The New York City Department of Health’s Community Cares Project (CCP) presented Flushing Hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center with the Shining Star Award. The hospital was recognized for implementing measures to improve screening rates among uninsured patients and reduce disparities.

According to the City’s Department of Health, “Insurance status continues to play a role in determining whether New York City residents 50 years and older receive a colonoscopy screening.” Flushing Hospital was asked to present its best practices for resolving this issue at a CCP Partner Recognition Ceremony. Some of the hospital’s best practices included:

• Overcoming barriers such as language by providing  interpretation services
• Educating patients about procedure prep instructions
• Scheduling appointments and following up with patients prior to the procedure
• Reviewing results with patients and their Gastroenterologists

Flushing Hospital representatives were applauded for their presentation and thanked for their collaboration with the CCP on this special project.

Pricilla Echevarria de Sepulveda, MPA, Project Manager, Patient-Centered Medical Home, at Flushing Hospital stated, “Our team was happy to work with the Department of Health’s Community Cares Project and we were proud to accept the Shining Star Award on behalf of Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

Join us in congratulating Shiz Kumarie Santram, RN; Ingrid Ramirez, Dietary Aide;  David Denobrega, Security Officer; Shelina Aktar, Laboratory Technologist; Gerard Lang and Radica Rampersaud, Respiratory Therapists and Regal Khan, Manager of Environmental Services on their Good Catch!

Every month, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center recognizes employees for their contributions to patient safety.

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 the potential harm of patients. These actions may include correcting a medication order, preventing a patient fall or reporting a significant change in patient status.

By identifying problems before they became patient safety issues, our nominees have helped Jamaica Hospital to improve our quality in patient 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.

To report a Good Catch, email Letha Walters, PI Director at lwalter1@jhmc.org,  or call her at ext. 8409 and leave a message.

In March, Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center celebrated Social Work Month by hosting a series of events that included bake sales, yoga sessions and educational demonstrations.

Social Work Month was created by the National Association of Social Workers to educate the public about the invaluable contributions of the profession.

Social workers play a vital role in delivering quality health care to patients at Jamaica and Flushing Hospital.  They monitor our patients’ stay from admission to discharge.  Upon admission, social workers help patients to avoid prolonged hospital stays by working with physicians to expedite tests or treatments. They provide counseling services for patients and families to help them adjust to changes and challenges they may face during hospitalization.  Before patients are discharged, social workers assess their needs to determine a plan for support services or follow up care.

Jamaica and Flushing Hospital recognizes social workers for their dedication to our patients. We applaud their hard work and thank them for their countless contributions to our community.

It is estimated that 40% of New Yorkers living with mental illnesses do not seek treatment because of the stigma attached.  Creative arts therapists at Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center brought light to this issue by hosting the “Drawing Bridges to Wellness” exhibit in March, in honor of Creative Arts Therapy Week.

The exhibit was held in each hospital’s main lobby and showcased over 70 pieces of art that illustrated the musings of patients and therapists participating in Jamaica and Flushing Hospital’s mental health programs.  The artists utilized a variety of mediums such as clay, oil paints, pastels and model magic to express their thoughts and chronicle their journeys to wellness.

Drawing Bridges to Wellness provided the community with a beautiful gallery to explore and served as a platform to raise awareness of mental health issues and destigmatize mental illness.   Many of the art pieces presented echoed the message that people should not feel ashamed about seeking help for mental health disorders.

The Department of Psychiatry further bolstered their efforts to raise awareness by showcasing the exhibit at the Queens Museum, after completing its run at Jamaica and Flushing Hospital. The artwork was displayed in the museum’s New York City building for thousands of guests to see.

Jamaica and Flushing Hospital have provided creative arts therapy to patients for close to 20 years.  This form of therapy encourages self- exploration and has a profoundly positive effect on mental and emotional well-being. Patients often begin therapy feeling unhappy, conflicted or isolated but by creating art they are able to engage with therapists and begin their journeys to wellness. Both hospitals are encouraging communities to take advantage of creative arts and other programs designed to treat mental health disorders.

In an effort to improve the overall wellness of our surrounding community and employees, Flushing Hospital Medical Center has partnered with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation’s, Shape Up NYC, to offer free core strengthening and circulation classes to everyone.

Jordan, a trained specialist in fitness who knows how to make exercise enjoyable for everyone leads the class.

According to Shape Up NYC, “this class includes core strengthening and circulation techniques to improve balance and improve intestinal health, dynamic and static stretching, calisthenics and plyometric bodyweight strengthening, Cardiovascular exercises, core-focused breathing postures to slow the mind and for a stronger body, and meditation.”

Class began on March 5th and will take place every Tuesday at 5:00 pm at the 5^th Fl. Auditorium/Conference Room A, corner of 45^th Avenue and Burling Street. Employees are encouraged to attend.

You can sign up at the time of attendance and please bring your own mat.

March 10^th through the 16^th has been designated as National Patient Safety Awareness Week. In recognition of this observance, both Jamaica and Flushing Hospital had a full week of fun and educational activities planned. There was even a contest to see which department could decorate their doorways best with colorful hand cutouts.

To kick off the week both hospitals held an event in their lobbies on the first day. The event included interactive activities to test everyone’s safety knowledge by playing various games where participants had the opportunity to answer questions and to win prizes.

Throughout the week, employees were asked to take the “Hand Hygiene Pledge” and to demonstrate proper donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) which can eliminate the transmission of infectious disease.

The week culminated with a Hand Hygiene display contest. Departments were asked to decorate their area to demonstrate their commitment to hand hygiene. Many departments participated and winners were named. At Jamaica Hospital Medical Center the Human Resources department was selected as the winner and the OB/GYN department at Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

The theme of this year’s Patient Safety Awareness week was “See, Say, Do & Thank You”, which asked patients to not only notice and identify good safety practices but also do something by thanking those individuals when these practices are witnessed.

One of the most important factors in improving patient safety is practicing proper hand hygiene and both hospitals’ hand hygiene compliance rates are above national averages. Flushing Hospital had a 95% compliance rate and Jamaica Hospital boasted a 100% compliance rate.

Congratulations to all involved in making the hospitals a safe environment for our patients.