April 22, 2019
IT HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER—OR MORE IMPORTANT—TO BECOME AN ORGAN DONOR.
April is National Donate Life Month, heightening awareness of the need for more organ donors. Some 113,000 people in the United States are on a transplant waiting list, and another is added to the list every 10 minutes. Living donors are filling part of this need with nearly 6,000 organ donations per year—about 4 out of every 10 transplants. While most donors and recipients know one another (i.e., family or friends), a new category, called “altruistic donors,” is growing, made up of people who offer to donate a kidney or portion of their liver to any transplant patient in need. A living donor can set off a chain reaction that results in multiple lives being saved, even if the donor is not a match to an intended recipient, by taking part in a swap or exchange with another donor/recipient pair. Such a donation can accelerate the process of finding one or more matches, saving one or more lives. Living donors are carefully screened, counseled and supported every step of the way, and nearly all report no regrets—some even wish they could do it again. The first step in this process is to reach out to the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation for more information.
Traditional organ donation continues to fill a critical need and save lives, and it has never been easier. Register at your local DMV office or online in a matter of minutes, to place yourself in the donor pool with the potential to save up to eight lives.
Steven M. Safyer, MD, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
United States Congressional Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently sat down with Steven M. Safyer, MD, President and CEO, Montefiore Medicine, to discuss opportunities and challenges in today’s healthcare environment. The congresswoman’s visit was capped by her participation in a community town hall event at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine campus, produced by cable news channel MSNBC, to discuss the Green New Deal. The Einstein site was selected not only because Montefiore is a major institution in Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s district, but because MSNBC’s host for the event, Chris Hayes, was born at Montefiore’s Weiler Hospital. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/ocasio-cortez-visit
Back row from left: Tara York; Natalie Cheng, MD; Ainie Soetanto, MD; David Altschul, MD; Charles Esenwa, MD; Daniel Labovitz, MD; Kerri-Ann Bell, DNP, NP-C; Ida Rampersad, NP-C; Margaux Giardino. Front row from left: Ava Liberman, MD; Tina Rolston- Duncan, FNP-C; Daniel Antoniello, MD.
Montefiore’s Comprehensive Center for Stroke Care recently convened stroke champions from across Montefiore locations at a multidisciplinary retreat to collaborate on treatment protocols, with the aim of further improving the network’s excellent stroke outcomes. In 2018, The Joint Commission designated the Moses Campus as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, the top level of certification available in the nation, recognizing that Montefiore delivers the highest standard of lifesaving stroke care to patients.
Noting the rising number of strokes and the effort to increase stroke discharges, the essence of the retreat was to refine communication between the Primary Stroke Centers and the Comprehensive Stroke Center so that the correct treatment is delivered in the correct location. Time-saving protocols were identified as a major factor, taking into consideration that inter-hospital transfers may span four counties. Recent clinical trials have shifted the treatment paradigm from a time- to a tissue-based clock for mechanical thrombectomy, a procedure to remove a blood clot causing a stroke. Protocols to reduce door-to-door time were presented along with a cloud-based image-sharing platform, LifeImage. Innovative processes for enhancing stroke after-care were also discussed, framed as an objective as important as treating the stroke itself.
Miriam Langer, MD, Fellow, Adolescent Medicine, Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), recently spent a week of her vacation volunteering at the medical clinic at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas, on the southern border. Dr. Langer provided medical care to newly emigrated families staying at the center until boarding buses to their waiting sponsor families in cities around the United States. The Humanitarian Respite Center is run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.
Dr. Langer brought along medications and supplies donated by Montefiore’s Department of Pediatrics along with personal donations from individual colleagues amounting to $5,000. On some days she joined forces with a nurse practitioner, on other days a fellow pediatrician, and on other days worked alone, seeing as many as 70 people in a day, treating everything from colds and sore throats to foot and ankle aches and wounds from walking long distances. “Despite the physical pain and uncertainty they faced, my patients were so patient and polite, always asking me how my day was going, and greeting me with big smiles,” Dr. Langer reported from Texas.
Montefiore is proud to be the sole sponsor of the 2019 Bronx Food & Farm Walking Tours, kicking off Bronx Week 2019 on Saturday, May 11, at 11:00 AM. This family-friendly tour of three unique school gardens and urban farms provides a bounty of learning about urban agriculture and healthy eating, arranged by the New York Botanical Garden. The event includes a delicious, healthy lunch catered by Bronx-based B-Blossom with all proceeds given to support the participating community gardens and urban farms.
The week of festivities and activities celebrating Bronx Week ends on May 19, with a parade of marching bands, community organizations and schools making their way down Mosholu Parkway, beginning at 11:30 AM. Come early to get a good seat! After the parade, enjoy the Bronx Week Food & Arts Festival and Concert, where you can purchase food along with hand-crafted and specialty items from Bronx-based artists. Visitors can end their day at the Bronx Health Pavilion, where Montefiore will offer free on-site screenings, information and resources from many different Montefiore departments and programs.
For more information, or to join the parade or kickoff tour, contact Jason Caraballo at jcarabal@montefiore.org
The Montefiore AIDS Walk Team invites you to join them at AIDS Walk New York 2019 on Sunday, May 19. Together we’ll show that we are Doing More to spread awareness and end this pandemic. Participants will meet at the team meeting area and look for the M section. The walk begins at 10:30 AM sharp and is six miles long—so wear comfortable shoes and clothing. First-come, first-served for a Montefiore T-shirt!
Please visit the website below to register or reach out to Justin Toro at jtoro@montefiore.org for more information.
Sign up for Team Montefiore at: https://ny.aidswalk.net/account/register
Can you be healthier just by changing your mealtimes? Help us find out and get free food.
Limiting eating to two daily meals was shown to improve health in mice. By taking part in the 2-A-Day study you are helping us find out if eating this way is also healthier for humans.
You may be eligible to participate if you are: • Male • Age 30–70 • In good health
The study lasts about 25 weeks. Volunteers who qualify and agree to participate will receive free food for 12 weeks. We will ask you to eat the food at specific times during the day.
To learn more, contact the study team at 718-839-7326 or twoaday@einstein.yu.edu
May is National Stroke Awareness month. Join us in the East Garden at the Moses Campus for a fun event featuring an interactive inflatable brain, music, free blood pressure screenings, a dietary booth where you can grab a healthy snack and a rehabilitation booth. Take home educational materials and free giveaways.
We welcome all community residents and Montefiore associates.
Friday, May 3 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Montefiore Moses Campus, East Garden
111 East 210th Street, Bronx, New York 10467
For more information visit www.montefiore.org/strokeawarenessmonth
