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-Emergency Medicine
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| Successfully Responding to Crisis Situations |
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(left) Dr. John Coffey, Chairman, Emergency Medicine, checking on ER patient.
(right) Patient being brought into ER by Bronx-Lebanon ambulance. |
Under the leadership of Dr. John Coffey, Bronx-Lebanon’s
Emergency Department has become one of the best and busiest
in the New York metropolitan area, with 135,000 patient visits
annually.
As a direct result of the continuing
demand for emergency services, Bronx-Lebanon has increased its ER
capacity.
The ER is now being expanded to include a new nursing and workstation
as well as stretcher bays among other key areas. In addition to high patient
volume, Bronx-Lebanon’s ER is also experiencing significant increases in the
severity of illnesses treated, including more patients in the advanced stages
of complicated conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, asthma, and diabetes. |
“Our highly experienced physicians,
nurses, and support staff are experts in successfully responding
to and treating all adult and pediatric medical, dental and surgical
conditions, as well as mental health problems.”
- Dr. John Coffey, Chairman,
Emergency Medicine. |
| These patients often require extensive
medical workups, transfer to the OR for surgical intervention, or
admission (frequently to the intensive care units or new Short Stay Observation
Unit). Critically ill patients with life-threatening conditions are immediately
treated in Bronx-Lebanon’s
state-of-the-art code and trauma rooms. There the staff performs
cardiac monitoring and pacing, defibrillation, intubation and mechanical ventilation,
as well as administer intravenous medications. |
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| ER Attending Physicians (LtoR): Dr. John Magnan, Dr. Arshanoush Ahmadi,
and Dr. Craig Mochson, caring for patient in trauma area. |
Bronx-Lebanon’s 911 designation as a Stroke
Center is helping patients suffering from a possible stroke
obtain immediate care in the ER, and receive the vital
medications necessary. The staff of its dedicated adult and
pediatric asthma rooms are also addressing the high incidence
of this disease in the Bronx.
As a New York State designated Heart Attack Treatment Center,
Bronx-Lebanon’s ER is successfully responding to this most
serious problem. It utilizes cutting edge technology to treat
heart attacks by opening blocked coronary arteries. This lifesaving
treatment is being performed thanks to the Emergency
Department’s close collaboration with the Department of
Medicine. |
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| Dr. Charles Martinez, Medical Director, EMS (second from right) and ER
team members (LtoR): Tina Burnham, PCT, Dr. Walid Zaza, Attending, and
Abiba Cisse, PCT, responding to patient emergency. |
Dr. Roy M. Vega, Director, Pediatric Emergency Department, attending
to pateint. |
Bronx-Lebanon receives ER cases through the Fire Department
of New York’s 911 system, and also operates five ambulances,
including four basic life support and one advanced life support
vehicles. These ambulances provide vital assistance to the
community in emergency related situations. “We have a strong
working relationship with the FDNY and NYPD. They depend on
us and have total confidence in our ability to respond to any kind
of trauma or life-threatening emergency,” stated Dr. Charles
Martinez, Medical Director, EMS.
When dental emergencies arise, the ER staff work closely
with the Department of Dentistry to immediately respond
to crisis situations often resulting from trauma to the face,
including automobile accidents, sports injuries, and violence.
Oral surgeons are frequently called in for necessary dental
intervention or consultation.
In the pediatric area, Dr. Roy M. Vega, Director, Pediatric
Emergency Department and his team are diagnosing and
treating all types of conditions in children. “Families in the
Bronx can take comfort in knowing that we will provide their
children with superior emergency care,” stated Dr. Vega. |
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| Dr. Elizabeth Tillem, Emergency
Management Medical Director,
attending to ER patient. |
Dr. Stacy Nunberg, Associate Medical
Director, ER checking the heartbeat
of patient. |
““We are proud
of our life-saving efforts, successful patient outcomes, and
the high quality emergency care we deliver to our community.
We are grateful for the recognition and trust that our community
and EMS have placed in us.”
- Dr. John Coffey, Chairman,
Emergency Medicine
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For those individuals or families with mental health emergencies,
Bronx-Lebanon’s Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency
Program (CPEP) is responding to the challenge. Its staff, including
a special Mobile Crisis team, is stabilizing and resolving
emotional crisis situations.
Once ER patients are treated and discharged, referrals are
made to the hospital’s BronxCare outpatient network or to their
private physician in the community for appropriate follow-up.
The ER staff also works closely with the hospital’s Managed
Care Department and Managed Care providers to expedite
the referral process. “As busy as the ER can become, the staff
makes every effort to attend to the needs of our patients,”
stated Dr. Stacy Nunberg, Associate Medical Director, ER.
ER patients have available to them state-of-the-art radiology
services, including magnetic resonance imaging, PET, and
CT scans. Consulting physicians from other specialty areas at
Bronx-Lebanon are often called in to provide the most comprehensive
care. Additionally, the ER is fully computerized, an
important benefit in monitoring and tracking patients through
the course of their Emergency Department stay. |
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