that their feelings are validated.

We congratulate the following employees, and thank them for their contributions to making Jamaica Hospital a high-reliability hospital that focuses on patient-centered care:

Andrea Azarcon

Katrina Bencio RN

Marva Gibbs-Joe

Travis Homes

Dr. Maria Del Carmen Valdes Bracamontes

Oksana Galibova CNM

Leyya Pootoolal RN

Michele Popowytsch RN

Hibbert Orayne

Roman Yagudayev RN

Yolanda Zhanay RN

Julie Mariano RN

Jerome Montano RN

Paola Guevara RN

Dr. Zoran Lasic

Laylo Rashidova RN

Tanisha Placide RN

Ping Ren RN

Merle Pike RN

Dr. James Kolodny