Qualified participants will receive all study-related care, including physician visits, laboratory services and study medications.

To be eligible for the study, a woman must be postmenopausal, between 55 and 85 years of age.  In addition, the individual must have been diagnosed with osteopenia/osteoporosis and have been taking alendronate (Fosamax®) for at least one year.

Osteoporosis is a serious health concern worldwide. It is a preventable disease which causes weakening of the bones and a loss of bone mass, resulting in fractures and disability.  The disease is expected to affect one in every two women. Helen Hayes Hospital is one of the country’s leading centers in osteoporosis research.

For more information on this study, contact Nancy Barbuto, R.N., at 845-786-4804 or barbuton@helenhayeshosp.org

Cynthia Bacon
(718) 670-2515
crm9002@nyp.org

Debbie Pagano Cohen
(718) 670-1586
dec9067@nyp.org

Flushing, N.Y. – May 14, 2012 – Making a decision on where to have a child’s surgery just became much simpler for parents in Queens. Now, parents can rely upon New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ) for pediatric surgery services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether a necessary procedure is planned or due to an emergency.

The hospital’s new pediatric surgery program is dedicated to the health and well being of children and families in Queens. The program is led by Charles Coren, M.D., director, Pediatric Surgery, NYHQ, and includes physicians and surgeons affiliated with the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons -- also a member institution of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.

“Today, children and their families do not need to leave Queens to find a higher level of pediatric surgical care,” said Stephen S. Mills, president and chief executive officer, NYHQ. “We are proud that we can provide the Queens community with increased access to a level of expertise and compassionate service that has been rated among the very best in the country.”

NYHQ offers a full complement of pediatric services, including a 20-bed pediatric inpatient unit, a dedicated pediatric emergency room, pediatric intensive care unit, Level III neonatal intensive care unit, The Theresa Lang Children’s Ambulatory Care Center, the longest running, free-standing pediatric asthma program in Queens, as well as the full spectrum of pediatric subspecialties, from gastroenterology to cardiology.

New York Hospital Queens is a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and is affiliated with the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Barbara Franzese Cron
Director, Marketing Communications
(201) 530-7904
cron@holyname.org

Teaneck, NJ – May 8, 2012 – For the seventh consecutive year, Holy Name Medical Center has been named among the “100 Best Places to Work in New Jersey” by NJBIZ magazine. Holy Name has achieved recognition for workplace excellence in the large employer category every year since 2006.

According to NJBIZ, the survey and award program identifies and honors the best places of employment, which benefit the state’s economy, its workforce and businesses. Companies from across the state enter a two-part application process that begins with an examination of workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics, worth 25% of the total evaluation. The second part, worth 75%, consists of confidential surveys to measure the employee experience.  The combined scores determine the top companies and the final ranking.  The overall registration and survey process is managed by Best Companies Group (BCG), which analyzes the data and determined the final rankings.

“As a new member of the Holy Name family, I’m incredibly impressed with the expertise and dedication I’ve witnessed, and I’m happy to be part of an organization that is accomplished in so many areas,” says April Rodgers, Vice President for Human Resources at HNMC, where about 2,500 medical, nursing and allied health professionals, as well as non-clinical staff, are employed.   “Holy Name has a positive working environment focusing on quality, safety and patient satisfaction. The pride our employees take in their jobs and their enthusiasm is very evident in the care they give our patients.”

Ms. Rodgers explains that the Medical Center shows its employees how much they are valued not only by offering them benefits and amenities aimed at improving their quality of life, but by empowering them to use their skills, advance professionally, and to think creatively.

The Medical Center has also received awards for workplace excellence for four consecutive years from Modern Healthcare magazine’s “Best Places to Work in Healthcare” program and from Companies That Care’s “Honor Roll” for three years in a row.

Holy Name Medical Center

Holy Name Medical Center is a fully accredited, not-for-profit healthcare facility based in Teaneck, New Jersey, with off-site locations throughout Bergen County.  Founded and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1925, the comprehensive 361-bed medical center offers leading-edge medical practice and technology administered in an environment rooted in a tradition of compassion and respect for every patient. Holy Name provides high quality health care across a continuum that encompasses education, prevention, early intervention, comprehensive treatment options, rehabilitation and wellness maintenance—from pre-conception through end-of-life.

