July 11, 2016
New York City was the site of the very first Pride Parade 46 years ago. On Sunday, June 26, Montefiore became the City’s first hospital to sponsor a float in the parade. More than 90 associates, their partners and friends marched in support of our LGBTQ community.
Montefiore’s expanding LGBTQ Care programs offer a wide range of medical and social support services, including primary and HIV care and prevention (including PrEP). Montefiore Medical Group (MMG) community health centers are run by staff with ample experience in LGBTQ medical care, and sensitive to the many needs of the Bronx LGBTQ community. Additionally, the Center for Positive Living (CPL) also provides LGBTQ-sensitive care to adults living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS. The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) is home to the Adolescent AIDS Program, which serves as a national care model for youths ages 13–24 living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. Montefiore also provides LGBTQ-friendly surgical services, including the latest advancements in gender confirmation surgery tailored to each patient’s goals.
Montefiore physicians recently traveled to Amsterdam to participate in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s global symposium. The group is part of a larger team composed of doctors from disciplines across the health system, who are working on building Montefiore’s TransLife Program, an initiative that will centralize Montefiore’s comprehensive care to address the holistic health needs of transgender patients by the end of 2016.
The physicians joined international transgender health leaders to gain insight into how to provide Montefiore’s transgender patient community with the highest level of surgical and comprehensive medical services.
Discover more about Montefiore’s LGBTQ Care at www.montefiore.org/LGBTQcare.
Montefiore, which combines the expertise and best-in-class practices of the Montefiore Einstein Center for the Aging Brain (CAB) and Burke Rehabilitation’s Memory Evaluation and Treatment Services (METS), has been designated as the exclusive Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease serving the seven county region of the Hudson Valley.
The 5-year, $2.1M grant from the New York State Department of Health will create a new clinical partnership between CAB and METS that will expand cognitive screening, diagnosis and care planning. The grant will also provide training for primary care providers who can help screen for and diagnose cognitive impairment, making referrals to specialists and community-based support organizations; telephone and video consultation will be made available to area healthcare providers. The initiative will also increase the availability of clinical trials for patients with Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
"THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE WILL ALLOW US TO FURTHER BREAK DOWN THE WALLS BETWEEN OUR OUTPATIENT PRACTICE AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. IT WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE CAREGIVER-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP WHILE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL MEANS FOR A SEAMLESS PROCESS."
—JESSICA ZWERLING, MD
Co-Directors of the new Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease are Jessica Zwerling, MD, MS, Director, Memory Disorders Center; Associate Director, CAB, and Assistant Professor, Einstein; and Barry D. Jordan, MD, Assistant Medical Director and Director of the METS program at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. Joe Verghese, MBBS, Director, CAB; Chief, Integrated Divisions of Cognitive & Motor Aging (Neurology) and Geriatrics (Medicine) at Montefiore and Einstein; and Professor in the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology and of Medicine at Einstein, will serve as advisor to the Center of Excellence.
"The new grant will allow Burke to continue its longstanding commitment to providing services to patients with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. We will be working collaboratively with Montefiore to build upon the solid foundation both organizations have established in this area over the years," says Dr. Jordan.
Learn more about the partners in the new Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease at www.montefiore.org/aging-brain and www.burke.org/outpatient/services/memory-evaluation.
You know the benefits of protecting your skin from harmful UV rays, but what about your eyes? As summer activities take us outdoors, we need to remember our eyes are also at risk from the summer sun. Viral Juthani, MD, from Montefiore’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, offered the following tips in the Co-Op City Times on how to protect your eyes this summer:
Accents on Antiques, a vintage consignment shop located at 125 Wolfs Lane in Pelham, was recently named to Westchester Magazine’s Annual Best of Westchester Reader’s Ballot for “Best Antique Store.” The consignment shop has been operating for 21 years. Staffed entirely by volunteers, all net proceeds directly benefit Montefiore New Rochelle. Montefiore associates receive a discount on select merchandise, which includes everything from highend furniture to vintage sterling silver, costume jewelry, fine glassware and dinnerware. The 4,800 square-foot shop’s summer hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Discover more about how you can shop for a cause by contacting 914-365-3205 or mcartell@montefiore.org.
Roughly one in 40 Ashkenazi (Central/ Eastern European) Jews will have a BRCA gene mutation that will put them and members of their families at an increased risk for certain cancers. Knowing your BRCA status can help guide your medical decisions.
Montefiore’s genetics team, in collaboration with the Program for Jewish Genetic Health, is now offering subsidized BRCA testing as part of a research initiative exploring the benefits and challenges of bringing BRCA testing to the Jewish community at large.
Participants will:
Participants must be at least 25 years old, have at least one Ashkenazi Jewish grandparent and have not had BRCA testing done previously. Study eligibility also will depend on personal/family cancer history.
For more information, contact 718-430-4156 or brca@einstein.yu.edu.
Discover more about clinical trials at Montefiore at www.montefiore.org/clinicaltrials.
The Epic@Montefiore project team, Subject Matter Experts and more than 23,000 Montefiore associates demonstrated coordination and collaboration in successfully completing the customized build of Epic@Montefiore for the Moses Campus, including the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM), Wakefield Campus, and Montefiore Home Health ahead of schedule last month. As a result, nearly 900 protocols for adults and pediatric patients were built. During the first night of go-live, the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation performed its first kidney transplant in the new system and the Department of Oncology assigned its 2,000th treatment plan to a cancer patient.
The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore’s Department of Nephrology is hosting healthy eating workshops and meet-and-greets with the nephrology team and community agencies, as well as providing educational resources, free giveaways, snacks and more.
Monday, August 8 | 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM
CHAM Lobby, 3415 Bainbridge Avenue, Bronx
Learn more by contacting the Family Learning Place at 718-741-2357.
Relaxation Rx, Montefiore’s Unit-Based Relaxation Program for Nurses and Staff: Process and Outcomes
Wednesday, July 13 | 12:30 – 1:30 PM
Cherkasky Auditorium, Moses Campus
For more information, contact HealingArts@montefiore.org.
Led by Norma Jean Barnes, Dance Instructor, African dance movements express cultural traditions and provide mental stimulation. Join us for a fun and playful dance class with recorded drum music and insight on the history of African dance. No experience needed. Please note that all participants will need to sign a release form.
Mondays, July 18 – August 12 | 5:15 – 6:15 PM
Rear of Cafeteria, Moses Campus
Register at HealingArts@montefiore.org.