Archive for category: Patient and Customer Experience
How North Shore University Hospital is delivering culinary excellence with new In-Room Dining Program
When you think of a fine dining experience, we know hospitals aren’t typically the first location to pop in your head. But thanks to the new In-Room Dining Program at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH), they might soon be.
For the launch of the new program, NSUH’s culinary team worked hard to create a menu full of delicious and healthy options in collaboration with their registered dietitians. From fresh bakery bread with eggplant bacon in the morning to linguine al fresco at dinnertime, all the meals were crafted to maximize nutrition without sacrificing taste. Registered dietitians are also available to help patients design a meal plan to help them on their healing journey.
By providing patients with a choice between nutritional, natural and home-made meals, the new services are just one part of Northwell Health’s mission to change the way patients think about hospital food. We believe that food is medicine and as an important part of the healing process menu options must be customized for clinical needs while being lovingly prepared by talented chefs with local and natural ingredients.
“I am proud to be part of an organization that puts the patient first and gives innovative opportunities to its team members,” says Michael Kiley, director of dining services at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH). “The days of the stereotypical ‘hospital food’ are over! Our In-Room Dining Program is set up to provide the best dining experience for our patients by serving delicious wholesome cooked to order with restaurant style menu choices. And all are developed by our creative culinary team of chefs and cooks and, overseen by our caring clinical registered dietitians, ordered through our well trained diet technicians, and delivered by professional positive dining associates.”
And nutritional food doesn’t just help our patients heal, it changes the way they feel. “The In-Room Dining program is where patients forget that they are in a hospital and feel they are in a five star hotel,” says Vanessa Barone, diet technician at NSUH.
Helping to deliver that extra attention and care to the patients has only benefited the relationship between our nutrition team and the patients. “It feels good being a dining associate,” says Eloheim Miller. “It makes me feel happy to make the patients happy. They love this service!” It’s an exciting time to join Northwell’s culinary and nutritional teams as even more innovative practices are being implemented across the system.
“Enhancing the patient experience is at the forefront of what we do every day,” says Sean Butler, assistant director of dining services at NSUH. “Giving patients the choice of what to eat and when to eat it helps them gain a sense of control that is usually lost during a hospital stay. Our goal is to make mealtime their favorite part of their stay here!”
North Shore University Hospital is currently looking for dedicated team members to help redefine the culinary experience. Explore exciting opportunities for chefs, dietetic technicians, dietary production workers and more!
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2019 President’s Award Finalist- Exceptional Patient/Customer Experience
Each year, Northwell’s President’s Awards recognize team members who not only surpass our expectations and standards of excellence, but also those who drive innovative business outcomes.
The Exceptional Patient/Customer Experience award recognizes an individual who is Made for Northwell Health: made for caring and protecting our patients and communities – made for leading innovation and change that inspires our colleagues and turns tomorrow into a breathtaking opportunity. Meet this year’s finalists.
Salvatore Dimatteo
Supervisor, Rehabilitation Services, STARS, Huntington
A football injury that could have ended his collegiate football career instead inspired Sal Dimatteo to the profession of physical therapy, where he leads a practice filled with compassion for patients. As a physical therapist supervising rehabilitation at the STARS Huntington location, he overcame his disappointment at low Press Ganey patient scores the office was receiving by reaching out to colleagues and coming up with distinctive and fresh ways of encouraging team members and patients to provide feedback.
Sal’s approach led to a huge surge in responses and improved scores. Under his leadership, STARS Huntington was ranked in the 98th percentile nationally (a score of 98.5) for Likelihood to Recommend for 2018. This was the highest ranking for all STARS locations as well as the Northwell Outpatient Rehabilitation Network.
His hands-on style nurtures a team approach to provide patients with the best care. And Sal’s leadership brings out the best in his team — bringing them together as a cohesive unit and empowered to provide the best possible service. His upbeat, positive style and work ethic encourages the team member to perform at a high level and bring the best possible care to patients.