Contact:

Doug Feingold
(212) 305-5587
dof9022@nyp.org

New York, NY – May 8, 2012 – NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College presented their annual Public Service Award to Senator Arlen Specter yesterday for his sustained efforts to increase support for biomedical research and enhance mental health care services at their reception during the 2012 American Psychiatric Association Meeting in Philadelphia.

The annual award honors a member of the American community for his or her contributions to psychiatric medicine and mental health. Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, psychiatrist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association, and Dr. Jack Barchas, psychiatrist-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College, presented Senator Specter with the Public Service Award.

There is a continuous need for blood donors in the Hudson Valley region. All eligible donors are urgently encouraged to come out and donate blood. Blood donors receive a mini-medical exam on-site including information about their temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and hemoglobin level.

Employees, volunteers, visitors, and community members are invited to donate blood. Donors should be healthy, between the ages of 17 and 76, weigh at least 110 pounds and not have donated whole blood in the last 56 days, or an ALYX donation in the last 112 days. People age 76 and over may also participate by presenting a doctor’s note Donors must eat and drink well before donating and present photo or signature I.D.

 Donating blood is literally giving the gift of life. There is simply no substitute for donated blood. Without volunteer donors, our community would not have an adequate community blood supply.Appointments are not necessary and walk-ins are welcome. For further information, please call 845-786-4967.

GolfAbility workshops and outings have been schedule to run from May through July. The workshops will take place at the GolfAbility center, which is located on the campus of the physical rehabilitation hospital. The center consists of a 1300 square foot synthetic putting green with six cups and three accessible netted tee areas. Participants will learn how to use appropriate adaptive golf equipment, including single-rider carts. A single-rider cart is a specially equipped golf cart that allows a disabled golfer to play seated or standing, directly from the cart, and can be driven right on to the green.  The two outings will take place at a local golf course.

Joyce Fried, LPGA golf pro, conducts lessons and outing are conducted by recreational therapists. Sessions will start with a group lesson, with participants then breaking into small groups to practice concepts learned during the lesson, as well as building on skills learned in previous sessions. The GolfAbility programs will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. and each workshop will be limited to 16 participants. GolfAbility outings will take place at the Rockland Lake Executive Course with a tee time of 3:00 pm. Players will pay their own course fees.  Dates are as follows.

Workshops:

May 7  Putting (modeling the hold, alignment stroke)                      

May 14  Chipping (modeling the hold, alignment stroke)     

June 4  Iron off tees  (model the hold, alignment, follow-through)         

June 11 Iron off tees (target, hold set-up & follow-through)                        

June 18  Fairway metals & sand bunker                                                  

July 2   Short game competitions/review & questions                                   

July 9  Driving woods (swinging the club)                                              

July 16  Specialty shots (hooking, fading, high, low, bunker shots)

 Outings: 

May 21 and June 25 *

* Must attend at least one workshop to qualify for outing registration

Helen Hayes Hospital has announced the introduction of Ai Chi classes, designed specifically for people of all abilities. Classes will meet for six week sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays  from 1:15-2:00 p.m. at Helen Hayes Hospital, in the warm water aquatic center, in West Haverstraw. Participants must wear water shoes and bring their own towel.

Ai Chi is an easy water exercise that uses deep breathing and slow, controlled movements of the arms, legs and torso in smooth continual patters to encourage relaxation and increase flexibility, balance and pain. 

The instructor, Krista Hludzinski, OTR/L is experienced in teaching Ai Chi to individuals of all abilities. She says Ai Chi helps provide a, "mind-body relationship including improved physical health, better sleep, effective stress and anger management and reduced responsiveness to stress hormones."

Pre-registration for Ai Chi classes is required.  The fee is $48 for the six week session.  For information or to register, call Matthew Castelluccio, Adapted Sport Coordinator at Helen Hayes Hospital at 845-786-4950. 

Dear Colleagues:

Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order for New York to implement a health insurance exchange by 2014 as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. A “health care exchange” is an online marketplace where individuals and small businesses can choose among competing health insurance plans. Seventeen states have either enacted, or are in the process of passing, health insurance exchange legislation. We believe that a health care exchange presents several benefits for the community, physicians and hospitals.

