This week, a group of judges convened in the office of Jamaica Hospital’s Volunteer Department to determine the winner of the 2018 MediSys Thanksgiving Basket Contest.

In the spirit of goodwill and a little competition, many departments across the MediSys Health Network submitted a total of 55 beautifully decorated baskets filled with Thanksgiving food items.

The criteria for Best Basket included originality, thoughtfulness and design.  The judges were shown a variety of baskets and boxes that ranged in sizes and were adorned in festive colors.

Three finalists were selected based on overall appearance and the number of food items collected; they included Jamaica Hospital’s Quality Improvement Department, the Ambulatory Care Nursing Staff, as well as the hospital’s Epic Training Team.  The judges made a unanimous decision, and the Quality Improvement Department received first prize.

Although a winner was selected, the best prize received in this year’s competition was the collective generosity of all the departments that participated.  All Thanksgiving gift basket donated will be given to local families in need.  We are happy that we were able to do our part in bringing members of our community a Happy Thanksgiving.

Monday, October 22^nd  was the first meeting of the Needle Arts Community.

This program was initiated by Emilia Escamilla-Rebaza, RN, Assistant Director of Patient Experience, Sharon Narducci, RN Chief Quality Officer, and Susan Iovino RN, Interim Chief Nursing Officer with the purpose of bringing hospital employees together for an hour each month to relax and learn from one another how enjoyable the needle arts can be. Research has also shown that needle arts have many health benefits that include:

• Reducing stress
• Reducing depression and anxiety
• Providing a distraction from chronic pain
• Increasing the sense of well being

One of the objectives of the Needle Arts Community is to allow members of our staff to spend one hour a month during their lunch break to socialize with other employees that they might not have a chance otherwise to interact with. It is a known fact that if staff members are happy they will make a greater effort to provide our patients with a better overall experience.

The Needle Arts Community will meet on the second Monday of every month at noon in the fifth-floor conference room of the “D” Building. Further information can be obtained by contacting Ms. Escamilla-Rebaza at extension 8983.

Join us in congratulating Klara Gavrilov, RN; Veronica Zafonte, R.Ph.; and Dr. Mahendra (MC) Patel 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, fill out the Good Catch Form and send by interoffice mail to Letha Walters, PI Department, Axel Building 4th floor or call ext. 8409 to leave a message.

To help continue to meet the educational requirements of the hundreds of members of our professional staff, Flushing Hospital Medical Center was recently awarded Accreditation with Commendation for its Continuing Medical Education (CME) Program by the Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY).

The six-year accreditation will allow Flushing Hospital to continue to provide attending physicians, residents, midwives and other medical professionals across the MediSys Health Network the opportunity to receive the necessary continuing medical education credits needed to fulfill their annual requirements. Every year, Flushing Hospital offers hundreds of free opportunities to our clinical staff to gather their CME credits through regularly scheduled departmental conferences and seminars.

Although Flushing Hospital has been offering CME credit opportunities for decades, this is the first time that the hospital has received accreditation with commendation. This additional designation highlights that Flushing Hospital not only met but exceeded all of the expectations set forth by the MSSNY for maintaining its CME status.

This status was made possible through the leadership and guidance of Dr. Alessandro Solinas, MD, Associate Chairman, Department of Medicine, and Frances Goulston, Coordinator, Continuing Medical Education.

“We are honored that MSSNY has appreciated our hard work and we are pleased by the recognition of the strong academic foundation in all the activities performed at FHMC,” said Dr. Solinas.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center plays a key role in the formation and direction of CME activities across their entire CME program. The hospital shows complete flexibility in planning and carrying out continuing education activities.  The CME Committee members work closely with various hospital departments to develop highly informative educational seminars.

The administration and employees at Flushing Hospital congratulate our Continuing Medical Education program on a job well done.

Robert Levine, Executive Vice President and COO. accepting a check on behalf of Flushing Hospital

On Friday evening October 13^th, Angels on the Bay held their 23rd 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 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 $3.8 million dollars to help these causes.

