24 The Courier sun • health • AUGUST 4, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com ▶health New CEO hopes to revitalize Elmhurst Hospital BY CANDACE HIGGINS editorial@qns.com/@QNS Elmhurst Hospital in Queens is undergoing major changes thanks to its new CEO. Israel Rocha Jr. joined the team on July 7, and already has some ideas how to optimize the efficiency of the hospital. In an interview, Rocha told The Queens Courier that the hospital’s emergency room (ER) is one of the first things that will experience a revitalization. Rocha plans to decrease ER traffic by expanding their outpatient clinics. A women’s health pavilion is on the way and will provide women with preventive services to gynecological needs. By expanding outpatient clinics, Rocha is sure that the hospital will be able to serve more patients in their primary health clinics, which will be a better use of space internally. “If there’s an a opportunity for me to treat you at an outpatient clinic or is better for you and more affordable for the system that is instead of coming to the ER and waiting because we didn’t get to you in time, then that’s a better way to treat you,” Rocha said. “It’s lower cost, I can see more patients and then the ER is reserved for people that really need the healthcare.” Rocha said that his plans on delivering the healthcare of tomorrow to patients at Elmhurst include providing the right care, at the right place, at the right time with the hospital’s mission in mind to provide healthcare regardless of an individual’s ability to pay. Elmhurst Hospital belongs under the umbrella of the Health and Hospital Corporation. Although they are in a deficit, Rocha is trying to figure out ways to alleviate these financial constraints. Currently, the hospital offers application counselors to those needing help with navigating the right coverage plan. The hospital works with their patients through their options program, which they sponsor, to allow patients to pay reasonable co-pays. Rocha is confident that Elmhurst Hospital can be the beacon hope for hospitals across the nation. Photo courtesy of Elmhurst Hospital Before coming to Elmhurst Hospital, Israel Rocha had a similar position at a health care facility in Texas. THE ART OF ELDER LAW For more than 30 years the elder law firm of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates has been providing New Yorkers with legal solutions that protect, relieve and endure for generations. Our dedicated attorneys are skilled in the art of giving legal advice and are accomplished in elder law, Medicaid eligibility, estate planning, trusts, estate mediation, wills, asset protection, guardianships, probate and most issues associated with the challenges of aging. Our distinguished reputation is based on a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards and our core values of honesty, integrity, and excellence. “We won’t settle for anything less”. 1-877- ELDER LAW 1-877-ESTATES Queens • Long Island • Manhattan • Brooklyn ATTORNEY ADVERTISING
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