FHMC Patient Safety Awareness Week

Last week, Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center celebrated Patient Safety Awareness Week.

The observance is an initiative promoted by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the National Patient Safety Foundation to increase awareness of the importance of patient safety among healthcare professionals and the public.

This year’s campaign focused on fostering a safety culture and encouraging patient engagement. Both hospitals hosted a series of events that engaged the community as well as staff.

At Flushing Hospital, various departments collaborated in providing information used for an educational display that demonstrated the importance of infection control, as well as safety measures for fall prevention. Brochures and other reading materials were also made available in the hospital’s main lobby.

Jamaica Hospital celebrated all week long by engaging the community and employees in a number of activities that included hand sanitizer giveaways; 675 hand gels were distributed during the “Got Soap” hand hygiene campaign. Departments participating in Patient Safety Awareness Week performed Environment of Care (EOC) rounds on 25 patient care units to ensure health and safety requirements were up to par. Hospital guests and employees were also invited to take part in patient-safety related raffles as well as games such as Wheel of Fortune.

One of the highlights of Patient Safety Awareness Week at Jamaica Hospital was the debut of the “Scrubbing in Finesse” music video.  The video, a collaborative effort of several departments, was created to show the community- in a fun and educational way- the many safety measures practiced by staff to ensure patient safety. Scrubbing in Finesse was well received and enjoyed by many.

Patient Safety Awareness Week was a success at Jamaica and Flushing Hospital. We look forward to next year’s creative and educational contributions.

In an effort to encourage employees to improve their health, the MediSys Health Network has partnered with the Fitbit Corporation to offer staff the opportunity to purchase fitness trackers at a discounted price.

As part of their Corporate Wellness Program and partnership with MediSys, Fitbit will offer Network employees a 20% discount on a variety of trackers. To further incentivize staff to join the program, MediSys has agreed to pay an additional $20 towards the purchase price.

Those who are interested in taking advantage of this offer, which began on March 15^th, should visit the specially created MediSys Fitbit storefront at www.fitbit.com/welcome/medisys and enter a special promo code, (three zeros plus your Kronos identification number). Each employee is permitted to purchase up to two trackers.

After your tracker arrives in the mail, simply download the Fitbit app, follow the enrollment instructions, and join the MediSys Wellness Program.  Employees who already own a Fitbit tracker can still participate. All they have to do is contact the Program Administrator, who will invite them to join.

Once employees are enrolled, they can track their individual exercise statistics or share their activity with the rest of the group. Members will have the ability to participate in challenges and games that include: determining who has taken the most steps, who has climbed the most stairs, or who has burned the most calories. The purpose of these friendly challenges is to motivate employees to live a healthier lifestyle through exercise.

This offer is only available for the first 250 devices. For more information about joining the MediSys and Fitbit Corporate Wellness Program, please contact Program Administrator, Josh, Sclair at [email protected] or 718-206-8918.

The MediSys Health Network is introducing a new patient-friendly meal ordering system that will enable our Food and Nutrition staff to provide a more individualized and efficient dining experience for our patients and nursing home residents.

The new system is called CBORD Nutrition Service Suite and it was first implemented in early January at Jamaica Hospital and the Trump Pavilion and is expected to launch this month at Flushing Hospital.

The CBORD Nutrition Service Suite along with the Room Service Choice module was built to interface with each facility’s Electronic Medical Record system allowing for menu changes and diets to be reflected in real time. With this program,  a new host system was introduced which allows for greater menu selection, options, and most importantly honoring patients’ and residents’ choice. The host/hostess visits patients’ and residents’ rooms daily to obtain their selections for upcoming meals which are preloaded on a tablet. They offer an array of selections daily including multiple hot entrée items, cold entrees, salads, sandwiches, and snack items.

The Food and Nutrition Management Team hopes this will enhance patient and resident satisfaction, and optimize their nutritional status.  The system will also help to minimize food waste as patients and residents are now able to choose what they want to eat to meet their dietary needs.

The MediSys Health Network recently launched a website dedicated to the research efforts conducted at both Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

The new site, www.MedisysResearch.org offers a comprehensive database of the network’s clinical academic achievements, including a listing of poster presentations, performance improvement projects, clinical studies, as well as links to published articles. The website offers visitors the opportunity to search for a specific project by article type, author, or keyword.

