Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 140,000 people each year and resulting in long-term disability for thousands of others. If someone is suspected of having a stroke, time is of the essence, as immediate treatment may minimize brain damage and potential complications.

Fortunately for residents of northwestern Queens, Mount Sinai Queens is recognized as a leader and innovator in the fi eld of stroke care. Mount Sinai Queens is designated by the New York State Department of Health and certifi ed by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center. We are the only Joint Commission-certifi ed Primary Stroke Center in Queens, demonstrating our commitment to excellence in stroke patient care. In 2012 Mount Sinai Queens received the American Heart Association’s “Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award.” This Get with the Guidelines Achievement Award demonstrates our ability to work as a team dedicated to providing our patients with care based on the latest clinical guidelines.

Our award-winning stroke team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to evaluate and treat patients in the emergency department and throughout the hospital. Acute stroke patients may be treated with clot-busting drugs that must be administered within the fi rst few hours of stroke-symptom onset. Additional treatments can be given as determined by the results of advanced imaging studies, laboratory testing, and other factors.

“The entire hospital sta� is trained to treat stroke patients,” says Emily Schaab, DNP, ANP-BC, Stroke Center Coordinator. Depending on the case, patients may be treated in the critical care, telemetry, or stroke units, where teams of experienced doctors and nurses

Mount Sinai Queens—Borough’s Only Joint Commission-Certifi ed Primary Stroke Center

M O U N T S I N A I Q U E E N SW I N T E R 2 0 1 3

BE F. A .S.T. AT THE FIRST SIGN OF STROKE – CALL 911!

FACE DROOPING Ask the person to smile. Does one side sag?

ARM WEAKNESS OR NUMBNESSAsk the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

SPEECH DIFFICULTY Are they unable to speak or is their speech slurred? Can they repeat a simple sentence correctly?

TIME TO CALL 911 If the person shows any of these symptoms. Note the time of symptom onset.

Recognizing stroke symptoms and getting medical attention F.A.S.T. may save a life and limit disability.

Additional stroke symptoms may include sudden onset of leg numbness or weakness, confusion, trouble understanding, seeing, or walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, and severe headache with no known cause.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

It has been a circuitous route for Melissa Lee, MD, FAAP, FACP. Born and raised in Queens, Dr. Lee attended Yale University School of

Medicine, did her residency at Harvard Medical School, and worked with her physician-hus-band on the Navajo reservation in Arizona for six years, before coming full circle to practice medicine back in Astoria where she calls home. In 2011 Dr. Lee was appointed Medi-cal Director of Ambulatory Care Services, where her duties include treating patients and overseeing medical care at the Mount Sinai Queens practices at Family Health and Physician Associates. She is board certifi ed in internal medicine and pediatrics.

Dr. Lee returned to New York to be close to family and settled in the Ditmars section of Astoria. She has strong roots and fond

memories of growing up in the neighborhood.

For Dr. Lee, it is impor-tant to align her work life with her family and social life. This takes many forms, like giving Mount Sinai Queens-

sponsored talks on health and wellness or participating in the Long Island City YMCA’s Turkey Trot run on Thanksgiving morning. “We must combat childhood obesity and celebrate healthy living,” says Dr. Lee.

“I love living in such a diverse neighborhood,” she says. “We play in the same playgrounds, go to the same school, and shop at the same grocery store as my patients. As a primary care doctor, I feel that to truly take care of my patients it’s important to be an active member of the community.”

Says David M. Nierman, MD, MMM, Vice President, Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, “Dr. Lee’s educational credentials, coupled with her excellent and diverse on-the-ground training on the Navajo reser-vation make her an extraordinary choice for the complexities she faces leading ambulatory care services.” �

Melissa Lee, MD, Comes Home to Astoria

The fl u epidemic has begun to wane, but fl u season is not yet over. If you haven’t already been vaccinated, it is not too late. Call your doctor at Family Health Associates, 718-808-7300, or another primary care physi-cian to make an appointment for a fl u shot.

Flu symptoms often appear suddenly and may include the following: fever and chills, severe muscle aches and fatigue, headache, decreased appetite or other gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, watery eyes, conjunctivitis, and swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

Here are some tips that can alleviate discomfort:

• Drink lots of fl uids, as hydrating helps your body fl ush out a virus. Avoid ca� eine.

• Get lots of rest so your body can fi ght your illness.

• Take over-the-counter medications like pain relievers, decongestants, and cough medicine to relieve symptoms. Check with your doctor fi rst, especially if you have a chronic illness or are taking other medications.

Most people with fl u have a mild case and do not need to be seen by a doctor. Call your doctor if symptoms persist for more than a few days or if you have a high fever, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion, chest or sinus pain, or shortness of breath. �

To Your Health!When most people think of hospital meals, four-star dining doesn’t usually leap to mind. But at Mount Sinai Queens, where patients come fi rst, dining has entered a new era.

Gone are the old paper menus where patients circle their preferences. Instead, a host or hostess, known as a diet aide, with an elec-tronic device in hand, visits each patient daily to discuss menu options. The same diet aide takes the order, prepares the tray, and delivers it to patients at bedside. Periodically, executive chef Tom Stone makes rounds in his chef whites to solicit feedback from patients and visiting guests. Meals are prepared at the hospital and cooked right before mealtime, ensuring fresh, nutritious, tasty food.

The new system accepts up-to-the-minute diet changes so that if a doctor alters a patient’s diet mid-day, the change is automati-cally made in the system. More importantly, it enables the diet aides to establish a relationship with their patients. Patient satisfaction has increased since the program was initiated last April, and employees take pride in their work since they are involved with their patients in every step of the process.

