Robert Levine, Executive Vice President and COO. accepting a check on behalf of Flushing Hospital

On Friday evening October 13^th, Angels on the Bay held their 23rd annual Anniversary Ball at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach.

Angels on the Bay is a non-profit corporation, founded by the Russo family and members of the community to raise funds for children’s programs and health care services.  The organization’s primary goal is to help make a difference in the lives of children who are challenged by physical limitations, developmental disadvantages and life-threatening diseases. To date, they have raised over $3.8 million dollars to help these causes.

This year, the MediSys Health Network and others hospitals within our region were awarded checks to support initiatives that provide care to pediatric patients.

Over the years Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center have received a total of approximately $700,000 in donations from Angels on the Bay.

We thank Angels on the Bay for their generosity and support.   MediSys looks forward to continuing our mission to improve the lives of our pediatric patients.

Jamaica Hospital was recently awarded the Stony Wold-Herbert Community Grant which will be used to train one of the hospital’s Respiratory Therapist (RT) to become a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C).

An asthma educator is a health professional who, in addition to their clinical licensure training, has earned a certification from the National Asthma Educator Certification Board. Becoming an asthma educator requires passing the National Asthma Certification Exam.

Queens has one of the highest asthma-related emergency department visit rates in New York City; and while there is a downward trend in hospital admission rates, Queens is still among the highest. Research has shown that patient education and disease self-management can help reduce emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to asthma.

Our Respiratory Therapist / Certified Asthma Educator will work with Discharge Planning over a five-month period, approximately ten hours per week, seeing patients who are being discharged to educate them on their disease as well as the use of medications and self- management.

While Jamaica Hospital’s overall goal is to decrease emergency room visits and hospitalizations, we also hope to improve the quality of life for our patients who suffer from asthma, as well as their families through this effort.

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 their hard work, team spirit, kindness, and professionalism.

This month’s G.E.M recipients are Louisa Massengill RN and Rafael Ortiz.

Congratulations to you both. Keep up the excellent work in helping us to serve our community.

Join us in congratulating Kasandra Cardona; Social Worker, Radica Rampersaud; Respiratory Therapist, Kavita Soni; Respiratory Therapist, Jessy Rivas; RN, Dr. Kamica Lewis; Family  Medicine Attending Physician and Regal Khan; Manager Environmental Services, for their Good Catch!

Every month, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center recognizes employees for their contributions to patient safety.

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 the potential harm of patients. These actions may include correcting a medication order, preventing a patient fall or reporting a significant change in patient status.

By identifying problems before they became patient safety issues, our nominees have helped Jamaica Hospital to improve our quality in patient 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.

To report a Good Catch, fill out the Good Catch Form and send by interoffice mail to Letha Walters, PI Department, Axel Building 4th floor or call ext. 8409 to leave a message.

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has served as a leader in educating the public about the importance of organ donor registration for many years.  The hospital has implemented countless community outreach initiatives for which it has earned recognition.

This year, Jamaica Hospital received the Health Resources Services Administration’s (HRSA), Platinum Level Award. This is the highest level of recognition awarded to hospitals that participated in the HRSA Hospital Organ Donation Campaign.

The criteria for achieving this award includes holding donor registry enrollment events both on the hospital campus and at community events.  Jamaica Hospital achieved Platinum Level status by hosting our annual Organ Donor Flag Raising Ceremony, a  large-scale media event which was attended by the Borough President of Queens, other elected officials and organ donor families. The hospital also earned recognition for launching social media campaigns across several platforms, promoting organ donor awareness messages using signage in public spaces and electronically, partnering with local organizations and conducting presentations at professional development programs.

Through all of these activities, Jamaica Hospital has successfully contributed to statewide efforts to increase organ donor registration and raise awareness. We have made great strides in this campaign and will continue our efforts into the future.

Last month, Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) cut the ribbon to its newest radiology suite which will house one of the most clinically advanced and fully automated, digital X-ray systems in health care.

The recently acquired Samsung GC85 system is equipped with features that provide several benefits to patients and radiologists. This new system improves patient experience by reducing examination time and minimizing excessive radiation exposure while obtaining enhanced imaging. Radiologists and technicians are capable of diagnosing patients with greater accuracy by utilizing applications that will streamline workflow through automation.

