March 2023 - Health Beat

Employee Spotlight Shines On Eulanda Corales, DNP, RN, CCRN

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Andrew Rubin

This month, we are proud to shine our Employee Spotlight on Eulanda Corales, DNP, RN, CCRN, Clinical Nurse Manager for the NICU and Pediatric unit.

Eulanda has been at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for 36 years. She grew up in the Philippines where she attended elementary school, high school and obtained her RN degree. She moved to Queens in 1986 and has since obtained her Master’s degree in Nursing Administration at Adelphi University and her Doctorate degree from Chamberlain University. Eulanda now resides on Long Island.

Eulanda has two daughters who are both nurses and that she is very proud of. Her older daughter is a NICU nurse and her younger daughter is a Pediatric Cardiothoracic ICU nurse. She also has a granddaughter who is one year and nine months old. Her granddaughter brings her much joy and she loves spending time with her. Her granddaughter’s favorite thing to do is to dance and sing, especially to Michael Buble’s version of the song “Sway” and “Save the Last Dance for Me”.

In her free time, Eulanda enjoys reading and online window shopping. She likes many types of sports, especially archery, volleyball, rock climbing, jet skiing, parasailing, standup paddling, and body paddling. Eulanda enjoys travelling and has been to many places of interest that include all of the Hawaiian Islands, California, many cities in Mexico, the Bahamas, Virginia Beach, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. She likes to go “Glamping” which is glamorous camping whenever she can. Eulanda also practices Neurobics which is aerobics for the brain.

Eulanda likes all types of food, especially, Indian, Mexican and Italian. While she enjoys many types of music, at the moment her favorite musician is the Croatian cellist Hauser. Her hobbies include photography, collecting stamps and coins from all over the world, and she also collects pens and beautiful rocks that she gives as gifts to her daughters at Christmas.

Eulanda enjoys working at Jamaica Hospital because everyone works well together as a team. She enjoys the diversity of the patients as well as the staff. She has learned many life lessons from the diversity of the people she has had the pleasure to meet over the years. We are very happy to have Eulanda as a member of our team and look forward to her continuing to work at the hospital for many more years.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

What is Female Pattern Baldness?

Posted on March 29, 2023 by Jacob Lobosco

Approximately one in three women will experience hair loss at some point within their lifetime, with about 55% losing some amount of hair by the age of 70.

The most common cause of hair loss in women is female pattern baldness. There’s no specific known cause for female pattern baldness, but several factors have been identified that may be linked to it. These include aging, changes in androgen levels, a family history of male or female pattern baldness, significant blood loss during menstrual periods, and certain medications, such as birth control pills.

In most cases, female pattern baldness begins in the crown of the scalp and the top of the head, becoming thinner in these areas over time. While the hairline does not recede beyond average levels, the center part of the hair that runs across the top of the head may become wider. Unlike male pattern baldness, however, female pattern baldness does not typically result in an eventual total loss of hair.

Hair loss may also be an indicator of other, potentially more serious conditions. Alternative causes such as alopecia areata, which causes your immune system to attack your hair follicles, are not particularly dangerous to your health. However, causes of hair loss such as thyroid disease or anemia are potentially life-threatening illnesses if they are not adequately managed.

If you begin to experience symptoms of female pattern baldness, you should speak with a dermatologist for an accurate diagnosis. Certain signs, such as new hair growth on your face or in other abnormal parts of your body, may indicate heightened levels of androgen and support female pattern baldness as the most likely cause of your hair loss. A dermatologist can also perform a skin biopsy or blood test to diagnose you.

To schedule an appointment with a dermatologist at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, please call our Ambulatory Care Center at (718) 206-7001.

Allergic Rhinitis

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

A seasonal allergy, often called allergic rhinitis or hay fever, is an allergy that occurs during a specific time of the year. Seasonal allergies are most often caused by three types of pollen: grass, tree, and weed.

Seasonal allergies can have a significant impact on a patient’s quality of life and are a significant burden on the healthcare system. Approximately 600 million people are thought to be affected by rhinitis, and there is evidence showing that those numbers are on the rise.

Rhinitis is generally divided into two groups: allergic and non-allergic. Differentiating between allergic and non-allergic rhinitis is critical, as half of patients prescribed antihistamines for their reported allergic rhinitis have symptoms that are not due to allergy. Symptoms such as sleep disturbance and daily fatigue, along with inappropriate use of antihistamines, can result in impaired performance at school and work.

