Mather Hospital, 75 North Country Road, Port Jefferson received its 17th top “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for its achievements in protecting hospital patients from preventable harm and errors.
“This achievement is the result of the entire Mather team’s continuing commitment to patient safety and nursing excellence,” said Mather Executive Director Kevin McGeachy. “We have a culture of safety at Mather where all our team members are encouraged to speak up about potential safety issues. Congratulations to all!”
Mather was one of five Northwell Health hospitals on Long Island to earn an “A” grade for patient safety, according to a report released today by the Leapfrog Group for fall 2022. The others are Glen Cove Hospital, Huntington Hospital, North Shore University Hospital and Syosset Hospital.
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” and “F” grade to nearly 3,000 acute-care hospitals nationwide, which is based on 22 evidence-based patient safety performance measures. The organization issues a report each spring and fall annually.
“The current Leapfrog report shows that Northwell hospitals across the region are committed to providing the best quality care, the safest care and the best outcomes to our patients at both our community and tertiary care hospitals,” said Peter Silver, MD, senior vice president; associate chief medical officer and chief quality officer at Northwell Health. “The hard work and dedication to patient safety is demonstrated by all 80,000 of our employees, with direct or indirect patient contact, from the time a patient is admitted to a hospital to discharge. Our scores reflect the collective efforts of every staff person delivering the highest degree of care to our patients.”
Dr. Silver said the Leapfrog survey reviews key quality and patient safety measures including staffing and skill level of nurses and doctors, hospital acquired conditions, such as blood or urine infections, safety and outcomes of surgery,medication safety, hand washing, maternity care, and health equity. Patient experience scores also are factored in the analysis, which are based on patient satisfaction surveys administered by Press Ganey Associates, one of the health industry’s most widely used organizations to measure patient experience.
To see Mather Hospital’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.HospitalSafetyGrade.org .
Approximately 200 members of the Suffolk County “HOG” (Harley Owners Group) made the 40 mile ride from Oakdale to New Hyde Park on their 4th Annual Holiday Motorcycle Ride to bring toys and cheer to families staying at the Ronald McDonald House on Dec. 12.
The ride delivered dozens of toys that were given out by Santa Claus and raised more than $6,000 for the construction of a new Ronald McDonald House to be located in Suffolk County to serve families there.
The event is the biggest of the year for the Suffolk County HOG group.
“These kids in the hospital are very sick and their families are under a lot of stress,” said Nicholas Nigro, Organizer of the Annual HOG ride. “They should be able to celebrate for a day. If it brings a smile to their face for one day, that’s all we want to do.”
The event started with a gathering of the riders at the Suffolk County Harley Davidson, located at 4020 Sunrise Hwy, Oakdale. Members packed the toys on a three-wheeled motorcycle “sleigh” and in a group of Jeeps and the convoy of riders departed at approximately 11 a.m.
The group traveled along Sunrise Highway and Ocean Parkway, with a scenic view of the beach, before turning north toward the Ronald McDonald House, located at 267-07 76th Ave, Queens, arriving at approximately noon.
Riders disembarked and distributed toys to the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.
“Events like today put smiles on the faces of the families that stay here and it’s just so special,” said Matt Campo, CEO of RMHC NYM. “We will collect enough toys in the last 30 days of the year to last us all of next year. Every time a child comes back to their room there’s something waiting for them.”
Randolph G. Howard, Jr., MHA, FACHE, has been named Chief Operating Officer at Catholic Health’s St. Catherine of Siena Hospital (SCSH). A retired army officer, Mr. Howard has 20 years of experience in healthcare administration.
In his new role, Mr. Howard will oversee SCSH’s daily hospital operational and administrative functions; design and implement business strategies; set comprehensive goals for performance and growth across all clinical services lines; and continue to ensure patient safety and patient satisfaction.
“We are very fortunate to have Mr. Howard part of St. Catherine’s senior leadership team,” said SCSH President James O’Connor. “With extensive experience in hospital operations, system integration and facilities management, Mr. Howard has proven his steadfast leadership, strategic capital planning and keen decision-making skills in addressing various operational issues. As St. Catherine’s COO, Mr. Howard will further enhance our hospital’s mission in providing the highest quality of care to our patients.”