Benefits of a Health Insurance Exchange for the Community

Through the creation of Web-based marketplaces for health insurance exchanges, individuals or small businesses in need of coverage can find health plan information in a standardized format with coverage options and pricing that can be quickly and easily compared. Another guaranteed benefit of the exchange would be that insurers cannot refuse to insure any individuals.

The goals for establishing a health insurance exchange are to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable, quality health insurance coverage and to drive down the overall cost of insurance. Increases in health care costs are driven by increases in costs per case, not merely the overall prevalence of disease. It makes sense that by having greater access to health coverage, the pool of uninsured people decreases, and so would the cost per case. Earlier entry in the health care system with community-based, preventive care has been shown to reduce the severity of illness and critical care expenditures. An exchange can help reign in health care costs and preserve the health of the community.

Maureen Curran Kleinman

Marketing and Communications

(201) 291-6310

mcurran@valleyhealth.com

Ridgewood, NJ – April 26, 2012 – The Valley Hospital is pleased to announce that it has been named a finalist in four categories in the 2012 Healthcare Heroes Awards, presented by business publication NJBIZ.

Valley’s finalists are:

• The Valley Hospital in the category of Hospital of the Year
• The Valley Hospital’s “Green Team” and its environmental efforts in the category of Corporate Achievement
• Neurosurgeon Anthony L. D’Ambrosio, M.D., in the category of Physician of the Year
• Volunteer and Oakland resident Joan Ferrando in the category of Volunteer of the Year

Contact:

Camela Morrissey
718-670-1065

cam9065@nyp.org

Flushing, NY – April 26, 2012 – N ew York Hospital Queens announces the promotion of two long time executives and a restructuring of the Office of The President. The announcement was made today by President and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen S. Mills, FACHE, and the Board of Trustees.

Effective immediately, a new position of Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer has been added to the Office of the President. Stephen Rimar, M.D., MBA (above right) has been promoted to assume this new position from his previous position of Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Rimar will continue to lead the hospital’s clinical enterprise and quality improvement programs.

John Sciortino, FACHE, (above left) continues in the Office of the President and has been promoted from Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He will continue to oversee the operations and administrative structure of the organization.

“These two talented and strong individuals will continue to work together with me and the rest of our senior team and clinical leaders to make sure that the greater community of Queens has access to excellent healthcare – right here in Queens,” said Mills. “The addition of our Chief Medical Officer to the Office of the President sends an important message to the medical community – that NYHQ is firmly focused on supporting physicians and the practice of excellent medicine.”

New York Hospital Queens is a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and an affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College.

Contact:

Richard Pietzak
(212) 821-0560
riz2008@med.cornell.edu  

New York, NY – April 25, 2012 – Outcomes from use of a robot to assist surgeons in removal of a cancerous prostate are at least as good, if not better, than the other two techniques used for a radical prostatectomy -- open or laparoscopic surgery -- according to a large meta analysis led by researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.  

The study, published February 24 online in European Urology, should help resolve some of the controversy regarding use of the robotic option, known as robot assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP), says the study's lead author, Dr. Ashutosh Tewari, director of the Lefrak Center for Robotic Surgery and director of the Prostate Cancer Institute at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

There is a lot of debate about the best way to remove a cancerous prostate gland," says Dr. Tewari, who is also the Ronald P. Lynch Professor of Urologic Oncology and professor of urology and public health at Weill Cornell Medical College. "Since the robotic technology is expensive, the patient benefits often get intertwined with the societal costs. It is clear, however, that robotic surgery is the most popular surgical modality today. This study represents the largest ever systematic review of patient outcomes comparing robotic-assisted, laparoscopic and open radical prostatectomy.

Contact:

Allison Fleming
(718) 670-2374
alf9034@nyp.org

Debra Pagano-Cohen
(718) 670-1586
dec9067@nyp.org

Flushing, NY – April 25, 2012 – Today, over 130 Queens residents packed a free symposium given by medical experts from the Bone and Joint Hospital of Queens at New York Hospital Queens (NYHQ). Problems that affect the hand, back, shoulder, hip and balance were discussed.

