NCBH, Jacobi ask DoH for an operating certifi cate merger
Jacobi Medical Center on Pelham Parkway, seen here in an aerial photo, which has shared
staff with its sister city hospital NCBH in Norwood for two decades, may soon share an
operating license as well in an effort to streamline operations.
Photo courtesy of Jacobi Medical Center
Dept. for the Aging fights loneliness with
robotic pets, friendly visiting and more
After serving as a senior
adviser to Mayor Bill de Blasio, I
am honored to serve as the new
commissioner of the New York
City Department for the Aging
and to serve the city’s 1.6 million
diverse older adults. I plan to
highlight and address critical
priorities for older New Yorkers,
like social isolation.
In a city of nearly 9 million
people, many will endure
loneliness – especially as they
age. In fact, 1 in 5 older adults
is socially isolated, which can
lead to depression and a decline
in physical health. Carrolyn
Minggia, 64, is among them. She
battles a syndrome that causes
her immune system to attack her
nerves. Since the death of her aunt,
whom she moved to New York to
care for, she also battles loneliness.
We recently gave Minggia a robotic
dog to ease that loneliness. The dog
has sensors, responds to touch, barks
and nuzzles and provides comfort.
But technology isn’t the only way
to fight the widespread problem of
social isolation. Low-tech approaches,
like acknowledging and greeting
people or checking on older neighbors,
go a long way. In 2017, we launched
our ThriveNYC Friendly Visiting
Program, which pairs trusted and
trained volunteers with isolated older
adults. In just a few years, we have
provided more than 50,000 hours of
in-home visits. Beyond those visits, the
program allows for intergenerational
BRONX TIMES R 8 EPORTER, JULY 5-11, 2019 BTR
exchange in which strong bonds
are formed between visitors and
program participants.
Older adults who wish
to explore options outside of
the home can visit more than
200 senior centers across the
city, many representing the
languages and cultures that
make New York City strong.
The centers are safe places to
socialize, have a meal with
friends, take fitness and wellness
classes, enjoy art classes, and
attend cultural activities. Senior
center membership is free to
anyone age 60 or older.
The Department for the
Aging also plans to launch a campaign
that highlights the problem of social
isolation in order to encourage more
people to explore resources that are
available to them through the City
of New York.
If you are isolated, call 311 for
more information about available
services. The Department for the
Aging is here to help.
Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez
is commissioner of the New York City
Department for the Aging. Prior to
joining the de Blasio administration,
she served in executive leadership
roles with AARP, EmblemHealth and
other organizations. She also served
as New York’s first Latina Secretary
of State.
Image courtesy of Ageless Innovation
BY PATRICK ROCCHIO
Jacobi Medical Center and North
Central Bronx Hospital, both part of
the city’s public hospital system, plan
to come together.
The hospitals have both applied to
be on the same NYS Department of
Health operating certifi cate, which
would essential create one hospital on
two campuses, hospital offi cials said.
The two hospitals, both part of the
NYC Health + Hospitals, shared much
of the same staff and formed the North
Bronx Health Network for a time, and
merger of the operating license would
be a step towards further standardization
of the two hospitals, said hospital
offi cials.
“We are looking to reduce some of
the regulatory hurdles that we face,”
said Christopher Mastromano, CEO
of Jacobi and NCBH. “We are already
share a medical staff between both, so
now we are just looking to combine in
total all the services that already exist
into a single operating certifi cate.”
The hospitals should know by this
fall if their plan to operate under a
single certifi cate is approved, said Jacobi
Medical Center spokesman John
Doyle, adding that medical staff has
been shared for 20 years.
“There are no bed count, staff or
service reductions planned as part of
this merger,” said Doyle.
The single operating certifi cate
would let doctors who have to work at
both facilities do so without being credentialed
twice, said Mastromano.
Doctors travel to where they are
most needed, and many may not want
to go through the onerous task of applying
to be credentialed twice, which
is currently mandatory, explained
Mastromano.
Reporting and regulatory reviews
would be consolidated to single reports
from two separate reports, said
Mastromano.
Patients should be able to move
more freely between the two hospitals,
which share clinical and other facilities,
hospital offi cials said.
“If we want to transfer a patient
from one facility to another today,
they have to be discharged at one facility,
(have) all new paperwork, and
then be readmitted at another facility,”
said Mastromano. “When we combine
them, it is just a computer move…
it could just happen so much easier.”
A single, larger hospital should also
put both NCBH and Jacobi in a better
position with suppliers when purchasing
clinical equipment, said Cristina
Contreras, NCBH executive director.
North Central Bronx Hospital
opened in 1976 in response to community
concern when two older city
hospitals, Fordham Hospital and Morrisania
Hospital, were designated for
closure.
The staff of the former hospitals
moved to the new hospital, said Contreras.
“This is very positive for NCBH,”
said Contreras, adding that the streamlining
would allow for further growth
of the hospital.
In order to support the NCBH, additional
staff are currently being hired,
said Mastromano, adding the hospital
in Norwood is recruiting new primary
care physicians and doctors in pediatric,
ambulatory care, vascular surgery.
“We want to move as much ambulatory
surgery as we can from Jacobi
and have it done at NCBH,” said Contreras.
“It increases effi ciency there,
they are very good at it (and) the patients
will be happier.”
“It is a win-win for everyone,” she
said.