The opioid epidemic continues to plague New York City communities.  According to the City’s Department of Health, there were 694 confirmed overdose deaths from January to June 2018, and a fatal drug overdose reported every six hours.

More New Yorkers die as a result of a drug overdose than homicides, suicides and motor vehicle accidents combined.

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center which operates one of the City’s busiest emergency departments has experienced firsthand the detriment the epidemic has caused.  Last year, the hospital’s emergency department treated over 200 patients for opioid drug overdoses.

“Over the years, we have seen the numbers continue to increase significantly. This epidemic has profoundly affected many individuals and families. Opioid addiction has impacted all genders, ages, ethnicities and those of all socioeconomic backgrounds,” explained Dr. Geoffrey Doughlin, Chairman of Emergency Medicine.  “No group is untouched.”

“At Jamaica Hospital our goal is to improve the health of our community in all aspects. We are committed to doing all that we can to combat the opioid crisis,” shared Dr. Shi-Wen Lee, Vice Chairman of Emergency Medicine.  In addition to providing life-saving treatments in the emergency department, the hospital is the first in Queens to participate in New York City’s Relay program.

The Relay program, which launched in 2017 under HealingNYC, targets survivors of opioid overdoses who are at high risk for a future, fatal overdose.  According to New York City’s Department of Health, “In the hours after someone survives an opioid overdose, a trained Relay “Wellness Advocate” meets with the survivor in the hospital emergency department to offer overdose risk reduction counseling, overdose rescue training, and an overdose prevention kit containing naloxone. Participating hospitals can contact Relay at any hour of the day or night, on every day of the year, and a Wellness Advocate aims to arrive within the hour. Wellness Advocates stay in contact with overdose survivors for up to 90 days and connect them to appropriate services”

“Jamaica Hospital is proud to work in collaboration with Relay. We have made over 50 patient referrals since the program’s inception at our facility in August 2018,” said Joshua Sclair, Emergency Medicine Administrator.  The hospital’s participation in the initiative offers the community resources that can potentially reduce the number of overdose deaths and provide access to supportive services.

Any person in need of treatment for their addiction can come to the emergency department at Jamaica Hospital and receive help. The hospital has designated detoxification beds and staff that are specially trained to help patients with their treatment.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Katherine McKenzie, Attending Physician; Surgery, and
Todd Hartmann, Physical Therapist 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.

Last year, as part of the network’s Corporate Wellness program, the MediSys Health Network partnered with the Fitbit Corporation to offer employees the opportunity to purchase fitness trackers at a discounted price and improve their health as part of the network’s Corporate Wellness Program.

The response has been overwhelmingly positive to this initiative! Since the inception of the program, over 170 employees and family members took advantage of this offer and purchased Fitbit trackers. Participants had the opportunity to enroll in fitness challenges and games such as most steps taken, most stairs climbed, and most calories burned. These friendly challenges were established to motivate employees to live a healthier lifestyle through exercise.

The results of the challenges were tallied.

MediSys employees walked an amazing 99,268 miles (or the equivalent of four times around the earth). They climbed over 150,00 flights of stairs and were active for over one million minutes.

The MediSys Health Network would like to congratulate our top five “steppers”

These results affirm the MediSys Health Network’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of our employees. It also demonstrates how excited members of the MediSys were to join this program and participate in the fitness challenges.

For all those who have not yet joined the network’s Fitbit wellness program, please contact Program Administrator, Josh Sclair at [email protected] or 718-206-8918 to become a part of a challenge.

Celebrating the first baby of the New Year is always a special event at Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

This year, Jamaica Hospital had the honor of delivering the first baby born in Queens.

On January 1st, each hospital welcomed these two bundles of joy:

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Baby Girl:  Baby Girl Parasram

Weight: 5 lbs 10.8 oz

Length: 18 ”

Time: 12:55  A.M. on 1/1/19

Flushing Hospital Medical Center

Baby Boy:  Simon Thu

Weight: 7 lbs 8.5 oz

Length: 20 “

Time: 4:14 AM on 1/1/19

Congratulations to the families, we wish them a lifetime of happiness. A special thank you to the staff who assisted with these deliveries.

On Thursday evening December 6, 2018, The Queens Chamber of Commerce held their Annual Building Awards and Gala at Terrace on the Park.

