The Hospital Association of New York State (HANYS) recognizes member hospitals and health systems across New York that invest in forward-looking initiatives that strive to improve health outcomes and care quality outcomes. The HANYS member spotlight categorizes these initiatives into three categories, Innovation, Community Health, and Commitment to Excellence.

The MediSys Health Network was highlighted recently for Innovation for placing a priority on employee well-being. In the spring of 2022, the network creatively adapted and provided much-needed care for its healthcare team. This initiative was created in response to the extraordinary impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the mental health and well-being of healthcare workers which could have potentially threatened the quality of care to our patients.

MediSys implemented a multi-faceted approach to provide increased support for its team’s mental and emotional well-being. This program continues to grow as the pandemic persists.  The programming includes:

• Staff wellness stations – physical spaces set up to facilitate relaxation and access to verbal and non-verbal therapeutic modalities
• Wellness Rounds – therapists walk through medical units to briefly check in with staff and other support.
• Aromatherapy and handmade affirmation cards
• Wellness groups – therapeutic art groups facilitated by licensed creative arts therapists
• Wellness sign-outs that focus on guided meditations and discussions
• Individual phone calls to offer wellness resources to all frontline team members
• Individual wellness sessions – therapists provide short-term, confidential emotional support to staff experiencing difficult life circumstances

Congratulations to all involved, specifically Karen Codd and Deb Brass for their hard work and dedication to the overall wellness of the MediSys Health Network team.

For more information, contact Karen Codd, MPS, LCAT, ATR-BC, DAT-c, Jamaica Hospital senior wellness coordinator, at [email protected], or Deb Brass, MS, LCAT, ATR-BC, Flushing Hospital senior wellness coordinator, at [email protected]. 

Flushing Hospital Medical Center is the proud recipient of the New York State Obstetric Hemorrhage Project 2021 Quality Improvement Award.

The award recognizes Flushing Hospital’s participation and dedicated work in the New York State Obstetric Hemorrhage Project which was created by the New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative (NYSPQC) to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality associated with obstetric hemorrhage.

Maternal morbidity is defined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as, “any short- or long-term health problems that result from being pregnant and giving birth.”  While maternal mortality, “refers to the death of a woman from complications of pregnancy or childbirth that occur during the pregnancy or within 6 weeks after the pregnancy ends.”

Both issues have been causes for concern nationally as data shows that maternal morbidity and mortality rates in the U.S. have been inclining steadily.

In November of 2017, the NYSPQC initiated the NYS Obstetric Hemorrhage Project in collaboration with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Healthcare Association of New York State, and the Greater New York Hospital Association with the support of the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality to address this problem.

Flushing Hospital joined the project as part of its ongoing efforts to provide patients and their families with the best, safest, and most equitable care.

As a participant, Flushing Hospital has met or exceeded the project’s goal of assessing at least 85% of patients for risk of obstetric hemorrhage upon admission and during the postpartum period. The hospital also implemented measures to improve readiness to respond to obstetric hemorrhage.

“This project involved a multidisciplinary approach with monthly webinars and in-person meetings in Albany. Together, we worked on updating our policies, acquired a hemorrhage cart, and updated our hemorrhage kit.  We also performed simulation drills and devised a hemorrhage assessment for patients antepartum, upon admission to Labor and Delivery, and postpartum. Our team has been educated and trained on all changes to ensure the delivery of quality care,” explained Maria Smilios, Director of Nursing Maternal and Child Services at Flushing Hospital.

Flushing Hospital was commended for its dedication and “exemplary work” by the New York State Perinatal Quality Collaborative. The hospital will continue to focus on improving maternal morbidity and maternal rates in its community to ensure a healthier future for all.

Podcasts have become an increasingly popular medium to distribute information about a variety of topics. Millions of people listen to them to learn about many things including politics, entertainment, sports, and health. For this reason, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center recently began producing and distributing podcasts to help our community learn how to better manage their health as well as how our hospitals can provide valuable services to assist them.

