MDNews - Long Island

• Healthgrades Top 10 Percent of Hospitals Evaluated for Gynecologic Procedures, Gynecologic Procedures Excellence Award, Superior Performance in Gynecologic Procedures Award, 5-Star Recipient for Hysterectomy • Becker's Hospital Review List of 100 Hospitals with Great Women's Health Programs • U.S. News & World Report Best (New York) Metro Area Hospitals Rankings of 17th Overall • Re-accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers • Get With The Guidelines–Heart Failure Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation • American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus • Improving Healthcare for the Common Good (IPRO) End-Stage Renal Disease Network Quality Award for Highest ICH CAHPS Score in New York • IPRO End Stage Renal Network Five Diamond Safety Award (for both the Inpatient Dialysis Unit and the Outpatient Dialysis Center) • Transitional Care Unit (TCU) CMS Nursing Home Compare 5- Star Rating • TCU U.S. News & World Report Top Nursing Homes in America Northwell Health President & CEO Michael J. Dowling and Mather Hospital President Kenneth Roberts signed an agreement for Mather to become a full member of the health system. The merger was approved in late November by both Mather Board of Directors and Northwell Health Board of Trustees, and took effect in January. Mather becomes Northwell's 23rd hospital and its fifth in Suffolk County, in addition to Huntington Hospital, Southside Hospital in Bay Shore, Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead and South Oaks Hospital in Amityville. As part of an extensive search process, Mather had discussions with several health systems regarding possible affiliation starting in early 2016. Mather had been one of only two hospitals on Long Island that had not joined or announced plans to join a larger system. With the flu season fully upon us, imagine making common items, such as cotton cloth, plastic bottles, and wound dressings, killers of swine flu or staph. This is now a reality with far reaching implications. Researchers at Pace University, Queens College and Long Island University have been awarded U.S. patent number 9,832,998 B2 for a portfolio of compounds that, when applied to polymer surfaces, renders them antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial/antimicrobial. "We have developed a compound that when bonded to a variety of surfaces, kills the H1N1 virus, MRSA, and other pathogens, fungi, and bacteria that come into contact with those surfaces, helping to stop the spread of diseases and infections," says Chemistry Professor JaimeLee Rizzo, PhD, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Pace University. She and her fellow researchers, Professor Robert Engel, PhD, Queens College, and Professor Karin Melkonian-Fincher, PhD, Long Island University, have worked on devel - oping this as part of a portfolio of compounds since 2010. The patent covers a group of groundbreaking antimicrobial technologies. These compounds have many practical applications across a va - riety of industries and sectors, such as health care, food, agriculture, construction and the military. The range of surfaces that the com - pound can be bonded to includes many polymer materials, and could be used on wound dressings, facemasks, gowns, linens and counter - tops found in hospitals, nursing homes, clinics and physician's offices; household items, such as sponges, cutting boards and counters; water and air filtration systems; military uniforms; and plastic bottles used not only in the beverage industry, but the health and beauty sectors as well. The triumvirate of researchers is working on bringing the com - pounds to the market in 2018. NYU Winthrop Hospital announced that 99.3 percent of its more than 8,750 employees were inoculated against influenza in what is believed to be the first time ever that a hospital in Nassau or Suffolk Counties made the vaccination mandatory among its employees. NYU Winthrop initiated this grand-scale program, which goes above and beyond precautions required by New York state law, to create the safest environment possible for young and elderly patients alike, and to protect patients who may have compromised immune systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in recent years there have been as many as 56,000 deaths (in 2012-2013) due to the flu, including deaths of young children who were perfectly healthy before - hand. NYU Winthrop's new mandatory program will be an annual one, but it permits exemptions for employees with medical contraindica- tions or based on religious beliefs. Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center is taking additional steps to prevent the spread of flu with a comprehensive effort to protect patients and visitors from exposure to the flu virus. While an annual flu vaccine remains the single best method for preventing the flu, a surgical facemask, worn by employees, provides added protection to patients, employees and visitors. Good Samaritan offers the flu vaccine to all employees and also provides its em - ployees with surgical facemasks, as required by the New York State Department of Health. "Flu prevention is a priority at all hospitals on Long Island, and hospi- tal employees work every day to lessen the spread of flu virus by adher- ing to strict infection control practices and prevention guidelines," says Kevin Dahill, President/CEO of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council, the association that represents all Long Island hospitals. "Additionally, hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities must document the num - ber and percentage of personnel vaccinated against the flu to state and federal authorities." ■ Mather Hospital becomes a member of the Northwell Health System Chemistry Professor JaimeLee Rizzo, PhD, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Pace University 2 9 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O N G I S L A N D ■ 2 018

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