News from the University Hospital of Brooklyn | November 2020

A message from David H. Berger, MD, MHCM, FACS
CEO of University Hospital of Brooklyn   

I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome I have received.  It has been fun getting around and meeting everyone during my rounds and during “Bagels and Beverages with Berger.”  The welcome I have received and the people I have met are confirmation I made the right decision in coming to Downstate and University Hospital of Brooklyn.  What is amazing to me is the number of long-time team members working to care for patients at UHB.  Downstate is a very special place for me; this is the place that helped shape me into the physician and leader I have become.  Additionally, I believe UHB is important because it is the only University Hospital in Brooklyn serving a large diverse population.  Many of our patients are disadvantaged by the systemic inequities in access to quality health care.  In my mind, the reasons Downstate and UHB exist are because we train outstanding healthcare professionals and we provide advanced care to a large diverse population. Those are my “whys” for being at Downstate.  I am interested in your “whys.”  Why do you work at Downstate/UHB?  Why is Downstate/UHB important?  Why does Downstate UHB exist?   It is important for every organization to have a guiding “mission” or “why.” Many organizations have a long, uninteresting mission statement developed by administration.  My goal is to have a why that reflects the input of our team members. Please follow this link and fill out this brief survey and help us to get out why UHB is “the best place to get care and the best place to give care.”

Honoring our Nurses during 
National Nurses Week in November at Downstate

The United Nations’ World Health Organization proclaimed 2020 as The Year of the Nurse and Midwife in honor of Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday. Nurses Week was originally scheduled for May of this year; however, because of COVID-19 we weren’t able to celebrate.  Therefore, starting November 9th (one half year late), Downstate will celebrate National Nurses Week (November 9-13). We want to provide special recognition to the vast contributions and positive impact of our nurses and acknowledge their service to our community through the COVID-19 response effort, as well as their many other great accomplishments. Nurses are essential to the patient experience, serving as the bridge to compassionate healthcare for them.

We will hold many events throughout the week, with each day providing opportunities to celebrate our dedicated Nursing staff. Take a look at our Calendar of Events below. We encourage our nurses to wear their nursing t-shirts on Friday, November 13th previously provided to them. Thank you to our nurses for your dedication to excellence in patient care!

Enjoying a Treat during Bagels & Beverages with Berger

In the last few weeks, our CEO, Dr. David Berger, visited many areas throughout the hospital. To date, he has met with Nursing Stations 71, 72, 73, 74, 81, and 82, as well as our Respiratory Care Team. Everyone who met with him was engaged as they discussed their roles and inquired about future developments for UHB. In the weeks ahead, Dr. Berger will be meeting and talking with more of us at our units. Take a look at a few shots of our team as they enjoy some refreshments and great conversation.

Improving Sepsis Mortality Rates in the Hospital 

Sepsis is a major public health issue nationwide.  Our mortality rates for sepsis at the hospital were missing some benchmarks. An intervention was targeted in the Emergency Department (ED) at the hospital, due to 95% of the cases of sepsis starting there.

The intervention included the creation of an ED sepsis kit. The kit consisted of a timer, a checklist, and the necessary blood collection equipment. In addition, our ED also changed the order set in our electronic medical records, making it easier to order the recommended amount of intravenous fluids.  Our team also created sepsis posters highlighting time sensitive measures and placed them in high visibility areas in the ED to increase awareness for our staff. 

The overwhelmingly positive results saw an improvement to 22% mortality rate (New York State has an average of 23%) in the 4th quarter of 2019 in comparison to the 3rd quarter in 2018, when it was 44%.  Our ED will continue to provide monthly data to our staff and making minor changes as needed to achieve even greater results.

Cheers to our dedicated staff at the Emergency Department!   

American Heart Association Award Recognizes University Hospital of Brooklyn’s Commitment to Quality
Stroke Care

Our hospital has recently received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. This award recognizes our commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines from the latest scientific evidence. According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States.

We earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. 

Kudos to our amazing staff at the hospital for this well-deserved recognition! We are looking forward to many more accolades from our great hospital in the near future.