Congressman Gregory Meeks on Tuesday, Feb. 14, presented a check for $4.3 million in federal funding to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center (JHMC) to obtain state-of-the-art medical equipment to enhance its surgical services to continue serving patients in the community.
Meeks was joined by the hospital’s surgical team and Bruce Flanz, president and CEO of JHMC, in the hospital’s auditorium for the announcement. In total, the congressman has secured $16.3 million to directly support 15 local projects in New York’s 5th Congressional District.
“The lifesaving work the medical staff provides is admirable and we want to equip them with the latest technology to continue serving residents and visitors who enter their doors,” Meeks said. “It means everything to patients when they are treated with dignity and respect.”
The congressman added that he will continue to deliver for the hospital in the future so it can serve patients better with new advanced technology that is released every year.
“The people in Jamaica and all of Queens deserve to have the best quality healthcare and if they need to be hospitalized, the best quality and up-to-date equipment can serve them,” Meeks said. “You need the most advanced equipment so that you can render the services to keep people healthy and live longer lives.”
According to Meeks, Flanz told him a new surgical robotics system will help reduce pain, cause less blood clots, reduce risk of infection or complications, briefer hospital stays and faster recovery, and more rapid return to normal activities.
“To me, that almost sounds like a miracle and if we can do that, why not?” Meeks said.
The federal funding will assist in the following:
- Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Surgery Operating Room Equipment ($2,400,000) – The funding would be used to purchase and install neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery operating room equipment.
- 1 Olympus Orbeye Exoscope ($400,000) – Using a surgical exoscope, the surgeon will be able to visualize the most minute tissue structures in true 4K 3D imaging quality. This is proven to lead to better outcomes during advanced surgeries as we will be reliably able to identify tissue boundaries, blood vessels and lesions.
- 1 Stryker Mako Robot ($1,000,000) – This robot has the longest track record and will serve to improve patient outcomes for knee replacements.
- 1 Stryker SPY System ($500,000) – This will allow the orthopedic surgeons to fix fractures while minimizing the risk of complications.
- 1 Hana Table ($500,000) – The multifunction surgery table gives the flexibility to perform various surgeries on the same table.
- A surgical robotics system ($1,905,000) – The funding would purchase the equipment for a surgical robotics system.
- 1 Robot – Da Vinci Systems ($1,905,000) – A state-of-the art robotic surgical platform will allow surgeons to perform a wide variety of minimally invasive procedures while offering faster recovery, less pain and bleeding and minimal scarring.
On behalf of the trustees, physicians, and employees of the hospital, Flanz thanked Meeks for his continued support, adding that the funding is “even better than a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day.”
“He understands the important role our hospital plays in this community and recognizes how this funding will allow us to enhance our surgical services to benefit our patients,” Flanz said. “Congressman Meeks and Jamaica Hospital share the same goal of ensuring that the people of Queens receive the highest-quality care. We are very appreciative of the congressman’s efforts to secure this grant funding for us.”
Additional reporting by Paul Frangipane.
