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.

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