Some of the best health care services can be found in Queens, and Queens Hospital Center has an award to prove it.
On Wednesday, July 21, the hospital center in Jamaica was recognized by the American Hospital Association (AHA) for its leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment to patient care. Queens Hospital Center was among several select hospitals that were honored for their outstanding devotion to quality health care services. It was also in the running for the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize.
The prize recognizes organizations that are devoted to bettering the safety, effectiveness and efficiency of a “comprehensive quality-oriented health care system.” It is supported by a grant from the McKesson Corporation, a health care services and information technology company that is dedicated to helping its customers provide high-quality health care services.
“Each hospital recognized today has taken a slightly different path in its efforts to improve quality and patient care,” said Rich Umbdenstock, AHA’s president and chief executive officer. “But each has successfully created a new culture – one based on trust, understanding and openness. That culture is absolutely essential in the continuous process of change that is necessary to ensuring that care is always the safest and of the highest quality it can possibly be.”
The Queens Hospital Center received a Citation of Merit for its approach to minimizing the disparities in care by emphasizing strong community ties. In 2002, it opened its Queens Cancer Center of Excellence, a top-notch facility created to serve the needs of local cancer patients who lacked access to preventive care. It also opened a Center of Excellence in Diabetes to address the frequent occurrence of diabetes in the community.
“I am extremely honored that Queens Hospital Center has been acknowledged by the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize with a Citation of Merit,” said George M. Proctor, executive director of Queens Hospital Center. “For the past several years our hospital has reaffirmed its commitment to fostering a culture of quality and performance improvement among the staff, and patient-centeredness with respect to its patient population.”
As a member of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the hospital center has spacious ambulatory care suites that allow for quality primary and specialty services.
“We are keenly aware of the challenges involved in caring for one of the most diverse patient populations in the country. At the same time, our renewed emphasis on patient safety stems from our determination to become part of one of the safest health care systems in the nation,” said Proctor.
