February 2024 - Health BeatHealth Beat

Employee Spotlight Shines on Jose Otero

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Andrew Rubin

This month, we are proud to shine our Employee Spotlight on Jose Otero, Special Care Associate (SCA) in the Cardiovascular Interventional Unit at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

Jose began his employment at the hospital 27 years ago. He is a native of Brooklyn and still resides there. He attended PS 106 and completed his education at Bushwick High School. In his free time he enjoys building things in his home, different types of arts and crafts, painting and woodworking. He likes to improve his home with things that he has constructed on his own. Jose is fond of motorcycles and whenever he has the opportunity, he takes rides through scenic areas in and out of the city. He belongs to a group called the Latin American Motorcycle Association which has over 15,000 members worldwide. The group has members from all different professions who ride for the shear pleasure of being out on the roads, enjoying their time together. One day he hopes to travel to places that he has always wanted to visit.

Jose’s father was a professional musician who played many different types of instruments. This instilled in him a love of a wide variety of musical genres. He feels that through music people can communicate their feelings and music can also make people feel happy. His favorite sport are the martial arts. He has been practicing martial arts for over 30 years and it has become like a religion to him. It takes a great deal of concentration and gives him much inner peace.

Family and friends are very important to Jose. He likes to make people smile whenever possible. He feels that through his interactions with patients he can take away some of the anxiety and stress that they may be feeling. We are very fortunate to have Jose as a member of our team and look forward to having him continue with us 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.

Potty Training Tips

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Andrew Rubin

Everyone who has ever experienced potty training a child knows that it can be challenging. One of the challenges people encounter is deciding when to begin potty training. The average age for commencing potty training is between 18 months and two years of age. However, each child is different, and it may take more time. Girls typically start potty training earlier than boys.

Before beginning training, it is important that children are able to:

Follow easy instructions
Walk to where a potty is located
Know what a potty is
Know how to communicate the need to go potty
Keep a diaper dry for two hours
Get on and off the potty easily
Take off their diaper or their clothes on their own

When training a child to go potty, establish a word or phrase that indicates that it is time to go potty. You can introduce the concept of using a potty by doing some practice first. That means with their clothes on so that they get accustomed to sitting on the potty. Giving a child some positive reinforcement when they use the potty is also helpful, even if they make an attempt and nothing happens. This can include verbal compliments and perhaps a sticker they can put on a piece of paper. Do not use words that have negative connotations about going to the potty. The potty should be kept in the same location in the home. It is important to set a routine for using it. Examples of this would be upon waking up in the morning, after a nap, 15 to 30 minutes after a meal, or 45 minutes after drinking fluids.

Potty training isn’t always easy, and there will be times when a child may have an accident, but the process will get better with time. You can speak to your pediatrician for suggestions if you feel that there are issues with your child using the potty. If you would like to schedule an appointment with a pediatrician at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, please call 718-206-7001.

How Does Anesthesia Work?

Posted on February 21, 2024 by Jacob Lobosco

Anesthesia is medicine used to manage pain during a wide range of medical procedures, including everything from tooth extractions and biopsies to appendectomies, cancer surgery, and childbirth. Anesthesia is an important part of these procedures; without it, many of them would be difficult or impossible to perform.

There are three main types of anesthesia: sedation, local, regional, and general. Sedation typically reduces pain throughout the body and makes you feel relaxed and drowsy. Local anesthesia affects a specific, small part of your body, such as a particular organ. Regional anesthesia affects a large part of your body, such as from the waist down. General anesthesia affects your entire body and renders you unconscious. Most types of anesthesia are injected or administered through an intravenous (IV) line, but general anesthesia may sometimes be administered through a breathing mask or tube.

The type of anesthesia you receive depends on the specific procedure you will be undergoing, as well as your medical history and circumstances. Certain people may face greater risks of medical complications than others from anesthesia, such as problems with brain function, malignant hyperthermia, breathing problems, and, in rare cases, death. Several factors can increase your risk of experiencing these complications, such as:

Heart disease
Diabetes
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Stroke
Lung conditions
Kidney conditions
Neurological disorders
Obesity
Allergies to anesthesia medication

The risks of anesthesia increase with the strength of its effects. Most of the severe side-effects associated with anesthesia occur in rare instances with general anesthesia. Sedation and local anesthesia, on the other hand, may rarely cause minor side-effects, such as itching at the site of injection. Regional anesthesia is also generally safe, but can sometimes cause headaches and may rarely cause nerve damage.

The best way to minimize any risks associated with anesthesia is to consult a licensed, board-certified anesthesiologist. If you’re receiving surgery, an anesthesiologist will typically meet with you ahead of time to discuss potential risks, and will also be present to monitor you throughout your procedure.

