MDNews - Lower Hudson/Bronx

Medical College School of Health Sciences and Practice, Sarah Lawrence College, and the University of Puerto Rico. Calvary Hospital hosted its Annual Spring Donor Reception at The New York Botanical Garden. Nearly 280 people gath - ered at the picturesque site to hear about the latest news from the Hospital as well as enjoy the Conservatory, a buffet dinner and an all-women classical music trio. Two family members — Lynn Milito and James R. Waters — shared their experi - ence with CalvaryCare for their father and aunt, respectively. The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), along with the Bon Secours Charity Health System, welcomed local leaders and New York state officials to Bon Secours Community Hospital, a member of WMCHealth, for a special ceremony heralding the beginning of construction on a transformative $40 million hospital renovation project. The Investing in a Healthier Community project is expected to usher in a new era of health care in the City of Port Jervis and its surrounding tristate-area community, with facility and diagnostic equipment upgrades and the development of a "medical village" hub for local residents. At its completion, the Investing in a Healthier Community effort will bring to Port Jervis an expanded, state-of-the-art Emergency Department with 10,000 square feet of space; a new, welcoming entrance and expanded lounge for patients and family members; and an upgraded imaging center replete with world-leading diagnostic technologies plus a redesigned bariatric center. Also, three dozen semiprivate rooms will be converted to private rooms for increased patient comfort and privacy. The emergency app that could save your life: Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) launched a new communica - tions technology, Twiage, allowing first responders to communicate directly with hospitals, saving time in an emergency. WMCHealth is the first hospital network in New York state to fully implement this HIPAA- compliant communication technology across all of its network emer - gency departments. The Twiage technology allows emergency medical services and other prehospital providers to communicate in real-time with ER personnel to share patient information and shave off lifesaving minutes. GPS tracking technology allows the Emergency Department teams to know the ambu - lances' exact location to prepare for the patient's arrival. Westmed Medical Group announces that Fortune and Great Place to Work are again recognizing them as one of the 2018 Best Workplaces in Health Care & Biopharma. "Westmed took the 21st spot on the list, moving up from No. 27 last year," says Anthony Viceroy, CEO of the multispecialty medical practice. This is the second year in a row that Fortune recognized the Purchase-based medical group as a top-tier organization in the coun - try and the fourth year it has been rated by Great Place to Work. The 2018 ranking considered input from more than 95,000 employ - ees in the healthcare and biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. Great Place to Work, a research and consulting firm, evaluated more than 50 elements of team members' experience on the job — such as "belief that their work makes a difference" and "actually love coming to work" — to determine which organizations would be named the year's Best Workplaces. The Council of The Medical Society of the State of New York (MSSNY) voted to convene a Task Force on Death and Dying to develop a white paper regarding the physician's role in end-of-life and palliative care. The paper will also discuss the impact of death and dying on the disparate and the disabled populations. "These are complex issues, and it is very important that we address this controversial issue in the most appropriate way," says MSSNY President Thomas Madejski, MD. "The Task Force will be ethnically and philosophically diverse and will include members from across MSSNY's membership — including physicians from the Long-Term Care and Disparities committees." MSSNY has a long-standing policy that opposes physicians' participa - tion in accelerating a patient's natural death. Since mid-2015, Calvary Hospital has wel- comed people with certified therapy dogs to visit patients regularly at the Bronx campus. Patients and family members eagerly anticipate these visits. All breeds are welcome as long as the dogs are certified. Currently two teams visit patients at the Bronx campus. One is made up of Calvary nurse Kathy Figueroa, RN, who visits the Bronx campus regularly with her 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier, Harley. Chloe, a 5-year-old Husky mix owned by Cara Scotti, also makes regular visits. Those interested should contact Stephanie Mastropaolo at Calvary's Family Care Center: smastropaolo@calvaryhospital.org. ■ Calvary's Annual Spring Donor Reception held at The New York Botanical Garden Acclaiming the construction on a transformative $40 million hospital renovation project Calvary welcomes people with certified therapy dogs. 2 1 M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S L O W E R H U D S O N / B R O N X ■ 2 018

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