This year, the MediSys Health Network and others 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 $700,000 in donations from Angels on the Bay.

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

Jamaica Hospital was recently awarded the Stony Wold-Herbert Community Grant which will be used to train one of the hospital’s Respiratory Therapist (RT) to become a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C).

An asthma educator is a health professional who, in addition to their clinical licensure training, has earned a certification from the National Asthma Educator Certification Board. Becoming an asthma educator requires passing the National Asthma Certification Exam.

Queens has one of the highest asthma-related emergency department visit rates in New York City; and while there is a downward trend in hospital admission rates, Queens is still among the highest. Research has shown that patient education and disease self-management can help reduce emergency department visits and hospitalizations due to asthma.

Our Respiratory Therapist / Certified Asthma Educator will work with Discharge Planning over a five-month period, approximately ten hours per week, seeing patients who are being discharged to educate them on their disease as well as the use of medications and self- management.

While Jamaica Hospital’s overall goal is to decrease emergency room visits and hospitalizations, we also hope to improve the quality of life for our patients who suffer from asthma, as well as their families through this effort.

On Wednesday, September 12, 2018, Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) hosted its annual Celebration 2018 Dinner Gala, at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach.

Each year, our Celebration event receives overwhelming support from the hospital’s administration and staff, as well as members of the community.

President and CEO, Bruce J. Flanz welcomed over 400 guests to the venue and offered his heartfelt gratitude to this year’s honorees, each chosen for their devotion and contributions to Flushing Hospital, its patients, and the surrounding community.

Celebration 2018 honorees included Neil Mandava; MD, Chairman, Department of Surgery, Ruben Silvestre; RN, Chief Nursing Officer and Emilio Villegas; MD, President & CEO, Excelsior Medical IPA.

Each honoree addressed the crowd of supporters, thanking them and relaying why they were honored to have been chosen to receive their award.

Mr. Flanz concluded the program by thanking all the honorees for their outstanding work, and those who were in attendance for their continued support.

The guests spent the rest of the night enjoying a wonderful dinner and fun-filled dance floor. As in years past, a great night was had by all.

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 Louisa Massengill RN and Rafael Ortiz.

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

Join us in congratulating Kasandra Cardona; Social Worker, Radica Rampersaud; Respiratory Therapist, Kavita Soni; Respiratory Therapist, Jessy Rivas; RN, Dr. Kamica Lewis; Family  Medicine Attending Physician and Regal Khan; Manager Environmental Services, for 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, fill out the Good Catch Form and send by interoffice mail to Letha Walters, PI Department, Axel Building 4th floor or call ext. 8409 to leave a message.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) employees hit another grand slam on Saturday, September 8, 2018, at their Second Annual Softball Tournament and Family Day.

Employees from  Flushing Hospital participated in playing ball, volunteering, cheerleading or just being a spectator. Teams of players from Jamaica Hospital and Healthfirst also participated in the day’s festivities.

The event took place at Cunningham Park where employees and their families were treated to a delicious BBQ,  home-cooked specialties, face painting, and healthy snacks.

“Once again, we came together as a team and played hard.  It was great to see people that we work with every day, participate in this event.  I really believe that the comradery that was built on Saturday will carry over to the workplace and help lift the morale of our employees” stated Rob Arbitello, the event organizer.

FHMC leaders Bruce Flanz; President and CEO, Robert Levine; VP and COO, and Catherine Ferrari; Administrator, were on hand to watch the game and encourage the teams, They joined employees’ family members in cheering for every run scored.

“I want to thank our hospital’s Administration for their support. Knowing they were on the sidelines really meant a lot.  The event takes time to prepare, but it is a labor of love.” stated Rob Arbitello. “Healthfirst is a true partner in this event and they are this year’s Champs!”

The Second Annual Softball Tournament and Family Day was an even bigger success than last year’s tournament.  The hospital is looking forward to the 2019 gathering and games.