Metropolitan Hospital: state of the art
Community activists and labor unions fought long and hard to save HHC hospitals from being closed. Today these same institutions are rated as some of the best in the city.|
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By ALFREDO ALVARADO
The many battles the union fought to keep city hospitals open for communities
in Harlem, Coney Island and the South Bronx have begun to bear fruit.
These Health and Hospitals Corp. facilities are now rated as some of
the best hospitals in the city.
DC 37 Executive Director Lillian Roberts recalled the campaigns to save
these institutions. “We had to fight hard to keep these hospitals
from closing,” she said of the struggles to save hospitals like
Coney Island and Harlem from privatization and destructive budget cuts.
Today residents of East Harlem can rely on the Metropolitan Hospital
Center, which emphasizes outpatient treatment, ambulatory surgery, comprehensive
care and on-going community education.
Recent improvements at Metropolitan include the systematic renovation
of the physical plant and an extensively remodeled maternity floor that
now features a state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care unit and a patient-friendly
postpartum pavilion. Metropolitan has also recently opened two off-site
clinics, enhancing its role as a provider of culturally sensitive medical
care to the diverse neighborhoods of northern Manhattan.
The new Virology Clinic provides primary care, medicine for HIV-infected
patients, access to antiretroviral and related therapy, and outpatient
blood transfusions. Patients at the new clinic also have access to an
array of services, ranging from nutritional counseling to social and
psychiatric services and individual and group therapy.
Family centered asthma care
The Family Centered Asthma Program offers treatment and educational
programs for moderately to severely ill children and adults with asthma.
The program’s mission is to provide quality disease control, as
well as to decrease the number of emergency room visits and hospitalizations
for these patients.
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Asthma is the leading cause of hospitalization for
the city’s children, and HHC facilities serve some of the communities
most affected by the illness. Asthma is a particularly serious health
concern in East Harlem, which is home to five of the seven bus depots
in Manhattan. The buses, with their high concentration of diesel exhaust,
contribute to the neighborhood’s air pollution problem.
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Housekeeper and Local 420 member Natasha Matos works hard to
make sure the floor near dialysis unit is safe and sanitary.In a joint effort with the Dept. of Health, HHC facilities
have launched a citywide outreach initiative aimed at combating the
alarming high rates of asthma. Metropolitan, along with the other HHC
facilities, has a fleet of specially equipped vans that make it possible
for hospital staff to provide asthma screenings, diagnoses and referrals
for follow-up care.
The Metropolitan Hospital Asthma Van is equipped with state-of-the-art
video systems, written educational materials and computerized workstations
to make appointments for patients on-line.
“The people of this community can rest assured
that they will be well taken care of,” said Ahalia Scott, a Clerical
Associate II, who works at MHC’s Women’s Health Center.
“HHC hospitals have come a long way,” said Carmen Charles,
president of Municipal Hospital Employees Local 420. “And our members
will continue to work hard to make sure the quality of care remains
high.”