The first podcasts, which are named Jamaica Hospital MedTalk and Flushing Hospital MedTalk began production earlier this year. Each episode is approximately 15-minutes-long and features providers from various medical specialties discussing a wide range of topics. 

The podcasts can be found on multiple podcast platforms including Apple, Google, iHeart Radio, Spotify, and Stitcher and others.  In addition, those interested can listen to or download the podcasts on each of the hospitals’ websites. Episodes are also being shared on our social media platforms, including Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

The MediSys Health Network is dedicated to providing important information about health and wellness to our community. We are excited to utilize our podcasts as a new way to engage everyone.

To listen to any of the Jamaica Hospital podcasts, please click the link below:

https://jamaicahospital.org/podcast/

To listen to any of the Flushing Hospital podcasts, please click the link below:

https://flushinghospital.org/podcast/

In collaboration with hospitals across the state, the MediSys Health Network is conducting a Community Health Needs Assessment survey to determine the most important health concerns of the community, and we would greatly appreciate your input.

The Community Health Needs Assessment survey will assist in the development of a plan that involves many community partners to improve the health of our community. The results of this survey are very important as they can also impact funding, spending, and other wide-reaching decisions about healthcare delivery systems.

The survey is open to all community members residing in New York. To access it, please click here, and share what issues matter to you most. The MediSys Health Network encourages all employees to complete the survey and to share it with family, friends, and others so that their input can be heard. All responses are confidential.

Thank you for your time and for helping us gain valuable insights into the needs of the community. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Andrew Rubin at 718-206-8949.

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 (for 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, and 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. Arnaldo Marasigan, Housekeeper
2. Joy Chisolm, Phlebotomist 
3. Muzzamil Khan, CAN
4. Adelaida Ramos, Phlebotomist 
5. Hanngfen Lin, CAN
6. Narchelle Philitas, RN
7. Jeanese Barriteau, CNM

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 (for 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, and 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. Nicholas Licciardello, PA
2. Sanjit Konda, MD
3. Nicolette Bullen, RN
4. Winnie Wong, RN
5. Matilda Kim, RN
6. Susan John, RN
7. Beverly Lewis-English, RN
8. Margarette Dorvilier,RN
9. Alisa Artemchenko, RN
10. Natalya Borukhova RN
11. Yuqing Guo, RN

This year, Patient Safety Awareness Week was observed from March 13^th to the 19^th.   The annual observation was created to raise awareness of the importance of safety in healthcare.

The Patient Safety Awareness Week theme chosen for 2022 was, “Together We Are Better, Stronger, Safer.”  The MediSys Health Network’s Performance Improvement Department held a series of events that focused on bringing care teams together to learn more about patient safety in a fun environment.

Activities for the week included games of Trivial Pursuit as well as an essay contest in which participants were encouraged to share what safety meant to them.  Over 500 Flushing and Jamaica Hospital employees played trivia games, and a total of 16 submissions were entered into the essay competition. Winners of the essay contest are as follows:

• Jamaica Hospital: 1^st place – 4 South, 2^nd place– NICU, 3^rd place– Psych MH2 & MH3
• Flushing Hospital: 1^st place– 3 West, 2^nd place-ICU, 3^rd place– 4 North 1 & 2

The winning essays will be posted on the MyMediSys intranet page under the Quality Department- Performance Improvement folder.

Overall, Patient Safety Awareness Week at MediSys Health was a great success. We thank the Performance Improvement Department for coordinating a series of engaging and educational events.

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 Paola Guevara RN, Department of Cardiology, and Moheb Wasfy Medical Equipment Specialist on their Good Catch.

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

We thank them for being exemplary members of our team and contributing to our goal of being a High-Reliability Hospital.

Today is National Doctors’ Day, an observance celebrated annually in the U.S. in honor of physicians and the important work they do to heal and care for our communities.

In recognition of this day, Dr. Sabiha Raoof; Chief Medical Officer and Chairperson of the Department of Radiology, is sharing this special message of gratitude and appreciation for the perseverance and dedication of our doctors.