News from the University Hospital of Brooklyn | February / March 2021

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

“Of all forms of discrimination and inequalities, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman,” Martin Luther King, Jr.

As we celebrate Black History Month in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to reflect on the progress we have made as a society toward achieving healthcare equity and the distance we still need to travel. Martin Luther King, Jr., was correct in his statement about health. A person’s health impacts their ability to earn a living, their ability to care for their family, and their overall quality of life.

Some will claim that the cries of systemic racism in health and health care are overstated; however, there is significant evidence that these disparities do in fact exist. Race and place matter a lot for health outcomes in our country—and in the Brooklyn community that University Hospital of Brooklyn serves. Our community is over 50% immigrant and over 90% African-American. Our community has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, suffering a death rate over 30% higher than the median across the remainder of New York City. Additionally, our community has some of the highest infant mortality, stroke, childhood asthma, and avoidable diabetes hospitalization rates in New York. Social determinants impacting our community directly impact these health outcomes. Importantly, our primary service area is a food desert with only one supermarket for every 21 bodegas.

Downstate Health Sciences University and University Hospital of Brooklyn are critical institutions. Our faculty and staff are committed to addressing the disparities that exist in health and health care. In Brooklyn, a borough of 2.6 million people, we have the only kidney transplant program. Compare this to Manhattan, with a population of 1.6 million, and four kidney transplant programs. We are working hard to improve our programs in Cancer Care, Cardiology, Obstetrics, Orthopedics, and Neurology to better serve our community and to erase the disparities that exist. Additionally, we are partnering with the schools in our university to address social justice and equity to alleviate the social determinants that adversely impact the health of our community. Downstate and UHB must continue to take a leadership role in addressing the disparities in health seen in our community. Health disparity is one of the most important issues of our time. We need to channel our financial and intellectual resources to be an example of how to achieve health equity for the entire United States and the World. As Martin Luther King, Jr., stated, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Happy Lunar New Year

February 12, 2021 marked the Lunar New Year. We said goodbye to 2020, the Year of the Rat, and welcome 2021, the Year of the Ox. The Year of the Rat is traditionally a year of turbulence in which change and disasters are commonplace. That was certainly the case in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe. We welcome the Year of the Ox, which is traditionally a calm, stable, and economically prosperous one.

People born in the Year of the Ox are strong, reliable, fair, and conscientious, inspiring confidence in others. They are also calm, patient, methodical, and can be trusted. May we all embrace these “Ox-like”  traits to overcome the challenges presented by COVID-19 to ensure a calm and prosperous year.

Join Us for UHB’s First Patient Safety and Quality Fair

On Wednesday, March 17th, our participating staff will get the opportunity to present their ideas to help make patient care safer and discuss projects that can improve our policies, processes, and practices. The best projects selected will win great prizes. Our Patient Safety and Quality Fair will be a dynamic event, packed with speakers, games, and an incredible keynote presentation given by Dr. Mark Chassin, the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Joint Commission. We will also hear remarks from other members of leadership at Downstate as well. This event will mark our initial leap forward on our journey toward zero harm and becoming a High Reliability Organization (HRO).

Our vision at SUNY Downstate is to deliver the highest quality, patient-centered care and we accomplish this as a team, committed to improving the delivery of health care at every step in the process. For this event, we will share ideas and best practices to improve the care of our community. Every member of our team offers a significant contribution to this vision. We are looking forward to ALL Downstate physicians, employees, and students registering to partake in this exciting event. Following the event, we have confidence that you will be motivated and energized about patient safety and quality improvement at Downstate/UHB. So please, don’t miss out and register for this amazing event.

CLICK HERE for registration information on the Patient Safety and Quality Fair and join us as an attendee on Wednesday, March 17^th!

Kudos to Our COVID-19 Vaccine Center Team!

Late last year, the FDA had approved the COVID-19 vaccine for widespread use. Since then, our COVID-19 Vaccine Center Team has specifically focused on administering the vaccine safely and equitably to our staff, beginning with our frontline workers. They have worked tirelessly every day for months to vaccinate our staff and students as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We are extremely proud of our team and could not have done this without their herculean efforts. They have delivered over 8,000 total doses (1^st and 2^nd doses total) during this period. Please join us in congratulating our COVID-19 Vaccine Center Team for doing such a fantastic job and helping us get one step closer towards defeating this pandemic in our community.

Please enjoy a few pictures of our amazing Vaccine Center Team in action!

UHB Spotlight: Jeffery Jones – Environmental Services

UHB is extremely fortunate to have so many dedicated employees committed to our patients and our intuitional success. Among them is Jeffery Jones in the Department of Environmental Services, who has been working at SUNY Downstate as a janitor and working supervisor for the past 15 years.

Environmental Services is one of our most critically important “back of the house” departments. Keeping equipment, treatment areas, and patient rooms clean, sanitary, and pathogen free is a key component of institutional safety. It is also a lens through which we are judged. Done right, the work of the Environmental Service team often goes unnoticed. Done wrong, the consequences can impact HCAHPS and safety rating scores, Joint Commission accreditation, and, daily, whether patients choose us for their care.

Mr. Jones excels at providing a safe and sanitary environment for our patients, visitors, and staff. He is committed to maintaining a high standard of excellence, which he has set both for himself and for those he supervises, to truly provide the best for Downstate.

Promoted to supervisor in recognition of his work ethic, proactive approach, and effective coordination, Mr. Jones is respected by all in the Department of Environmental Services. His leadership is reflected by the strength of his team: his employees enthusiastically learn new functions to help the department and Downstate.

Throughout the pandemic, Mr. Jones has gone above and beyond in all areas of his job, with special attention paid to disinfecting the COVID-19 positive areas to help make them safe for our frontline staff. He is truly a Brand Ambassador for Environmental Services.

Jeffery Jones is one of many at Downstate who have inspiring stories and we are very proud of his numerous accomplishments and thankful for his devotion to helping us get better every single day.