COMMUNITY BENEFIT
North Shore-LIJ contributes more than $686.4 million in community benefit (10.9 percent of operating expenses) by participating in 1,966 unique programs, serving more than 1.9 million community members and training 24,862 health professionals.
North Shore-LIJ is selected as a finalist for the American Hospital Association 2013 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service, demonstrating the organization’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves.
North Shore-LIJ is a primary sponsor of the Tunnel to Towers Organization 5K Run and Walk, which supports children who have lost a parent, firefighters and military who have been seriously injured and sacrificed their quality of life in the line of duty.
North Shore-LIJ joins the Partnership for a Healthier NYC, focusing on Queens County. Among the goals are to: reduce exposure to secondhand smoke in outdoor areas by increasing the number of organizations, institutions and facilities that voluntarily adopt smoke-free outdoor policies; reduce youth smoking through education and advocacy for the reduction of access to tobacco products and marketing in the retail environment; and increase the availability of 100% smoke-free housing through education and advocacy for smoke-free housing.
South Oaks Hospital’s Career and Educational Counseling Center invites more than l00 high school students from Nassau and Suffolk counties to participate in a half-day experience at Project C.A.R.E. (Challenge Activities Ropes Experience). Students from 10 school districts joined with job coaches for activities focusing on adolescent development in the areas of individual and team growth. The event is part of the Career and Educational Counseling Center’s celebration of 20 years of providing vocational guidance and transitional services to a broad range of individuals with and without disabilities.
Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York partners with PIX11 Morning News to air a week-long initiative to raise awareness about childhood obesity and empower families. Programs look at the major health risks associated with childhood obesity and teach families how to fight this growing epidemic.
The North Shore-LIJ Health System is recognized by the New York Air National Guard 103rd Rescue Squadron for the medical skills training it offers to military personnel and other first responders at the Bioskills Education Center.
More than 2,700 cancer survivors and family members attend North Shore-LIJ Cancer Survivors’ Day hosted by North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center at the Monter Cancer Center, featuring keynote speaker Harry Belafonte.
The health system adds a natural gas-powered ambulance to the Center for Emergency Medical Services’ fleet. Powered by compressed natural gas and built to North Shore-LIJ’s specifications, the cleaner, greener and quieter ambulance is the first of its kind operating in the US.
• North Shore-LIJ offers free diabetes education and wellness programs at North Shore University Hospital to people with diabetes and family members. Certified by the American Association of Diabetes Educators, classes are taught by a certified diabetes educator and discuss healthy eating, physical activity, medications, monitoring glucose levels and managing the disease.
North Shore-LIJ hospitals collect 1,923 pounds of potentially dangerous, expired, unused and unwanted medication as part of a prescription drug “take back” partnership with the US Drug Enforcement Administration and other organizations to prevent drug abuse and theft. Since the partnership’s inception, North Shore-LIJ has collected over 4,000 pounds of expired, unused and unwanted medication.
North Shore-LIJ hosts community health programs in collaboration with community partners and provides free health screenings available at various community events. North Shore-LIJ hosts or participates in more than 823 community health programs and provides more than 25,587 health screenings.
The health system opens a walk-in, immediate care center in the Fire Island Village of Ocean Beach. In operation throughout the summer, the center is staffed by a North Shore-LIJ physician trained in either emergency or internal medicine who is available seven days a week to treat patients with non-life threatening illnesses and injuries.
• Through a grant from Safe Kids and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Cohen Children’s Medical Center continues to offer classes about child seat safety. Nassau police and youth explorers are among the latest community members to go through the training.
In the continuing effort to help Hurricane Sandy victims rebuild their lives, North Shore-LIJ partners with the National Council of Jewish Women to create a “Back 2 School Store” where children pick up new clothing, school supplies and other necessities at no charge at Temple Am Echad in Lynbrook. More than 300 young people “shopped” for everything they needed, accompanied by volunteer personal shoppers.
North Shore-LIJ opens an inpatient psychiatric unit specializing in the needs of undergraduate and graduate college students with serious mental illness as part of the Behavioral Health College Partnership. The Center for Emergency Medical Services can arrange ambulance transport to LIJ Medical Center’s emergency department when necessary for students at partner schools who are in need of immediate help. The new 22-bed unit, located in Zucker Hillside Hospital’s Behavioral Health Pavilion, offers age-appropriate programs and support for students in need of hospitalization as well as their families.