During the symposium, a representative from HealthGrades, an independent source of physician information and hospital quality ratings, presented the medical team of the Bone and Joint Hospital of Queens at NYHQ with an Orthopaedic Award of Excellence. HealthGrades rated NYHQ among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation for joint replacement for two years in a row. New York Hospital Queens has also received a Five Star Rating by Healthgrades for:

·         Overall Orthopedic Services for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)

·         Joint Replacement for 6 Years in a Row (2007-2012)

·         Spine Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)

·         Total Knee Replacement for 6 Years in a Row (2007-2012)

·         Total Hip Replacement for 3 Years in a Row (2010-2012)

·         Back and Neck Surgery (Spinal Fusion) for 2 Years in a Row (2011-2012)

Caption:  On behalf of the Bone and Joint Hospital of Queens at New York Hospital Queens, Jeffrey Rosen, M.D., chairman, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, (center, with award) accepted the Orthopaedic Award of Excellence from Brody Westcot, strategic client manager, HealthGrades, (left of center)

The Bone and Joint Hospital of Queens at NYHQ offers a higher level of orthopaedic care — right here in Queens. For more information about the medical team and available services, visit: http://www.nyhq.org/Orthopaedics_and_Rehabilitation.

New York Hospital Queens is a member of the NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System and affiliated with Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Contact:

Jacqueline Kates
Community Relations Coordinator
( 201) 530-7902
kates@holyname.org

Teaneck, NJ – April 25, 2012 – On Friday, April 20, 2012, GreenFaith, an interfaith environmental coalition, partnered with Holy Name Medical Center to offer a Solar Screening Event at the medical center for Holy Name employees.  Through the GreenFaith - AP Solar 2012 Residential Solar Program, qualified New Jersey Homeowners can receive a no-cost solar installation, and purchase the electricity generated by the installation at a discount to utility prices.  GreenFaith is offering these screening events at faith-based sites statewide.

Jane F. Ellis, Holy Name Medical Center Vice President of Marketing, Public Relations and Community Health, organized the event in collaboration with GreenFaith as part of Holy Name’s observance of Earth Day.  “It’s been a real pleasure to work with Jane and with Holy Name,” said Rev. Fletcher Harper, GreenFaith’s Executive Director.  “The hospital clearly understands the importance of the environment in regard to human health.”

Caption: Joining Holy Name Vice President Jane F. Ellis are Matthew Morra, Joseph Mitchell, Salvatore Trifiro and Bud Wenzler of AP Solar, and Jamaal Reavis, GreenFaith Solar Project Director.

“We were able to screen over 60 homes for potential solar arrays – including those of doctors, nurses, administrators, and other staff,” noted Jamaal Reavis, Director of GreenFaith’s Solar Program.  Each solar array generates thousands of dollars of savings over its lifetime, while preventing the release of greenhouse gas emissions and particulate matter air pollution.

For more information about GreenFaith, or to register on-line to have your home evaluated for a solar installation, visit www.greenfaith.org.  

Holy Name Medical Center 

Holy Name Medical Center is a fully accredited, not-for-profit healthcare facility based in Teaneck, New Jersey with off-site locations throughout Bergen County.  Founded and sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 1925, the comprehensive 361-bed medical center offers leading-edge medical practice and technology administered in an environment rooted in a tradition of compassion and respect for every patient. Holy Name provides high quality health care across a continuum that encompasses education, prevention, early intervention,

Contact:

Maureen Curran Kleinman

Marketing and Communications

(201) 291-6310

mcurran@valleyhealth.com

Ridgewood, NJ – April 20, 2012 - The Saddle River Branch of The Valley Hospital Auxiliary recently hosted a fundraiser at the Salvatore Ferragamo store at The Shops at Riverside that featured Emmy Award-winning actress Susan Lucci as the event’s special guest.

A portion of sales made during the fundraiser were donated to the Auxiliary’s pledge to raise $1.5 million for the expansion of The Valley Hospital Breast Surgery Program and to support Valley Home Care’s Butterflies Program for children with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses.

Pictured at the event (from left to right) are:  Nancy Davidson, President, The Valley Hospital Auxiliary; Audrey Meyers, President and CEO, The Valley Hospital; Nancy Bush, Co-Chair of the Saddle River Branch of The Valley Hospital Auxiliary; Susan Lucci; and Tara Maw, Co-Chair of the Saddle River Branch of The Valley Hospital Auxiliary.