Prior to joining Catholic Health, the Centerport resident served as Northwell Health’s Senior Vice President, Corporate Facilities Services where he oversaw property management for 18 million square feet for all Northwell-affiliated hospitals, as well as over 800 non-hospital properties.
Like the rest of the state and country, Suffolk County is grappling with a shortage of pediatric amoxicillin, the drug most often used to treat bacterial infections such as strep throat and ear infections.
In the last few weeks, parents have gone to their local pharmacies, only to find that the liquid form of the medicine that’s suitable for their children is out of stock.
“There is a shortage,” said Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, who estimates that the medicine isn’t available about half the time the hospital prescribes it. “We worry that it’s going to continue to happen.”
As more children are around their friends and family before and during the holidays “it’s going to get worse,” she added.
This, doctors said, is not a Long Island or even a New York state problem. It’s national.
Nachman’s granddaughter needed amoxicillin in Florida. Her daughter drove around from pharmacy to pharmacy until she found one that had the medicine.
Doctors suggested that a number of factors have contributed to the shortage. For starters, some urgent care centers and doctors around the country are prescribing amoxicillin when children have viral infections. The medicine not only isn’t helping with sore throats or other viral symptoms, but it also isn’t as available for the children who have bacterial infections.
Nachman urges parents to make sure their children have an infection for which amoxicillin or any other drug works before picking it up from the pharmacy.
“When the pediatrician does a viral test and you get a positive, you know what it is,” she said. “When they do a throat swab for strep and it’s negative, you know what it’s not.”
Nachman told parents to ask whoever is prescribing antibiotics like amoxicillin if their children really need the medicine.
“If there is a silver lining, it’s forcing clinicians to try not to over prescribe it,” said Dr. James Cavanagh, director of Pediatrics at Port Jefferson’s St. Charles Hospital.
Finally, the stock of amoxicillin is low nationally.
For parents, the effect of the shortage has ranged from the expected anxiety over a limited resource to an awareness of a new reality.
Indeed, earlier this year, parents struggled to find baby formula.
“They are accepting of it, given the climate we’ve been in with formula,” Cavanagh said. “Parents are unfortunately getting used to it.”
Other infections
With viruses like respiratory syncytial virus, the flu, and COVID-19 prevalent and increasing in communities around Long Island, children and adults are increasingly getting sick and exhibiting the kind of general symptoms that could be viral or bacterial.
Stony Brook Children’s Hospital continues to have a steady stream of patients.
“We were full before Thanksgiving, full on Thanksgiving and full after Thanksgiving,” Nachman said. “As soon as a bed opens, another child comes in.”
While strep throat is easy to diagnose, ear infections can be either viral or bacterial.
Pediatric associations offer various guidelines. For children who are 9 and over, parents can do watchful waiting, but for children who are younger, like 4 months old, parents should use antibiotics.
While childhood forms of amoxicillin are limited, adult supplies, in the form of pills and capsules, are not. Children as young as 7 years old can take pills as long as the milligrams of the pills to the kilograms of the child’s weight are appropriate for
the dosage.
Nachman said Stony Brook Children’s Hospital has been doing a lot more calling to pharmacies near where patients live to ensure they have amoxicillin.
“That takes extra time,” she said. Those efforts could mean that families may have to wait longer in the emergency room.
The amoxicillin shortage can be worse for families that don’t have cars.
“How are they getting their prescriptions filled?” Nachman asked. “This is just one more worry.”
Alternatives
Area doctors and pharmacists suggested that there are alternatives to the pediatric form of amoxicillin. Children who are old enough and meet weight requirements can take a pill.
Alternatively, with careful medical guidance, parents can open up the right dose for capsules and mix it with applesauce or some other foods, according to the American Association of Pediatrics.
Doctors can also prescribe other broad spectrum antibiotics, such as augmentin and omnicef.
Using these other antibiotics, however, increases the risk of developing antibiotic resistant infections later.
“The next infection may be harder to treat,” Cavanagh said.
These other antibiotics also may eliminate some of the good bacteria in the gut,
causing diarrhea.
