MediSys Celebrates Earth Day

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Earth Day began 49 years ago on April 22, 1970. To recognize this important observation, each year Jamaica Hospital Medical Center hosts an exhibit in its main lobby to showcase Earth-friendly projects from various departments.  The Earth Day event provides an opportunity to promote environmental conservation awareness among employees and our community.  Departments that displayed projects at this year’s event included Pre-Hospital Care, Dietary, Planning, Print Shop, Environmental, HR, and Safety.

As a health care institution, Jamaica Hospital realizes its responsibility in preserving the environment and has developed a green committee known as ecoMediSys to monitor and encourage environmentally responsible initiatives.  The hospital proudly recognizes departments and staff who are involved in initiatives to make the hospital more environmentally friendly.

One of the traditions Jamaica Hospital started six years ago was presenting the ecoMediSys award to individuals or departments demonstrating a strong commitment to preserving the environment. This year, Nick Caputo the Assistant Director of Pre-Hospital Care was recognized for his efforts in keeping the MediSys Network in compliance with environmental goals.

The Jamaica Hospital Volunteer Awards Ceremony and Dinner

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In April, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center celebrated National Volunteer Week by hosting its annual Volunteer Awards Ceremony and Dinner.

The theme for this year’s celebration was “Volunteers – Every Moment Making a Difference,” chosen to highlight the many hours of service dedicated by the hospital’s volunteers.

Volunteers have provided 43,600 hours of service over the last year to departments throughout Jamaica Hospital. Their high level of commitment is greatly appreciated by patients and staff alike. This sentiment was expressed by the hospital’s Executive Vice President and COO William Lynch in a powerful message of thanks. He was later joined by Arlette Cunningham, Assistant Director of the Volunteer Department, to present awards.

Over ten volunteers were selected to receive awards of distinction, including Frances Hicks, who received Jamaica Hospital’s first ever Honoring Our Patients’ Expectations (HOPE) award- specially created to recognize volunteers who exhibit a profound commitment to the hospital. Frances was lauded for devoting nine years as an Ambulatory Surgery Patient Navigator Volunteer and helping to provide a supportive environment to chemotherapy patients.

Jamaica Hospital’s 6-South nursing unit also received special recognition and was presented with this year’s Team award for providing support to the Breastfeeding Volunteer Counselor Program. This program recruits, educates and trains volunteers aspiring to become lactation consultants.

Overall, Jamaica Hospital’s Volunteer Awards Ceremony and Dinner was a success. Many deserving individuals and teams were highlighted for their devotion to the hospital and the community.

Jamaica Hospital thanks all volunteers for their continued dedication and service to our patients and community.

Jamaica Hospital Recognizes National Donate Life Month

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April was National Donate Life Month and once again Jamaica Hospital displayed its commitment to this very worthy effort by participating in a series of events.

As is tradition, the hospital raised a flag to increase organ donation awareness and on Friday, April 12th, employees across Jamaica Hospital celebrated Blue and Green Day by proudly wearing the official colors of Donate Life Month. Many photos were taken and shared on Jamaica Hospital’s and LiveOnNY’s social media accounts for thousands to see.

On April 30th, Jamaica Hospital invited members from LiveOnNY to visit and speak with hospital employees. The LiveOnNY team was accompanied by kidney recipient Kenneth Teasley. Mr. Teasley shared his personal experience with employees on many of the hospital’s nursing units and urged them to enroll to become organ donors.

The month-long observance culminated with a moment of gratitude which was held at 3:00 pm on April 30th.  At this time, a LiveOnNY representative read a brief statement to pay tribute to those individuals who saved lives through organ donation.

Increasing awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation remains an important cause to Jamaica Hospital and we are proud of the collaborative efforts on LiveOnNY and our employees.

The MediSys Health Network Announces Collaboration With Planetree International

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Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center are proud to be two of only 12 hospitals chosen to participate in a 24-month collaborative program that will help the MediSys Health Network reach its goal of delivering the highest level of patient-centered care.

The program, which is being funded by the NYS Health Foundation, will allow both hospitals the opportunity to work with Planetree, an international, non-profit organization that facilitates patient-centered care in a healing environment.

According to the program, over the next two years, Planetree will partner with Jamaica and Flushing Hospital by offering a full spectrum of services to help them develop a path to providing person-centered care. Planetree will be assisting the MediSys hospitals by providing assessments to better understand our organization’s culture from all perspectives and offering coaching and training to help us develop, implement and maintain a range of person-centered care strategies. At the end of the 24-month collaborative, both hospitals hope to achieve Planetree Bronze Designation.

