Contact:

Andrew Klein
(212) 821-0560

ank2017@med.cornell.edu

New York, NY – December 30, 2010 – The brain under general anesthesia isn't "asleep" as surgery patients are often told—it is placed into a state that is a reversible coma, according to three neuroscientists who have published an extensive review of general anesthesia, sleep and coma, in the Dec. 30 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. This insight and others reported in their review article could eventually lead to new approaches to general anesthesia and improved diagnosis and treatment for sleep abnormalities and emergence from coma.

Helen Hayes Hospital will host a Basic Adapted Yoga program designed specifically for people of varying abilities. Classes will meet on six Wednesdays, including January 5, 12 and 19 and February 2, 9 and 16, 2011. All classes meet from 12:00 Noon to 12:50 p.m. in the Auditorium at the physical rehabilitation hospital in West Haverstraw.

Yoga improves circulation, range of motion, flexibility and endurance. It also helps to reduce stress and lower blood pressure.

This winter, Belleayre Mountain in Highmount, New York and Helen Hayes Hospital will be hosting a series of Adaptive Skiing Workshops. The events, which are open to individuals with disabilities, are being held in conjunction with Helen Hayes Hospital’s Adapted Sports and Recreation Program and are free of charge.

Adaptive Skiing Workshops are scheduled on Sundays on the following dates:

January 9 & 23

February 6, 20 & 27

March 6

Two sessions will be offered on each day: from 8:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

The February 27 program is also Adaptive Awareness Day at Belleayre and will feature several fundraising events on the mountain for the adapted skiing program. 

Contact:

Maureen Curran Kleinman

Marketing and Communications

(201) 291-6310

mcurran@valleyhealth.com

Ridgewood, NJ – December 17, 2010 – Once again, Valley has been ranked No. 1 by patients. More people would recommend The Valley Hospital to their friends and family than any other general acute care hospital in New Jersey, according to the latest government-released Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) figures.  Valley has consistently held the top spot among general acute care hospitals over the last two years.  In addition, in the latest HCAHPS release, more patients gave Valley an overall ranking of 9 or 10 (out of 10) than any other general acute care hospital in the state.

The figures, released in December, show that 84 percent of Valley patients said they “would definitely recommend the hospital.”  By comparison, statewide, only 65 percent of New Jersey patients would recommend their hospital to others. The survey also indicated that 77 percent of Valley patients ranked their overall satisfaction with the hospital as a nine or a 10 on a 10-point scale. Statewide, only 61 percent of patients in New Jersey rated their overall hospital satisfaction that favorably.

Contact:

Linda Kamateh
(212) 821-0560
lib9027@med.cornell.edu

New York, NY – December 16, 2010 - With the publication of the nation's first comprehensive, federally funded guide to hospital emergency preparedness exercise development, Dr. Nathaniel Hupert at Weill Cornell Medical College and his collaborators have provided a new toolset for strengthening hospitals' ability to protect communities nationwide against public health disasters, such as creating care centers during an influenza pandemic or treating casualties in the wake of a bioterrorism attack.

Contact:

Cynthia Bacon

Director, Public Affairs

(718) 670-2515

crm9002@nyp.org

Flushing, N.Y. – December 15, 2010 – New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ) has elected a new member to the Board of Trustees, the hospital’s governing body. Kanak Golia, president and chief executive officer of the Perfume Center of America, is the 23rd member of the board.

With only 16 months experience in the perfume industry, Mr. Golia started the Perfume Center of America. Today, his company stocks over 4,000 items under one roof, all from well-known brands from France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the United States. Under his leadership, the company, which was founded in 1993, hit the $100 million mark in just seven years. 

Chairman of the NYHQ Board, George F. Heinrich, M.D., stated, “Kanak Golia has shown himself to be a great entrepreneur and philanthropist. He has a great vision and commitment to better peoples’ lives in our community and in his hometown in India. His commitment for growth and new opportunities right here in Queens makes him a great addition to our Board.”

Contact:

Anthony Ercolano

Special Projects

(212) 801-1702

anthony.ercolano@downtownhospital.org

New York Downtown Hospital wishes to thank all those who contributed to the success of this year’s Gala. This magnificent celebration helped raise over $1.1 million for the Hospital. Honored at this year’s event were Mrs. Lai Wah Fung, who received the Elizabeth Blackwell M.D. Medal, the Hospital’s highest honor, recognizing her 14 years of wise stewardship as a Hospital Trustee, and her efforts to make health care available to all; Dr. Ronald M. Krinick, who received the Distinguished Physician Award for his 25 years of leadership as an Orthopaedic Surgeon and Hospital Trustee; and Albert Capsouto, who received the Community Service Award posthumously, for his lifetime of dedication to our Downtown community and his loyal advocacy for the recovery of Lower Manhattan post 9/11.  