It is important to use testing for allergen sensitization to help you decipher allergic from non-allergic rhinitis. These results, along with a physical exam and medical history, can ensure that patients receive appropriate treatment sooner, as well as helping to reduce avoidable antihistamine use.

To get tested, schedule an appointment with our Family Medicine Center by calling (718) 206-6942.

Healthgrades Ranks Jamaica Hospital Medical Center Among Top 5 in New York For Surgical Care

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

We are pleased to announce that Jamaica Hospital Medical Center has been ranked number two in New York for surgical care by Healthgrades in 2023. Additionally, our hospital is the top-ranked hospital in Queens County for surgical care and has also received recognition for being among the top 5% in the nation for this area of expertise.

To determine this year’s rankings, Healthgrades evaluated clinical performance for nearly 4,500 hospitals nationwide focusing on 18 key specialties across a mix of chronic, urgent, and surgical specialty areas.

Hospitals recognized as among the top five in their states by Healthgrades are providing patients with consistently better-than-expected clinical outcomes.

Jamaica Hospital offers a wide range of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient surgical services. Our surgeons utilize cutting-edge techniques and sophisticated instrumentation to deliver the best possible outcomes. Jamaica Hospital’s commitment to providing high-quality care to our community and our pursuit of clinical excellence is reflected in our many achievements. We are proud to have earned the distinction of being ranked number two in New York for surgical care.

“Being recognized as one of the top 5 in New York for Surgical Care is a tremendous achievement that speaks to MediSys Health Network’s ongoing commitment to high-quality care. Hospitals receiving a #2 ranking in their state have a proven track record of delivering superior outcomes for the patients in their community,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Head of Data Science, Healthgrades. Bowman added, “For almost 25 years, our mission has been to provide consumers with clear and accessible information to make more informed healthcare decisions. Patients can feel confident knowing that they have access to top-ranked care for Surgical Care at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

Jamaica Hospital also received the 2023 America’s 250 Best Hospitals award from Healthgrades. The award places our organization in the top 5% of hospitals in the country for overall clinical performance.

Can Exercise Relieve Nasal Congestion?

Posted on March 24, 2023 by Jacob Lobosco

Mild to moderate physical exercise can temporarily relieve nasal congestion. A runny nose often occurs because of irritation in your nasal passages. This can occur due to a variety of causes, including sinus infections, airborne substances such as smoke or strong perfumes, and allergies.

Exercises such as push-ups can provide quick relief by opening your nasal passages and reducing inflammation that may be affecting them. However, this may not be the best approach in all cases.

Relieving nasal congestion through light exercise can be helpful when your symptoms are not severe and are limited to your nose, throat, or other parts of your head. However, if you’re experiencing symptoms that are worse or occurring in other parts of your body, such as a fever, fatigue, chest congestion, or muscle aches, it may be best to rest and avoid unnecessary exertion.

Additionally, physical exercise may even be a contributing factor to your nasal congestion in certain cases. If you have asthma, for example, your congestion may be a result of exercise-induced asthma, which causes your airways to constrict in response to hard physical activity.

Before exercising with nasal congestion or a cold, you should talk to an ear, nose, and throat doctor (ENT), also known as an otolaryngologist, to determine the cause of your congestion and whether physical exercise may help or harm your symptoms. An otolaryngologist can also prescribe decongestant medication or recommend alternative methods of relieving your congestion that may be safer for you, such as:

Using a humidifier
Taking a hot shower
Drinking more water throughout the day
Applying a warm compress to your face

If you’re experiencing nasal congestion, you can find an otolaryngologist at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. To schedule an appointment, please call (718) 206-7110.

Stomach Flu

Posted on March 23, 2023 by Andrew Rubin

Gastroenteritis, or the stomach flu, is a very contagious bug that is common in our region beginning in the fall and winter months.

The stomach flu attacks your intestines causing the following symptoms:

Watery, non-bloody diarrhea
Abdominal cramps and pain
Nausea, vomiting or both
Occasional muscle aches, headache, and low-grade fever

Gastroenteritis is typically spread through the sharing of food or drink with someone who is infected or sharing other items with them such as utensils or towels. Children can also spread the illness by placing their hands in their mouths after touching contaminated items or surfaces.

