Dr. Melissa Schori, Chief Medical Officer; Carl Kirton, RN, Chief Nurse Executive; Iris R. Jimenez Hernandez, Sr. VP & Lincoln Hospital Exec, Dir.; Dr. Puneeta Sharma; Dr. Abdul Mondul, Chief of Palliative Care; Sara Shahim, Dep. Exec. Dir.

Bronx, N.Y. - Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center today announced that its palliative care services have successfully met all the rigorous safety and quality standards set by the Joint Commission in order to receive the national accreditation agency’s two-year Advanced Certification – its highest level of distinction for palliative care programs. This recognition makes Lincoln one of only 12 hospitals in U.S., one of two in New York City, and the only one in the Bronx, to have demonstrated the highest commitment to excellence, and the patient and family-centered care that is vital to ensure a good quality of life for patients and families facing the complexities of serious illness, chronic pain and end of life.

“Our exceptional palliative care program is uniquely designed to empower patients and their families with an understanding of the nature of their illness and allows them to make timely, informed decisions about their care. We focus on the patient and their entire circle of caregivers, and extend the psychosocial, spiritual and bereavement support they need at one of the most difficult times of their lives,” said Iris R. Jimenez-Hernandez, Senior Vice President of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) and Lincoln Hospital Executive Director. “This Joint Commission review has given us the opportunity to showcase our expertise and best practices, but more importantly, it recognizes Lincoln Hospital for the outstanding level of patient and family-centered care and compassion that we provide to patients with serious illnesses.”

The Joint Commission’s new Advanced Certification Program for Palliative Care is designed to recognize inpatient programs that have a formal, organized palliative care team of experts who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. To achieve certification, hospitals must also demonstrate strong leadership support, a focus on patient and family engagement, a process to support care coordination and communication across all levels of care and providers involved with the patient, and the use of evidenced-based national guidelines. (more)

Lincoln Hospital’s Palliative Care program has been in operation since 2004 and is directed by Abdul Mondul, M.D., Chief of Palliative Care, along with a specialized team of doctors, nurses, social workers, a psychologist and a spiritual counselor. The program is designed to ensure a seamless coordination of care with the patient’s entire medical care team – including primary care physicians, nutritionists, rehabilitation specialists and community organizations. It is offered to patients of any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and is not limited to patients at the end of life who choose to forgo medical interventions. It is also provided along with the appropriate curative treatments and with a focus on chronic pain management. Over the past three years, the hospital has experienced a steady increase in the demand for inpatient palliative care consultation. To date, the Palliative Team has been involved in the care of more than 3,000 patients with advanced diseases -- 97% of those patients are members of minority populations.

“Palliative Medicine is intended for patients in all stages of serious disease including those undergoing treatment for potential curable illnesses and those living with chronic diseases, as well as patients who are nearing the end of life,” said Dr. Melissa Schori, Chief Medical Officer at Lincoln. “The palliative care team has made great strides in achieving best practices that have generated a program that is deeply-rooted into the daily care we provide at Lincoln Hospital.”

“This recognition is very encouraging and serves as an inspiration to strengthen our leadership commitment as well as build on the proven success of the best practices we have put in place,” said Dr. Mondul. “It is also an opportunity to solidify our commitment to continue to guide patients and their families in defining goals of care based on their preferences, culture and spirituality.”

About Lincoln Hospital
Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, located at 234 E. 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. The Hospital emphasizes primary care and specialty medicine and utilizes the latest advances in medical science. Lincoln Hospital 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.

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 1.3 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.

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