May 15, 2012

In March, The Brooklyn Hospital Center formed the Community Health Planning Workgroup (CHPW) with members from myriad community stakeholders, healthcare providers and community health planners.  The purpose of the Community Health Planning Workgroup (CHPW) is to assess community health care needs and to consider the scope of health care resources within the community; develop a framework for a health system in North and Central Brooklyn which will provide the full range of highest quality health care services; develop options for meeting the needs of the community; and help inform the implementation of the HEAL 21 proposal submitted for funding by TBHC / Interfaith / Wyckoff.

The following member organizations are represented:

The Brooklyn Hospital Center
Richard B. Becker, MD, President and CEO
Leroy Charles, Director, Government Relations and External Affairs 
Joan Clark, SVP, Strategic Planning
Catherine Derr, Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Gary Stephens, MD, Chief Medical Officer
Beryl Williams-Augustin, Director, Community Outreach  

TBHC Community Advisory Board
Rev. Earl Jones, Pastor, First Cavalry Baptist Church

Bedford-Stuyvesant Family Health Center
Patricia Fernandez, CEO

BMS Family Health Center
Harvey Lawrence, President and CEO

Brooklyn Borough President’s Office
Italia Guerrero, Policy Analyst

Brooklyn NAACP
Lorraine Brathwaite-Hartel

Brooklyn Perinatal Network
Ngozi Moses, Executive Director

Brooklyn Plaza Medical Center
Lazetta Duncan-Moore, CEO

Community Healthcare Network
Luis Freddy Molano, MD, Assistant Vice President for HIV Programs
Chris Quinones, Vice President of Administration and Corporate Compliance Officer

CPHS
Judy Wessler, Director

Interfaith Medical Center
Luis Hernandez, CEO and President
Diane Porter, Board Member

KenJam Consultants/BPMC
Maurice Reid

Kings County Hospital
Hope Mason

Lutheran Medical Center
Mary Quinones, Vice President for Strategic Community Partnerships

NY Lawyers for the Public Interest
Alyssa Aguilera
Shena Elrington

NYCDOH
Aletha Maybank, MD, Assistant Commissioner

NYS PHHPC
John Palmer, Executive Director, Harlem Hospital Center

State Senator Velmanette Montgomery’s Office
Jim Vogel, Community Coordinator

February 10, 2012

In a significant milestone toward its vision for the creation of a single sustainable healthcare delivery system to serve the more than one million residents of northern and central Brooklyn, The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC), has submitted an application for a HEAL-NY Phase 21 Grant.  This transformative grant would be used to consolidate three safety net healthcare institutions, TBHC, Interfaith Medical Center and Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, into an integrated healthcare delivery system consistent with the recommendations of the Brooklyn Health Systems Redesign Work Group (MRT Work Group), the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY).
 
The announcement was made by Richard Becker, MD, president and CEO of TBHC, the lead applicant, who said the three institutions currently provide ambulatory and inpatient services to over one million Brooklyn residents, more than half of whom rely on Medicaid Services.
 
“This proposal will have a transformative impact on the health of Brooklyn’s residents, while creating a new, financially sustainable health care delivery model,” said Dr. Becker, adding that the vision for the new system was also inspired by the Brooklyn Healthcare Working Group’s report from NY State Senator John Sampson and Borough President Marty Markowitz.  “With the creation of an integrated system, we will have a more effective healthcare delivery system to address the needs of the Brooklyn community.”
 
According to Dr. Becker, HEAL funding will assist in the development, establishment and implementation of the proposed integrated healthcare system in three key areas: clinical service, infrastructure development and financial reorganization.  The integration would take place over two phases to create more effective and efficient outpatient and inpatient care delivery systems. 

Through a separate and related application, the applicants are requesting temporary increases in Medicaid reimbursement rates and temporary enhancement of APG (ambulatory patient group) rates.
 
Phase One, which will take approximately six months, includes a due diligence planning and development process to establish the System as well as a description of governance, management, service reconfigurations, a financial and operations restructuring, and an overall implementation plan.  Phase Two of the proposed project, with expected completion in February 2014, involves the implementation of the plan including the clinical, infrastructure and financial restructuring efforts at each institution to create a robust and sustainable health system.
 
The Brooklyn Hospital Center:
Founded as the borough’s first voluntary hospital, The Brooklyn Hospital Center (TBHC) has been keeping Brooklyn healthy since 1845.  Today, it is a 464-bed teaching hospital, offering primary and specialized medical care, sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic services, cutting-edge technology, and specialized surgery to nearly 300,000 patients annually.  Located in the heart of Brooklyn’s downtown revitalization district, TBHC is a member of the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and the Brooklyn academic and clinical affiliate of Weill Medical College of Cornell University.  TBHC has fully accredited, independent residency programs in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Family Medicine, General Dentistry and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, and trains more than 250 physicians each year.