How Does Being in Love Affect Your Body?

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Jacob Lobosco

Love is no simple feeling; in fact, being in love with someone can cause a complex swirl of different emotions, like happiness, desire, and excitement, as well as some potentially negative feelings, such as anxiety and over-attachment. These emotions are linked to several chemicals and hormones produced by the body, which can result in a variety of mental and physical effects.

Many of the physical effects of love can be positive in the long term, including everything from a healthy sex drive to a decreased risk for several chronic diseases, reduced pain, and even an increased likelihood of a longer life span. However, there are some potentially negative effects, too, such as poorer judgement (making risky choices to satisfy or impress the person you love) and anxious over-attachment (agonizing over things such as what the other person is doing or how long it’s taking them to respond to you).

When you’re in love, it can make you feel euphoric, particularly when you receive affection from the person you’re in love with. This happens because of an increase in dopamine levels. Dopamine controls the brain’s pleasure and reward centers and is part of many of our body’s functions, such as learning, awareness, mood changes, sleep, arousal, and even movement. However, dopamine levels can also contribute to the development of an addiction to feelings of love, particularly in the “infatuation” stage when those feelings are strongest; this can potentially make it difficult to form a lasting relationship.

Aside from dopamine, hormones such as adrenaline and norepinephrine, which can make your palms sweat and cause your heart to race, are also shown to increase when you’re in love with someone. Additionally, when people develop a feeling of attachment to the person they’re in love with, it can trigger the development of hormones such as vasopressin and oxytocin, which create feelings of security and comfort.

A healthy, committed, long-lasting relationship will produce more good effects than bad ones over the long term, but an important part of maintaining such a relationship is noticing and taking proactive steps to manage negative thoughts or behaviors as they occur. One of the best ways to do this is with the help of a licensed psychiatrist. To schedule an appointment at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Mental Health Clinic, please call (718) 206-5575.

Recognizing the Signs of Online Gambling Addiction

Posted on February 9, 2024 by Jacob Lobosco

When you’re virtually betting on a football game or playing casino games like poker or roulette through a website or an app, there are plenty of opportunities and platforms available today for online gambling. However, with such an increase in options for gambling virtually, there is also an increased risk of developing a gambling addiction, so it’s important to be able to identify the signs of this kind of addiction in yourself as they appear.

A gambling addiction, also known as gambling disorder, involves a compulsion to repeatedly gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve a desired level of excitement, even when this behavior is causing financial harm to yourself and your family. Gambling can be as addictive (and, potentially, as destructive) as alcohol or drugs; in fact, the American Psychiatric Association places gambling disorder in the same classification level as these substance use disorders.

Gambling disorder develops gradually, so you may not immediately recognize signs of this problem when they begin to appear. According to the American Psychiatric Association, a doctor may diagnose a person with gambling disorder if they recognize four or more of the following symptoms:

Compulsion to gamble with increasing amounts money for excitement
Restlessness or irritability while trying to reduce gambling
Repeated unsuccessful attempts to limit time spent gambling
Frequent thoughts about gambling
Gambling as a result of distress
Often attempting to win back gambling losses
Hiding gambling activity
Risking relationships, employment, or educational opportunities to continue gambling
Relying on other people for help with financial problems while gambling

For people who gamble virtually, the risks of developing an addiction are significantly higher than someone who only does it in a physical location, as opportunities to continue gambling are always available and accessible. Some steps you can take to prevent or treat gambling disorder in this situation include:

Reaching out for mental and emotional support from trusted people or support groups
Distracting yourself with different activities
Thinking about what will happen when you gamble, particularly in terms of damage to relationships and opportunities
If necessary, deleting gambling-related apps from your device
Getting help from a licensed psychiatrist

If you need professional help coping with gambling disorder, you can schedule an appointment with a psychiatrist at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Outpatient Psychiatric Clinic by calling (718) 206-5575.

What is the Difference Between RSV and the Common Cold?

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Jacob Lobosco

In the cold weather seasons, illnesses such as the common cold and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) often run rampant, infecting millions of people each year. Both share similar symptoms, which can make it difficult to tell them apart.

Because RSV and the common cold are also extremely common, it is very likely that the average person will develop one or both of them at some point in a given year. Additionally, RSV and the common cold are more likely to develop in:

Infants and young children
Adults over the age of 70
People with weakened or compromised immune systems
People who are frequently in spaces with many other people, such as a college dorm, gym, shared workspace, or public transportation

While it can be difficult to differentiate between the two, one important distinction to keep in mind is that, unlike RSV, which refers to a single type of viral illness, the term “common cold” can refer to any one of hundreds of different viruses, all of which cause similar symptoms. These symptoms occur in three stages, in which they begin to appear, worsen to their peak intensity, and finally start to improve. They typically include:

A sore throat (usually the first symptom to appear)
A runny nose
Frequent coughing
Aches throughout your body
In some cases, a fever

A person with RSV will also usually experience these same symptoms. However, someone who develops RSV is more likely to have a fever and may experience more wheezing than someone with a cold. It is also more likely to cause someone to lose their appetite.

