Qnews fall 2014

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We Celebrate Prestigious Magnet® Designation Only 8 percent of hospitals in the country recognized for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Doctors and patients alike have praised our nurses for their professionalism, skill, and sensitivity to the needs of patients and their families. Now the American Nurses Credentialing Center has awarded Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence to Mount Sinai Queens, the Queens campus of The Mount Sinai Hospital.

Our hospital is the only hospital in the borough to have this designation. Considered the gold standard, Magnet Recognition Program® designation is the highest recognition for nursing excellence. The Mount Sinai Hospital was recognized for the third consecutive time.

“We are so very proud of our entire nursing staff for the dedication, expertise, and compassion they continually demonstrate with our patients,” says Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens. “This distinguished Magnet Status recognition confirms what our patients have known for many years: that the nurses at Mount Sinai Queens are among the best anywhere.”

Mount Sinai is in a highly select group, joining fewer than 8 percent of hospitals in the country, which have achieved Magnet status,

a designation that recognizes quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice.

The requirements are so exacting and call for so much data and information that the Journey to Magnet Excellence® took four years to complete.

Under the leadership of Kathleen M. Scher, RN, EdD, NE-BC, Vice President, Nursing, the entire staff was engaged in the “Journey to Magnet Excellence.” The process was empowering for the nurses who all contributed to the successful effort. Many went on to further their education and training, while others attended conferences, returning to the hospital to present what they learned to their colleagues.

“Collaboration, caring, and excellence are personified by the Magnet Model,” said Carol Porter, DNP, RN, FAAN, the Edgar M. Cullman, Sr., Chair of the Department of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer and Senior Vice President of Nursing at The Mount Sinai Hospital. “Magnet designation is a tremendous honor that identifies Mount Sinai as an institution where nurses grow professionally CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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and are consistently improving quality care they provide to patients and families. We care for our patients as we do our own families.”

Dr. Porter, who is also the Associate Dean of Nursing Research and Education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, says there were more than 6,000 individuals involved in the effort to achieve this credential across the two hospital campuses.

Components of Magnet Recognition To earn this designation, hospitals must meet stringent standards for quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovation in professional nursing. Hospitals designated as Magnet must demonstrate five broad components: Transformational leadership by quality leaders at all levels, including nurse managers who engage in strategic planning, advocacy, and a visible, accessible presence; Structural Empowerment with a focus on nurses’ professional development through advanced degrees and continuing education courses, and commitment to community outreach and community education; Exemplary Professional Practice that ensures that care is consistent with current best practices in the nursing field and very high standards of care; New knowledge, innovations, and improvements demonstrated by research conducted by nursing staff; and Empirical outcomes that quantifiably demonstrate nurse engagement and patient outcomes in a wide range of categories supported by data.

Deborah Zimmerman, DNP, Chair of American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on the Magnet Recognition Program® commended the hospital for its commitment to the community and the exemplary care displayed throughout the hospital. “Relationshipcentered care is thriving at Mount Sinai,” she says. “The individualized care provided to the patient population it serves is impressive.”

When evaluating nursing programs, the American Nurses Credentialing Center looks for hospitals that support nurses’ participation in community health care outreach and education; where nurses are empowered and engaged when working with patients; and for those programs in which nurses work in close collaboration with other departments, including physical therapy, radiology, pharmacy, social workers, and dieticians, to create interdisciplinary teams.

“This distinguished Magnet Status recognition confirms what our patients have known for many years: that the nurses at Mount Sinai Queens are among the best anywhere.”

CARYN A. SCHWAB, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MOUNT SINAI QUEENS

Studies have shown that Magnet hospitals provide a safer environment for patients (fewer falls, pressure ulcers, and infections), increased patent satisfaction, and better patient outcomes.

“When patients are being cared for by a Magnet nurse, they can rest assured that they’re receiving the highest standards of care,” says Dr. Scher. “During our hourly rounding, they have the confidence that they’ll get the attention of a caring nurse who will listen intently to the patient and provide current information and compassionate care.”