Contact:

Anthony Ercolano

Special Projects

(212) 801-1702

anthony.ercolano@downtownhospital.org

Mr. Jeff Menkes, Hospital President and CEO; Dr. Antonio Dajer, Chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine; Leah Borenstein, RN, Interim Chief Nursing Officer; and Arlene Eastman, RN, Administrative Director of the Department of Emergency Medicine, recognized the various Hospital departments responsible for the Hospital’s acknowledgment in the “America’s Best Hospitals” issue of US News & World Report (August 2010) for its achievement in using evidence-based guidelines to provide the best possible care to patients through The American Heart / Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® program. The Hospital received the Gold Plus Performance Achievement Award for its Stroke Service.

Contact:

Maureen Curran Kleinman

Marketing and Communications

(201) 291-6310

mcurran@valleyhealth.com

Ridgewood, NJ – December 14, 2010 – The Valley Hospital Center for Women’s Heart Health has been selected as a recipient of a New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) 2011 Community Outreach Award. The award program, established by the NJHA’s Health Research and Educational Trust of New Jersey, recognizes hospitals with unique and effective methods of reaching out to better serve the healthcare needs of area residents.

The Center for Women’s Heart Health was recognized in the category of Preventing Disease and Injury for its community outreach efforts to raise awareness of the cause, symptoms and prevalence of heart disease in women. The goal of the center is to educate women on preventing, diagnosing and treating heart disease.

“All of us at the Center for Women’s Heart Health would like to offer a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to those who have given us support,” said Pat Delaney, Director of the Center.  “Without your help we would not have been able to reach so many women.”

The Valley Hospital and the Center for Women’s Heart Health will be honored in February at the New Jersey Hospital Association’s 92^nd Annual Meeting in Princeton.

The Center for Women’s Heart Health, part of The Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, offers a free comprehensive Heart Risk Assessment for women. Call 201-447-8125 for more information or to make an appointment.

Contact:

Maureen Curran Kleinman

Marketing and Communications

(201) 291-6310

mcurran@valleyhealth.com

Ridgewood, NJ – December 14, 2010 – Lawrence E. Harrision, M.D., has joined The Valley Hospital’s Daniel & Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center as director of surgical oncology, bringing with him New Jersey’s only dedicated HIPEC program for the treatment of advanced abdominal and gynecologic malignancies.

When combined with surgery to remove the cancerous tumor, HIPEC -- hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy -- can improve the quality of life and extend the life span of patients with cancers that have begun in the abdomen or have spread there from other areas of the body. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Harrison has used HIPEC to treat more than 100 select patients and has conducted clinical trials to study the treatment’s safety and effectiveness. In the metropolitan New York/New Jersey area, there is no other physician with as much experience with HIPEC as Dr. Harrision.

“The addition of Dr. Harrison to our Cancer Center and the establishment of his HIPEC program here raises the bar for cancer care at The Valley Hospital, and opens up a new avenue of treatment for patients with advanced cancers,” says Robert J. Korst, M.D., medical director of the Daniel & Gloria Blumenthal Cancer Center and director of thoracic surgery at Valley.

Contact:

Andrew Klein
(212) 821-0560

ank2017@med.cornell.edu

 New York, NY – December 13, 2010 – Multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer in which malignant plasma cells are overproduced in the bone marrow, has led to an estimated 20,000 new diagnoses and 11,000 deaths in 2010. Patients with the disease, who have already failed previous treatments, may be considered for a currently enrolling Phase II study, examining a unique drug combination.

Contact:

Maureen Curran Kleinman

Marketing and Communications

(201) 291-6310

mcurran@valleyhealth.com

Ridgewood, NJ – December 13, 2010 – The Valley Hospital’s weight loss (bariatric) surgery program has once again been named a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).  The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

Valley’s program earned this prestigious designation following an extensive application process and site review, as well as scrutiny of patient data and health outcomes. Valley was awarded a three-year recertification, which is reserved for those applicants who meet or exceed the requirements outlined by the ASMBS.

Contact:

Maureen Curran Kleinman

Marketing and Communications

(201) 291-6310

mcurran@valleyhealth.com

Ridgewood, NJ – December 13, 2010 – The Valley Hospital, located in Ridgewood, N.J., has been recognized for service excellence for an eighth consecutive time under the J.D. Power and Associates Distinguished Hospital Program.SM This distinction acknowledges a strong commitment by The Valley Hospital to provide “An Outstanding Inpatient Experience.”

