FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              CONTACT:      Sharon M. Player

Date:   April 28, 2011                                                  Director of Public Affairs

                                                                                    (516)897-1095

Long Beach Medical Center Receives Award for Successful Pressure Ulcer Initiative.

Long Beach Medical Center was presented an award for improved patient safety by the Island Peer Review Organization (IPRO) at a reception at the LaGuardia Marriott in East Elmhurst, NY.

The Quality Awards, given annually by IPRO, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for New York State, recognize healthcare providers who demonstrate a commitment to improving healthcare services.  Long Beach Medical Center was one of seventeen healthcare providers in New York State to receive an award this year.   

The award was given in recognition of the Medical Center’s organization-wide commitment to improving the care and management of patients with or at risk for pressure ulcers.  Pressure ulcers occur when an area of skin breaks down because pressure against the skin inhibits an adequate supply of blood to the skin and underlying tissues.    

Faye Duda, RN, Chief Nursing Officer at Long Beach Medical Center received the IPRO Patient Safety Initiative Award on behalf of the Nursing Department. 

“Improving patient outcomes is one of our highest priorities,” said Ms. Duda. “Our nursing staff developed a multifaceted approach that included education, new screening tools and revised processes which heightened the staff’s awareness of potential risk.   The staff aggressively managed these risks with early preventive steps, which resulted in improved outcomes for patients.”     

The Pressure Ulcer project was implemented across the Medical Center’s continuum of care and included the nursing staffs of the Medical Center’s Hospital, Nursing Home and Home Care Agency.

IPRO’s leadership, in presenting the award, noted the complexity in cultivating & maintaining collaborative effort among three separate entities and congratulated the staffs of the Hospital, Nursing Home, and Home Care Agency for their dedication to the project’s success. 

In addition to state-of-the-art wound care therapies, the Medical Center utilizes Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in treating hard to heal wounds. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) enhances the body’s natural healing and strengthens the immune system by inhalation of 100% oxygen.  HBOT provides increased oxygen supply to all of the body’s tissues.  This improves the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria, reduce local swelling and allows new blood vessels to grow more rapidly in the affected area of the body. 

The Wound Care & Hyperbaric Center staff includes specially-trained physicians, surgeons, nurses and technicians who use the most recent advances in medicine.    

For additional information on wound treatment, call Long Beach Medical Center’s Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center at (516) 897-4344. 

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Receiving the award from IPRO’s leadership are (l-R) Kathleen Markey, RN, Director of Nursing, Evelyn Samson, RN, Faye Duda, RN, CNO, Maggie Pawlowski, RN, Nurse Manager and DorothyMahon, RN, Staff Development Coordinator.