For over 90 years, the Queens Chamber of Commerce has been honoring architects, builders, engineers, lenders, interior designers and owners of buildings and building projects in Queens County.

This year, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center was the recipient of an award in the healthcare category for Best Re-adaptive Use of Space. The award was in recognition of the Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care’s construction in what was once the Traumatic Brain Injury and Rehabilitation area of the hospital’s “C” Building.

The renovated hospice unit boasts 10 private in-patient rooms as well as a family meeting area and lounge; all of which includes many upgraded features and amenities. “Every detail from room design to lighting was carefully selected with the comfort of our patients in mind,” explained Hans Kuenstler; Jamaica Hospital Director of Construction.

Jamaica Hospital is honored to receive this prestigious award from the Queens Chamber of Commerce. It is a reflection of our hospital’s commitment to providing our patients with the very best in all aspects of care.

On November 14^th, Jamaica Hospital’s Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care hosted an art exhibit in observation of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month.

The pieces were created with the intention of providing hospice patients and their families with visual escapes to serene gardens, countrysides, beaches, and plains.

Over two dozen pieces of art were painted and donated by amateur artists from the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District. The paintings took three to eight weeks to complete by students varying in ages from 18 to 92. All works of art were painted in either oil or acrylic.

“The students come from varying backgrounds in occupation, culture and family settings but all have this bond of commonality in art.  What is amazing is that they can use their love of art to help patients in need of comfort at a difficult time, at the end of life,” shared Marion Arbuco, Director of the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District

There has always been a correlation between art and health care. Art can evoke positive emotions beneficial in helping patients during their healing process. It can also serve as a respite for those going through a difficult period toward the end of life.

Hospice care is a specialized kind of care provided to those who are facing the advanced stages of life-limiting illnesses.  This specialty focuses on making patients as comfortable as possible while receiving treatment and support from an integrative health care team.  At Jamaica Hospital’s Ferrara Family Center for Hospice Care, a high priority is placed on making sure that a person’s last days are spent in comfort and dignity.  Many amenities are provided to patients on the unit that promote serenity and allow them to feel more at home.

“Providing our patients and families with a sense of serenity during a difficult time is very important to our staff.  The art painted by the students from the Community Learning Center of the Clarkstown School District will help us to create a tranquil space. We are thankful to the students for dedicating their time and donating these beautiful paintings.” said Dr. Alan Roth, Chief of Palliative Care Medicine at Jamaica Hospital.

To read more about the art exhibit in the Queens Courier, please click https://qns.com/story/2018/11/15/jamaica-hospital-receives-artwork-renovated-hospice-care-center/

A characteristic that has become synonymous with Jamaica Hospital’s high level of service is our ability to promote a strong sense of community among our staff and patients.

Over the years, several initiatives have been implemented to ensure patient satisfaction and foster positive experiences.  One that continuously receives excellent feedback from our patients is the Happy Birthday Telegram program.

In 2016, Jamaica Hospital’s Central Transport Services division began the program as an effort to help patients admitted to our hospital feel special on their birthdays. “Being in a hospital during your birthday isn’t the most ideal situation, so we try to bring some light to the day,” explained Arleen Reinoso, Director of Central Transport.

“The patient experience is very important to our team; we believe that happiness and genuine acts of kindness help with the healing process, “shared Reinoso.  To cheer up patients on their special day, Central Transport delivers a personalized birthday card, along with a puzzle and a small gift.  The team also surprises patients by gathering together to sing the Happy Birthday song. “It is special to see the patients’ reaction when we sing to them; it’s even more amazing for me to see the staff so engaged and happy to do this for the patients. We even include the clinical staff on the unit in the celebration so the patient feels extra special,” said Reinoso.

Successfully running the program has been a collaborative effort between, Central Transport Services, the Epic Patient Access Team, and all clinical staff who join in during the celebrations.

A satisfied patient is our hospital’s greatest reward.  We thank everyone who participates in the Happy Birthday Telegram program and other initiatives created to improve patient satisfaction.

Join us in congratulating nurses Chenfei Huang, Intensive Care Unit; Stella Egbo, Michelle Si and Yelana Abayeva, Emergency Department, for their Good Catch!

Every month, Flushing 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 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.

To report a Good Catch, fill out the Good Catch Form and send by interoffice mail to Rehana Jamali, Pharmacy,  email [email protected] or call ext. 5415 to leave a message.

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.