The Valley Hospital is the only hospital to receive this designation for eight consecutive years, and was the first in the tri-state area to receive this recognition.

Caption:  Valley employees join President and CEO Audrey Meyers in celebrating the hospital’s 8th consecutive recognition for service excellence by J.D. Power and Associates.

Contact:

Cynthia Bacon

Director, Public Affairs

(718) 670-2515

crm9002@nyp.org

Flushing, NY – December 9, 2010 – This year New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ) reached a milestone in an annual presentation of toys to representatives from the U.S. Army at the eighth FreeMat (The Freedom Medical Aid Team) ceremony. The number of toys distributed to children of those soldiers who are stationed overseas at holiday time has now reached over 10,000 in the eight years the hospital has held the collection. Brigadeer General Cornelius from the 800 MP Division accepted the toys on behalf of the men and women who are serving overseas at this time. 

Pictured are L to R Senator-elect Tony Avella, Assemblywoman Grace Meng, Senator Toby Stavisky, Councilman Peter Koo, Stephen S. Mills, President & CEO, NYHQ, Peter Kwiath, Founder of FreeMat, Debra Pagano Cohen, Dir., Community & Government, NYHQ  and members of the U.S. Army.

Contact:

Linda Kamateh
(212) 821-0560
lib9027@med.cornell.edu

 New York, NY – December 9, 2010 – Dr. Daniel Cherqui, one of the world's leading liver surgeons, has joined NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center as chief of a newly created section of Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation.

Contact:

Karen Huxtable

Manager, Public and Media Relations

(607) 547-4581

karen.huxtable@bassett.org

Cooperstown, NY – December 9, 2010 – Their work on behalf of nursing statewide has earned two nurse leaders at Bassett Medical Center honors from the New York Organization of Nurse Executives (NYONE).

Each year the regional boards of NYONE select a leader from their region to be recognized for ongoing contributions to activities undertaken by NYONE at both the state and regional level in support of the organization's mission. Connie Jastremski, M.S., R.N., M.B.A., vice president of Nursing and Patient Care Services at Bassett, was selected by the central New York board of NYONE. Kathleen Sellers, Ph.D., R.N., nurse researcher at Bassett, was selected by the northeastern board of NYONE.

Contact:

Jodi-Ann Bailey

Public Affairs Associate

(718) 780-5367

jsb9010@nyp.org

Brooklyn, NY – December 8, 2010 – Congressman Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., tackled the issues involved in health care reform at the seventh annual Joseph Silver, M.D. Memorial Lecture, held at New York Methodist Hospital (NYM), in Park Slope, Brooklyn on December 7^th.  The lecture series was established in honor of Joseph Silver, M.D., former chief of orthopedic surgery at NYM, who died in 2004.  Dr. Silver was affiliated with New York Methodist for 40 years and had served as chief of orthopedic surgery for 20 years. 

Photo Caption:

The Honorable Sheldon Silver, Speaker of the New York State Assembly, the Honorable Anthony Weiner, Congressional Representative and Mark J. Mundy, President and CEO of New York Methodist Hospital.

Contact:

Leanna Cherry
Publications Specialist
(516) 663-2234
lcherry@winthrop.org

Mineola, NY – December 6, 2010 – Maureen Gaffney, RPAC, RN, Senior Vice President, Patient Care Services and Chief Medical Information Officer at Winthrop-University Hospital, has been named one of the top 25 Clinical Informaticists of 2010 by Modern Healthcare magazine.

Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Clinical Informaticists awards and honors program recognizes medical professionals who excel at using patient-care data to improve both the clinical and financial performance of their healthcare organizations. Ms. Gaffney was selected among dozens of nominees nationwide for demonstrating the successful use of patient-care data to improve Winthrop’s clinical and financial performance; a willingness to share expertise with others in the field of clinical informatics; and leadership in clinical informatics outside of the organization.

“I am truly honored to be recognized by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the nation’s top Clinical Informaticists,” said Ms. Gaffney. “This award is a testament to Winthrop’s commitment to being leaders in the use of health information technology to promote patient safety and quality care.” 

Dear Colleagues:

As we prepare to close the book on 2010 and usher in 2011, we will remember this year for the opening of our new West Building, and our significant growth in clinical talent with the addition of more than 120 new physicians across many disciplines. In addition, we developed many new programs to address the growing needs of our community.

One such program, our new Palliative Care Program, was developed to address the intensifying need to focus on controlling patient pain, improve quality of life and a patient’s health care experience.

As newer drugs and treatments become available, many people with advanced life-threatening illness are living longer. Patients need a comprehensive treatment of their pain, symptoms and stress—that’s where palliative care comes in.

