Peninsula Hospital Center Targeted for Closure

Rockaway-Based Hospital Recently Received Perfect Score from Consumer Reports Health

Far Rockaway, New York - The management of Peninsula Hospital Center and the MediSys Health Network Inc. have been working with the New York State Department of Health and other parties to try and find a workable solution to the deep financial crisis facing Peninsula Hospital Center.

Peninsula has been struggling financially for several years prior to its sponsorship by MediSys, the Queens and Brooklyn based network that has attempted to make Peninsula financially viable in the current difficult economic market.

A series of meetings were held recently that included discussions with St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, Local 1199, and State officials, among others, to develop approaches to meet the health care needs of the Rockaway communities. Without a long-term solution that puts Peninsula Hospital Center on the path to fiscal recovery, an organized closure may be the only option.

"Everything possible is being done in the best interest of the communities’ healthcare needs and we will continue to work with the State DOH and other parties during this process," said Ole W. Pedersen, Vice President of Public Affairs for Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Jamaica Hospital Medical Center is a part of the MediSys Health Network.

According to information cited on the MediSys website, a recent Consumer Reports Health (CRH) report stated that Peninsula Hospital Center is the only hospital in the entire metropolitan area to successfully prevent patients from acquiring an infection while in the hospital, particularly a bloodstream infection, which is a problem faced by many facilities across the country.

"Several years ago, Peninsula Hospital Center made a concerted effort to cut our hospital-acquired, critical care bloodstream infection rate to zero by instituting new standards of practice in critical care where central line bloodstream infections are most often acquired," said Eunmi Kim, RN, Director, Critical Care Units at Peninsula Hospital.

"Hospitals report their own statistics, which is then verified by the New York State Department of Health. In our case, the investigators were here for two days going through charts and medical records thoroughly to validate and verify our results before releasing them to the public."

CRH compared the infection rates for 1,119 U.S. hospitals, 178 were in New York. Most New York City hospitals received an "average" rating, while a few others received "worse than average" rating. According to the report, the most deadly bloodstream infections are most commonly associated with central line catheters inserted directly into a large vein. These type of infections kill 90,000 Americans every year.

Peter A. Galvin, M.D., the Hospital Center's Chief Medical Officer, was quick to point out the commitment of the hospital's nursing staff.

"They took it upon themselves to set a goal of a zero central-line infection rate. They educated themselves as well as the attending and resident physicians and the results are a reflection of their diligence and dedication to excellent patient care. As evidenced by the statistics reported by Consumer Reports Health, Peninsula Hospital Center achieved a goal that none of the larger, well-known and well-endowed hospitals throughout the City of New York could achieve. That speaks directly to the commitment and expertise of our staff, as well as our commitment to patient safety."

From The G-Man contacted the offices of New York State Senator Malcolm Smith and Assemblywoman Michelle Titus -- who represent the district where the ill-fated facility is located -- for comments regarding the hospital's closure. No comments were provided by the elected officials.

Image courtesy of http://medisys.typepad.com.