Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center

We Are Open

WE ARE OPEN, AND READY TO SAFELY CARE FOR YOU

A Message from Chief Operating Officer:

As the State of New York continues its phased re-opening and we return to a new normal, Kingsbrook will be accommodating patient visitation as of Wednesday, June 29th. Our patient care philosophy recognizes the many benefits of engaging families and friends in the healing process. However, in an effort to protect patients, visitors and staff, we will be following the strict regulatory guidelines provided by the State. Below please find the detailed specifications for routine patient visits:

  • Visitation hours are from 4:00pm-8:00pm. Visits are limited to four hours per day per patient, unless otherwise authorized by the NYS Department of Health, depending on the patient’s status and condition.
  • All visitors will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms upon entering the facility. If you have a cough, fever, chills, muscle pain, shortness of breath, sore throat or loss of taste or smell, you will not be able to visit the patient.
  • All visitors will have their temperature taken upon entering the facility and if it is higher than 100.0 (F), you will not be permitted to visit.
  • All visitors must wear and maintain face coverings when entering the facility and throughout their time on campus. Visitors will be given additional PPE once they arrive on the patient’s floor which must be worn throughout the visit.
  • All visitors are to perform hand hygiene upon entering the institution, entering the patient’s room, and exiting the room.
  • Once in the facility, visitors must remain in the patient’s room throughout the entire visit, except when directed by hospital staff to leave during aerosol-generating procedures.
  • Visitors are limited to one person at a time unless, at hospital’s discretion, a limited number of additional persons are determined to be appropriate at the bedside.
  • Visitors may not be present during procedures or in the recovery room except for patients with an intellectual, developmental, or other cognitive disability as listed in the revised visitation guidelines.
  • Visitation for patient in isolation will not be permitted.

The past three months have been very difficult due to the ongoing concerns about Covid-19 (also known as the corona virus). With the onset of new ways of doing things, we are moving forward and have established new routines to ensure everyone’s safety. We constantly communicate with the officials of the New York State Department of Health (NYS-DOH) and have established a safety plan to provide a safe environment for all of our patients.

Your Safety Is Our Most Important Consideration

We want to reassure you that your health, safety and well-being will always be our highest priority. We remain vigilant in our fight to prevent the spread of this disease by following the preventive safety guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the NYS-DOH. However, we would also like to continue to care for those patients that require treatment for other medical conditions that have been postponed due to the Covid-19 crisis. We will begin caring for all patients that come to our facility for care and treatment effective June 29th, 2020.

COVID-19 SAFETY MEASURES AT KINGSBROOK

We are reopening our doors to perform elective surgeries and procedures. To achieve this goal, we have installed additional safety measures to ensure that visits to our facility are safe for our patients and employees. Here are some of the safety measures now in place:

  • SOCIAL DISTANCING
    • We exercise 6-feet social distancing between individuals in our waiting areas at Kingsbrook
  • SEPARATE CARE PATHWAYS
    • We provide two separate models of care for the confirmed or suspected Covid positive and the non-Covid patients
  • MANDATORY SCREENING
    • We screen all patients, staff and visitors that enter the hospital for Covid-19 symptoms using the Covid-19 screening questionnaire and temperature checks at all of our entrances.
  • FACE MASKS
    • We provide masks to all patients, staff and visitors that must enter the hospital units, clinics or have surgery
  • RIGOROUS CLEANING
    • We maintain a robust practice of sanitation routine to ensure our patient and staff areas are clean. Our cleaning protocols follow the latest infection control guidelines from the CDC and we use hospital-grade disinfectants. Operating and exam rooms are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected after every patient visit. All of our offices, waiting rooms, and restrooms are cleaned and disinfected throughout the day.
  • HAND SANITATION
    • We provide hand sanitation to all patients at all hospital entrances, clinics and patient registration areas
  • STAFF HEALTH MONITORING
    • Our staff monitors their own health including mandatory temperature checks and Covid-19 questionnaire every day to ensure that everyone working at our facility is healthy. All employees practice hand hygiene between patients and are provided appropriate personal protective equipment at all times.

SCHEDULED SURGERIES

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR SURGERY:

SPACING APPOINTMENTS

  • We space our pre-surgical appointments to avoid crowding in our waiting rooms

PRE-OPERATIVE TELEPHONE CALL:

  • We screen all patients, staff and visitors that enter the hospital for Covid-19 symptoms using the Covid-19 screening questionnaire. If you feel ill or have a fever (100°F or above) or other symptoms, your surgery will be postponed and we will ask you to quarantine yourself and consult with your primary care physician for further treatment.

COVID-19 POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR) DIAGNOSTIC TEST

  • All patients must have a Covid-19 PCR test done 5 days before surgery date. This test may be scheduled and performed at our hospital.
  • If your Covid-19 PCR test is positive, your surgery will be postponed. We will notify your surgeon accordingly.
  • If your Covid-19 PCR test is negative, a nurse will call and instruct you on how to prepare for your surgery.

RECONFIGURED ACCESS AND ADMISSION PROCESS

  • Upon entering hospital, there is a dedicated pathway to guide patients directly to the admissions, pre-surgical testing and the ambulatory surgical areas waiting areas.

ENHANCED SCHEDULING

  • Patients are scheduled and personally escorted within the facility in a manner that maximizes social distancing

COMPANIONS

  • For ambulatory and same day arriving inpatient surgeries, we require that patients be dropped off and picked up after surgery is done. We require that the patients’ companion leave us their contact phone number so that we may remain in contact with them and of course contact them when their patient is ready for discharge.
  • If a companion is required for patient care, only one may accompany the patient however, the companion must undergo the same Covid-19 screening process before entry to the surgical areas.

Amid this evolving situation, we want to encourage you to seek information from reputable sources. The most accurate updates and information can be found here:

We are privileged to serve you and will continue to provide the highest level of quality care and communication about this Covid-19 disease. Thank you for choosing Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center for your care.