Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/442115
Health Services, have been ranked Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in the United States. They are among just four Long Island hospitals to achieve this designation. The ratings are based on an aggregation from the accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the 2013 calendar year. Earning a place on the Top Performers list for the fourth consecutive year, St. Charles, Port Jefferson, most recently received this recognition for pneumonia, surgical care and stroke measures. For a second year, Mercy, Rockville Centre, excelled in heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. Good Samaritan, West Islip, excelled in measures of heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. The three hos - pitals achieved a performance of 95 percent or above on a single, composite score that includes all the accountability measures in data reported to The Joint Commission, for every one of which each hospital also met a 95 percent performance threshold, exclud - ing any measures with fewer than 30 eligible cases or patients. The North Shore-LIJ Orthopedic Institute has opened an office in Babylon. The facility, located at 200 West Main St., Suite 100, will feature several physicians from the North Shore-LIJ Orthopedic Institute at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore. The physi - cians at the North Shore-LIJ Orthopedic Institute at Babylon have been treating patients at Southside Hospital, and they have created the Center for Joint Preservation and Restoration at Southside Hospital, which has been operational for the past year. East Meadow Fire Department volunteers took a brief timeout from their duties to don a different kind of suit. Jolly old Santa and his elves delivered toys to each pedi - atric patient at Nassau University Medical Center and spread a little holiday cheer. The volunteer firefighters brought at least one toy per child, hoping to brighten the day for children suffering from illness. East Meadow Fire Department volunteers were joined by Linda Walsh, Director of Therapeutic Recreation, as they delivered toys to pediatric patients at Nassau University Medical Center. The North Shore-LIJ Health System an- nounced the launch of the New York area's first hospital-based Helicopter Emergency Medical Service. The program, called SkyHealth, is a partnership with Yale-New Haven Health in Connecticut. Patients of both health systems who need lifesaving care for major traumas, heart attack, stroke and other life-threatening brain injuries will receive emergency medical care by helicopter and be quickly flown to the most appropriate hospital. North Shore-LIJ is investing $7 million to - ward the helicopter and $6.5 million to build a rooftop helipad at North Shore University Hospital, which was verified as a Level 1 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons — the first hospital in the down - state region to receive this designation. This new capability is important because North Shore-LIJ hospitals stretch as far west as Westchester County and as far east as Bay Shore in Suffolk County. Flying at an average speed of 130 mph, the helicopter cuts travel time significantly. NuHealth held its Annual HIV Mini- Conference and Multicultural Luncheon on Monday, Dec. 1, at the Nassau University Medical Center. Speakers Hamid Pahlevan, MD, and Department of Health Minority Health Director Carolyn McCummings provided presentations on Bending the Curve of HIV Infection and PrEP. The interactive discussion following the presentations indicated that there is community interest in the evolving manage - ment of HIV infection and a lot of interest in the new linkage, retention, adherence and PrEP initiatives at NuHealth. The program succeeded in raising community awareness of important issues in HIV infection. (L–R) HIV Program Administrator Martine Michel-Toure; NuHealth Community Involvement Recognition Award Recipient Debra A. Brown; HIV Program Director Janice Verley, MD; Tabassum Yasmin, MD; and Shadab Ahmed, MD North Shore-LIJ Health System, in partner- ship with Access Clinical Partners, un- veiled the new North Shore-LIJ GoHealth Urgent Care Center, located at 102–29 Queens Blvd. It is the first of 50 sites that will be opening over the next three years throughout the metropolitan area. A second center in Queens is scheduled to open in early 2015 in Corona. To meet the needs of its diverse community, the center's staff speaks Spanish, Russian, Portuguese and Cantonese, with other languages made avail - able as needed through translation services. The GoHealth center is open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–8 p.m., and Saturday–Sunday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. For more information, call 718-502-9798. n +++++++++++++++++++ + +++ + +++ +++++++++++++++++++ LOCAL NEWS Members of Southside Hospital's leadership and North Shore-LIJ's orthopedics department commemorate the opening of the North Shore-LIJ Orthopedic Institute at Babylon. 3 0 | Long Island MD NEWS n M D N E W S . CO M 3 0 | Long Island MD NEWS n M D N E W S . CO M

