Flushing Hospital Medical Center has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines^®–Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite Quality Achievement Award at the association’s International Stroke Conference 2015. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success ensuring that stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized and research-based guidelines.

The hospital is one of 559 hospitals to be recognized. To receive the Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite award, hospitals must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke. Flushing Hospital has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center, featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.

These quality measures are designed to help hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients.

“We are pleased to recognize Flushing Hospital Medical Center for their commitment to stroke care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines steering committee and Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Studies have shown that hospitals that consistently follow Get With The Guidelines quality improvement measures can reduce length of stay and 30-day readmission rates and reduce disparities in care.”

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On May 18, Medisys Health network held the 17^th Annual MediSys Classic at the Old Westbury Country Club.  Each year this highly anticipated event is coordinated to raise funds to benefit both Flushing and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Guests were invited to participate in a day of fun and relaxation at the beautiful and elegant facility.  They were offered a selection of activities to choose from which included golf, tennis, yoga and calming massages.

Although the day of the event was a bit chilly, it did not stop golfers from showing up, playing well and heating up the golf course.

Those who were not golfers but wanted to enjoy a day of fitness played an energetic game of tennis or got limber during yoga and Pilates classes.  Others who were looking for a day of rest and relaxation retreated to the spa.

Dinner and cocktails were served later on in the evening.  Guests were treated to a feast of treats and delectable cuisines.  Dinner was not only a social affair but also charitable as generous patrons bought fists full of raffle tickets and rushed to the silent auction table for  their chance to win  golf packages to exclusive clubs on Long Island.

Awards and recognitions were presented after dinner to key players and contributors to the event, including Honorary Chairman, Dr. Cono Grasso.  Raffle prize winners were also announced; they received highly coveted items such as iPads, cameras and plane tickets.

The 17^th Annual MediSys Classic was a great success thanks to the staff of Jamaica and Flushing Hospital, our generous participants and the staff of Old Westbury Country Club. We are looking forward to next year.

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MediSys Hollis, one of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s family health care facilities was recently awarded Level Three National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) – Patient Centered Medical Home 2011 status.

All nine of the MediSys’ Family Health Centers at Jamaica Hospital and the Ambulatory Care Center at Flushing Hospital have now achieved this status.

NCQA’s Patient Centered Medical Home 2011 (PCMH) is an innovative program for improving patient-centered primary care delivery. The objectives of the program include:

• Establishing long-term partnerships between clinicians and patients, instead of a series of hurried and sporadic visits.
• Clinician led teams who coordinate prevention and chronic condition care for patients.
• The promotion of shared decisions by medical teams, which will enable patients to make informed choices and get better results.

This model of quality assurance was created with a key focus on providing stellar primary healthcare and patient satisfaction.  MediSys Health Network’s ability to secure this designation for its outpatient care centers at Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital is a reflection of the networks dedication to ensuring that patients receive the highest level of care at all times.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s Department of Ambulatory Care offers more than 50 outpatient general and specialty services for children, adolescents and adults. In an effort to better serve the communities served by the hospital, the department has extended the hours of operation for the Pediatric Care Center and the Women’s Health Center.

“The extended hours were designed with the focus on the needs of patients who work, have school-aged children and patients seeking care over the weekend.” stated Mary McNamara, Administrative Director of the Ambulatory Care Center.

The Pediatric Care Center’s hours of operation have been extended to 8:00pm Monday through Thursday, and is now open on Saturday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. Additionally, the Woman’s Health Center has extended their hours on Tuesday until 8:00pm.

If you would like to make an appointment for your child, please call the Pediatric Care Center at 718-670-3007.  If you are interested in making an appointment with our Women’s Health Center, call  718-670-8992.

Congratulations to the Engineering Department at Jamaica Hospital, recipient of the 2015 ecoMediSys Initiative award.

This year marks the third anniversary of MediSys Health Network’s ecoMediSys initiative.  In observance of this milestone Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center celebrated Earth Day on April 22^nd by showcasing our environmental protection efforts. The events were held in each hospital’s main lobby.