As doctors have increasingly prescribed some of these other medicines, pharmacies have seen the supply of alternatives decrease as well.
“Everyone follows the same algorithm” in prescribing medicine, which means the demand for other prescriptions is increasing, Cavanagh added.
Immune boost
Doctors said children can enhance their overall health and immune systems with healthy eating and sleeping habits and by making sure they are up to date with available preventive measures.
“Get vaccinated,” Cavanagh said. He also urged good hand washing routines.
Cavanagh added that children exposed to cigarette smoke in a house are also at a higher risk of ear infection. As for what constitutes enough sleep for a child, doctors recommend between eight and nine hours per night. That, doctors said, is tough to get for children who sleep with a cell phone near their beds.
Stony Brook Heart Institute has expanded its current array of TAVR treatment approaches, providing new options for patients with severe aortic stenosis. Photo by Jim Lennon/Stony Brook Medicine
Includes valve technology used for the first time on LI and NYC
Physicians at the Stony Brook Heart Institute Valve Center have expanded the array of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) approaches with two innovative techniques for treating patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS). Aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic valve opening, affects up to 20 percent of older Americans. AS can lead to significant heart problems. For those with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, the mortality rate within a year can go as high as 50 percent if left untreated.
Stony Brook Heart Institute’s new treatment options offer these potential benefits to patients:
More precise procedures. Building on the existing family of TAVR treatment approaches, Evolut FX, the fourth and latest-generation of the Evolut™ TAVR System Medtronic self-expanding valve technology, is designed to provide physicians with greater ease of use, precision and control throughout the procedure—leading to overall more predictable, deliverable and precise TAVR procedures. On October 5, 2022, the specially-trained Stony Brook TAVR team completed their first FX system procedure.
Reduced wear of the valve. A new type of transcatheter tissue valve, the Edwards SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA™ valve, has the potential to improve valve longevity and reduce the need for reintervention by using enhanced calcium-blocking technology to help reduce calcification and the wear of the valve. On November 2, 2022, the first procedure using the SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA™ valve for an aortic valve replacement was performed by the Stony Brook TAVR team. On the same day, the SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA™ valve was used in an intervention procedure to replace a failed surgical mitral valve. Procedures using the SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA™ valve at Stony Brook were the first on Long Island and in NYC to be performed using this type of valve technology.
For three years in a row (2021-2023), Stony Brook has been named a Five-Star Recipient for Valve Surgery by Healthgrades, the first organization in the country to rate hospital quality based on actual clinical outcomes. The TAVR team is led by cardiovascular surgeon, Henry Tannous, MD, Co-Director, Stony Brook Heart Institute, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Surgical Director, Structural Heart Program; Smadar Kort, MD, Director, Valve Center and Director, Interventional Echocardiography; and interventional cardiologists Robert Pyo, MD, Director, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Director, Structural Heart Disease Program, and Puja Parikh, MD, Director, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Program.
“Many of our patients diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis will, now, based on their individual preferences and discussion with their heart team, be able to opt for the most innovative, minimally invasive method of aortic valve replacement that best ensures their safety and outcomes,” shares Dr. Tannous. “It is an exciting and transformative time both for patients and the medical community, alike.”
“Our TAVR clinicians now have more ways to provide quality care that is customizable to the patient’s needs,” says Dr. Pyo. “Our ever-growing TAVR program continues to raise the bar for cardiac care on Long Island and we are proud to provide our community with the full array of the most comprehensive aortic stenosis diagnostics and treatments under one roof.”
“Our TAVR program is patient-focused in every aspect, from patient selection to procedure planning to treatment and postoperative care,” advises Dr. Kort. “The treatment provided at the Stony Brook Heart Institute Valve Center is distinguished by easy access to our entire team of specialists and our wonderful and dedicated nurse navigator who acts as a liaison between the medical team and the patient and family.”
“The combined expertise of our multidisciplinary teams allows us to bring the best approach to each patient, treating our cardiovascular patients with some of the most advanced technological breakthroughs for optimal outcomes and quality of life,” says Dr. Parikh.