Creating this site was the idea of Mr. Tony Maffia, Vice President of Psychiatry, who believed that such a site would provide a forum to showcase the many contributions Jamaica and Flushing Hospital are making in various fields of research to both an internal and external audience.

Construction of the site began in late 2017 and completion required the collaborative efforts of the Information Technology, Graduate Medical Education, Public Affairs, Medical Library, and Research Departments. The site was launched last month and it has received a great deal of positive feedback from many providers and members of our clinical leadership.

If you are interested in learning more about the site or would like to submit a project for inclusion, please contact Kelly Cervillione, Director of Research at 718-206-5800 or email her at [email protected]

Being admitted to a hospital or having to undergo a procedure can be a very stressful and even scary experience for many patients and their families, and that is especially true when that patient is a child.

In an effort to reduce the stress of our pediatric patients and offer a calming distraction for them, Flushing Hospital Medical Center is now offering children an escape from the hospital environment with the help of the Samsung Applied Virtual Reality headset. This state-of-the-art, interactive tool was purchased by Flushing Hospital thanks to a grant from the Child’s Play Foundation.

This fully mobile, virtual reality technology allows Flushing Hospital’s smallest patients to leave the confinement of their treatment area by taking them on a variety of exciting journeys. Pediatric patients can now relax on a sandy beach or tranquil ocean or they can visit any number of scenic destinations across the country and around the globe, including Los Angeles, Yellowstone National Park, London, Tibet, Iceland or Machu Picchu. The VR software is constantly being updated, offering patients an ever-expanding assortment of places to go to.

The headset is easy to operate and is being used to further assist Flushing Hospital’s Child Life Specialist while they care for patients. This technology offers an entertaining distraction to children when they are receiving important, yet typically anxiety-inducing treatments, such as blood draws, IV insertions, spinal taps, dressing changes and blood transfusions.

The virtual reality headset is utilized by most patients as it requires very little movement by the patient and it has proven to be very effective in helping children cope with stress associated with a clinical environment.

Patients as young as three years old have used the Samsung headsets and thus far, it has received an overwhelmingly positive response from both our patients and their parents. Both providers and family members have expressed that this technology has resulted in increased cooperation and enhanced comfort for our pediatric patients.

Flushing Hospital’s Pediatric Department is very grateful for this generous gift made possible by the Child’s Play Foundation and the staff is equally thrilled to have another tool to help them provide a positive atmosphere for our pediatric patients.

Last week, Dr. Alan Roth; Jamaica Hospital Chairman of Family Medicine and Palliative Care, participated in a one-on-one, studio interview with NY1 News anchor Shannan Ferry to discuss this year’s flu season and the hospital’s Antibiotic Stewardship program.

During an in-depth discussion, Dr. Roth informed viewers about the perils of antibiotics misuse and Jamaica Hospital’s initiatives to curb physicians overprescribing and patients overusing the drug.  “Patients need to be educated that antibiotics are only indicated for bacterial infections. So, if you have a viral infection such as the flu, antibiotics are not helpful at all, in fact, they can be harmful,” he explained.

Jamaica Hospital has developed measures to improve how antibiotics are prescribed by doctors and how patients are using them. As part of its efforts, the hospital has implemented tools to assist physicians in their electronic medical records and has used teaching aids from the CDC’s “Get Smart” public education campaign which includes posters and prescription pads explaining what illnesses are caused by virus vs bacteria, and  whether or not antibiotics are the best course of treatment respectively.

Dr. Roth also discussed factors that may have contributed to the heightened activity of this year’s flu season.  He reminded the public that while the flu shot is not 100% percent effective, it is recommended that people still get vaccinated because it is their best defense against the virus.

Jamaica Hospital strives to improve the overall wellness of the community it serves. Through initiatives such as the Antibiotic Stewardship Program, the hospital aims to provide patients with the information needed to help them lead a healthy life.

Watch the interview here:

Flushing Hospital Medical Center in conjunction with the New York Surgical Specialists (NYSS) group are proud to announce that they now offer a safe and effective, non-surgical alternative for individuals who struggle with obesity and have unsuccessfully tried to lose weight through conventional diet and exercise.