The ecoMediSys initiative was created with the goal of identifying and highlighting ecological initiatives that we have implemented. The program helps in reducing waste, increasing recycling and conserving energy.

Some of the changes we have applied include:

• The conversion to a paperless, electronic medical records (EMR) system throughout the hospital and our ambulatory care centers.  This drastically reduced the amount of paper previously used in patient charts.
• The implementation of a digital radiology system that eliminated the use of chemicals associated with conventional x-rays.
• The elimination of blood pressure machines and thermometers that contain mercury.
• The installation of energy efficient boilers and chillers, as well as a conversion from oil to gas.
• A transition to energy efficient LED lighting and the implementation of a fluorescent tube and bulb recycling program.
• An increase in our paper as well as bottle and can recycling programs.
• Shredding and recycling containers have been added throughout the campuses in both offices and patient care areas.
• The motor transport department has replaced all of it’s vehicles with higher mpg cars and vans and initiated a no-idling program for all hospital vehicles.
• The hospital also added auto-off light switches in many offices and replaced all old PCs with energy star-rated computers.

Each year a department is recognized for their efforts in making the hospital more ecologically responsible. The Third Annual ecoMedisys recognition was awarded to Mr. Hans Waldvogel and the Engineering Department at Jamaica Hospital. One of the department’s initiatives included the use of more environmentally safe cleaning and building supplies.

Earth Day showcase at Flushing Hospital

As major healthcare providers Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital understand the impact of these environmental initiatives and embraces its role as a leader in any efforts to improve the well-being of the communities we serve.

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Dr. Madhu Rajanna delivers an educational and insightful presentation about PTSD in returning veterans

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry hosted a very important event to help health care professionals effectively treat returning combat veterans living with mental health disorders.

The hospital in conjunction with the New York State Psychiatric Association and the Queens District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association hosted the Veterans Mental Health Primary Care Training Initiative on Thursday April 2^nd. The auditorium in the D building was filled to capacity with hospital clinicians eager to learn more about the best practices to treat members of the military suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other mental health conditions.

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of veterans suffer from combat- related mental illnesses but only 23-40% seek professional help, because mental illness is sadly and often stigmatized. The negative perceptions associated with mental illness can sometimes lead veterans to believe that they are weak or should be ashamed of seeking professional help.

In order to cope with the complications of mental illness, some veterans may self-medicate by using alcohol or narcotics and in extreme cases commit suicide instead of reaching out to a medical professional for help.

Assembly Member David I. Weprin addresses the room and commends the hospital on a job well done

Dr. Madhu Rajanna, Director of Jamaica Hospital’s Mental Health Clinic and Assistant Director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program was the event’s main speaker. He conducted a dynamic presentation about the effective and compassionate means of communication health care professionals can utilize when gathering medical information from veterans.  This collected information can be vital in assessing the mental health of service members.  Dr. Rajanna was later followed by Assembly Member David I. Weprin who commended the department on their efforts for raising awareness on mental illnesses and congratulated the event organizers on a job well done.

Several staff members of the hospital such as Dr. Richard Pinsker, are also veterans and believe this training initiative was fundamental.  According to Dr. Pinsker, “Attitudes towards PTSD and other mental illnesses are shifting in a positive direction; many are recognizing that the emotional and mental wounds can be as detrimental to our vets as the physical ones.”

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Decreasing tobacco use and promoting the benefits of breast feeding have always been very important issues that require additional community outreach and education. Therefore Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center selected to address these two issues as their prevention agenda priorities and as part of their 2013-2017 Community Service Plan (CSP).

This decision was based on the demographic needs outlined by the New York State Department of Health. Both initiatives are in line with NYS’s Prevention Agenda 2013 – 2017 and NYC’s Take Care New York 2016 and the needs of the communities served by both hospitals.

Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital continues to make smoking cessation and exclusive breastfeeding the two focal points in their efforts to improve public health in service areas. The Hospitals have made significant progress with both initiatives. Currently breastfeeding services are offered to all patients in the community. Both hospitals have expanded their efforts to become designated as a “Baby-Friendly” hospital; which is a global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The hospitals have enlisted several community based organizations as partners in promoting Tobacco-Free Living and in extending their reach to as many people as possible. We have had a significant impact on reducing smoking rates among employees who smoke and counseling patients who smoke on the benefits of quitting. In addition we are taking part in the NYC Tobacco-Free Hospitals campaign.

As required by New York State, all hospitals must develop and make public our continued progress on our CSP initiatives each year. To learn more, please visit the “Community” section of the Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital websites.

Through our continued hard work on both of these initiatives, it is the goal of both Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital to educate our community and increase the overall health of those we serve.

March 19^th was Certified Nurses Day.  This special day is recognized worldwide and honors nurses who become board certified in their specialties.  Currently, there are approximately 150 certified nurses at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The hospital demonstrated its appreciation for each nurse’s commitment to excellence by hosting a Certified Nurses Day celebration in the auditorium of the Old Trump Pavilion.

The auditorium was filled with nurses who chatted excitedly about their journeys in achieving their certifications.  The process to becoming a certified nurse requires  additional and rigorous career training, but proves to be very rewarding as both patients and nurses benefit from the hard work.

Executive Vice President and COO William Lynch kicked off the celebration by delivering a humorous but very heartfelt speech. He stated, “Without our nurses, nothing is possible,” he continued, “We are extremely grateful for the level of care and dedication that our nurses demonstrate.” Mr. Lynch was followed by Kathleen Scher; Vice President of Nursing, who also expressed appreciation and shared her agenda to implement new programs to support the nursing staff.

The evening ended on a fun note, as the nurses enjoyed a spread of delicious food and congratulated each other on receiving their respective certifications. A raffle was held during the celebration in which each person had the chance to win tickets to attend a national conference of their choice, tickets to attend the 1199 Nurse of Distinction Awards or a gift basket with beauty products and a spa gift card.

On March 16^th guests were greeted by an explosion of color and creativity when they arrived at the lobby of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.  Members from the department of psychiatry transformed the lobby into an impressive art gallery to raise awareness for Creative Arts Therapy week. The name of the art exhibit was Mandalas, Explorations and other Self-Reflections. The general public and members of the press were invited to view the masterpieces, mingle and participate in interactive projects at the reception.

While the art was indeed beautiful, what made each piece special was the fact that they were anonymously submitted by patients participating in creative arts therapy at the hospital.  According to licensed creative arts therapists Michelle Hololob and Heather Grey; these patients were happy to submit their work because they wanted others to know that creative arts therapy has been a positive experience for them.

Dr. Seeth Vivek; Chairman of Psychiatry and Tony Maffia; Vice President of Psychiatry, as well as Grey and Hololob all conducted interviews with the media and educated everyone about the benefits of creative arts therapy in treating mental illnesses.

Creative arts therapy encourages self- exploration, helps organize emotions and has a profoundly positive effect on mental well-being. Patients often begin therapy feeling unhappy, conflicted or isolated but by creating art they are able to share their feelings, engage with therapists and begin the process of recovery. It is for these reasons and others that this form of therapy has been an integral part of the Department of Psychiatry at Jamaica Hospital for nearly 20 years.

The event was a success and a visual sensation.  However, the most important achievement for the psychiatry department was being able to use art as a platform to educate the public that mental illness should not be stigmatized and is nothing to be ashamed of. “There is still a stigma attached to mental illness,” said Heather Grey-as quoted in the Times Ledger. “We are using art as a platform to disseminate that stigma.”

Click here to read the full Times Ledger article:

http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2015/12/mentalart_tl_2015_03_20_q.html

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As of Monday, March 16^th, The Jamaica MediSys Family Care Center has a new home. The center, formerly located on Sutphin Blvd has moved to a new address – 149-18 Jamaica Avenue.

The new location will offer all the same services, including internal medicine, pediatrics, and podiatry, but will also accommodate patients in 11 larger and more modern exam rooms .

The new site is centrally located in the heart of the busy Jamaica shopping district and is easily accessible by public transportation. In addition, there is a municipal parking garage conveniently located just steps away from the center.