Franklin Hospital and the Airport Medical Offices at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport host a health fair for JFK employees, who were able to get diagnostic tests, have their eyesight and hearing checked, learn about health concerns such as diabetes, and receive health consultations.
• North Shore-LIJ launches a system-wide campaign called “Think F.A.S.T.” to educate the public about the signs and symptoms of stroke. More than 32,000 people took part in stroke awareness events hosted throughout the health system.
North Shore-LIJ continues its efforts to create a clean environment for patients, visitors and staff by partici- pating in Long Island’s first Car Free Day. The health system has more employees participating — 664 — than any other company on Long Island. As a result, North Shore-LIJ was awarded a bike lid storage unit and installed nine bike racks across the system.
The North Shore-LIJ Health System receives the Spectrum Award from the American Heart Association in honor of its continued support as the Cities Go Red Sponsor of the Go Red for Women movement.
North Shore-LIJ Health System’s Project Coastal Care receives a “Getting It Done” Award from Sustainable Long Island for providing free medical care to New Yorkers impacted by Hurricane Sandy. More than 1,200 people were treated in a mobile medical van that made regularly scheduled visits to areas affected by the super storm, including Broad Channel in Queens, Staten Island, and Long Beach and Lindenhurst on Long Island.
The health system opens two occupational medicine clinics in New Hyde Park and St. James with the help of a $3.8 million, five-year grant from the New York State Department of Health. The clinics offer people with work-related illnesses and injuries services such as annual flu vaccines, asbestos screenings, assessments of employees’ readiness to return to work following an injury or illness, pre-employment evaluations, mental health services and programs for day laborers and migrant workers.
The Janet and John Raggio Nephrology Institute holds free education events in Glen Cove, Great Neck, Jamaica and Manhasset to increase awareness about kidney disease.
North Shore-LIJ’s Integrated Distribution Center in Bethpage hosts a tour for students enrolled in health- related careers at Plainview High School. Students learn about the healthcare supply chain, receive a demonstration of material handling equipment and “pick to voice” technology that combines voice direction with speech recognition to create two-way conversations with warehouse workers.
North Shore-LIJ marks the “Go Red for Women” campaign with a special program held at North Shore University Hospital to coincide with the American Heart Association’s 10th annual National Wear Red Day to show support for women’s heart health.
Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York is awarded a $408,851 grant from Kohl’s Department Stores to support Cohen Children’s Kohl’s Cares Keeping Kids Healthy Program, which combats childhood obesity through fitness and nutrition education as a means to prevent excessive weight gain in childhood.
LIJ Medical Center launches a free program to train women in Queens to become breast health ambassadors who will work to increase awareness in their communities about life-saving breast cancer screenings.
The Cushing Neuroscience Institute’s Brain Aneurysm Center joins the Brain Aneurysm Foundation (BAF) in hosting Long Island’s Fifth Annual Brain Aneurysm Awareness Walk. More than 1,000 walkers raise $70,000 to benefit the Brain Aneurysm Center and BAF, supporting research efforts to help individuals affected by aneurysms and reduce the incidence of ruptured aneurysms.
Manhattan Eye, Ear & Throat Hospital, Syosset Hospital and Staten Island University Hospital provide 113 adults with free eye screenings as part of World Sight Day. The screenings were done in partnership with Sightsavers, a non-profit group dedicated to ending avoidable blindness.
North Shore-LIJ launches onHealth, a new free app for the iPhone and iPad, that allows users to create and customize a digital health magazine based on their specific interests and healthcare preferences. A first of its kind in the New York health market, the app allows users to continually update and change their preferences based on their changing needs and interests.
North Shore-LIJ’s long-running TV series returns to the air as the new Focus On Health. The show features patient-focused stories, expert interviews and in-depth reporting on trending health topics.
Glen Cove Hospital receives the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star for the fifth consecutive year. The award recognizes the hospital’s success in achieving energy efficiency and cost savings.
The Service Auxiliary of Staten Island University Hospital celebrates its 150th anniversary – making it the oldest continuous auxiliary in the country – and is named an Auxiliary of the Year by the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS).
Cohen Children’s Medical Center partners with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Toyota to bring the Buckle Up for Life program to New York. The national, community-based injury prevention program educates communities about motor vehicle crashes, the number one cause of death of children under the age of 12 in the US.