Bon appetit! �

spring into action to deliver prompt care. These clinicians have 24/7 access to emergency consultation with our Manhattan campus stroke physicians, and if appropriate, acute stroke patients can be transferred to our Manhattan campus neurointerventional radiology suite, neurosurgical operating room, neurointensive care unit.

Following acute treatment, the Mount Sinai Queens expert stroke rehabilitation team, which includes rehabilitation medicine physi-cians, and physical, occupational, and speech therapists, works with patients to regain function. Our nurses, social workers, and care managers are expert at helping patients rein-tegrate into the community following stroke, and work with patients and families to create appropriate discharge plans that include rehabilitation and home health care if needed. Our Stroke Center sta� regularly reaches out to the community to educate about risk factors and symptoms of stroke.

Controllable risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol, diabetes, poor circulation, smoking and alcohol use, physical inactivity, and obesity.

To make an appointment with a neurologist to determine your risk factors, please call 1-800-YOUR-MDs (800-968-7637) or visit www.mshq.org/stroke for more information. �

“I love being part of this community”

Stroke CenterCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Dining In

On April 7, at approximately 6 am, patient folders bulging with loose doctors’ notes and lab results will be a thing of the past. As part of our ongoing e� orts to provide our patients with e� cient, high-quality care, Mount Sinai Queens will complete the transition to Epic®, our new electronic medical record system (EMR).

“Mount Sinai Queens is bringing the future of medical care to Queens with a top-fl ight electronic medical record system that will result in significant improvements and enhanced coordination of care for our patients,” says Caryn A. Schwab, Executive Director. “The system will bring new e� cien-cies that will allow us to channel even more resources toward treating our patients.”

The EMR has many benefi ts for patients. When doctors or nurses see a patient in the hospital, they immediately enter medical

information on a desktop, a wall-mounted computer, or a WOW—workstation on wheels. They then have instant access to the patient’s medical, surgical, and family history, including medications they are taking, test results, and other illnesses. After examining the patient, doctors can order tests and view the results and other clinical information in real time.

With the new $20-million Epic system, if a patient is seen by more than one physician, all doctors share updated information and see their colleagues’ notes and latest radiology and lab reports. When doctors prescribe medications, Epic considers what the patient is already taking and provides information about drug interactions, thus minimizing potential errors.

A signifi cant benefi t to patients is the ability to access their medical records and test results online with MyChart. Patients can

also communicate with their doctor and request prescription renewals, which are emailed to their pharmacy.

Security systems and fi rewalls have been put in place to protect patients’ privacy. Data can be viewed but not stored on laptops, smartphones, and tablets used by doctors,

so even if these devices are lost, they do not contain patient informa-tion. Backup generators and wiring infrastruc-ture ensure access to information in the event of a power outage.

The new electronic medical record system

fully integrates information throughout the entire Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhat-tan and physician practices throughout the fi ve boroughs. Says David M. Nierman, MD, MMM, Vice President, Medical A� airs and Chief Medical O� cer of Mount Sinai Queens, “There are numerous and specifi c advantages to an electronic medical record. We are look-ing forward to the many ways Epic will allow us to better serve our individual patients, as well as contribute to the well-being of our entire community.” �

Electronic Medical Records—and Improved Patient Safety—Underway at Mount Sinai Queens

In the coming months, the new Mount Sinai Queens Cancer Center will move to a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility. Howard Greenberg, MD, Director of Mount Sinai Queens Cancer Center and Che-Kai Tsao, MD, Assistant Professor at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, will provide fi rst-class patient care in hematology and medical oncology at the new facility. Our comprehen-

sive cancer treatment team will also include board-certifi ed surgical and radiation oncolo-gists on sta� at The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, nurses, social workers, and others who will provide specialized support services to cancer patients. The 7200-sq-foot space will house 10 chairs for the infusion of chemotherapy, as well as a dedicated lab and pharmacy on site. �

“The system will bring new effi ciencies that will allow us to channel even more resources toward treating our patients.”

State-of-the-Art Cancer CareExpanding at Mount Sinai Queens

Cancer CenterOpening 2013

F E AT U R E D I N T H I S I S S U E :

• Mount Sinai Queens— Borough’s Only Joint Commission- Certifi ed Primary Stroke Center • New Electronic Medical Records Improve Safety

• Doctor Returns to Astoria

• New Inpatient Dining Program

• State-of-the-Art Cancer Care Expands

UPCOMING EVENTSMount Sinai Queens is committed to the good health of our community. Every month we host a series of free lectures and screenings designed to keep our neighbors healthy. Here is a small sampling of some upcoming events:

Colon Cancer Awareness & Screening: Reducing Your Risks of Colon CancerThursday, March 14, 6 pm

Community CPR TrainingTuesday, March 19, 6 pmTuesday, April 23, 6 pm

Your Vascular HealthWednesday, April 3, 8 pm

High Heels to High Tops:Preventing and Treating Foot PainTuesday, April 9, 11 am

For more information on location and to register for our events, please call 718-267-4333. See you there!

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ABOUT MOUNT SINAI QUEENSMount Sinai Queens is a licensed acute care hospital in Astoria, Queens, o� ering high-quality adult outpatient, emergency, and inpatient medical services. Our highly trained team of nearly 500 physicians represents close to 40 medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties. We are the Queens cam-pus of The Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, currently ranked among the top 15 hospitals in America by US News & World Report.