The TAVR procedure involves placing a replacement valve into the aortic valve’s location through a catheter. For those with severe AS who are considered high-risk for conventional open-heart surgery, the minimally-invasive alternative provides a viable option that eliminates the need for traditional open-heart surgery. TAVR is also a surgical treatment option for patients with severe AS who are considered low-or intermediate-risk for conventional open heart surgery. Stony Brook was the first in Suffolk County and among the first in the nation to offer transcatheter aortic valve replacement or TAVR.
For more information about innovative heart treatment at Stony Brook Heart Institute, visit heart.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
About Stony Brook Heart Institute:
Stony Brook Heart Institute is located within Stony Brook University Hospital as part of Long Island’s premier university-based medical center. The Heart Institute offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary program for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The staff includes full-time and community-based, board-certified cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons, as well as specially trained anesthesiologists, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, surgical technologists, perfusionists, and other support staff. Their combined expertise provides state-of-the-art interventional and surgical capabilities in 24-hour cardiac catheterization labs and surgical suites. And while the Heart Institute clinical staff offers the latest advances in medicine, its physician-scientists are also actively enhancing knowledge of the heart and blood vessels through basic biomedical studies and clinical research. To learn more, visit www.heart.stonybrookmedicine.edu.
From left, Judith Jedlicka, Caregivers Center Founder; Amy Loeb, EdD, MBA, RN, Peconic Bay Medical Center Executive Director; Tim Hubbard, Riverhead Town Councilman; Tara Anglim, Tara Anglim, LCSW-R, ACHP-SW, Assoc. Exec. Director of Culture & Experience Peconic Bay Medical Center. Photo by Jim Lennon
Over 60 family caregivers attended the event
Peconic Bay Medical Center’s (PBMC) Caregivers Center recently held its 8th annual Caregivers Retreat to help provide advocacy and valuable resources for Suffolk County residents who are supporting their loved ones. As part of the event, guests had the opportunity to hear from a panel of caregiving experts, connect with attorneys and financial advisors, participate in relaxation and meditation workshops, and connect with other caregivers. The event took place at the Hotel Indigo East End, and it was the first time since 2019 that the event was held in person.
“As Long Island’s first hospital-based, caregiver-dedicated facility, we are proud to uphold our position as a community-and-family-focused hospital,” said Tara Anglim, LCSW-R, ACHP-SW, associate executive director of Culture and Experience at PBMC. “The annual Caregivers Retreat is our way of showing family caregivers across Long Island that they are not alone. Caregivers are compassionate, patient, and dedicated individuals who play an incredibly important role in their loved one’s life. We are here every step of the way to help them navigate the challenges of caregiving.”
The annual retreat was part of the Peconic Bay Medical Center’s ongoing recognition of National Family Caregivers Month, is celebrated each November and aims to raise awareness of the myriad challenges caregivers face. Caregivers are individuals who provide support to a loved one suffering from acute, chronic or disabling conditions and they play a crucial role in patient’s treatment and recovery processes. They provide a broad range of care, including operating as personal advocates when dealing with insurance companies; attending to clients’ medical visits and legal matters; assisting in eating, bathing, toileting, dressing and household chores; and acting as a social, spiritual and leisure guides. In the last year, approximately 43.5 million family caregivers have provided unpaid care services to a loved one.
Town of Riverhead Councilman Tim Hubbard was also in attendance at the event and acknowledged Peconic Bay Medical Center’s ongoing efforts to support local families by presenting a proclamation to PBMC executive director Amy Loeb, Tara Anglim, and Caregivers Center founder Judith Jedlicka.
“The entire Town of Riverhead thanks the Peconic Bay Medical Center for offering both much-needed guidance and comfort to caregivers,” said Riverhead Town Councilman Tim Hubbard “So many Riverhead residents are caregivers and may not realize they have someone looking after them while they’re helping others. Events like these are crucial, and the PBMC Caregivers Center is a pillar of our community.”
“The need for caregiving is universal and lasts throughout everyone’s lifetime. We thank all those who help our older adults to live a more comfortable life due to illness, injury or a disability,” said Supervisor Yvette Aguiar.
The hospital’s Caregivers Center, which opened in 2018 as Long Island’s first hospital-based center dedicated to supporting family caregivers at any point in their caregiving journey. The center offers help from a designated social worker as well as trained volunteer Caregiver Coaches available Monday-Friday. To learn more about the Caregivers Center, visit https://www.pbmchealth.org/caregivers-center.