Congratulations to the nursing staff of Mount Sinai Queens, the Queens campus of The Mount Sinai Hospital, and to the patients who benefit from their expertise and caring! ▲ The Magnet Recognition Program®, ANCC Magnet Recognition®, Magnet®, and Journey to Magnet Excellence® names and logos are registered trademarks of the American Nurses Credentialing Center. All rights reserved.

November is Diabetes Month Nearly 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, and another 86 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that it can be controlled, and Mount Sinai Queens is your partner in the community for preventing and managing diabetes. To focus attention on the issues surrounding diabetes and the many people who are impacted by the disease, November has been designated American Diabetes Month.

As part of our commitment to our community’s good health, we have developed the Mount Sinai Queens Diabetes Alliance to work closely with you, our neighbors, not only to better diagnose and treat diabetes, but also to prevent its onset and diabetesrelated complications.

Mount Sinai Queens works with you and your primary care physician to develop a personal care plan that supports you in

achieving your health goals and adopting a healthier lifestyle. By working with our team of diabetes specialists, many patients lose weight and lower their cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. This leads to a lower risk for diabetes as well as heart disease. Our Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs), who specialize in diabetes education and care, are available to see you for a one-on-one visit. Your CDE will collaborate with your doctor to tailor your treatment plan to your individual needs and coordinate foot and eye exams, blood tests, and blood pressure monitoring. They’re available to answer your questions about medications, teach you how to check your blood sugar, and help with meal planning for you and your family.

You can bring in a referral from your primary care physician or call any of the practices listed here to make an appointment to see one of our physicians or a Certified Diabetes Educator six days a week. ▲

The following practices are part of the Mount Sinai Queens Diabetes Alliance: Offices of Andreas Cosmatos, MD and James Melis, MD 27-47 Crescent Street, Suite 201 Astoria, NY 11102 718-726-0511 Steinway Medical Group Paul Lombardi, MD Reno DiScala, MD 22-02 Steinway Street Astoria, NY 11105 347-242-2684 Mount Sinai Family Health Associates Full-service multispecialty outpatient practice 31-60 21st Street Astoria, NY 11106 718-808-7300

Update on Hospital Expansion: New Building Reaches Construction Milestone Major Gift from George S. Kaufman Announced for the Ambulatory Care Pavilion Community leaders and Mount Sinai executives gathered recently to celebrate the “topping off” ceremony that marked the completion of the steel construction phase of the new building at Mount Sinai Queens. The 130,000-square-foot, six-story “When you are a member of building adjacent to the existing a community you help your hospital, will be home to a new neighbors. We are thrilled state-of-the-art Emergency to support Mount Sinai Department, operating suites, and look forward to helping an integrated outpatient physiprovide better health care for cian medical practice, and adthe people of Western Queens vanced imaging and laboratory and throughout the borough.” services. The $125-million project, begun last year, is scheduled GEORGE S. KAUFMAN, to be completed in 2016.

CHAIRMAN OF THE KAUFMAN ORGANIZATION AND KAUFMAN ASTORIA STUDIOS

“Our new facility will allow us to improve the quality of care, patient outcomes and the overall patient experience,” said Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director, Mount Sinai Queens. “Our new expanded Emergency Department will enable us to treat our patients more quickly, new operating rooms will enable us to provide the best, most up-to-date care right here in Queens, and all our new outpatient services are designed to keep people out of the hospital. It’s about helping our neighbors, community and all of Queens get—and stay—healthy.”

“This center represents the hospital of the future, which we are closer to attaining than ever before,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Mount Sinai Health System. “While the hospital of today focuses on admissions, the hospital of tomorrow focuses on prevention and avoiding unnecessary emergency visits and hospitalizations – where extensive outpatient care is provided as part of an integrated system.

