MDNews - Long Island

+++++++++++++++++++ + +++ + +++ +++++++++++++++++++ LOCAL NEWS ❯ 3 4 | Long Island MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M the physician group. Additionally, education and training are provided for physicians to continue to strengthen their communication and engagement skills with patients. Uncle Sam is constantly on the lookout for a few good men and women, and so is North Shore-LIJ Health System. For the second consecutive year, the health system's initiative for veteran recruit - ment, supported by the Workforce Readiness Team within the Talent Acquisition group, hosted its highly anticipated Interview Day for Veterans. On Interview Day, the health system invites veterans to explore opportunities available at North Shore-LIJ. Attendees can meet with recruiters and get tips on building resumes and how to handle job interviews. This year, very few of the veterans needed coaching on resumes or interview skills. Most who attended were sent to a second interview for progression or placed in recruiters' files to match them with a relevant position. Catholic Health Services (CHS) is commit- ted to assisting those in need by providing access to health care for all. In addition to the primary health and human services offered by CHS entities across the region, the system offers free wellness seminars, support groups, health fairs and screenings. To further help the medically underserved in Nassau and Suffolk counties, CHS established its Healthy Sundays outreach network and Bishop McHugh Health Centers to deliver health screenings, educa - tion, vaccinations and other services to those without access to primary care. In 2014, 61 Healthy Sundays were held, with nearly 2,300 free health screenings and more than 2,750 immunizations provided. At the two Bishop McHugh Health Centers, more than 1,700 patients were treated. To further extend outreach, CHS's hospitals belong to the Long Island Health Collaborative, a bi-county initiative established in 2013 to promote good health in the region. Investigators at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have discovered that brain scans can be used to predict responses to antipsychotic drug treatment. The findings are published online in the latest issue of The American Journal of Psychiatry. Psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, are characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thoughts and behavior. They are estimated to occur in as many as 3 percent of the popula - tion and are a leading cause for disability worldwide. Psychotic episodes are currently treated with antipsychotic drugs, but this treatment is given without guidance from lab tests or brain scans, such as functional mag - netic resonance imaging. Physicians often use trial-and-error approaches to choose treat - ments for psychotic disorders, so they may not know if patients will respond well. This lack of knowledge places a large burden on not only patients and their families, but also healthcare professionals and healthcare systems. Connectivity patterns of a region of the brain called the striatum, which tends to be atypical in patients suffering from psychotic disorders, were used to create an index. This index significantly predicted if psychotic symptoms were decreased in the studies' patients. What's even more significant is that the researchers applied this index to confirm their results in a separate group of patients with more chronic illness — those hospital - ized for psychotic symptoms. They found that treatment outcomes could be predicted in the replication group as well. The Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) Department of Volunteer Services is seeking volunteers for its Greeter Service. The greeter welcomes and assists patients, their families and those visiting the hospital. Volunteers working in this capacity answer questions, provide information and direct people to the hospital location they need, thus creating an atmosphere in the hospital that is caring, yet efficient. Reporting to the Director of Volunteer Services, volunteers must be able to work any day between Monday and Friday, from 10 a.m.–to 2 p.m. or from 2–6 p.m. Special Requirements: Greeters must be mature, dependable and caring and have the ability to courteously and effectively commu - nicate with patients, families, visitors and staff. They must be able to maintain strict confiden- tiality of patient information. Greeters must be able to sit/walk for a three- to four-hour shift. If interested in becoming a volunteer at NUMC, please contact the office of volunteers at 516-572-6588. Thanks to the generosity of Liqui-Mark's President Stuart Goodelman and his two sons, Craig and Josh, pediatric patients at Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) will have magic markers and coloring pencils for their back-to-school supplies. Goodelman dropped off two cartons filled with supplies for NUMC's Kiwanis Club Back-to-School Program. On behalf of NUMC's pediatric patients, thank you, Stu, for providing the sup - plies to Linda Walsh, Director of the NuHealth Foundation, and Shelley Lotenberg, Director of public affairs. ■ A member of the Talent Acquisition group discusses career possibilities with a veteran during Interview Day for Veterans. Catholic Health Services volunteers at a free community outreach event at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Valley Stream Nassau University Medical Center receives back- to-school supplies for pediatric patients from Liqui-Mark Corporation.

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