56 The QUEE NS Courier • health • SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ▶health THIS QUEENS HOSPITAL IS EXPANDING TESTS FOR HEPATITIS AND HIV A medical center in Queens is launching a pilot program to test more patients for two types of hepatitis as well as HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The NewYork-Presbyterian/ Queens hospital initiative aims to make people living with these diseases aware of their status and properly linked to care. The testing will be provided to all eligible adults 21 years of age or older who receive care at the hospital’s Emergency Department or Ambulatory Care Center through the end of 2016. Should a patient test positive, they will be linked to a primary care physician or other medical specialists for follow-up treatment. “NewYork-Presbyterian/ Queens and its doctors are at the forefront of care for HIV, HBV and HCV patients. This program allows our hospital to play a role in helping to reduce the morbidity and mortality rate for individuals infected with these viruses,” said Dr. Ari Bunim, M.D., the director of the NYP/Queens Liver Center, who is the co-principal investigator of the project. Many people who have contracted hepatitis-B, hepatitis C or HIV do not know they are infected unless and until they develop symptoms. Screening is important toward properly treating the diseases, but Queens County has some of the lowest screening rates in the city. According to the city’s Health Department, Queens has a high prevalence of hepatitis-B patients. There are also high reports of incidents of liver diseases related to contracting hepatitis-B and hepatitis-C. The hospital aims to reach up to 10,000 patients this year through the pilot testing program. Physicians and physician assistants will be required to take note that a screening was offered. Any patient who tests positive for one of the aforementioned viruses will receive follow-up from the hospital’s patient navigator, who is tasked with connecting them with the appropriate care. The patient navigator will follow up with all patients, whether they test negative or positive, and seek to remove any barriers to care for the patient during the continuum of care. According to the New York State Department of Health, hepatitis-B is the most common serious liver infection in the world. It spreads through contact with blood and bodily fluids of an infected person; commonly the infected individual is not aware they carry this virus. While most individuals are able to fight off an hepatitis- B infection and clear the virus from their blood, 5-10 percent of adults, 30-50 percent of children, and 90 percent of infants will develop chronic infection which can lead to liver failure, cirrhosis (scarring) or cancer of the liver. Hepatitis-C infects about 25,000 people each year with most developing chronic infection and liver disease. The majority of individuals infected with the virus are not aware they carry this chronic infection but are at risk of developing chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis and cancer of the liver. NYP/Queens will develop a sustainable workflow for screening for HIV, hepatitis-B and hepatitis- C and to link those in the Flushing community who are HBV, HCV or HIV positive to appropriate care. The program will also generate best practices that will be shared throughout the greater New York region and the rest of the country through meetings, conferences, peer reviewed articles and other presentations. Helping Flushing residents see things in a better way Volunteers from Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and visiting medical students from FF Fraternity, the oldest Chinese American fraternity, joined forces to support Montefiore’s Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Department by participating in the annual Flushing Chinatown Good Health Day, held at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center. At the event, the team offered free screenings for vision, cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure and other health issues to Chinatown’s elderly and working community members. The team achieved an over 20 percent referral rate by providing what proved to be life-changing care for many. As shown, surgical resident Cameron Lee and Jen Feng, a volunteer in the FF group, administer an eye exam on a patient, with Feng providing translation support in Mandarin.
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