About Peconic Bay Medical Center
Located in Riverhead, NY, Peconic Bay Medical Center is a 200-bed nonprofit hospital committed to providing exceptional care and improving the health of the communities it serves. Peconic Bay Medical Center offers wide-ranging, full-scope services and programs, including advanced surgical, cardiac, orthopedic and women’s health care, comprehensive inpatient medical care, palliative care and an extensive range of outpatient services, along with state-of-the-art technology. Peconic Bay Medical Center joined Northwell Health in 2016. For more information, visit PBMCHealth.org and follow us @PeconicBayMedicalCenter on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
More than 250 guests turned out in their fall fashions to honor Island Federal Credit Union at the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) NY Metro 5th Annual Fall Celebration at Flowerfield in St. James, on Nov. 9. The event raised more than $125,000 for programs in Suffolk County.
Members of the Island Federal Credit Union Board of Directors and Management Team were on hand for the celebration, including Island Federal Credit Union Branch Manager Jose Melendez and his family, who spoke about their personal connection to the Ronald McDonald House and the positive impact the organization has had on their lives.
The funds will go toward the ongoing operation of RMHC NYM’s two Family Rooms at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital and Stony Brook Medicine Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which opened earlier this year. RMHC NYM intends to build a new house on the grounds of Stony Brook Hospital in the near future that will to accommodate families from across Suffolk County who have a sick child receiving care in the area.
“This was a terrific celebration of the work we have done and what we plan to do — specifically in Suffolk County — in the future,” said Matt Campo, CEO of RMHC NY Metro. “We depend so much on the support of our community, which donates their money and their time, to help the families that come to us in their greatest hour of need. We thank each and every one of them from the bottom of our hearts.”
“Suffolk County has a tremendous need for a Ronald McDonald House, and we are determined to raise the funds to build it,” said Nick Croce, Board Member and Co-Chair of the Suffolk County Advisory Board for RMHC NYM. “We’ve raised $16.5 million already and with this kind of sustained support, we will be putting the shovel in the ground before we know it.”
Pictured from left, Chris Murray, VP Marketing; Larry Dunn, Senior Director of Sales & Membership Experience; Damon Rivera, VP Technology; Paul Scollan, Board of Director; Matt Campo, RMHC NYM President; Bret Sears, Island President & CEO; Jeannine Bowden, AVP; John Adragna, Board Chairman; Craig Booth, SVP/COO; Tim Aaraas, VP Retail Lending; Catherine Roger, Director of Branch Operations; Jose Melendez, Hauppauge Branch Manager; Elizabeth Cardone, Board of Director; Vinny Accardi, Member Success Specialist.
From left to right, physician assistants Michelle Rosa and Katherine Malloy, Dr. David Fiorella and Dr. Jason Mathew visit Joseph Annunziata in his hospital bed. Photo from Stony Brook Medicine
By Daniel Dunaief
Joseph “Bob” Annunziata, a resident of Kings Park, wants you not to be like him.
An army veteran, Annunziata urges residents and, in particular, other veterans, to pay attention to their medical needs and to take action when they find out they have a problem.
A self-described “tough guy” who grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Annunziata put off medical care for a partially blocked left carotid artery and it caused a medical crisis.
“My brother and sister vets, if you got a pain or the doctor tells you to do something, do it,” he said. “It almost cost me my life. I don’t want that to happen to anyone else.”
Joseph Annunziata at his 80th birthday party
Annunziata, 80, was driving to the supermarket on Veterans Day when his right hand became limp and he was slurring his speech. Knowing he was in trouble, he turned the car around and drove 10 minutes to the Northport VA Medical Center.
The doctors evaluated him and rushed him to Stony Brook University Hospital, which is well equipped to handle stroke-related emergencies and is the only hospital in the state named one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Stroke Care for eight years in a row.
Several doctors evaluated Annunziata, including by Dr. David Fiorella, Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular Center and Co-Director of the Stony Brook Cerebrovascular and Comprehensive Stroke Center, and Jason Mathew, stroke neurologist.