Kacey Farber, LMSW
Social Worker, Huntington Hospital
Kacey Farber went from a teaching career to one of social work and a transformative role as a leader in helping families cope with the loss of a baby. Dissatisfied with the resources available that would allow her to assist grieving families, she decided to create her own.
Kacey connected first with the Star Legacy Foundation, which works to increase awareness about neonatal loss and increase family support. She then established the Huntington Hospital
Bereavement and Support Group. Working with a network of families who had lost babies led to a plan to create a perinatal bereavement garden, a warm and comforting space to memorialize lost children. She coordinated fundraising to support the garden, which opened last fall.
As a dedicated problem solver, Kacey identified a need and fixed it through research, planning, networking and fundraising. She also helps manage the bundled orthopedic patients and has become an expert on providing transitional care. In addition, she was the first-ever mentor for Master level social work candidates in the Case Management department. Kacey is also the certified intern supervisor for the department’s three social work interns. She is an incredible mentor and has motivated others to become a certified social work intern supervisor.
Bulah Martin
Lead Phlebotomist, Northwell Health Labs
As lead phlebotomist, Bulah Martin has a knack of turning an unpopular but vital task into an experience that makes people smile. Having their blood drawn is rarely a happily anticipated event. With Bulah, her skills at minimizing the unpleasant aspects of the service, combined with her cheery personality, make for successful outcomes.
Bulah often works with special needs or very sick children where making the procedure go smoothly can be a challenge. She frequently has physicians asking for her by name. By decorating two rooms with playful decals of animals and nature, she minimizes the presence of medical equipment. Bulah has her equipment ready when the patient enters the room, gives small gifts to young children, which she pays for out of her own pocket, and eases the worries of parents who in turn, are able to calm their children. Her creative solutions ensures the necessary work of blood collection happens successfully.
Phlebotomists at Northwell Health Labs provide blood collection services for more than one million patients every year — in many cases after taking into consideration and resolving the fears and resistance of patients. Bulah teaches techniques for collecting blood samples from children and infants, and mentors phlebotomists all over the health system to show them “how it’s done,” leading patients with a positive sense of the quality performance that Northwell represents.
Adrian Mazur
Chaplain, Cohen Children’s Medical Center
Chaplain Adrian Mazur has chosen to work in the midst of medical crisis, supporting the smallest patients and their families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as they try to cope with life threatening illnesses. It is his empathy that others quickly notice as he helps fearful, weary and distressed parents who are trying to cope with some of the worst days of their lives.
Adrian, who came to the ministry from a career in finance and volunteer work with an orphanage in Ukraine, works with adolescents in pediatric hematology/oncology. There he helps to establish a connection and genuine trust as the young patients face their own mortality, changes in their appearance and an overall loss of health and stamina.
Often, Adrian plays a significant role in the lives of families that ultimately lose their child to illness. In one instance, he later drove through a snowstorm to be with one such couple at the birth of another child. It is through his presence, compassion, dedication, prayers and listening ear that he helps patients and parents redefine their hopes and maintain their dreams. Adrian’s presence brings a vitality to the hospital and all those he touches.
Kelly Ann Moed MSN, RN-BC, CSPHP
Development Instructor, Staten Island University Hospital
Kelly Ann Moed turned an idea she developed during graduate studies into a program to safeguard the well-being of hospital staff through the prevention of injuries. Taking care of patients starts with making sure our team members are well. Her Safe Patient Handling Program has led to a significant decline in the number of workforce injuries. Kelly Ann’s passion, caring and knowledge are the driving forces that have made this innovative program a success.
She has been the driving force in making sure hospital team members are properly trained and educated on the use of equipment to move and transfer patients.
Her program took a creative turn recently with Workforce Safety Olympics. It was a fun way for the team members to demonstrate their Safe Patient Handling expertise and the use of equipment to transfer and lift patients. These groups were presented with various scenarios where, within a specific time frame, together they needed to exhibit the proper choices in equipment, communication with each other and the patient, and appropriate transfer technique. The Staten Island University Hospital team members took home the gold trophy.