Most importantly, the hospital of tomorrow focuses on keeping members of the community healthy and out of the hospital.”

During the event, Ms. Schwab announced a major donation from George S. Kaufman, Chairman of the nearby Kaufman Astoria Studios, for which the entrance to the new Ambulatory Care Pavilion will be named. “Kaufman Astoria Studios has long been a community neighbor since 1980,” said George S. Kaufman, Chairman of the Kaufman Organization and Kaufman Astoria Studios. Previously, the Hospital had announced that the new state-of-the art Emergency Department would be named in recognition of a generous gift from The Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

“Mount Sinai Queens is transforming, and leading, health care in the twenty-first century, and our new building represents the model health care facility for the future of medicine,“ said David L. Reich, MD, President, The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Queens.

“We are seeing the gold standard rise here before our eyes, and it is fantastic to see.” ▲

Staff Profile: Edward C. Yang, MD Chief of Orthopaedics, Mount Sinai Queens Throughout the course of his 32-year career, Edward C. Yang, MD, has performed thousands of orthopaedic surgeries that have mended broken bones, enabled people to walk, restored full use of their arms and legs, and enabled them to live pain-free lives after years of suffering. The recently named Chief of Orthopaedics, Mount Sinai Queens, sees his career as a calling. “Professionally, the greatest satisfaction comes from helping people and having patients come back to tell me how much I’ve improved or changed their lives,” Dr. Yang says. “It feels good inside. It’s why I went into this field.”

Dr. Yang, board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, joined Mount Sinai Queens last fall. He is also a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Previously, he served as the Regional Director of Orthopaedic Surgery at Elmhurst Hospital Center

in the Queens Hospital Network. He is also an Honorary Police Surgeon for the New York City Police Department.

Dr. Yang specializes in total joint replacements and fractures and is particularly interested in geriatric trauma. Although some of his surgeries have received media attention, as when he saved the life of a New York City firefighter badly injured in the unforgettable Astoria Father’s Day fire in 2001, Dr. Yang has treated thousands of patients with expert skill and compassion.

Born in Texas (his grandparents were the first Chinese immigrants in San Antonio and opened a general store across from The Alamo), Dr. Yang was raised in Queens and Co-op City in the Bronx. He graduated summa cum laude from the City College of New York, before earning his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine and completing his orthopaedic surgery residency at NYU’s Hospital for Joint Diseases.

Next Thanksgiving will mark the thirtieth anniversary of the day Dr. Yang met his wife, a registered nurse, when both were eating lunch in the hospital cafeteria. They married two years later and settled in Rye, NY, where they raised their four children. Balancing his professional life with his family life has always been a priority for Dr. Yang, and he’s been an active dad, serving as a Boy Scout leader and involved in summer camp.

Mount Sinai Queens welcomes Dr. Yang as he leads the orthopaedics team to new heights in treating patients with sensitivity and skill. ▲

Be sure to get your flu shot this fall!

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The influenza vaccination (flu shot) can prevent you from getting sick from flu, and if you do get sick, the illness tends to be milder. Protecting yourself from flu also protects others around you who may be at greater risk, such as older adults, people with chronic health conditions, and young children.

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Call your primary care physician to make an appointment for a flu shot.

If you don’t have one and need a referral, please call 718-267-4333.

Follow the latest news from Mount Sinai Queens!

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By building a better hospital, we help build a better community.

If you are interested in being a part of the Hospital of Tomorrow and providing first-class health care in Queens, we invite you to join the Campaign for Mount Sinai Queens. For more information, contact Thomas P. O’Brien, Director, Development at 718-808-7719 or thomas.obrien@mountsinai.org.

To make a gift online, please visit philanthropy.mountsinai.org/Queens All gifts are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.

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F E AT U R ED I N THI S I S S U E :

• We Celebrate Prestigious

Magnet® Designation

• Hospital Construction Milestone • November is Diabetes Month • Staff Profile: Edward C. Yang, MD