“We identified that there was a severe blockage in the left side of his brain,” said Dr. Mathew. “If blood flow is not returned to this area, the patient is at risk for a larger area of stroke.”
Indeed, a larger stroke could have caused right side paralysis and could have robbed Annunziata of his ability to speak or worse.
Performing emergency surgery could protect endangered brain cells, but also presented some risk. If not removed carefully and completely, the clot in the carotid artery could travel into the brain or the stroke could expand over time due to a lack of sufficient blood flow to the left side of the brain.
Time pressure
Stony Brook doctors discussed the particulars of the case together and explained the situation to Annunziata, who could understand what they were describing and respond despite symptoms that threatened to deteriorate.
The hospital, which does between 200 and 250 interventional stroke treatments per year and handles many more strokes than that annually, has a group of health care specialists who can provide accessible information to patients who are not experts in the field and who need to make an informed decision under time pressure.
Stony Brook has become adept at “conveying this complex information in a time-sensitive way,” Dr. Fiorella said. In those cases for which surgery is the best option, each minute that the doctors don’t open up a blood vessel reduces the benefits and increases the risk of longer-term damage.
Stony Brook sees about one to two of these kinds of cases per month. As a whole, the hospital, which is a large referral center, sees numerous complex and unusual cerebrovascular cases of all types, Dr. Fiorella said.
Annunziata and the doctors decided to have the emergency surgery.
Dr. Fiorella used a balloon guiding catheter, which is a long tube with a working inner lumen that has a soft balloon on the outside of it that is designed to temporarily block flow. He deploys these occlusion balloons in most all stroke cases.
The particular way he used it in these complete carotid occlusions is unique. The balloon guiding catheter makes interventional stroke procedures more efficient, safer, and the outcomes better, according to data for thrombectomy, Dr. Fiorella said.
The occlusion balloon enabled Dr. Fiorella to control blow flow the entire time, which makes the procedure safer. The surgery took under an hour and involved a small incision in Annunziata’s right wrist.
Joseph Annunziata with his girlfriend Rosemarie Madrose
After the surgery, Annunziata was able to speak to doctors and call Rosemarie Madrose, his girlfriend of five and a half years. “He came out talking,” said Madrose. “I could understand him. I was relieved.” Four days after the emergency operation, Annunziata, who also received post operative care from Dr. Yuehjien Gu, Neurocritical Care Unit Director, left the hospital and returned to his home, where he spent the next morning preparing a welcome meal of a scrambled egg and two slices of toast.
The doctors attribute Annunziata’s quick recovery to a host of factors. Getting himself to the hospital as soon as symptoms started saved precious minutes, Dr. Fiorella said, as “time is brain.” He also advised against driving for people having stroke-like symptoms, which can include slurred speech, numbness, weakening of the arm or leg and loss of vision in one eye.
Dr. Fiorella urged people to call for help or to get a ride in an ambulance. Stony Brook has two mobile stroke unit ambulances, which are equipped with technology to assess patients while en route, saving time and alerting doctors in the hospital to patients who might need immediate attention and intervention.
These mobile units, which are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., have helped reduce death and disability for stroke and have cut down the length of stays in the hospital.
People or family and friends who are observing someone who might be having a stroke can call 911 and indicate that the patient is having stroke-like symptoms. The emergency operator will alert the mobile stroke unit of a possible case if the unit is available and the patient is in range.
Helping a veteran
The doctors involved in Annunziata’s care were well aware of the fact that they were treating a veteran on Veterans Day.
“Oftentimes, we think about how we can give back more than just a thank you” to people like Annunziata, who “risked his life and helped his country the way he could,” said Dr. Mathew. “I’m helping him the way I can help.”
Dr. Fiorella added that he thought it was “wonderful” to “help someone who’s given so much to our country on Veterans Day.”
Army origin
Annunziata explained that he wound up in the Army through a circuitous route.“We watched all the war movies” when he was young and wanted to join the Marines, he said.