Weight loss specialists, Sanjeev Rajpal MD, Darshak Shah MD and Noman Khan MD are all excited that Flushing is one of the only hospitals in the area to offer our patients the revolutionary, Obalon weight loss system. Obalon is the first and only non-surgical, and completely non-invasive weight loss treatment option approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Patients who participate in the Obalon treatment swallow a small, coated capsule connected to a thin tube. Once the capsule is digested, it naturally dissolves and a small, lightweight gastric balloon unfolds. This balloon is then filled with medical gases via the tube before it is removed. This process is repeated two more times over a six month period. Each procedure only takes 10 minutes, requires no sedation and can be performed in the doctor’s office.

Once expanded, each to the size of a small orange, the three balloons work to facilitate weight loss by taking up space within the stomach, enabling patients to become fuller while eating less.

After six months the balloons are removed endoscopically while the patient is under light, conscious sedation.

Throughout the entire three-stage, six month process, patients will receive nutritional and exercise support from Flushing Hospital’s weight loss team.

The Obalon Weight Loss System offers many benefits to those patients, who do not qualify for, or are seeking an alternative to bariatric surgery, including:

• Obalon is clinically proven to be twice as effective as diet and exercise alone
• There are minimal risks or side effects
• No sedation is required and the entire procedure only takes 10 minutes
• Obalon is affordable as compared to other surgical weight loss options, but it is not currently covered by most insurance providers
• Patients can resume their normal daily lifestyle immediately
• The procedure is completely reversible

Not everyone is a candidate for the Obalon weight loss system. To qualify, patients must be:

• At least 22 years old
• Have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30-40
• Have not had any form of weight loss surgery
• Are actively attempting to lose weight through diet and exercise
• Are committed to maintaining a healthy lifestyle during and after treatment

To learn more information about the Obalon weight loss system, or to make an appointment with one of our highly qualified physicians, please call 718-670-8908 to schedule an appointment at Flushing Hospital or 718-408-6977 to schedule an appointment at New York Surgical Specialists.

The flu is widespread in New York. In a recent report from the New York State Department of Health, it was found that the number of patients hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza has increased by more than 50% in recent weeks.

The emergency room and outpatient facilities at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center have reported higher than average numbers of flu-related cases. In fact, preliminary data indicates the hospital has received nearly as many flu cases in January and February of this year than it has all of last year.

Heightened activity this flu season, and the severity of symptoms caused by the virus has led to a pattern of which hospital physicians such as Dr. Luigi Tullo have been keeping a watchful eye.  “As the cold and flu season approaches its peak, more patients are going to their physicians in hope of receiving antibiotics,” shared Dr. Tullo.   “Unfortunately, many think that antibiotics are the answer but they are not best when treating the flu.”

Antibiotics are appropriate when treating bacterial infections, but not for viruses such as the flu. Over-prescribing antibiotics can lead to the drugs becoming less effective when they are really needed.

Dr. Tullo, a Family Medicine physician and his colleagues, along with the assistance of the United Hospital Fund developed the Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Program at Jamaica Hospital in an effort to educate our community about the proper uses of antibiotics.

As part of its community outreach, the program has utilized several avenues of communication such as posters, prescription pads and patient to doctor discussions to inform people about the hazards of antibiotics misuse.   Recently, Dr. Tullo participated in an interview with NY1 News in hopes to reach the public and educate everyone who watched.

Jamaica Hospital strives to do the best for our patients and hopes that through our efforts, we can improve the long-term health of the community. Since the implementation of the hospital’s Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship program, a preliminary review has shown a 32% decline in total antibiotics prescribed and a 39.9% decrease in antibiotics prescribed for Acute Respiratory Illnesses.

Watch the NY1 Interview Here:

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

The class will be taught by the hospital’s own Janis Sharkey, Clinical Nurse Manager, who specializes in holistic care.  It will focus on applying principles of the Alexander Technique and Cantienica to stretch and strengthen muscles, as well as improve balance. Postures and movements are similar to Yoga.

Stretch and Release will begin on February 1st and will take place every Thursday at 5:15 pm at the MediFit Gym at Jamaica Hospital. Employees are encouraged to attend.