Category Archives: Jamaica Hospital

Jamaica Hospital Hosts 2024 Annual Art Exhibit

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Members of the Creative Arts Therapy staff at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center's 2024 Annual Art Exhibit.Jamaica Hospital recently hosted its 2024 Annual Art Exhibit from March 4th to March 8th, showcasing a variety of creations from art therapy patients and faculty. Each year, the art exhibit displays a collection patient artwork from throughout the previous year. Some of the artwork featured this year included drawings, paintings, mixed media, and sculptures. The title for this year’s art exhibit was “A Space for Hope.”

“We decided on this theme because we wanted to bring the idea that having hope is still possible during difficult times,” said Michelle Anne Hololob, Director of the Creative Art Therapy Internship and Externship Training Program at Jamaica Hospital. “The last several years have been filled with such unrest, illness, fear and anger; more than ever, the world feels unbalanced. This theme allowed for patients to create a space in their minds where things could be better and don’t have to stay the same; we can still hope for change.”

Most of the pieces featured at the Art Exhibit were created by patients at Jamaica Hospital during the course of their treatment. In one particular case, a patient who had heard about the show after their discharge asked for their post-discharge artwork to be displayed as a showcase of the emotional regulation they found through art-making.

One particular piece noted by Hololob was a collection of 1,000 folded paper cranes; in Japanese culture, these are referred to as “senbazuru,” which are believed to grant a wish or bring hope to a person. “We collectively folded 1,000 paper cranes as a statement of hope for the hospital,” said Hololob. “These cranes fly as a symbol to our patients and staff that, as long as we have a little hope, things in life can get better.”

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s art exhibit. We look forward to seeing what our patients and staff create next year!

Jamaica Hospital Wins CAPC New York City Tipping Point Challenge

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The logo for The Joh A. Hartford Foundation Tipping Point Challenge.Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has been named a winner in New York City Tipping Point Challenge. This year-long clinical training competition, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation and sponsored by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, was established to help healthcare organizations improve the quality of services for people living with serious illnesses. Jamaica Hospital was one of five hospitals in New York City to win this competition.

During this year’s competition, participating NYC-based healthcare organizations were able compete on both the local level and the national level in the Clinical Training category. In this category, participants must achieve the greatest number of CAPC course completions during the timeframe of the competition. Alternatively, they must achieve the greatest number of course completions since becoming a member organization.

“As a CAPC member organization, all Jamaica Hospital Medical Center clinicians were able to take full advantage of CAPC’s online clinical training curriculum,” said Brynn Bowman, CEO of CAPC, and Lauren Green Weisenfeld, Deputy Director of the Healthy Aging Program at the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, in a joint statement. “Over the past year, both palliative care and non-palliative care clinicians across your organization enhanced their skills in communication, pain and symptom management, and support for the all-important family caregiver.”

We congratulate and thank Jamaica Hospital’s palliative care team for making this achievement possible. We look forward to seeing your continued work in providing high-quality palliative care.

Schwartz Rounds Return at Flushing Hospital Medical Center and Jamaica Hospital

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Healthcare professionals and leadership at FHMC attending a Schwartz Rounds panel discussion.On November 23, 2023, 152 staff members at Flushing Hospital Medical Center attended the first Schwartz Rounds event held since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The panel discussion included attending physicians, residents, nurses, and social workers, all of whom shared challenges they experienced with building trust and meeting family expectations in cases with unexpected outcomes.

The Schwartz Rounds program offers our healthcare providers a regularly-scheduled time during their fast-paced work lives to openly and honestly discuss social and emotional issues they face while caring for patients and their families. Unlike traditional medical rounds, these discussions focus on shared experiences, thoughts, and feelings centered around thought-provoking topics drawn from actual patient cases. The goal of the program is to provide caregivers with a greater ability to make personal connections with patients and colleagues by offering greater insight into one another’s responses and feelings.

Panelists from diverse disciplines participate in the sessions. After listening to a brief presentation on a particular case or topic, caregivers in the audience are invited to share their own perspectives and discuss broader related issues. Participants in Schwartz Rounds report that the honesty and vulnerability involved in these discussions help them to feel less isolated in their own experiences.