When he went to enlist in 1962, he was told there was a two and a half year wait. He and his young friends got the same reception at the Air Force, Navy and the Army. As they were leaving the Army building on Whitehall Street, he and his friends ran into a sergeant with numerous medals on his uniform. The sergeant urged them to go back up the hallway and enter the first door on the right and indicate that they wanted to expedite the draft. About a week later, Annunziata was drafted and got a 15 cent token in the mail for a train trip to Wall Street.
After basic training at Fort Dix, he was stationed in Greenland, where Annunziata operated a radar at the top of a mountain for two years. He participated in drills in which he had to catch American planes flying overhead.
Fortunately, he said, even during the height of the Cold War and just months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, Annunziata never spotted a Russian threat, even though the base was just 20 minutes from Russian air space.
Having gone through emergency surgery that likely saved his life, Annunziata urges residents to pay attention to any medical needs on their radar.
Dr. Fiorella was amazed at how quickly Annunziata expressed concern for his fellow veterans during his recovery.
“One of the first things he talked about was, ‘How can I use what happened to me to help other vets?’” Dr. Fiorella said.
Annunziata’s girlfriend Madrose, who is grateful that the procedure saved his life, said he “didn’t listen to me. He knew he had to do this. I kept saying, ‘When are you going to do it?’ He said, ‘I will, I will, I will.’ He learned the hard way.” She added that they both know he is “extremely lucky.”
Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) for pledging ongoing action to decarbonize the health care sector and make health care facilities more resilient to the effects of climate change. SBUH has formally committed to pursuing the White House’s climate goal of reducing emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and has already begun:
“I’m delighted that Stony Brook University Hospital has signed on to the White House/HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge as we continue to be recognized locally and nationally as a leader in sustainability efforts,” said Hal Paz, MD, Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, Stony Brook University and Chief Executive Officer, Stony Brook University Medicine. “We remain focused on these initiatives and accelerating the health system’s progress toward a climate-conscious approach to care.”
“At Stony Brook University Hospital, we have made it our mission to support sustainable healthcare initiatives and reduce our carbon footprint,” says Carol Gomes, MS, FACHE, CPHQ, CEO of Stony Brook University Hospital. “We look forward to working with the Department of Health and Human Services to continue to make environmental changes that benefit not only our planet, but also our patients, employees and communities for years to come.”
A September 2021 consensus statement from more than 200 medical journals named climate change the number one threat to global public health. It exposes millions of people in the United States to harm every year—with disproportionate impacts on historically disadvantaged communities—through increases in extreme heat waves, wildfires, flooding, vector-borne diseases and other factors that worsen chronic health conditions. The healthcare sector also contributes to climate change, accounting for approximately 8.5 percent of U.S. domestic emissions.
The HHS Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, developed the White House/HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge to help focus industry response to climate challenges. In addition to reducing their carbon footprint, signatories also commit to producing detailed plans to prepare their facilities for both chronic and acute catastrophic climate impacts.
One hundred and two prominent health companies in the U.S. have signed the White House/HHS Health Sector Climate Pledge, including organizations representing 837 hospitals as well as leading health centers, suppliers, insurance companies, group purchasing organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and more. Federal systems like the Indian Health Service (IHS), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and Military Health System (MHS) are working together to meet similar goals to those the private sector organizations have embraced. Combined, over 1,080 federal and private sector hospitals have made such commitments, representing over 15 percent of U.S. hospitals.
“HHS returns this year to COP27 to report great progress,” said Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health for the Department of Health and Human Services. “Through the efforts of the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity and several other HHS agencies, we have made significant strides in introducing resources and support to help communities and care providers accelerate their work to reduce harmful emissions and increase climate resilience in the health sector.”
For more information about how Stony Brook University Hospital is responding to our nation’s climate challenges, visit stonybrookmedicine.edu/sustainability.
The Fortunato Breast Health Center at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson has earned accreditation status from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a quality program of the American College of Surgeons.
To achieve voluntary NAPBC accreditation, a breast center demonstrates compliance with NAPBC standards that address leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement for patients. Breast centers seeking NAPBC accreditation undergo a site visit every three years.
“At the Fortunato Breast Health Center, we are proud to receive this ongoing accreditation in recognition of our continued service and exemplary care provided to our community,” said Michelle Price, MD, Medical Director of the Breast Center. The Center first received NAPBC accreditation in 2009.
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