It is important to note symptoms of both the common cold and RSV, as they can develop into more serious illnesses for certain groups of people. In the case of a cold, this is more likely to occur in people with weakened immune systems or a respiratory condition, such as asthma. For RSV, this risk is greater for infants, older adults, and people with heart and neuromuscular conditions.

Both RSV and the common cold usually don’t require much treatment aside from rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medications to help reduce symptoms. However, if your symptoms are severe or last longer than 10 days and do not improve, you can schedule an appointment with a doctor at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Ambulatory Care Center by calling (718) 206-7001.

Low Vision Awareness Month

Posted on February 7, 2024 by Andrew Rubin

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly three million Americans suffer from low vision, a visual impairment that cannot be corrected through medical treatments such as surgery, medication, or specialized eyewear. Low vision is most common among people aged 40 years and older.

One of the most common causes of low vision (and the leading cause of vision loss in people aged 50 and older) is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which impairs a person’s central vision and interferes with tasks such as reading or driving. Your risk of developing this condition increases as you age, but this risk may be higher for people who have a family history of AMD, are Caucasian, or smoke.

This condition can occur as either “dry” (also known as “atrophic”) AMD or “wet” (also known as “advanced neovascular”) AMD. The majority of AMD cases involve dry AMD, which occurs in three stages: early, intermediate, and late.

Early dry AMD usually doesn’t involve any obvious symptoms, but during the intermediate stage, you may experience mild blurry vision or difficulties seeing in low lighting. Late AMD may cause symptoms such as straight lines appearing crooked, increased blurry vision, greater difficulty seeing in low lighting, colors appearing less bright, and visual blank spots.

There are no specific treatments available for the early stage of dry AMD, but during its intermediate and late stages, special dietary supplements may be able to slow or halt the progression of the disease. These supplements contain:

Vitamins C (500 milligrams)
Vitamin E (400 International Units)
Copper (2 milligrams)
Zinc (80 milligrams)
Beta-carotene
Lutein (10 milligrams)
Zeaxanthin (2 milligrams)

Wet AMD is a form of late-stage AMD that progresses quickly as abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye, damaging the macula. It always begins as dry AMD and can occur during any stage of the condition. Unlike late-stage dry AMD, however, it can be treated through anti–vascular endothelial growth factor drugs or through photodynamic therapy (PDT), which combines injectable medications with laser treatments.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of dry or wet AMD, schedule an appointment at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Ophthalmology Center now by calling (718) 206-5900.

Jamaica Hospital Named One Of America’s 100 Best Hospitals

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Jamaica Hospital Medical Center

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is pleased to announce that it has been named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for 2024, by Healthgrades.

The achievement places Jamaica Hospital in the top 2% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance and serves as a testament to the organization’s unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional patient care.

This year, only seven hospitals in New York were recognized as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals. Jamaica Hospital is proud to join the elite ranks of top providers and be counted as one of only two hospitals in Queens to receive the prestigious award. The hospital is also celebrating its advancement in the national rankings, having climbed up 150 spots on the list from its previous position as one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals, an accolade it consecutively earned from 2020 through 2024.

Hospitals ranked as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals, by Healthgrades, a leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, are nationally recognized for their high performance and quality achievements. To determine the top hospitals for 2024, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted mortality and complication rates for more than 30 conditions and procedures at approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide. Unlike other hospital studies, Healthgrades ratings are based solely on what matters most: patient outcomes.

“Healthgrades commends Jamaica Hospital for their leadership and continued dedication to high quality care,” said Brad Bowman, MD, Chief Medical Officer, and Head of Data Science at Healthgrades. “As one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals, Jamaica Hospital is elevating the standard for quality care nationwide and ensuring superior outcomes for the patients in their community.”

Jamaica Hospital’s pursuit of excellence and dedication to providing high-quality, equitable care has also yielded the following 2024 Healthgrades awards:

America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention Award
Cranial Neurosurgery Excellence Award
Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award

These awards have distinguished Jamaica Hospital as one of the leading healthcare organizations in the country, an achievement made possible through the tireless efforts of hospital employees to deliver the best care, and the vision of leadership to provide the community with world-class services close to home.