It has been proven that hospitals that are dedicated to patient-centered care have experienced many benefits, including:

  • Higher Quality of Care
  • Improved Patient Outcomes
  • Lower Readmission Rates
  • Shorter Lengths of Stay
  • Higher Patient Experience Scores
  • Increased Employee Satisfaction & Retention
  • Improved Reputation

Planetree’s mission to “inspire caregivers to make patients true partners in their care, meeting their human needs and improving outcomes” is in perfect alignment with the goals of the MediSys Health Network as it has been our main focus over the last several years to improve the patient experience.  “We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with Planetree. We hope that this collaboration will inspire a network-wide culture change to patient-centered care excellence” states Emilia Escamilla-Rebaza, RN, Director of Person-Centered Services.

Please stay tuned for more information about the Planetree collaborative.

Congratulations to Flushing Hospital’s Good Catch Recipients

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Flushing Hospital Medical Center is proud to recognize employees for their contributions to patient safety.

Employees who go above and beyond to identify critical events and ensure the safety of our patients are 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.

Join us in  congratulating  the following Good Catch recipients for their achievements:

  • Nadine Persaud (Respiratory Therapy)
  • John Ryo (Physical Therapy)
  • Marifelle Macasaet (2N/ Nursing)
  • Smitha Sabu (PACU/ Nursing)
  • Hyunjung Chavez (MICU/ Nursing)
  • Adriana Fuentes (Ambulatory Care/ Nursing)
  • Tatiana Giraldo (Ambulatory Care/ Nursing)
  • Rachel Bain (Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator/ Pharmacy)
  • Kevin Kamara ( Assistant Director/ Security)

By identifying problems before they became a patient safety issue, our nominees have helped Flushing 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.

For more information about the Good Catch program at Flushing Hospital, please contact Dr.Rehana Jamali at 718-670-5415.

 

Jamaica Hospital and Resorts World Casino Executives Celebrate “Drop Everything and Read Day”

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An average day for Michelle Stoddart, Director of  PR and Community Relations; May Uri, Vice President of Human Resources; Joe DeVito, Director of Player Development at Resorts World Casino New York City involves long hours filled with planning and executing business objectives. Due to their hectic schedules, time is extremely valuable and scarce.

However, on April 12th, in celebration of National Drop Everything and Read Day (D.E A.R. Day) the executives dropped everything on their busy schedules to join Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s leadership in dedicating their time to read books to children staying in the hospital’s Pediatric Unit.  Also joining the group were reporters from NY1 News, the Queens Chronicle and Queens Courier newspapers.

National Drop Everything and Read Day is an observance devoted to events and activities that encourage the love of reading among children.  Adults and children participating in D.E.A.R. Day are asked to take at least 30 minutes out of their routines to dive into a good book.

“We know firsthand how important story time and other fun activities are to children admitted to our hospital.  Our Pediatric team aims to create an environment that makes children feel at home. A Child Life Specialist is on staff to ensure a positive experience by facilitating recreational and educational activities.” stated Bruce J. Flanz, President and CEO of Jamaica Hospital.

“Drop Everything and Read Day shines a spotlight on the importance of reading and we were excited to put down our work for a day, pick up some great books and share the experience with these inspirational children,” said Scott Molina, President of Resorts World.

In addition to reading stories on D.E.A.R Day, executives from Resorts World toured Jamaica Hospital’s Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department to view newly installed wall mounted, activity centers donated by the casino.   The pediatric activity centers are designed to help develop children’s motor and sensory systems.

“We are grateful for the donation of the pediatric activity centers.  Our team will utilize these tools to engage children in play and help ease their anxieties,” said Jamaica Hospital Child Life Specialist Tracey Kunj-Ramen.

To read more about our D.E.A.R. Day event at Jamaica Hospital, please click the following links:

https://qns.com/story/2019/04/15/jamaica-hospital-and-resorts-world-casino-executives-help-kids-drop-everything-and-read/

https://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/resorts-world-comes-up-aces-for-sick-kids/article_98f93701-883a-5139-a861-1aead0881e02.html

Flushing Hospital Receives Prestigious Shining Star Award from the Department of Health

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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.

 

Congratulations to Jamaica Hospital’s Good Catch Recipients

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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 [email protected],  or call her at ext. 8409 and leave a message.

MediSys Celebrates Social Work Month

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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.

MediSys Celebrates National Doctors’ Day

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In 1991, President George H.W. Bush signed a proclamation that recognized physicians for the work that they do. This day, now known as National Doctors’ Day, is celebrated on March 30th and was created to thank physicians for their tireless contributions to our well-being as a society.

This year, the MediSys Health Network celebrated this national observance by hosting a special breakfast to honor our doctors. On Wednesday, March 27th, doctors at Jamaica Hospital were treated to a feast and the following day, Flushing Hospital doctors received a morning meal in their honor. Both events were hosted by Bruce Flanz; President and CEO, Dr. Sabiha Raoof; Chief Medical Officer, and many other hospital administrators who all showed their appreciation to our physicians. In addition to being treated to a delicious breakfast, every doctor at both hospitals received a gift for their hard work and dedication.

The MediSys Health Network is grateful to the hundreds of physicians who work in many different areas and contribute to the wellness of the men, women, and children in our communities.