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

Jamaica Hospital 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 accidents from occurring. These actions may include keeping our facilities safe, correcting a medication order, preventing a patient from falling or reporting a significant change in a patient’s status.

Please join us in congratulating Leon Williams, PCA Operating Room, on his Good Catch.

By identifying a problem before it became a patient safety issue, our nominee has helped Jamaica Hospital provide patients with excellent care.

We thank him for being an exemplary member of our team and contributing to our goal of being a High-Reliability Hospital.

Jamaica Hospital 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 accidents from occurring. These actions may include keeping our facilities safe, correcting a medication order, preventing a patient from falling or reporting a significant change in a patient’s status.

Please join us in congratulating the following  employees on their  Good Catch:

Paola Pava- RN

Sharleen Storey- Director of Admission Rehab Services

Dorothy Zak-Psychologist

By identifying a problem before it became a patient safety issue, our nominees have helped Jamaica Hospital to provide patients with excellent 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.

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center neurosurgeons were the first ever in Queens to perform a life-saving cerebrovascular operation. The surgical team led by Dr. Mohsen Nouri and Dr. Amrit Chiluwal successfully completed what is known as a cerebral artery bypass, an extremely delicate and complex procedure used to treat patients experiencing a narrowing or blockage of an artery that supplies blood to the brain.

The goal of the operation is to restore adequate blood supply by using a small artery from another part of the body (usually the scalp, neck or a vein in the leg) and connecting it to a vessel inside the brain to reroute blood flow around the blocked or damaged cerebral artery. This procedure is very similar to a cardiac bypass surgery where blocked heart arteries are bypassed.

Patients who typically undergo a cerebral artery bypass are those who have suffered from a stroke, a brain aneurysm or brain tumor. To determine if a patient is a candidate for this procedure, neurosurgeons at Jamaica Hospital rely on advanced nuclear medicine testing such as CT perfusion to show which areas of the brain are adequately supplied with blood and brain SPECT to evaluate blood flow, as well as other diagnostic imaging techniques. These tests are conducted in the hospital’s radiology department and cardiovascular interventional suite which are equipped with innovative radiological imaging technologies.  Once it is determined that a patient is a candidate, the cerebral artery bypass procedure is performed in one of the hospital’s operating rooms.

In addition to possessing the latest diagnostic and surgical technologies, Jamaica Hospital is also one of only a few hospitals in the region (and the only hospital in Queens) to have endovascular and cerebrovascular trained neurosurgeons capable of performing this advanced surgical intervention. “A cerebral artery bypass is one of the most technically challenging procedures a neurosurgeon can perform. This type of surgery requires great precision. It is only used to treat a very select group of patients, ideally those who are at a high risk for having a recurrent stroke or other complications that may result from the blockage of a cranial artery,” explained Dr. Mohsen Nouri.

“Thanks to the exceptional neurosurgical team that Jamaica Hospital has assembled, our department can offer patients in our community a highly valuable service.  Very few hospitals in our borough can provide this level of care to stroke patients, and others who may qualify for a cerebral artery bypass,” stated Dr. Amrit Chiluwal.  “Our team consists of physicians who are highly trained and experienced. We have also successfully treated patients diagnosed with arteriovenous malformations, traumatic brain injuries and other similar conditions.”

Jamaica Hospital is a designated Primary Stroke Care Center as well as a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center and has received numerous awards in recognition of its achievements in stroke and neurosurgical care. Jamaica hospital is the recipient of the 2021 Healthgrades America’s 100 Best Stroke Care award, Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence award and the Neurosciences Excellence award.

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

The C.A.R.E award program was created by the hospital’s Person-Centered Care Department 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:

In 1975, Jamaica Hospital opened the Trump Pavilion Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. That name has remained on the facility for the last 46 years; however, recently, the hospital’s Board of Trustees voted to remove the Trump name and use the name on the nursing home’s original operating certificate, The Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home.

Along with the name change is the development of a new logo, which highlights the distinct entrance to the nursing home and the iconic Jamaica Hospital blue glass. In addition, the center has migrated to a new web address, www.jamaicahospitalnursinghome.org

The MediSys Health Network is in the process of removing all references to the old name or likeness.  If you use the nursing home name or logo for any official network business and require assistance during this transition period, please contact Tom Younghans, Vice President of the Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home, at 718-206-5100.