The North Shore-LIJ Health System donates 19,454 pounds of surplus medical equipment to MedShare, a nonprofit organization that redistributes surplus medical supplies and equipment from hospitals, distributors and manufacturers to healthcare facilities in the developing world.
Forest Hills Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital, LIJ Medical Center, and Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) join the NYC Department of Health’s Tobacco-Free Hospital Campaign. All facilities received a Bronze Star, and SIUH was upgraded to Silver Star status.
North Shore-LIJ’s Center for Tobacco Control (CTC) provides free tobacco cessation and preventive services to community members and employees, as well as comprehensive tobacco dependence treatment education to healthcare providers, using evidence-based practice. The CTC provides tobacco control educational programs to the community in the form of health fairs, classroom presentations, expos and other events, reaching approximately 13,000 children and adults in 2013. The CTC also educated nearly 1,100 healthcare providers about tobacco dependence treatment.
To reduce the risk of falls among the elderly, North Shore-LIJ offers an evidence-based program called Stepping On that provides older adults with balance exercises and other information and skills to prevent falls. More than 200 seniors in the community have participated in the program at 12 locations.
The North Shore-LIJ Health Access Center, staffed by bilingual employees, continues to assist thousands of community residents with referrals for enrollment into government-subsidized insurance programs such as Medicaid, Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus. In addition, the center’s staff refers patients to the Medicaid Prenatal Care Program and North Shore-LIJ’s Senior Navigator Program for assistance with Medicaid for pregnant women and Medicare enrollment for seniors. Those not eligible for public health insurance are referred for reduced-cost care at North Shore-LIJ facilities through the health system’s Financial Assistance Program and to other low-cost health insurance programs such as Healthy New York and New York Bridge Plan.
Staten Island University Hospital participates in the “Take Care Staten Island” program, a special initiative supported by the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness in which the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene works with local health and social service providers to address the special community health needs of Staten Island residents.
North Shore-LIJ’s P.O.W.I.R. program, Positive Outreach with Integrated Resources, connects women, youth and men under age 24 who are infected with or at risk of HIV with the resources they need within the health system and the community. The Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV sponsors a conference on mental health and HIV for healthcare service providers who work with HIV-positive clients.
Glen Cove Hospital, in collaboration with the American Academy of Family Physicians, conducts “Tar Wars,” offering lectures and discussions in local elementary school classrooms on the consequences of tobacco use, the cost of using tobacco products, and advertising techniques used by the tobacco industry to market their products to youth. Students are then encouraged to create and submit posters and videos that feature a creative, positive, tobacco-free message for entry in local, state, and national poster contests.
North Shore-LIJ’s American Heart Association Training Center provides training in basic life support, pediatric advanced life support and advanced cardiac life support. More than 7,200 hours of training were provided to more than 16,290 individuals through more than 2,245 programs.
More than 5,200 visitors participate in interactive health education activities at the CitiField Health Information Team Center open at all home Mets games. In addition, North Shore-LIJ holds its annual health fair to allow Mets fans to learn about wellness, health and safety topics. The Katz Institute for Women’s Health, Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, North Shore-LIJ Medical Group, Lenox Hill Hospital, Arthur Smith Institute for Urology, Cushing Neuroscience Institute, Monter Cancer Center, the health system’s cardiac serviceline, Center for Emergency Medical Services and North Shore University Hospital’s trauma, surgery and critical care team were among those participating.
Forest Hills Hospital partners with Forest Hills High School to promote the health sciences and encourage students interested in the field to reach their full potential. Each year, 100 students attend the Health Professions Academy and come to the hospital on a regular basis to be mentored by healthcare professionals. Top performing students receive college scholarships.
As part of a community engagement and wellness partnership, North Shore-LIJ launches a farmer’s market, in collaboration with Sustainable Long Island, to improve nutritional options for low-income and nutritionally at-risk families in Manhasset’s Spinney Hill community. Operating on Sundays from July through October, the market provides the residents of Spinney Hill and surrounding communities with fresh local produce, cooking demonstrations, nutrition education and health access services. Since its launch, approximately 2,600 community members have shopped at the market.
LIJ Medical Center partners with the Nassau County Dental Society for “Give Kids a Smile,” a program that focuses attention on the epidemic of untreated oral disease among disadvantaged children.
