Contact:

Phyllis Fisher

(212) 606-1197

fisherp@hss.edu

Tracy Hickenbottom

(212) 606-1197

hickenbottomt@hss.edu

New York City – June 30, 2009 – A new report on infection rates from the New York State Department of Health singles out Hospital for Special Surgery as the only hospital in New York State with a statistically lower rate of surgical site infection (SSI) compared to the state average for hip replacement/revision surgery.

“We emphasize infection control as a best practice,” said Thomas P. Sculco, M.D., surgeon–in-chief of Hospital for Special Surgery, “and strive to maintain it at every level of patient care – from washing hands to a clean and safe environment for our patients in the operating room and the entire hospital.”

Get an Insider’s look at a Unique Facility Where Medicine and Wellness Come Together

Event:   The New York Hospital Queens Cardiac Health Center will host an open house for the community to familiarize Queens residents with the higher level of services available for heart disease prevention and recovery right here in Queens. The open house will include live demonstrations and educational lectures on:

• Healthy cooking (NOT dieting!) by a nutritionist
• Stress reduction techniques by a stress psychologist
• Cardiac surgery, cardiac rehabilitation and living with diabetes
• Alternative medicine exhibitions, including acupuncture, yoga, tai chi and reiki (a Japanese technique designed to provide relaxation and healing by improving our sense of balance)

For more information, contact Scott Sieber at 718-670-1579.

When:              Thursday, July 9, 2009 from 6-8 p.m.

Where:             NYHQ Cardiac Health Center

                         173-03 Horace Harding Expressway

                         Fresh Meadows, NY 11365

Who:    July 9th event is open to the public and news media.  

Background:     The Cardiac Health Center was created for the purpose of cardiac rehabilitation. It provides services to those who have heart disease or want to decrease the risk of heart disease.

www.nyhq.org

Bolton Landing, N.Y. – June 25, 2009 – The Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) has awarded its ninth annual Pinnacle Award for Quality and Patient Safety to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Winthrop-University Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital at Amsterdam, and Stony Brook University Medical Center for their efforts in developing and implementing initiatives to improve care in each facility.

Caption:  Dr. Eliot Lazar, Vice President of Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System, and Chief Quality Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (right), accepts Pinnacle Award on behalf of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

HANYS created the Pinnacle Award for Quality Improvement in 2001 to recognize member hospitals and health care systems that significantly improve the health and safety of their patients. The program recognizes and encourages broad dissemination of successful quality improvement and patient safety initiatives.  

In the Mult-Entity or System Award, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City was honored for its effort to promote a culture of safety.  The Hospital implemented “Patient Safety Fridays: A Method for Advancing a Culture of Safety,” across its five campuses, where each Friday, up to 1,000 members of the entire management staff convene at each site for a one-hour session on one clinical and one environment of care topic.  Through this process, the organization addressed 65 environments of care and 100 clinical measures throughout the year.  Major improvements have achieved in areas such as: hand hygiene compliance, which increased from 70% to 96%; medication reconciliation compliance, which improved from 76% to 100%; and patient verification compliance, which improved from 78% to 100%.

Winthrop-UniversityHospital received the Large Hospital Award for its program “Changing the Prescribing Culture through Systematic Processes,” which implemented an extensive computerized provider order entry (CPOE) system that improved the medical management practice.  To date, patient harm from medication variance decreased from 6% to less than 1%, telephone orders dropped from 14% to less than 1%, inappropriate proton pump inhibitors decreased by 55%, surgical care improvement project antibiotic measures increased to 100%, and venous thromboembolism prophylaxis increased from 74% to 100%.

 Contact:

Katherine Emmanouilidi

Manager, Marketing and Public Relations

(201) 833-7092

emmanouilidi@holyname.org

Nicole Russell
Public Relations Coordinator

(201) 833-3284
n-russell@mail.holyname.org

Teaneck, NJ – June 24, 2009 – More than 200 "guys" enjoyed a fun night geared toward men's health and wellness at "Guys Night Out" sponsored by Holy Name Hospital through the Spirit of Women program. Holy Name is the only Spirit of Women hospital in the northeast and the first institution to hold the Guys Night Out event. "Holy Name was thrilled to be the pilot hospital for this event," states Suzanne Juliano, R.N., M.S., C.N.N., Spirit of Women Coordinator at Holy Name Hospital.

A highlight of the evening was the keynote speaker, George Martin, former New York Giant (1975-1988) and member of the New Jersey Sports Hall of Fame. In his address, Mr. Martin stressed the urgency of preventative healthcare and essential screenings. He emphasized the importance of maintaining good health not only for oneself, but for family members who love and depend on their father, spouse, or son. After his inspirational speech, fans were invited to have photographs taken with the defensive end while he signed autographs.

Captions (Clockwise) 

Jane Ellis, Vice President, Marketing/Public Relations/Community Health Holy Name Hospital, Guy McClurkan, Director and Executive Hospital Strategist, Spirit of Women Health Network, Tanya Abreu, President and National Program Director, Spirit of Women Health Network and Sheryl Slonim, Senior Vice President Patient Care Services, Holy Name Hospital.

Representative from Golf Tec explaining to a guest how they can improve their golf swing through the Golf Swing Analyzer. 

George Martin, Former New York Giant and Michael Maron, President and Chief Executive Officer, Holy Name Hospital. 

Contact:

Katherine Emmanouilidi

Manager, Marketing and Public Relations

(201) 833-7092

emmanouilidi@holyname.org

Teaneck, NJ – June 24, 2009 – For more than 80 years, Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, N.J., has provided healthcare excellence, compassionate medical and nursing care, and introduced technological advances in patient care. Continuing with its tradition of "first-rate patient care," Holy Name Hospital installed Swisslog's PillPick® automated drug management system.

The PillPick automated drug management system reduces medication errors by limiting the number of hands each dose must pass through to get to the patient. PillPick dispenses over 5,000 unit doses daily to Holy Name's 360 beds. The PillPick system's integrated components automate packaging, dispensing and storage while minimizing human intervention. The packaging modules prepare unit doses from bulk stock, and can over-wrap vials, cups, ampoules, syringes and blisters.