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Million Hearts® Recognizes NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan for Innovation and Commitment to Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes
Mar 02, 2022
Million Hearts®, a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes in 5 years, is proud to recognize NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, in New York City, for excellence in preventing heart attacks and strokes. NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan was selected based on its use of innovative care strategies and its prevention and treatment achievements. Most notably, NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan attends to the mental health of its employees through various programs to reduce stress and support staff, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan has also made blood pressure control a priority for its patients and has taken great strides in cholesterol management and aspirin use for secondary prevention of heart disease and stroke. The hospital is also committed to meeting nutrition standards for purchased and served foods as well as addressing patient food insecurity.
The Million Hearts® Hospitals & Health Systems Recognition Program is a national effort to promote proven approaches to reduce the leading causes of heart disease and stroke. The program provides a way for hospitals to get involved in Million Hearts® and to be recognized for the ways they are improving the cardiovascular health of the population and communities they serve. Priority areas are 1) keeping people healthy, 2) optimizing care, 3) improving outcomes for priority populations, and 4) innovating for health.
“On behalf of CDC and our Million Hearts® team, we are pleased to recognize NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan for its dedication and commitment to improving the cardiovascular health of its patients, employees, and community,” said Laurence Sperling, M.D., executive director of Million Hearts®. “NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan has achieved remarkable results in improving heart health and reducing stress, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is an excellent example of how an institution can work to keep people healthy, optimize cardiovascular care, and focus on priority populations to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular events in America.”
“I am thrilled that NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is being nationally recognized for providing the highest level of cardiovascular care to our patients,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults in New York City. Our public health care system is committed to improving New Yorkers’ heart health by lowering readmissions and mortality rates.”
“NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is extremely proud to be selected for this very prestigious award,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Chief Executive Officer Cristina Contreras. “Heart failure and stroke have been areas of special attention due to the prevalence among the population we serve. This recognition is a direct reflection of our talented and passionate interdisciplinary care teams who are working every day to improve care and outcomes for the patients we serve.”
“We serve wide range of patients at our hospital,” said Savi Mushiyev, MD, FACC, Chair of Cardiology, at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. “Some come to us in outpatient settings, seeking medical support with chronic disease management. Others are very sick, requiring intensive inpatient care in our critical care units. We are here to provide our patients with the most comprehensive cardiovascular care, but they stay with us because of the value we place on the doctor-patient relationship. They treat us like family. This is what keeps us going. This award is a recognition of the great trust and partnership we share with our patients.”
Patient Jaime Recalde, 79, lives in Upper Manhattan. Originally from Ecuador, he has lived in NYC since 1974. He has been a patient at the hospital for more than 25 years. He said: “NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan saved my life. It’s where my heart problems were first diagnosed. It’s rare to find a doctor as caring as Dr. Mushiyev. I came to him without an appointment and he quickly identified the problem and helped me schedule a procedure for a stent for the next day. I believe the quick action of him and his team helped prevent a heart attack. These days, I don’t have any major heart trouble, just minor health issues that go along with aging. I am grateful to Metropolitan for always giving me the care and services I need.”
Valentin Flores, 53, lives in Queens. He shared part of his story: “I have been coming to NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan for primary care about 14 years, to treat my diabetes. One day in 2010, I started feeling chest pains at home. I thought it might be a muscle injury from my boxing training, but at the hospital I was diagnosed with a heart problem and referred for surgery. Over the course of the past few years, I have had five stents placed. I thank God that I met Dr. Mushiyev. He and everyone at Metropolitan have helped me so much. I credit Metropolitan and especially to Dr. Mushiyev for keeping me alive.”
According to the CDC, heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases account for 1 in every 3 deaths in the United States. Cardiovascular disease is the nation’s leading cause of death among both men and women and the leading cause of health disparities.
Blood pressure control is a top priority for NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan. Nearly 71% of outpatients with high blood pressure have achieved control. The hospital also offers the “Treat to Target” program for patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure, which provides them with a self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring device along with phone or in-person support.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is committed to the heart health of its community, patients, and employees. It was recognized by the Healthy Hospital Food Initiative for meeting all city nutrition standards for purchased and served foods, and it addressed patient food insecurity by providing food benefit enrollment, food resource navigation, and Diabetes Self-Management Program referrals.