White Plains Hospital unveiled its new “Flex ED.” As the busiest emergency department in Westchester County, the hospital saw a need for an additional space where patients requiring special attention could receive care in the safest possible setting. This beautiful new space is an expansion of the Emergency Department and features five dedicated, single-occupancy rooms that may be used for the treatment of patients with both medical and behavioral health needs.
The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation has awarded Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center a second $1 million grant to help the organization build the first ever skilled nursing facility for young adults with complex medical conditions. The Elizabeth Seton Young Adult Center will serve as a national model in caring for the growing number of young adults with medically complex conditions who are aging out of pediatric care at age 21.
“We are extraordinarily grateful to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for its tremendous support of the Elizabeth Seton Young Adult Center. This new, state-of-the-art center will be the first of its kind in the nation and will give our young adults a loving, safe and age-appropriate environment in which they can experience the fullness of life,” says Pat Tursi, CEO of Elizabeth Seton Children’s.
The Elizabeth Seton Young Adult Center will transform the lives of these young adults through 24/7 care, programming, technology and design innovations specially tailored to their needs. This 72-bed, lifetime home, co-located with Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center in Yonkers, has a total budget of $84.8 million with a capital campaign goal of $30 million. With the generous gifts from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, Elizabeth Seton Children’s has raised nearly $4 million toward the project.
“The aging out crisis at Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center was a major challenge before the pandemic,” Tursi says. “Last year only made the situation more urgent. It’s clear why a specialized home for young adults with medical complexity is more critical now than ever.”
“These grants demonstrate our continued commitment to support a wide range of organizations improving the health and well-being of New York’s most vulnerable,” says Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Visa and Chair of the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Board.
Approximately 50 of Elizabeth Seton Children Center’s current residents will be able to move into the Elizabeth Seton Young Adult Center by the end of 2023.
Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center is the nation’s largest long-term, non-profit health center for children who live with some of the most severe medical conditions on earth. This last year was the most challenging in its history, yet due to extraordinary planning and preparedness, as well as the vigilance and sacrifice of more than 700 staff members, the Children’s Center achieved 300 consecutive days with zero COVID-19 cases among its 169 children. Today, all Elizabeth Seton Children’s Center residents are safe and healthy and, to date, 64% of residents ages 16 and older have been vaccinated with parent/guardian consent and approximately 68% of children’s center staff have received the vaccine.
Lenox Hill Hospital has been granted accreditation by the Commission on Cancer (CoC) for its cancer program, which is part of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, one the largest oncology programs in the New York metropolitan area. Lenox Hill is one of six CoC-accredited medical centers in Manhattan and the ninth Northwell hospital to receive the coveted recognition. To earn this voluntary accreditation, a cancer program must meet national quality care standards in 34 key areas and maintain specific levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive, patient-centered care.
“This very important accreditation is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication on the part of our talented clinicians and staff,” says Dennis Kraus, MD, Vice Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Director of the Center for Head and Neck Oncology, who led the charge on pursuing the CoC accreditation. “It highlights the exceptional level of comprehensive, innovative and personalized cancer care we offer at Lenox Hill.”
Like all other programs accredited by the CoC, Lenox Hill maintains a cancer registry and contributes data to the National Cancer Database (NCDB), a joint program of the CoC and American Cancer Society. The nationwide oncology outcomes database is the largest clinical disease registry in the world and is used to analyze trends in cancer care.
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital announced the launch of a new inpatient neurorehabilitation gym designed to facilitate an innovative multidisciplinary approach to therapy. The expanded facility enables the entire rehabilitation team to treat the patient in the same space, allowing for collaborative work and continuous communication with patients and their families/caregivers.
“This outstanding facility enables patients to continue to receive the excellent therapy that Burke is known for while providing the opportunity for further advancements in care,” says Burke President and CEO Jeffrey Menkes. “Our dedicated physicians and therapists are thrilled to offer patients the ultimate coordinated care in the new gym throughout their journey to recovery.”
Burke Rehabilitation Hospital is a member of the Montefiore Health System. A renowned institution in the region, Burke has been offering the highest level of patient-centered rehabilitative care since 1915.
The new neurorehab gym is 4,200 square feet, more than doubling the size of the previous facility. Artwork will further enhance the well-appointed space, which provides a spacious and healing environment for patients to work with therapists.
Burke’s neurological patients can utilize a variety of new specialty equipment in the facility. In addition, home automation training devices, such as iPads, adaptive switches and smart home accessories are available for training purposes and education for patients and their families. These devices will help to facilitate the transition back home as well as maximize independence and quality of life, in keeping with Burke’s core mission.
Waterstone of Westchester, White Plains’ newest independent senior living community, is partnering with the Visiting Nurse Service in Westchester (VNSW) to offer its residents the security of knowing that they will have the best care should they need it.
“We’ve partnered with VNS Westchester because they are, quite simply, the largest and best home healthcare providers in the region,’’ says Margaret Minichini, Executive Director of Waterstone of Westchester. “While most of our residents are active and independent, it’s a comfort to know that they will have access to high-quality care right in their own community if need arises.’’
Founded in 1901, VNS Westchester has over a century of experience providing unparalleled skilled nursing, rehabilitation, home health aides, social work and care coordination services to people right at home. VNS Westchester is annually accredited by Community Health Accreditation Program, and consistently exceeds that organization’s national standard of excellence.
Timothy P. Leddy, VNS Westchester President/CEO, says VNS Westchester’s on-site office at Waterstone of Westchester would make it easy and secure for residents and their families to arrange for care.
“We pride ourselves on the excellent and personalized care we provide families,’’ says Leddy. “Having a VNSW office right on-site at Waterstone of Westchester will give residents an immediate connection to the care and support that they need.’’
The Auxiliary of Lenox Hill Hospital raised $80,000 at this year’s annual benefit — an evening of music and celebration — which was held virtually. This year’s theme, “Better Together,” commemorated the decade-long collaboration and partnership among Northwell Health’s three Manhattan campuses — Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH), Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital (MEETH), and Lenox Health Greenwich Village (LHGV).
Guests enjoyed a compelling program filled with powerful video testimonials, virtual tributes, thoughtful conversations with hospital leadership, and a moving musical performance by Grammy Award- winning opera superstar, Angel Blue, with an exclusive piece recorded just for the Auxiliary. Frontline workers spoke about how the Auxiliary’s support has been instrumental in allowing the hospitals to continue serving patients, families and communities at large, especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event, which was moderated by Tara Narula, MD, Associate Director of the Women’s Heart Program at LHH and CBS News Senior Medical Correspondent, featured remarks from Michael J. Dowling, President and CEO of Northwell Health, who spearheaded the Manhattan partnership back in 2010, and Jill Kalman, MD, LHH’s outgoing Executive Director, who led the hospital through the pandemic. Dr. Narula also interviewed the three current executive directors of the Manhattan sites — Mark Schiffer, MD (LHH), Joseph Manopella (MEETH) and Alex Hellinger, DPT (LHGV) — about their experiences over the past year, their hopes for the future and the importance of the support provided by the Auxiliary.
The funds raised by the Auxiliary throughout the year support initiatives across Manhattan that make possible advances in research and innovations in patient care. They also foster close ties with neighbors across New York City.
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Source: MD News April/May 2021, Lower Hudson/Bronx Edition