FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 18, 2017 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 73 Power women running three Queens hospitals [email protected] Dynamic $1500 off Lumineers $500 off Invisalign DENTAL WORK CALL FOR FREE CONSULTATION THE INVISIBLE WAY TO SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY STRAIGHTEN TEETH Third Generation Dentist ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Jackie Mercia has taken the reins of NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens hospital, once known as Booth Memorial Hospital, on Main Street in Flushing. She’s in very good company among female leaders in medical care in Queens. Susan Browning is now the executive director of Northwell Health at Forest Hills (a.k.a. Forest Hills Hospital) and Karen Schwab rules Mount Sinai Queens Hospital in Astoria. Over the next few weeks, I will share with you interviews of these remarkable women -- beginning this week, of course, with Jackie Mercia. I had the opportunity to meet Jackie at her handsome offi ces in the NewYork/ Presbyterian-Queens main building. As I walked down the corridor to meet her, I was impressed by the beautifully framed pictures of the history of the hospital, which began serving Queens as the Salvation Army Booth Memorial Hospital. New York Hospital took it over and reinvented and recharged it completely in recent years. Th e corridor also features paintings by local artists making for a warm entrance to the executive offi ces. Having been there before, I knew something new was happening here. Question: How do you feel about taking over the CEO seat? Jackie: I feel like I’ve come home. Aft er all, I was born at Wyckoff Hospital where my family lived in Ridgewood and where I grew up. Question: Tell me about your education. Jackie: In middle school, I had a teacher who inspired me to apply to Stuyvesant High School, but my parents were very opposed because it was a subway ride away and there were no girls at the school at the time. But between my guidance counselor and my persistence, I did get to go and it opened another world to me. I met a lot of kids smarter than me and from many cultures opening new worlds to me. Question: How did you get into the medical world? Jackie: I wanted to be a doctor, but I changed course to pursue medical tech programs. I worked in the labs at Stony Brook University. It began my career, in many aspects, as a hospital administrator. I worked at Mount Sinai for 12 years in the time they were reorganizing into specialty hospitals. Question: What drew your to NewYork/ Presbyterian? Having been off ered the position as a vice president there, I was recruited to improve the ambulatory care clinics (which accommodate 750,000 visits a year). I was eventually promoted to the role of senior vice president, where I was also responsible for all of the hospitality services such as food, clinical nutrition, housekeeping and transport in addition to leading the eff ort to improve the patient experience. Question: What is your mission now in Queens? Jackie: Aft er doing both jobs for 6 years, I realized my passion to make sure the hospital’s culture is one of compassion and respect and empathy for our patients and their family members. I want them to feel a Ritz Carlton experience when they come to the hospital. We can’t cure everyone but we can treat both the patient and their family members like family. Question: What are some of the new innovations at the hospital? Jackie: With the advent of electronic medical records, we will be able to off er seamless care. We also have Telehealth, where we can leverage the resources of our doctors in Manhattan to provide more immediate care to our patients Even at our nursing home, Silver Crest, we can have a physical read the records and speak to patients to avoid hospitalizations. Question: What new services are coming to NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens Hospital? Jackie: We will be focusing on cancer care with new radiation oncology equipment, a new MRI 3D imaging and a new intensive care unit. We will be building out our seventh and eighth fl oors to off er private rooms ultimately for all our patients. We also plan to emphasize our cardiological services with new programs that allow us to do more procedures in Queens with the same quality they would get in Manhattan. Particular attention will be paid to stroke victims and we are proud of our designation as a Level 1 trauma center. Question: Tell me about your relationship with St. JoŠ ’s University. Jackie: We are increasing our sports medicine department and will now be St. John’s athletic program’s designated hospital. We are delighted with the new opportunity. Question: What about services for women and children? Jackie: Our goal is to keep families in Queens near their homes and we will have a pediatric clinic, but we also have the capacity to send very sick children to Cornell Medical Center. Th at is the beauty of our relationship with our Manhattan hospitals. Question: What is your vision for the future of your hospital? Jackie: I’m building a team with a new chief of nursing, a new chief medical offi cer and a new chief operating offi cer. My team will bring us to the position of being the premiere hospital in Queens with outpatient sites bringing unique services to Jackson Heights, Forest Hills, Astoria, Bayside and soon Long Island City. I believe the diff erence between try and triumph is the oomph! We will make a diff erence in the borough of my birth! g et ulhe ns al er mby ce en as - r re re ahnt ry ay he me hos opp Q wo J Qu hav the to b M f new ica po in ing Fo Lo bet We VICTORIA’S SECRETS Victoria SCHNEPS-YUNIS tweet me @vschneps Jackie Mercia
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