Symptoms usually appear within one to three days after exposure and can range from mild to severe. Typically symptoms last only a day or two, but in some cases, they may persist for up to ten days.

The main complication from viral gastroenteritis is dehydration — a severe loss of water and essential salts and minerals. If you’re healthy and drink enough to replace fluids you lose from vomiting and diarrhea, dehydration shouldn’t be a problem. However, infants, older adults and people with suppressed immune systems may become severely dehydrated when they lose more fluids than they can replace. Hospitalization might be needed so that lost fluids can be replaced intravenously. Dehydration can be fatal, but rarely.

To avoid catching the stomach flu, it is recommended that individuals wash their hands thoroughly, use separate items around the home, disinfect all potentially infected items and surfaces, and keep your distance from those who are infected.

If you do contract gastroenteritis, follow these tips:

1) Let your stomach settle. Stop eating solid foods for a few hours.
2) Try sucking on ice chips or taking small sips of water. You might also try drinking clear liquids or broths or non-caffeinated sports drinks. Drink plenty of liquid every day, taking small, frequent sips.
3) Ease back into eating. Gradually begin to eat bland, easy-to-digest foods, such as ginger ale crackers, toast, gelatin, bananas, rice and chicken. Stop eating if your nausea returns.
4) Avoid certain foods and substances until you feel better. These include dairy products, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and fatty or highly seasoned foods.
5) Get plenty of rest. The illness and dehydration may have made you weak and tired.

For babies and young children, seek medical care if vomiting is frequent, there hasn’t been a wet diaper in 6 hours, has bloody stools, if diarrhea is severe, cries without tears, and if they are unusually drowsy, sleepy or unresponsive.

See a doctor if you become dehydrated (characterized by excessive thirst, dry mouth, dark yellow or no urine, severe weakness, change in mental status or dizziness), if symptoms persist for over 24 hours, if you are vomiting blood or have blood in your stool, or if you have a temperature of 104 degrees or above.

While most people will recover from a stomach virus after 24 – 48 hours, in some severe cases it may be necessary to go to the nearest emergency room. If you would like to schedule an appointment with a physician at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, please call 718-206-7001.

Jamaica Hospital EMS Team Receives NAEMSP Quality and Safety Award

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Jacob Lobosco

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s dedicated emergency medical services (EMS) team has received the Quality and Safety Award from the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP). The Quality and Safety Award is given to participants in the NAEMSP’s year-long Quality and Safety course who demonstrate “outstanding contributions in quality improvement of prehospital emergency care,” bringing the fundamentals of quality improvement to their communities.

The award was presented to Joshua Kimbrell, Paramedic and Quality Improvement Coordinator for Jamaica Hospital’s Department of Prehospital Care, as well as paramedics Mikiel Lala and Dheuris Rodriguez at the NAEMSP Conference in Tampa, Florida. However, this award recognizes the efforts of our entire team of EMS personnel.

The NAEMSP counts over 2,000 physicians, paramedics, nurses, administrators, educators, researchers, and EMS personnel among its members. The organization hosts events, publicly advocates, and provides resources for education and networking among emergency medical personnel.

As part of the NAEMSP’s Quality and Safety course, members of Jamaica Hospital’s EMS staff completed a capstone project on improving cardiac arrest care and patient survival among patients in the local Queens community. This project involved developing a strategy to improve chest compression fraction, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), and patient survival in advanced life support (ALS) cardiac arrest responses. The team presented their case at the conference with a published abstract in the Prehospital Emergency Care journal.

“The strategy our team developed resulted in significant improvements in patient outcomes,” said Joshua Kimbrell. “This award was an achievement for our entire department.

Congratulations to all members of our EMS staff!

Meet Our Doctors: Dr. Xun Li

Posted on March 16, 2023 by Jacob Lobosco

This month, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center would like to tell you more about Dr. Xun Li. He is a full-time attending neurosurgeon at both Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center who treats patients experiencing various brain and spine problems. Dr. Li is a dual-trained spine surgeon, meaning that he is able to perform surgeries within the spinal cord itself in addition to the bones, joints, ligaments, and discs around the spinal cord.