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Made for delivering holiday cheer
At Northwell Health, we know how important the holidays are for our patients. We take pride in being able to help our patients, their families, and our employees celebrate all season long across the health system! By delivering holiday cheer, our team members help patients and employees alike get into the spirit of the season.
“The holiday events that we host here at Cohen Children’s Medical Center bring such joy to the children at our hospital,” says Danielle Young, special events and donations coordinator of the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Program at CCMC, “These are just a few small ways that we can put a smile on the faces of the patients and brighten their day.”
And it’s not just children who get excited to celebrate! “Creating a holiday light show not only impacts the patients we care for, but also impacts the staff caring for this special population,” says Melissa Anne D’Agostino BSN, RN, Child and Adolescent nurse manager at South Oaks Hospital, “It brought tears to our eyes when an adult patient told us she was so happy to see the light show as she was recently admitted and away from her child for the holiday. Another little boy was using the fake snow to make snow angels and walked around with the snow on his face, telling staff he was Santa. It was an amazing event for all!”
Check out a quick recap and pictures from just some of the amazing events Northwell hosted this holiday season!
Cohen Children’s Medical Center
- Macy’s Santa Visit with AFLAC – December 5th
Macy’s Santa comes with AFLAC and visits with the children, delivering the gift of AFLAC toy ducks. - North Shore High School Holiday Performance – December 21st
North Shore High School comes and does holiday songs in the atrium for patients and families. - Violin performance – December 6th
A group violin performance in the atrium for patients and families. - SISCO Santa Event – December 14th
CCCM turns an office into the North Pole and kids can skype with Santa to let them know what they want for Christmas. Santa also has gifts for each room.
South Oaks Hospital
- Holiday Campus Tree Lighting – December 3rd
Holiday campus tree lighting for employees and their families.
- Winter Wonderland Light Show – December 19th
The courtyard is decorated with lights and blow up decorations for the holidays. Holiday music is played and there is even a snow machine (that both the kids and adults love!) to create snow while patients are served hot cocoa and cookies.
Lenox Hill Hospital
- Annual Employee Children’s Holiday Party – December 14th
Lenox Hill employess are invited to bring their children to this festive event, which features face painting, kiddie rides, seasonal treats and decorations and, of course, a chance to meet Santa Claus. - Annual NICU Reunion Holiday Party – December 14th
Each holiday season, children who spend time in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) are invited to come back to LHH and to spend time with the doctors and nurses as well as other patients who were here during the time they were.
North Shore University Hospital
- Holiday Parade Around 4 Cohen
4 Cohen hosted a Holiday Parade where in collaboration with PT and OT, patients and family paraded around the unit to holiday music - Winter Wonderland Event
The NSUH Winter Wonderland is a multi-session, appreciation event for employees and their children led by NSUH Administration, Human Resources and Engineering Department. The Engineering Department uses their incredible talent and skill to transform the entire Rust Auditorium into an amazing winter-themed display, complete with lighted trees, animated figurines, giant inflatables and fake snow for employees and their families to view the display, take their picture with Santa Claus and enjoy traditional winter treats. Additionally, fun entertainers include therapy dogs, Frosty the Snowman and face painters. - Acapella Music
College students (including a NSUH volunteer) from local Acappella groups come in and sing to help deliver holiday cheer to the patients. - Visit from the Brotherhood from Temple Beth El
For the past 46 years the Brotherhood from Temple Beth El in Great Neck has been coming in to spread cheer at North Shore University Hospital. About 45 members come in and are divided into 3 groups. 2 groups go up on the units and sing for patients, visitors and employees. They are equipped with guitars, bells and tambourines. The other group works with our Rabbi to create 800-1,000 Bikkur Cholim Boxes which are handed out to Jewish patients by volunteers every Friday. - Holiday Gifts from the Auxiliary of North Shore University Hospital
The Auxiliary of North Shore University Hospital pays for holiday gifts to be handed out to every patient in house. The gift is a picture frame which is wrapped in ribbon and has a card attached. It is hand delivered by members of our Auxiliary and also other North Shore University Hospital Volunteers.
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