Harlem Hospital Center Celebrates Opening Of Emergency Department Entrance

Harlem, NY - On Friday, April 18, 2008, Harlem Hospital Center celebrated the opening of its new Emergency Department entrance at a Ribbon-cutting ceremony in the spacious newly renovated ambulance entrance located on 135th Street.

Dr. John M. Palmer, Executive Director of Harlem Hospital Center, standing under a clear, bright sky, and joined by Dr. Glendon Henry, Medical Director, and Dr. Reynold Trowers, Director, Emergency Department, opened up the ceremony by bringing warm greetings on behalf of the Hospital to the over 100 attendees at the ceremony. Dr. Palmer was joined at the podium by US Congressman Charles Rangel, NYC Council Majority Whip Inez Dickens, NYS Senator William Perkins, NYC Councilman Robert Jackson, and many others.

“Our commitment to upgrading and modernizing every Department in the Hospital holds much promise for the future of our Hospital and the services we provide to the community. We are committed to building upon what we have achieved and bringing a higher level of healthcare services to the Harlem community”, states Dr. John Palmer.

The ED Entrance opening is part of the ongoing $315 million Modernization Project at Harlem Hospital Center, a 286-bed public hospital. The Modernization project includes a new state-of-the-art Patient Pavilion, demolition of four older hospital buildings, the renovation of three buildings, construction of a 400 car parking garage, as well as the preservation of a series of priceless murals commissioned by the Federal WPA from local artists during the fabled Harlem Renaissance in the 1930s.

Two years into it, the Hospital has completed a number of departmental relocations and renovations including moving the employee parking lot from 137th and Lenox Avenue to 137th and Fifth Avenue to make space for the New Patient Pavilion. This phase of the modernization brings the Hospital one step closer to reaching its ultimate goals.

Harlem Hospital first opened its doors in 1887, and for over 120 years, continues to provide first-rate quality healthcare to the residents of Northern Manhattan. The Hospital is a member of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation and the Generations +/Northern Manhattan Health Network.

 

Nationwide Asthma Screening Program

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill – Free asthma screenings will help adults and children find out if breathing problems might be asthma, and will help diagnosed asthmatics take control of their disease. The program is the 12th annual Nationwide Asthma Screening Program, sponsored by the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

l May 4 from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Noor Al-Islam Society, 3075 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island

l May 9 from 9 a.m. to noon at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center 600 E. 233rd St., Bronx

l May 10 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Whole Foods Market, 44 Godwin Ave., Ridgewood, N.J.

l May 10 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at Gallo’s Drug Store, 192 Rochelle Ave., Rochelle Park, N.J.

l May 24 from noon to 3 p.m. at Liberty Science Center, Liberty State Park 222 Jersey City Blvd., Jersey City, N.J.

This year a special effort is being made to reach people who already know they have asthma, but may be limiting their activities or missing days of school or work because their disease is not controlled. The initiative is in response to the latest guidelines from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) highlighting the importance of asthma control, including day-to-day monitoring and proper medication use to treat symptoms and prevent severe attacks from occurring.

“The government guidelines emphasize that undiagnosed or inadequately treated asthma worsens the severity of the disease,” said allergist John Winder, M.D., chair of the Nationwide Asthma Screening Program. “The screening program gives patients who are still having breathing problems a chance to meet with an allergist, discuss their symptoms and learn how to feel better.”

Asthma affects more than 22 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, and is responsible for almost 4,000 deaths a year. Although the exact cause of asthma is unknown, many treatments are available to control this chronic inflammation of the airways in the lungs.

An asthma attack is often triggered by allergens such as pollen, dust and animal dander, certain drugs and food additives, respiratory infections and physical exertion.

Once asthma is diagnosed, experts recommend aggressive treatment with allergen avoidance and medication. Because inflammation of the lungs and airways plays a central role in the development of asthma, the most effective medications are those that reduce inflammation. Studies show inhaled corticosteroids are the most powerful and effective anti-inflammatory medications for asthma, improving control of the disease and helping lungs function normally.

 

Catching Up With Ketchup

Not long ago, a person in the presidents cabinet suggested that poor folks could substitute ketchup in place of the fresh need-ed vegetables that are beneficial for our health. Now, ketchup consists mainly of high fructose, corn sy-rup, vinegar, salt, onion, powered spices and concentrated tomato paste.

The only nutritious part of this dressing is the tomato paste. Tomatoes contain many beneficial nutrients such as, lycopene, which has been found to reduce the risk of prostate, breast, lung and uterine cancers. Eating ketchup however, is not the answer to global starvation.

The inhabitants of this earth are in a food crisis due to the lack of basic foods such as rice, beans, corn and wheat. For example, the planting of wheat has now been substituted by the planting of corn, which produces ethanol used for fuel. Further food shortages are due to deforestation, soil erosion, drought, over hunting and fishing, and human population growth.

The above global problems on food shortages and starvation leads me to reflect on what happened recently, right in Harlem, U.S.A. Every year for the past five years, dental students from the NYU School of Dentistry organize a march thru Harlem publicizing dental health specifically the high incidence of oral cancer. I have participated in these marches which has been very gratifying seeing students participating in this public health role.

I arrived at 7 a.m. on 125 Street one hour earlier than necessary. As I walked down the street looking for a coffee shop, a young man decided to walk along with me and began discussing his stint in prison which had lasted ten years. He vowed never to go back and was looking for employment. I invited him to share a breakfast with me, which he did. He ordered just a cup of coffee and a sausage sandwich. I gave him my office number and told him to keep in touch. He shook my hand and left. While sitting there, another young man came into the shop and obviously did not have any funds to pay for any morsel of food. He looked around and quietly walked over to the counter where there was a large jar of ketchup. He proceeded to take a cup and fill it to the brim with ketchup.

As he left the shop I viewed him drinking the ketchup with a sense of fulfillment and a smile. Ketchup was obviously his breakfast. As I sat there, I reflected a while and thought of hunger throughout the world and just think, right here on 125 Street. It was obvious that he was catching up with a small cup of ketchup. This rich nation of ours should be ashamed that anyone should go to bed hungry.