Last month, In honor of Antibiotic Awareness Week, the Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee (ASC) at Jamaica Hospital exhibited educational displays in the hospital’s main lobby.

The committee shared information about the rising threat of antibiotic resistance as well as the importance of appropriate prescribing.  Patients and staff were invited to play a game of “Antibiotic Jeopardy” to test their knowledge.

Antibiotic Awareness Week is an annual worldwide observance to increase awareness of global antibiotic resistance, improve the way healthcare professionals prescribe antibiotics and educate the public about the proper use of these medications.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2019 Antibiotic Resistance Threats report, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. Using antibiotics for the inappropriate treatment of viral infections, like the flu or common cold, will not cure those infections and can lead to unnecessary side effects and can contribute to the risk of developing antibiotic resistance.

A strategy to improve antibiotic prescribing and decrease resistance is to practice antimicrobial stewardship, which is defined as coordinated interventions designed to improve and measure the appropriate use of antimicrobials by promoting the selection of optimal antimicrobial drug regimen, dose, duration of therapy and route of administration.

The Antibiotic Stewardship Committee (ASC) was established at Jamaica Hospital in August 2015. This is an interdisciplinary committee comprised of the departments of pharmacy, medicine, pathology/microbiology, infection control, environmental services, surgery, and the division of infectious diseases. The ASC reviews antibiotic orders daily for potential de-escalation/escalation, therapy changes, discontinuation and assists in the management of patients with multidrug resistant infections.

Thank you to the staff who coordinated this event. Our patients, visitors and other staff members who stopped by the table will benefit from the information that was given out.

The MediSys Health Network is proud to announce that we have earned “Age-Friendly Health System” status; a designation that less than 20 percent of the health care facilities across the country have yet to receive.

Receiving an Age-Friendly status demonstrates that Flushing Hospital, Jamaica Hospital, and the Jamaica Hospital Nursing Home are committed to this rapidly growing movement to improve the health care for older adults.

This initiative was a collaborative effort founded in 2017 by the John A. Hartford Foundation, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA) with the intention of helping hospitals and other care settings implement a set of evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults.

The initiative is guided by a framework of essential elements known as the “4Ms”, which include:

• What Matters – Communicating with our patients to better understand their personal and healthcare goals. This is achieved by asking a series of questions to the patient as well as family members or caregivers. Factors in what matters most to our patients could include end-of-life care, placement issues, or financial concerns.
• Medication – Prescribing age-friendly medications that do not interfere with the goals of our older patients. This includes not prescribing certain medications that can affect a patient’s mobility and using our electronic medical record system to identify potentially inappropriate medications.
• Mentation – Preventing, identifying, treating and managing mental health issues such as depression and dementia in our older patients. This involves conducting a mental health status examination.
• Mobility – Ensuring that our older adult patients move safely and maintain function. This is done by getting our patients to ambulate more while in our care and by conducting a Fall Risk Assessment and providing mobility devices if necessary.

Receiving this designation was a collaborative effort led by Dr. Angelo Canedo and Dr. Alan Roth and included a leadership committee comprised of physicians, nurses, and hospital administrators. After a rigorous nine-month process that included educating all of our providers and submitting data that demonstrated the 4Ms have been incorporated into our practices, the MediSys Health Network was recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System in November.

The 4M initiative for treating older adults is currently being practiced throughout our network, by providers in our Emergency Departments, Ambulatory Care Centers, Inpatient Units, and in our long-term care facility

“Older adults deserve safe, high-quality healthcare. The Age-Friendly Health System initiative is an important part of our vision to provide it to them,” stated Dr. Alan Roth. “We worked very hard to achieve this goal and are extremely appreciative of those who contributed to helping us attain it.”

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:

Ian McLean – Plant Operations
Conrad Daley – Security
AnnaMarie Gonzales – Accounting

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

On Saturday, November 16^th Jamaica Hospital Medical Center celebrated the important milestone of serving the community for 128 years. The momentous occasion was commemorated at the hospital’s annual Rainbow Ball dinner-dance and fundraiser which took place at the Queens Museum. Over 600 guests were in attendance.

The Rainbow Ball is an opportunity for supporters of Jamaica Hospital to celebrate its accomplishments and raise funds for future projects. This year’s honorees were the men and women who are on the frontline every day protecting and caring for people in times of need, New York City’s First Responders. Representatives of the NYPD Patrol Borough Queens South, FDNY Division 13, FDNY – EMS Division 4, and Jamaica Hospital Pre-Hospital Care Department were recognized for their invaluable service to the community.

Hospital President and CEO Bruce J. Flanz commenced the evening by welcoming everyone and noting how proud we were to be honoring the first responders.

For the remainder of the evening, guests enjoyed a delicious dinner and danced to lively music. The fun carried on during the raffle and grand prize drawing where contestants had the opportunity to win a trip to Hawaii and other fantastic gifts.

In all the 128^th Anniversary Rainbow Ball was a great success and we thank those who continue to support Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in our endeavors.

Under the direction of Chairman Steven Quarcoo DDS and Attending Dentist Bijan Anvar DDS, Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s  Dental Department hosted a Veterans Smile Day on Friday, November 8, 2019.

The purpose of the event was to provide free dental exams, x-rays, and cleanings to our veterans. It was the hospital’s way of thanking the men and women of our military for their service.

As part of Flushing Hospital’s community outreach, various Veteran and American Legion groups were contacted and invited to have their members participate. The hospital also invited veterans who are currently living in homeless shelters throughout the borough of Queens to participate.

“This is a great way to give back to those who fought for the freedom we enjoy,” stated Dr. Anvar.

Flushing Hospital would like to thank all the dental department staff, residents and technicians who volunteered their time for this worthy cause.

Flushing 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 correcting a medication order, preventing a patient from falling or reporting a significant change in a patient’s status.

Please join us in congratulating the following  employees on their  Good Catch:

Michael Bosco, Pharmacy
Ellen Alarcon, Radiology

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

Last month, Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center celebrated Respiratory Care week by hosting a series of educational events.

Both hospitals aimed to raise awareness of various lung diseases such as COPD and asthma, and inform their communities about practices utilized by respiratory therapists to treat these issues. Members of each hospital’s Respiratory Care Department also demonstrated how to operate several respiratory devices.

The Respiratory Care Department at Jamaica Hospital conducted demonstrations and displayed educational materials in the hospital’s cafeteria.  Guests and staff participated in interactive exercises in which they learned about the life-saving services respiratory therapists provide. The week ended with an asthma education and device training session for healthcare professionals that included residents, pharmacists, case managers and nurses.  Devices such as meter dose inhalers, spacers and peak flow meters were demonstrated to attendees.

Flushing Hospital celebrated Respiratory Care Week by hosting workshops for therapists throughout the week. The Respiratory Care Department also displayed educational boards in the hospital’s main lobby and engaged guests in trivia that included interesting respiratory facts and the history of respiratory care.

Respiratory care therapists play a vital role in the community and MediSys Health Network’s healthcare team.  They deliver care in various medical settings throughout the network including ICU’s, sleep centers, outpatient clinics, pulmonary clinics and operating rooms. Each day, respiratory therapists work side-by-side with doctors, nurses and other healthcare practitioners to ensure that patients receive excellent care.

On Tuesday evening October 15th, Angels on the Bay held their 24th 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 the proprietors of Russo’s On The Bay 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 $3.9 million dollars to help these causes.

This year, Flushing Hospital Medical Center and other 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 $720,000 in donations from Angels on the Bay.

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