NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Ambulatory Care Team Receives Age-Friendly Health System Designation
AFHS designation recognizes health systems for practicing four evidence-based elements of high-quality care for older adults
January 2, 2025
New York, New York — NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue announced today that Bellevue’s adult primary care service, including the geriatric medicine team, has been designated an Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) – committed to excellence in care for the high-quality care they provide to the elderly. adult patients. This distinction requires demonstrated progress toward reliable practice of a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care for all older adults, known as the “4Ms”: what matters, medications, mentality (the mind) and mobility. The AFHS designation is an initiative of the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States.
“We are very proud to receive this distinction,” said Dr. Saima Ajmal, chief of geriatrics at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “The Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) initiative continues to be an important part of Bellevue’s overall vision to provide every senior in our community with the best care possible. We ask our patients, “What are your goals for the next six months?” and our providers then work with patients to help them achieve their goals. We perform comprehensive evaluations during annual and other visits, for depression, dementia, delirium, mobility, falls and medications. And what’s important is that we develop a care plan based on each patient’s preferences and needs.
“With this designation, Bellevue joins the age-friendly healthcare movement,” said Dr. Andrew Wallach, clinical director of ambulatory care at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “We are proud to provide excellent medical and mental health care to all New Yorkers at every stage of their lives, from birth to childhood and adolescence, including women’s and children’s health. men, up to the elderly. »
“This is a big win for the Bellevue Geriatric Clinic and Ambulatory Care,” said Esther Frimpong, RN, clinical instructor in ambulatory care. “Our goal is to improve the geriatric patient experience and provide high-quality, safe, person-centered care. To support this, our nursing staff will continue routine depression assessments for our geriatric population, improving their mental well-being as well as overall health outcomes.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement defines this set of four evidence-based elements for high-quality care for all older adults, known as the 4Ms, as follows:
What matters: Know and align care with each older adult’s specific health goals and care preferences, including but not limited to end-of-life care and across all care settings.
Medicine: If medications are necessary, use senior-friendly medications that do not interfere with what matters to the older person, namely their mobility or mentality in care settings.
Mention (spirit): Prevent, identify, treat and manage dementia, depression and delirium in all care settings.
Mobility: Ensuring older adults move safely every day to maintain function and do what matters.
For more information, visit www.ihi.org/agefriendly.
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MEDIA CONTACT
BellevuePublicRelations@nychhc.org212-562-4516.
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America’s oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the 851-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees, including highly qualified interdisciplinary clinical staff. . The hospital is a Level 1 trauma center and sees approximately 103,000 emergency room visits and more than 520,000 outpatient visits each year. Clinical centers of excellence include: emergency medicine and trauma care; Cardiovascular services; Bariatric surgery; Designated regional perinatal center and neonatal intensive care unit; Comprehensive psychiatric emergency program for children; and cancer services. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue and follow us Facebook And X (Twitter).
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the nation’s largest public health system, serving more than 1 million New Yorkers each year in more than 70 health centers across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of neighborhood outpatient primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, the home health agency, and the MetroPlus Health Plan. of the system, all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 42,000 employees is solely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest lives possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or Twitter at @NYCHealthSystem.