The program’s goal is to prevent (or ease) suffering. A recent study of cancer patients published in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that palliative care may prolong life, and that patients report a higher quality of life. Palliative care is useful for patients of any age and at any stage of serious illness.

There are some misconceptions about what palliative care is and who can benefit from it. Palliative care is not hospice care. Hospice is for people who accept that they may be at the end of life and who don't want any further treatments or tests. Palliative care does not replace a patient’s primary care; rather, it is a complement. The palliative care team involves other members of the health care team and works in concert with the patient’s primary physician.

With the appointment of Cynthia X. Pan, M.D., attending geriatrician and director, Palliative Care, last month, we launched our Palliative Care Program. The program was projected to receive 52 referrals in its first year of operation. Instead, it received 52 referrals in just its first month.

For more information about our Palliative Care program or for a consultation with Dr. Pan, call (718) 670-2434 or email her at cxp9001@nyp.org.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a healthy New Year!

Sincerely,

Stephen S. Mills, F.A.C.H.E.

For the complete President’s Message, visit: http://www.nyhq.org/oth/Page.asp?pageID=OTH001411

Contact:

Cynthia Bacon

Director, Public Affairs

(718) 670-2515

crm9002@nyp.org

Flushing, New York, December 2, 2010 – New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ) has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.  Funds will support the Hellenic American Emergency Medicine Exchange (HAEME) Fellowship for the next five years through 2015.  Each year, NYHQ will train four physicians from Greece on critical aspects of emergency medicine.  This will allow them to provide a higher quality of care to their patients when they return to Greece.

As a community teaching hospital, NYHQ has a long and successful history of training physicians from all over the world.  Queens is one of the most diverse communities in the U.S. and is home to a large number of people of Greek descent, which includes many NYHQ medical staff members and patients.  Our graduate medical education program includes a fully accredited emergency medicine residency training program.  NYHQ is a designated Level I Trauma Center that is fully equipped and staffed to manage life-threatening injuries.  Last year, 115,000 people were treated through the emergency department.

Contact:

Gloria Chin
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
(212) 305-5587
glc9010@nyp.org

New York, NY – December 2, 2010 – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hip replacements are among the most common surgical procedures in the United States; and with osteoarthritis and obesity on the rise, demand for the procedure is expected to grow.

Contact:

Gloria Chin
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
(212) 305-5587
glc9010@nyp.org

New York, NY – December 2, 2010 – A robotic arm device developed to assist orthopedic surgeons with performing partial knee replacement surgery for early to mid-stage osteoarthritis is now available at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. The technology was approved by the FDA in 2005, and to date nearly 5,000 cases have been performed in the U.S.

Contact:

Karen Huxtable

Manager, Public and Media Relations

(607) 547-4581

karen.huxtable@bassett.org

Cooperstown, NY – December 2, 2010 - Beginning in 2011, Bassett Medical Center will offer a new residency program for physician assistants. The new program will be the sixth national postgraduate residency in emergency medicine, but it is the first in the country to specialize in Rural Emergency Medicine.

Chief of Emergency and Trauma Services, Dr. August Leinhart (photo left), says, "Physician assistants are important members of our health care team, and medical education is part of our mission. Our mix of emergency and urgent care in different rural communities, combined with excellent, dedicated faculty, make Bassett a natural home base for just such a program."

Bassett will take on two residents for a year each who will work clinical shifts in the Emergency Department as well as rotate through several other areas of the medical center, including intensive care and surgery. The residency will prepare the students to evaluate, diagnose and stabilize conditions that pose an immediate threat to life and to be able to do so solo or in semi-autonomous situations. To increase their familiarity with rural EMS systems, residents will also participate in EMS training and crew with a rural EMS squad. The program follows the high standards of the American College of Emergency Physicians and is modeled after the Accreditation Council for Graduate Education for emergency medicine.

Kevin Kinkade, MPAS, PA-C, (photo right) director of the new program, notes, "Emergency medicine in a rural environment can be challenging, but it’s also very rewarding. I’m excited that Bassett, long a leader in rural medicine, is now adding this component to its medical education offerings."

A recent report from the Institutes of Health and the American College of Emergency Physicians discussed the shortage of emergency medicine residency trained physicians to cover the nation's emergency departments. That shortage is especially evident, the report says, in rural communities. It further states that one in seven rural Emergency Departments is staffed solely by a physician assistant. "We want to make sure those PA’s are well trained and competent," concludes Kinkade.

Bassett will welcome its first Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant in the spring of 2011, followed by the second resident in the fall.