The American Heart Association Honors Harlem Hospital And Others With Awards

The American Heart Association recognized all 11 NYC Health + Hospitals acute care facilities with “Get with the Guidelines” achievement awards. The awards recognize the public hospital system’s commitment to ensuring patients with heart disease receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines. NYC Health + Hospitals earned these recognitions by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure and stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and aggressive risk-reduction therapies. Before discharge, patients also receive education on managing their heart failure and overall health, and receive other care transition interventions.

Facilities and their “Get with the Guidelines” recognitions are:

• NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue: Resuscitation Gold; Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll Award; and Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island: Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst: Heart Failure Bronze; Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus; and Resuscitation Silver
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County: Resuscitation Gold; Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll Award; and Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem: Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi: Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Resuscitation Silver; and Heart Failure Silver Plus
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln: Heart Failure Gold Plus Award; and Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, Stroke Gold Plus Award
• NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx, Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll Award
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, Heart Failure Bronze
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, Heart Failure Gold Award; and Stroke Gold Plus Award

“The recognitions received by the American Heart Association further demonstrates our commitment to patient wellness and our investment in high-quality, evidence-based treatment,” said Mitchell Katz, MD, President and CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals.

“NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is devoted to consistently delivering the highest quality of care for all heart and vascular problems,’” said Norma Keller, MD, FACC, Chief of Cardiology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “We are honored to receive these recognitions for our treatment of patients with heart failure, stroke and cardiac arrest. We serve patients to maintain cardiovascular health and prevent cardiovascular disease, and treat all aspects and severity of disease including special expertise for patients sustaining cardiac arrest.”

“Because of the prevalence of strokes among the population we are privileged to serve, NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island has committed resources and a devoted stroke team that have led to patient outcomes that statistically rival leading facilities across the nation,” said William A. Brown, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island. “This recognition from the American Heart Association signifies how dedicated, and most importantly, how consistent our hospital has been year-after-year in offering superior, compassionate care to our stroke patients.”

“Our stroke team has implemented evidence-based guidelines which have led to continuously improved care of our patients experiencing strokes,” said Mervat Hanna, MD, Associate Director and Stroke Coordinator of NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island. “Community members should be comforted knowing that should they ever need to be treated for a stroke, they will have the benefit of being cared for by a hospital staff that adheres to nationally endorsed scientific guidelines.”

“NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients with heart failure by implementing the American Heart Association’s “Get with the Guidelines-Heart Failure Initiative,” said Israel Rocha, Vice President of NYC Health + Hospitals and CEO of Elmhurst. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve outcomes, and ensure that we are doing our best to provide high-quality, patient-centered care is a safe environment.”

“It is a great honor for the Department of Cardiology to collaborate with Dr. Janet Carr and the Heart Failure Bridge Team in our joint efforts to improve care for our patients,” said David Rubinstein, MD, Director of Cardiology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst. “We look forward to continuing to find innovative ways to treat our patients at risk of heart failure and assist them on the road to recovery.”

“NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem is committed to the consistent improvement of outcomes for stroke patients,” said Eboné M. Carrington, CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. “As we know with strokes, timing is everything. We continue to work to outpace and outperform ourselves in order for us to excel in diminishing neurological harm to our patients.”

“We are proud and honored to receive this distinct recognition from the American Heart Association,” said Sheldon P. McLeod, CEO at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US, and has a significant impact on communities of color. Receiving this award demonstrates the steadfast commitment to excellence by our esteemed team of physicians, nurses and technicians dedicated to providing the highest quality of care for our patients and members of the Brooklyn community and beyond.”

“Everything we do at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln is to ensure a positive impact on our community and to improve health care,” said Kenneth Ong, MD, Chair of Cardiology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln. “In our case, meticulous attention is paid to nationally recognized goals and treatment principles.”

“The NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln Stroke Center’s mission is to meet the needs of our patients and community,” said Riyad Basir, MD, Chief of Pulmonary and Director of the NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln Stroke Center. “We commit to fulfill this mission by turning to evidence-based guidelines and leaders in the field to ensure the wellbeing of our community members.

“Adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy for our patients with heart failure has made a difference in our outcomes,” said Ronny Cohen, MD, Director of Cardiology at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull. “Get with the Guidelines-HF, has become a great tool for tracking and measuring our compliance, as well as finding areas for improvement. Excellence is an ongoing process and we are fortunate to have these tools available to us.”

According to the American Heart Association, more than 6.5 million adults in the United States are living with heart failure. Many heart failure patients can lead a full, enjoyable life when their condition is managed with proper medications or devices and with healthy lifestyle changes.

NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation, serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org