Dr. Li’s interest in neurosurgery stems from the effects of aging on the brain and spine. “As we age, most of us develop problems with our necks and backs due to being creatures that walk upright on two feet,” said Dr. Li. “However, the good news is that spine surgery has advanced so rapidly over the past couple of decades that we now have simple and effective surgical solutions for many problems. The days of simply accepting that neck and back pain is part of getting older are, thankfully, long gone.”

Dr. Li was born in Beijing, China, and grew up traveling around the world as part of his father’s career. He attended many local schools and learned a variety of languages during this time, but at home, he and his family only spoke Mandarin Chinese. “I am very thankful for that now,” said Dr. Li, “as I have not lost my mother tongue like so many other people in my shoes.”

After attending schools such as Allegheny College, Temple University, Brown University, and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as completing his education in neurosurgery and a subspecialty fellowship in orthopedic spine surgery, Dr. Li found that the opportunity to work at Jamaica and Flushing Hospital in Queens allowed him to take advantage of his bilingual fluency in Mandarin Chinese and English in a way he had always wanted.

“When the opportunity to work in Queens presented itself, I embraced it enthusiastically. It has been very fulfilling to be able to speak with my patients in our native language; it creates a stronger bond and deeper sense of trust as we discuss various brain or spine surgeries that are often inherently high risk, but that also come with high reward,” said Dr. Li.

In addition to performing emergency neurosurgery at Jamaica and Flushing Hospital, Dr. Li also treats routine simple and complex neurological problems for patients during regular business hours.

Sleep Awareness Week

Posted on March 14, 2023 by Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

The keys to a healthy lifestyle are eating right, exercising, and getting adequate sleep. While we give a great deal of attention to the first two, the importance of a good night’s sleep is often overlooked. March 12th through the 18th has been designated Sleep Awareness Week, the 25^th Anniversary of this event. Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) want to raise awareness and educate the community about how important sleep is to each and every one of us.

There are many health benefits that sleep can provide. Sleep aids our heart, brain, lungs, and muscles to function properly. Additional benefits include:

Improved immunity
Decreased pain
Increased alertness
Lower risk of injury
Improved memory
Better mood

The NSF recommends that adults receive seven to nine hours of sleep each night. They also provide the following tips to ensure a restful night’s sleep.

Stick to a sleep schedule with the same bedtime and wake-up time, even on the weekends.
Practice a relaxing bedtime ritual. Try to separate your sleep time from activities that can cause excitement, stress, or anxiety; a lot of which can make it more difficult to fall asleep.
If you have trouble sleeping, avoid naps, especially in the afternoon. Napping may help you during the day, but it can interfere with your ability to sleep at night
Avoid drinking any caffeinated beverages at least five to six hours before bed.
Exercise daily. Vigorous exercise is best, but even light exercise is better than no activity.
Evaluate your sleep environment. Remove any noisy distractions, eliminate bright lights, and set a comfortable temperature to optimize your sleep.
Sleep on a comfortable mattress and Make sure your mattress is supportive.

If you still have trouble falling asleep or getting a restful night’s sleep, you should speak with your doctor as there may be an underlining medical issue. Jamaica Hospital operates a state-of-the-art sleep center that can help diagnose and treat a variety of sleep disorders. For more information, or to make an appointment, please call 718-206-5916.

Jamaica Hospital’s Cure Violence Program Receives Over $1 Million to Address Gun Violence in our Community

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Michael Hinck

Congratulations to the Trauma team at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for being awarded over $1 million by the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice for the continuation and expansion of the hospital’s Cure Violence program. The goal of Cure Violence program is to fund anti-violence community groups in their efforts to steer young New Yorkers away from violence and gun use.

In 2021 Jamaica Hospital created the VETO (Violence, Elimination and Trauma Outreach) program to provide a comprehensive and patient centered approach to victims of gun violence. The VETO team engages patients who are victims of gun violence, develop specific care plans to address social determinates of health, and follow them until all of their care plan goals are met.

The VETO program was awarded the Marla Becker Scholarship from The HAVI foundation for new and emerging HVIP’s, connecting us with HVIP’s in Philadelphia and our community for consultation in structuring our hospital-based violence intervention program.

In addition, Jamaica Hospital has also formed partnerships with numerous community organizations including violence interrupter groups to address the issue of gun violence in our community.