Huntington Hospital has been recognized for its care of older adults. It also was one of 16 Northwell hospitals honored for its treatment of heart disease and stroke patients.
The hospital was ranked at the highest level, Age-Friendly Health System Hospital at the Committed Care Excellence level by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
Its implementation of care included evidence-based interventions designed to improve care for older patients known as the “4Ms”– What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility.
What Matters: Know and align care with each older adult's specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care, and across settings of care. (Led by: Brittney Grella, MD and Leah Fow, MD.)
Medication: If medication is necessary, use Age-Friendly medication that do not interfere with What Matters to the older adult, Mobility, or Mentation across
settings of care. (Led by: Jennifer Fiebert, pharmacist)
Mentation: Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and
delirium across settings of care. (Led by: Glaxy Roy, education)
Mobility: Ensure that older adults move safely every day to maintain function and do What Matters. (Led by: Joel Marimuthu, physical therapist)
Huntington Hospital is the 10th hospital in Northwell Health to earn that designation.
The stroke care award comes from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s, Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke.
“Caring for our older adults is a big responsibility, one that we take great pride in,” said Nick Fitterman, MD, executive director of Huntington Hospital. “Our aging population will face health issues that require the right care at the right time which is why we have increased our services.”
Before becoming an Age-Friendly Health System Hospital, Huntington Hospital’s emergency department last year earned a level 3 accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians as a geriatric emergency department for elevating care of seniors in one or more specific areas.
The hospital has geriatric-trained hospitalists and a nine-person palliative medicine team comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, and chaplains.
In 2022, the hospital opened the Reichert Family Caregiver Center as a space for caregivers as they manage the day-to-day demands and logistics of caring for a sick loved ones.
Located in the main lobby of the hospital, the center offers a space for caregivers to sit and talk with trained caregiver coaches who can offer resources to them as they manage the day-to-day demands and logistics of caring for a sick loved one.
“Huntington Hospital has always been on the forefront of patient care, and that’s why we are participating in this vital movement,” said Maria Torroella Carney, MD, Northwell’s chief of geriatrics and palliative medicine. “We look forward to both sharing our best practices and learning what’s working for others proving age-friendly care. The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative is an important part of our overarching vision to provide every older adult with the best care possible.”
Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines.
As New York State-designated and Joint Commission Certified stroke centers, the 17 Northwell Health hospitals have multidisciplinary stroke teams available 24 hours a day to assess and treat stroke patients.
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