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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 378-08
September 24, 2008

MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND HHC PRESIDENT AVILES CUT RIBBON ON NEW AMBULATORY CARE PAVILION AT JACOBI MEDICAL CENTER

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) President Alan D. Aviles today cut the ribbon for the new Ambulatory Care Pavilion at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. The Mayor and President Aviles were joined by the newly-appointed HHC Board Chair Dr. Michael Stocker, outgoing Chair Charlynn Goins, and Jacobi Medical Center Executive Director Bill Walsh. The $73 million facility houses four stories of modern outpatient suites for adult and pediatric primary care and specialty services. The new pavilion will expand access to preventive health services, build capacity for advanced technology and is expected to accommodate 380,000 patient visits annually. The Pavilion is part of a city-wide, five year $1.2 billion capital investment program to modernize and rebuild HHC's facilities and further improve the quality of healthcare services for all New Yorkers.

"This is a great day for the Bronx," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Having access to quality, affordable healthcare in a state-of-the-art facility is important to the families who work and live here. This new Center will allow us to provide the highest quality of outpatient service and care for those who need it most, and these kinds of investments are a big reason why national evaluations now consistently rank many of our public hospitals among the best in the nation."

"The opening of the new Ambulatory Care Pavilion at Jacobi Medical Center represents the City's and HHC's continuing commitment to the redesign of outpatient care - with a particular emphasis on primary and preventive care - to maximize both patient convenience and positive clinical outcomes," said HHC President Aviles. "Within these walls, we will engage our patients as partners in the effective management of their asthma, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic disease. And in the process we will continue to steadily improve the health of our community."

The four-story, 120,000 square foot Pavilion, devoted entirely to outpatient services and linked to the 457-bed acute care hospital facility, will house pediatric services, women's health, surgery, adult medicine and sub-specialties such as audiology, dermatology and ophthalmology. The building features 233 new exam and treatment rooms and each floor is organized by four color-coded areas to make finding services easier for patients. The modern design features glass-enclosed patient waiting areas and an outdoor interior courtyard in the children's health area. The lobby is decorated with sculpture by artists Milton Hebald and Donald DeLue.

The Jacobi Pavilion was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners with Ian Bader, Design Partner-in-Charge. The renovation of the Louvre Museum in Paris and the Bellevue Ambulatory Care Pavilion were also designed by this architectural firm. These three projects share certain similarities in their striking use of glass, soaring visuals, an appreciation of light and exterior views, and a focus on supporting public access and circulation. The Pavilion was built by TDX Construction Corporation and the Dormitory Authority of New York State (DASNY).

Jacobi Medical Center is part of HHC's North Bronx Healthcare Network, which also includes North Central Bronx Hospital. A major teaching hospital affiliated with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jacobi offers numerous centers of excellence including its renowned trauma center, multi-person hyperbaric unit, burn center, surgical intensive care unit and women's health center. North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH), a 215-bed community hospital, specializes in women's and children's services. Its renowned outpatient department has led the way in community-based care that is delivered in a compassionate and culturally-appropriate manner. As member facilities of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Jacobi and NCBH are committed to providing safe, high quality medical care, for any and all in need.

In the last six years, HHC's accomplishments include:

  • Accessibility and Transparency of Safety Data-HHC became the first hospital system in New York State to voluntarily publish details of its record on certain key performance measures, including mortality and hospital-acquired infection rates in an effort to drive further performance improvements and as part of an aggressive agenda to become among the safest hospital systems in the country by the year 2010.  
  • Reduction in Hospital-Acquired Infections-Hospital-acquired infections at its 11 hospitals have dropped dramatically since 2005 as part of a larger patient safety program to reduce preventable deaths and unnecessary hospital stays. Since 2005, HHC achieved a 55 percent reduction in the rate of central line bloodstream infections and a 78 percent reduction in the rate of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among adult patients in intensive care units. Over the last two years, the rates of VAP dropped from 10.5 to 2.3, with the majority of ICUs reaching a rate of 1.5 or less. Central line infections dropped from 7.6 to 3.4, with a majority of ICUs reaching a rate of 2 or less.
  • Expanded WTC Environmental Health Center-With a City commitment of $50 million in funding, expanded WTC Environmental Health Center from Bellevue to two additional HHC facilities: Gouverneur Healthcare Services in Lower Manhattan and Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, to offer free medical and mental health services to people experiencing health problems as a result of 9/11.
  • Promoting the use of mother's milk to improve infant health-HHC banned free baby formula samples and formula promotion materials from hospitals, offered breastfeeding coaches and extensive support and education to new mothers in effort to encourage initiation of breastfeeding in the baby's first hour for the nearly 21,000 babies born in an HHC hospital each year.

About New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation

The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest municipal hospital and health care system in the country, is a $5.4 billion public benefit corporation that serves 1.3 million New Yorkers every year and nearly 400,000 who 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 80 community based health centers. For more information about HHC, visit www.nyc.gov.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser / Dawn Walker   (212) 788-2958

Ana Marengo (HHC)   (212) 788-3386




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