News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 2013 

Lincoln Medical Center Opens New State-of-the-Art Psychiatric In-Patient Unit

Increases Access to Quality Care, Reduces Admission Wait Time and Length of Stay

(L-R) Unit Chief, Psychiatry, Lincoln Medical Center Harriet O'Hagan, MD; Chief of Staff to HHC President Tamiru Mammo; Executive Director, Lincoln Medical Center Milton Nunez; HHC Board of Directors Robert Nolan and Josephine Bolus; and Senior Vice President, Generations +Northern Manhattan Health Network Denise Soares.

Bronx, NY ― Lincoln Medical Center  joined with healthcare professionals and community leaders today to open the hospital’s new 30-bed inpatient psychiatry unit, nearly doubling its psychiatric hospitalization  capacity.

The new unit, made possible by a $5.3 million New York State Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability (HEAL NY) Phase 18 Grant, will increase the number of patients served, reduce wait time for inpatient beds, improve patient flow in the hospital’s Psychiatric Emergency Room, and virtually eliminate transfers to other facilities, currently at 40 percent of all psychiatry admissions.

The new, beautifully designed 13,420-square-feet inpatient unit features a sun-lit atrium that has a multi-purpose dining room and staff-supervised kitchenette, a laundry room available for patient use, and spacious rooms designated for group activity, occupational therapy and family visits.   Each patient room is outfitted with new furniture, top-of-the-line safety hardware, and large windows with beautiful views of the community.  An elegant open-style nursing station with natural light provides a welcoming atmosphere for patients.

In addition, Lincoln Medical Center has implemented the Nurse Assistant System in the delivery of care.  This method consists of a wireless panic alarm that alerts staff and hospital police whenever a patient has an episode that may jeopardize safety.  This state-of-the-art-technology, along with video monitoring of the unit, will create an even safer environment for both patients and staff.

“Lincoln continues to increase its capacity to render quality care to the community,” said Denise Soares, Senior Vice President, Generations+/Northern Manhattan Health Network.  “This recent expansion allows Lincoln to enhance its ability to provide state-of-the art psychiatric care with a comprehensive array of therapeutic service designed to help those most vulnerable among us.”

Milton Nuñez, Lincoln Medical Center’s Executive Director, added, “Over the past several years, Lincoln Medical Center has witnessed a sustained increase in the number of individuals seeking care in the Psychiatric Emergency Room, many of whom require admission.  At the same time, the number of psychiatric beds in NYC has decreased.  This new unit will enhance our ability to provide quality mental health services across the continuum of care and furthers our goals to meet the population’s behavioral health needs.”  

“Our team at Lincoln does an outstanding job providing quality care, and monitoring and addressing patient flow to ensure that patients get the required level of care needed,” said Chief of Psychiatry Dr. Miklos Losonczy.  “The additional inpatient capacity will help reduce waiting times in the Psychiatric Emergency Department and enable patients who need intensive treatment to receive faster care in a new therapeutic environment.”

In Fiscal Year 2013, Lincoln’s Behavioral Health service had 771 inpatient stays and 31,472 outpatient visits.  The new unit will utilize a multi-disciplinary team approach, already in effect on the existing inpatient unit. The staff will provide treatment in a structured setting with daily scheduled activities including medical and nursing care, pharmacotherapy, individual and group therapy, health and nutrition education, support and referral services, family crisis intervention, addiction services, peer counseling, recreation, physical exercise, and case management. Additional programmatic enhancements will include the development of a Consumer Council that will work with the hospital to identify opportunities for continuous improvements.

New York State passed the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers Capital Grant Program in 2004, referred to as the HEAL NY Program. Lincoln’s expansion fulfills HEAL NY’s goals by enhancing mental health care services and addressing service needs arising from hospital closings in local communities.

 

Contact: Ian Michaels (HHC) (212) 788-3339
Renelda Walker (Lincoln) (718) 579-5777

About Lincoln Medical Center

Lincoln Medical Center, located at 234 East 149th Street in the Bronx, is a 347-bed, Acute Care Level 1 Trauma Center with the busiest single site emergency department in the region. Winner of the 2012 American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Finalist Award, the hospital emphasizes primary care and specialty medicine and uses the latest advances in medical science.  Lincoln Medical Center is a member of the Generations+/Northern Manhattan Health Network, a healthcare conglomerate which is part of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC).

About HHC

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlus, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, four skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission's John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/hhc or find us on facebook.com/nycHHC or twitter.com/HHCnyc.