The Food & Nutrition Department at Plainview Hospital and the Visiting Nurses Association partner with the National Meals on Wheels Association of America Senior Nutrition Program to address the increasing problem of older adult hunger, offering regular and specialized nutrition to this vulnerable population.
Franklin Hospital is a community partner with the New York Urban League, Inc., a local affiliate of the National Urban League. The Urban League Senior Community Service Employment Program affords seniors the opportunity to volunteer at the hospital, making a difference in their lives and the organization by contributing skills, knowledge and experience.
Thousands of children participate in injury prevention/safety education workshops sponsored by the Safe Kids Coalition, led by North Shore-LIJ, in partnership with Queens, Nassau and Suffolk County area schools, police benevolent associations, governments and local businesses. These educational workshops cover topics such as water safety, pedestrian/motor vehicle safety, burn injury prevention, bicycle and sports injury prevention, enhanced “911,” pets and pals, and summer safety.
The Teddy Bear Clinic is an injury prevention program held at Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York, and Huntington, Southside and Syosset hospitals. Geared towards kindergarten students, the program teaches children about car, car seat, bicycle, helmet and water safety through interactive discussion. Children bring their teddy bears to the program and, with the use of medical supply kits, pretend to be doctors and nurses to show what they have learned through role play.
Activity Works, a school-based fitness program developed by North Shore-LIJ, expands to classrooms across Long Island, Queens and Manhattan, reaching more than 12,000 students in grades 1-3.
The Katz Institute for Women’s Health partners with the Girl Scouts of Nassau County and the American Heart Association to increase awareness of the dangers of heart disease in women. Scouts who complete a workshop designed to teach the signs and symptoms of a heart attack in women earn a specially created “Red Dress” patch.
Lenox Hill Hospital oversees the Medical Clinic for the Park Avenue Armory Women’s Shelter, a 100-bed shelter that provides meals, short-term sleeping accommodations, social services and permanent housing placement services for mentally ill women ages 45 and older.
The Katz Institute for Women’s Health (KIWH) is the local sponsor of the 2013 U.S. Women’s Open, held at the Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, NY. The KIWH pavilion raised awareness about the Institute and women’s health issues, while North Shore-LIJ employee volunteers engaged spectators in activities.
LIJ Medical Center’s Ambulatory Care Unit continues to offer free, state-of-the-art 3D mammograms to women who are uninsured or underinsured. The screening program is funded through the New York State (NYS) Cancer Services Program of Eastern Queens and Nassau County though a grant from the NYS Department of Health.
In recognition of Health Literacy Month, employees across the health system nominate 17 “Health Literacy Heroes” – staff members who promote health literacy and find ways to communicate effectively to make health information more understandable. Three winners were identified.
North Shore-LIJ holds the 43rd Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. King, and featuring keynote speaker, John Quiñones, ABC News Correspondent and host of Primetime: What Would You Do?
Serving the most culturally diverse county in the United States, Forest Hills Hospital partners with local ethnic organizations to provide screenings and health education at events such as the Gujarati Samaj Health Expo, the Guyanese-American Community Health Expo and Carnaval de la Cultura Latina.
North Shore-LIJ launches a Green Workspace Certification program to recognize employees for working together to reduce their environmental footprint by adopting sustainable office practices. Modeled after the Yale University Green Workspace certification program, the program provides employees with step-by-step guidelines for “greening” their department/office by implementing sustainable practices such as using mugs/ reusable water bottles, carpooling, and turning off lights in unused spaces. Over 30 departments are enrolled, three classes held and three departments certified.
North Shore-LIJ receives a $53,729 grant from the March of Dimes New York State Chapter to help provide patient-centered prenatal care through the implementation of the CenteringPregnancy® model at the North Shore University Hospital Center for High-Risk Pregnancy. The CenteringPregnancy® model is a program that provides women with individual health education, peer support, and self-management training to promote improvements in perinatal health behaviors, knowledge and, ultimately, birth outcomes.
The North Shore-LIJ Health System receives a $7,500 grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, that enables the Katz Institute for Women’s Health to launch the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program to first-time mothers throughout Queens and Long Island. The NFP program is a national evidence-based community health model that brings invaluable resources to mothers from low-income, minority and other at-risk communities early in their pregnancy.
North Shore University Hospital celebrates its 60th anniversary of serving the region.