The GC85 system is also outfitted with a unit that is portable and dedicated to pediatric imaging.  It can operate in smaller imaging spaces such as a pediatric hospital bed or bassinet when caring for the hospital’s youngest of patients.

Gregory Donaldson, Associate Director of Radiology at FHMC stated, “The new advanced system will give us the opportunity to take enhanced images of our patients, both adult and pediatric. It is less imposing on the patient and allows for a better experience.”

Flushing Hospital Medical Center strives to provide quality health care to the community it serves. With a focus on safety, the hospital utilizes the latest and most innovative tools in healthcare to diagnose and treat patients.

Join us in congratulating Luis Oropeza and Gloria Flaherty; Transportation Services and Alicia Dawson; 4 South PCA, for their Good Catch!

Every month, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center recognizes employees for their contributions to patient safety.

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 the potential harm of patients. These actions may include correcting a medication order, preventing a patient fall or reporting a significant change in patient status.

By identifying problems before they became patient safety issues, Luis, Gloria and Alicia have helped Jamaica Hospital to improve our quality in patient 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.

To report a Good Catch, fill out the Good Catch Form and send by interoffice mail to Letha Walters, PI Department, Axel Building 4th floor or call ext. 8409 to leave a message.

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 their hard work, team spirit, kindness, and professionalism.

This month’s G.E.M recipient is Dr. Sudheer Chauhan.

Congratulations  Dr. Chauhan, thank you for everything that you do in helping us to serve our community. 

Flushing Hospital Medical Center was recently awarded the Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award™. This honor is given to exceptional hospitals across the country that have demonstrated superior outcomes in women’s healthcare services.

This accolade was bestowed upon Flushing Hospital by Healthgrades, a leading online resource used by millions of consumers each year who are seeking comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.

The Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award™ recognizes hospitals for superior outcomes during and after childbirth and in surgeries that treat diseases and conditions of the female reproductive system. Any obstetric and gynecologic surgery procedure involves risks and the possibility of complications that may become serious and even life-threatening in some cases.  Women have fewer complications from their obstetric and gynecologic surgery and are more likely to survive their stay at hospitals recognized with an Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award.

To help consumers evaluate and compare hospital performance, Healthgrades analyzed patient outcome data for all patients from 2014 through 2016. The data was used to identify the highest performing hospitals in women’s health, and it revealed variations in quality between hospitals that received this award and those that didn’t.

Flushing Hospital was one of only two hospitals in Queens to receive this honor and one of only four in New York City. Dr. Hajoon Chun, Chairman of Ob/Gyn and Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine stated, “This honor highlights Flushing Hospital’s continued dedication to providing the highest quality care to the women in our community. Although we are a community hospital, we deliver the same quality of care that is attained at larger institutions. Our collaboration with many different quality initiatives in NYC and NYS promotes current evidenced-based care that is implemented in our facility.”

In an effort to improve the overall wellness of our community and employees, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has partnered with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation’s Shape Up NYC, to offer a variety of fitness classes to our employees and members of the community. Many of the classes are taught by Jamaica Hospital’s very own, highly-qualified staff.

Currently, Jamaica Hospital is offering five separate classes, including:

• Boot Camp – Every Monday at 10:30 a.m. (bilingual)
  Instructor Laura (beginning 8/13/18)
• Zumba – Every Monday at 5:15 pm
  Instructor Frances
• Serene Stretch Yoga – Every Tuesday at 5:15 p.m.
  Instructor Joan
• Gentle Yoga – Every Wednesday at 12:15 p.m.
  Instructor Deborah
• Zumba – Every Wednesday at 5:15 pm
  Instructor Frances
• Stretch and Release – Every Thursday from 5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
  Instructor Janis

All classes are free of charge and offered at Jamaica Hospital’s MediFit gym, located at 134-20 Jamaica Avenue, on the third floor of the hospital’s Axel building. For more information or to learn about more classes, please visit the following website: https://www.nycgovparks.org/programs/recreation/shape-up-nyc

In addition, the hospital, in collaboration with LI Greenmarket, operates a Farmers Market every Wednesday from 10:00 – 4:00 p.m. The Farmers Market offers a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables and accepts many forms of payment including WIC coupons, EBT and NYC Health Bucks.  Cooking demonstrations, free health screenings and exercise programs are also on-hand.