Roosevelt Island NYC Health & Hospitals Coler Memory Care Unit Receives Prestigious Beacon Excellence Nursing Award For Long Term Care Of Residents Living With Dementia And Alzheimers Disease

Reported in 2019 on the NYC Health & Hospitals Corp (NYHHC) Roosevelt Island Coler facility Music and Memory program for patients living with dementia. 

The Coler Memory Care unit was recognized this month for their work with dementia patients.

@nychealthsystem Coler received the Beacon Award for Excellence, making it the 1st post-acute care facility in the nation to receive this award! @AACNme recognized the Memory Care units for long-term care with residents living w/ dementia/Alzheimer’s: https://t.co/Z7BqcGR29Y. pic.twitter.com/4NYquOzYDT

— NYC Health + Hospitals (@NYCHealthSystem) June 21, 2024

According to a NYC HHC June 21 press release:

NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Memory Care units celebrate their distinguished milestone at a special award ceremony on Roosevelt Island.

Today NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler announced it received the Beacon Award for Excellence, making it the first post-acute care facility in the nation to receive the prestigious nursing award. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) recognized the Memory Care units at Coler with a silver-level Beacon Award for their work in long-term care with residents living with dementia and Alzheimer’s. The Beacon Award for Excellence — a significant milestone on the path to exceptional patient care and healthy work environments — recognizes caregivers who successfully improve patient outcomes and align practices with AACN’s six Healthy Work Environment Standards. Units that achieve this three-year, three-level award with a gold, silver or bronze designation meet national criteria consistent with the ANCC Magnet Recognition Program®, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the National Quality Healthcare Award.

“We are overwhelmed with pride for the incredible work and passion of our Memory Care units at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President for Post-Acute Care Khoi Luong, DO. “As the first, and only, long-term care recipient of this distinction in the nation, Coler has truly set the standard of nursing excellence in Memory Care. Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment!”

“Congratulations to Coler’s person-centered Memory Care Teams which are comprised of stellar clinical and support staff dedicated to providing extraordinary care to our residents with cognitive impairments,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Chief Executive Officer Stephen Catullo, LNHA, MBA. “The award-winning Memory Care units are a testament as to why our residents’ chose the tagline, Coler is the place to be!”

The Memory Care unit team provides person-centered comfort care and interactive group activities to ensure meaningful engagement with Coler residents.

“I am extremely pleased and proud to recognize the NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Memory Care Units for becoming the first and only post-acute care facility in the entire nation to earn the silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN),” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President, Chief Nursing Executive Natalia Cineas, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “Our Coler post-acute care facility has been providing exceptional care to New Yorkers for more than 60 years at its Roosevelt Island location, and its Memory Care Units offer tender and compassionate care to residents living with dementia. As the first post-acute facility in the country to receive this prestigious recognition, Coler’s Memory Care Unit definitely is setting the standard for nursing excellence. We celebrate and applaud our nurses’ momentous achievements.”

“We are excited for this prestigious honor, but the greatest satisfaction is our life-changing impact to the lives of 150 residents with dementia who have been impacted by social determinants of health like poverty and homelessness as well as pre-existing mental illness and behavior disorders,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Memory Care Director Deepa Vinoo, RN. “Our units serve as the safety net for those who otherwise would lack access to high-quality person-centered dementia care.”

“Congratulations to the compassionate nurses and staff of Coler’s award-winning Memory Care units, who devote their careers to improve the quality of life for those living with Alzheimer’s and Dementia,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Board Member Jackie Rowe-Adams. “Our public long-term care facilities continue to raise the standard and truly embody excellence in every way!”

“Congratulations to the Coler Memory Care Unit on winning this well-deserved reward. Coler is integral to the NYC Health + Hospitals system and a lifeline for New Yorkers with cognitive impairments,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “Coler’s work is unparalleled, and I’m thrilled that the staff is receiving this distinguished recognition.”

“Kudos to the extraordinary Memory Care team at Coler whose compassionate and efficient care has been recognized with a Beacon Award for Excellence,” said New York State Senator Liz Krueger. “May the supportive and caring hands of this distinguished team continue to benefit the residents of Coler.”