Our Schwartz Rounds committee members thank everyone for their participation in this first panel discussion and invite all employees to attend future rounds throughout 2024. These rounds will take place on 3/14, 6/27, 9/26 and 12/19. Additional rounds will also take place at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center on 1/19, 4/19, 7/26, and 10/25.

If you have any questions about Schwartz Rounds, please contact Oksana Galibova, the Program Coordinator for Schwartz Rounds and Network Director of Person-Centered Services, by sending an email to [email protected].

Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home Reduces Patient Medications Through Partnership With United Hospital Fund

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Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home, along with six other New York nursing homes, participated in a partnership with the United Hospital Fund (UHF) to tackle the issue of polypharmacy, the practice of prescribing an excessively high number of medications to long-term care residents. The initiative aims to reduce health risks of overprescribing for residents through a process called “deprescribing,” or decreasing the usage of inappropriate or ineffective medications.

A report assessing the results of the partnership, Reducing the Risk: Year 1 Report of the Polypharmacy in Nursing Homes Learning Collaborative, showed that participating nursing homes reduced the average number of medications prescribed to patients from approximately 11 to 9. The number of residents taking 10 or more medications also decreased across all participating facilities by 16%.

Deprescribing efforts focused on reducing medications that provided limited benefits and increased patients’ risk of experiencing harmful side effects, such as dizziness and falling. Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home specifically worked to deprescribe antihypertensives, proton pump inhibitors, and multivitamins.

“Antihypertensives and proton pump inhibitors are used very frequently in most nursing homes and hospitals,” said Louis Kaplan, the Assistant Director of Pharmacy at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, who monitored the rate at which the targeted medications were prescribed to residents. “We suspected that it may not be necessary to continue their use for many of our patients.” Kaplan added that multivitamins were also targeted by the nursing home’s deprescribing efforts because of the sufficient nutrition patients already receive through their regular meals, making these supplements redundant in many cases.

Dr. Kaushik Doshi, the Medical Director of Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home, worked with doctors, pharmacists, and nursing staff to incorporate safe deprescribing guidelines from the UHF into the nursing home’s standard patient care practices. A key aspect of this initiative involved the introduction of helpful educational tools, such as electronic medical record alerts indicating whether the targeted medications were appropriate to prescribe continuously for certain patients.

“Physicians can be hesitant to stop medications, even when there’s no clear indication that they’re necessary beyond a certain point,” said Dr. Doshi. “This is an aspect of healthcare that needs to change, not only here, but across all facilities and organizations.”

Jamaica Hospital is proud of the results achieved through this partnership and congratulates everyone who participated in this initiative for the work they’ve done so far. We look forward to seeing the continuing impact of these practices for our patients and care provider teams in the future.

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Brings New Blood Clot Treatment to Queens

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One in 1,000 adults across the United States is diagnosed with a blood clot that can lead to chronic and potentially life-threatening issues. However, thanks to an innovative blood clot treatment offered at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, the risk of serious complications can be reduced in some patients, increasing the survival rate for blood clots.

The device, ClotTriever, is used for patients suffering from blood clots in the legs, where they most commonly form. It’s a minimally invasive means of extracting clots from the body that potentially allows patients to return home from treatment as soon as the same day. The treatment is then followed up with ongoing blood thinner medication to manage any remaining symptoms.

For patients with chronic blood clots, which are clots that have been present for over ten days, a variant of ClotTriever (ClotTriever BOLD) can be administered.

“Prior to this technology, patients would present with a clot and be prescribed three months of blood thinners,” said Dr. Mina Guerges, Attending Vascular Surgeon at Jamaica Hospital’s Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. “Unfortunately, blood thinners don’t get rid of an existing clot. They only prevent further clots from forming.”

Dr. Guerges added that the previous method of ongoing blood thinner treatment has led to about 30% of patients developing post-thrombotic syndrome, causing swelling and pain as a result of the pre-existing clot. ClotTriever reduces the severity of this condition.