“I commend NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler CEO Stephen Catullo and the staff of the Memory Care Unit on the occasion of receiving the Beacon Award for Excellence, the first in the nation to receive this recognition,” said New York State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright. “The care and dedication by the team at Coler for residents living with dementia and Alzheimer’s are shining leaders in the H+H system and the field of memory care.”...

Memory Care Nurses provide daily wellness check-ins with Coler residents to ensure they feel safe, comfortable and have everything they need for a productive day.

... “As part of Coler’s Memory Care Unit, I am filled with pride for this prestigious honor and recognition from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Memory Care Nurse Rosilimol Clement, RN. “With every restorative care intervention performed, we provide maximum comfort and improved quality of life for our residents. Many older adults spend their final days among the loving arms of nursing staff of all colors and cultures, with all levels of knowledge. We are experienced with the tricks of the trade necessary to optimize their quality of life.”

The award-winning Memory Care Unit is home to long-time resident and poet, Zahra Dhakkar. Though not a writer originally, Zahra started writing to record her thoughts and help with her memory issues. With her art to guide and inspire her, and the staff to support her, Zahra increased her confidence and independence. Now, she can spend her days outside, wandering through the gardens or watching the East River flow by while she writes.

“At NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, my poetry is inspired by the simple things I do and interactions I have throughout the day. I gradually build it up to things I see outside and anything else that captures my imagination,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Resident Zahra Dhakkar. “I’m stimulated by the variety of activities that we have here. I am drawn in to something, and inspiration takes flight by itself.”

“The Memory Care units offer the most challenges, and the staff are to be commended for their knowledge, compassion & kindness to all residents,” said President of the NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler Auxiliary Judith Berdy. “The award is not just for the units but for all the Coler staff who work together to make the lives of all our residents better.”....

Caring For The Ages has more on the Coler Memory Unit by Howard J. Finger, DO Deepa Vinoo, RN, DNP :

... Recently, Coler received the American Association of Critical Care Nursing’s Beacon Award for Excellence in recognition of the high-quality dementia care provided in its MCU, becoming the first U.S. post-acute care recipient. Coler’s MCU team remains committed to advancing health equity in dementia care for an aging minority population in need of palliative services. To them, the true test of leadership is identifying new challenges, finding solutions, and inspiring others — for advancing health equity requires a deep-seated commitment to providing the highest-quality care.

The journey began two decades ago when the dementia care model was aggressive medical treatment, involving a hospital transfer at the resident’s end of life. For Coler, the key initial step involved transforming dementia care from a predominantly medical model to a palliative one, which required changing the culture of care. The first target was tube-feeding in advanced dementia, which had been commonplace at Coler at the time. By contrast, emerging evidence-based medical literature was advocating maintenance of oral feeding as the more humane alternative (J Am Geriatr Soc 2014;62:1590–1593). Coler’s frontline MCU interdisciplinary team (IDT) took on the challenge, and they persuaded families to try this evidenced-based approach. As a result, within a relatively short interval they significantly reduced tube-feeding among their residents with advanced dementia.

Coler’s efforts continue today, and currently no MCU residents are receiving tube-feeding. A key lesson learned from this experience was how to embolden team spirit and build off an initial success in implementing evidenced-based care. Kindness

Since 2008, kindness has been the key ingredient in the MCU team’s recipe for success, enabling the MCU’s residents to find their “comfort zone” and to express themselves in more meaningful ways. Kindness is also the key that enables the MCU IDT to gain the respect and trust of families.

Click here for the full Caring For The Ages article.

The Roosevelt Island Historical Society newsletter adds:

COLER STAFF CELEBRATES The Beacon Award for Excellence FROM THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CRITICAL CARE NURSES.

Photo From Roosevelt Island Historical Society Newsletter

For patients and their families, the Beacon Award signifies exceptional care in a unit that puts patients first. For nurses, this award can mean a positive and supportive work environment with greater collaboration, higher morale and lower turnover.