This procedure isn’t the right choice for all patients suffering from clots, though. Before receiving the treatment, patients must undergo a venogram, which involves injecting dye that causes veins to appear on an x-ray. It is important to note that this dye can cause a reaction in people with kidney disease. Additionally, patients who don’t typically move around much or suffer from comorbidities that create a low quality of life may not see many benefits from ClotTriever.

“This treatment is reserved for patients who are either suffering from debilitating clot-related symptoms or are relatively young and mobile,” said Dr. Guerges.

If you’re looking for blood clot treatment options, schedule an appointment at Jamaica Hospital’s Department of Ambulatory Care by calling (718) 206-7001 now.

Exploring the MediSys Health Network’s Tea Time Program

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Patient satisfaction is always a priority across the MediSys Health Network. One new initiative designed to improve our patients’ experience is the Tea Time program, where hospital volunteers offer friendly interaction along with hot beverages and healthy snacks.

The program was first introduced at Flushing Hospital Medical Center last month, where it has been well-received by patients. Now, after working to expand the initiative’s reach, Network Director of Person-Centered Services Oksana Galibova has brought Tea Time to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

“So far, the feedback has been amazing,” said Oksana. “The feeling of making somebody happy is very motivating for our volunteers.”

According to the program, Tea Time volunteers visit each patient unit with a decorated cart carrying the items they serve. Volunteers also take time to interact with patients and assist with small tasks like cleaning up garbage in their rooms and moving items so that they’re easier to reach. All of these tasks are important parts of making sure patients are receiving a high level of care.

The Tea Time program has been a rewarding experience for the volunteers. What they enjoy most is interacting and conversing with those patients that are lonely is especially important for making sure their experience at the hospital is as positive as possible.

Given how new the program is at both hospitals, there’s also plenty of room for it to change and grow over time as Oksana continues to receive feedback, whether that comes in the form of new snack options like Jell-O or revising the program’s schedule.

“There are enhancements we’re considering for the future of the program,” said Oksana. “As Tea Time continues, we’ll look at our progress and the feedback we’re getting to see what kinds of changes we can make.”

Jamaica Hospital Signs Formal Agreements With Local Cure Violence Groups To Help End Gun Violence In Our Community

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On Monday, June 13th, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center held an important event to address the gun violence epidemic in our community.

On that date, the hospital signed official partnerships with three members of The NYC Crisis Management System – King of Kings, Life Camp, and Rock Safe Streets as part of its commitment to end gun violence in our community. The objective of the landmark agreement is for all involved to work together to prevent violence and assist in protecting the health of patients and community members.

According to the formal collaboration, Jamaica Hospital will designate employees who will support the provision of anti-violence and violence interruption services by responding to referrals of traumas associated with gun violence. These designated employees will also assist in coordinating the visitation of Responders (individuals appointed by Cure Violence groups) with patients and loved ones, with their consent and as authorized by the law.

Responders’ duties include conducting follow-up visits during the inpatient stay with identified hospital patients, upon a determination by Jamaica Hospital that the patient is stable. Responders will provide supportive services such as mediation, conflict resolution, and service referrals to assist in the prevention of re-injury to these patients or to prevent retaliation connected to gun violence incidents.

Participating in the event were many local elected officials including Congressman Gregory Meeks, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Senator Leroy Comrie, and Chief Kevin Williams, NYPD Patrol Borough Queens South. Each official praised both Jamaica Hospital and the three members of The NYC Crisis Management System for working together to help end the gun violence crisis.

In addition, Dr. Katherine McKenzie addressed the audience to share information about Jamaica Hospital’s existing Violence Elimination and Trauma Outreach (VETO) program, which aimed to provide support for victims of gun violence as well as the hospital’s plans to create a dedicated center where gun violence victims can have all their clinical and social needs met as part of our Trauma Healing & Recovery Integrative Violence Elimination (THRIVE) Survivor Center.

After the presentation, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center President & CEO, Bruce Flanz signed formal Memos of Understanding to officially mark the occasion.

The event received significant media attention. To see the press clips, please click on the links below:

Jamaica Hospital Shares Information With The Public During Baby Formula Shortage

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The national baby formula shortage has forced mothers and families of infants to inquire about other ways to feed their babies. One such option is receiving breast milk from local trusted milk banks.

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, which operates the only milk depot in Queens, was asked to discuss this topic with the media in an effort to provide important information about how women can donate (and potentially receive donor breast milk) and provide safety tips on substitute feeding methods. Ivis Penalver, a certified lactation consultant and Assistant Director of WIC conducted two separate interviews, one with Spanish broadcast television station Univision and the other with WPIX 11 news.

The first and most important point Ivis wanted to convey was the difference between a milk bank and a milk depot.  Milk banks can collect, process, and redistribute breast milk to hospitals and individuals, while milk depots, like the one at Jamaica Hospital, work with milk banks as a location where breast milk can be collected and stored, but cannot process and distribute.

In addition, Ivis advised mothers not to dilute baby formula, avoid substituting it with other types of formula without checking with their doctor, and refrain from accepting donor breast milk from anywhere but a milk bank as these practices can be dangerous for babies.

Lastly, Ivis shared information about the increase in milk donations from women in the community. One such woman explained in her interview with WPIX how her desire to help those in need inspired her to become a donor.

To see the full WPIX interview, click below:

Jamaica Hospital Cuts The Ribbon To New Orthopedic Surgery Center

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Jamaica Hospital Medical Center cut the ribbon for its new Orthopedic Surgical Center not once, but twice on Thursday, November 11th.

Due to COVID sensitivities, festivities for the new orthopedic surgery center, located on the ground floor of the hospital’s Axel Building, were broken down into two separate events to allow for a maximum number of participants.

Those in attendance listened as Jamaica Hospital CEO, Bruce Flanz congratulated current and past Chairmen, doctors Sanjit Konda and Nader Paksima for their dedication to building one of the premier orthopedic surgical programs in the area and remarked on how proud he is to finally fulfill a promise made 23 years ago to build an ultra-modern facility to match the world-class care offered by our orthopedic surgeons.

Mr. Flanz went on to thank Jamaica Hospital’s Engineering team, who did an amazing job in completing the construction of the center using entirely in-house talent. Dr. Konda and Dr. Paksima echoed their appreciation of not only our Engineering Department but also hospital administration, finance and supply chain departments, as well as the many others who helped make their dream of building this center a reality.

After the speeches were over and the ribbon was cut, guests had an opportunity to tour the 4,800 square-foot facility, which features eight exam rooms, two procedure rooms, a cast room, and a state-of-the-art imaging room which will allow our orthopedic surgery team to provide on-site treatment for adult and pediatric patients seeking care for hip and knee replacements, sports-related injuries, upper extremity injuries, fractures, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis, just to name a few. 

The new orthopedic surgery center is scheduled to officially open to patients in the very near future.

To see a montage of remarks from both ceremonies, click here:

Jamaica Hospital Trauma Service Highlighted By Local Media

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Dr. Katherine McKenzie, Medical Director of the Trauma Program at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center recently shared her experiences over the course of the last year with a reporter at NY 1 News.

During the interview, Dr. McKenzie explained how Jamaica Hospital, like many other hospitals in New York City was confronted by two health crises in 2020.  The first is obviously COVID-19, but the other that had a major impact on Level 1 Trauma Centers such as Jamaica Hospital’s, is the drastic rise in gun violence.

Dr. McKenzie explained how she, and her fellow trauma surgeons were deployed during the height of the pandemic to treat COVID positive patients in Jamaica Hospital’s ICUs, a job that they were able to perform due to their critical care training.  As the first wave subsided and fewer patients were hospitalized due to the virus, the trauma team then refocused their attention to treat an increased amount of patients suffering from penetrating wounds, such as stabbings and gun violence. Since the late spring, the number of trauma patients with such injuries at Jamaica Hospital has nearly doubled.

During the interview, Dr. McKenzie took the reporter on a tour of the Emergency Department’s trauma bay and one of the O.R. suites dedicated to the trauma service.

Thank you to Dr. McKenzie and the entire trauma team for the valuable service they provide to our community.

To see the full segment, click here: