Montefiore Health System

UPDATE Bronx CB7 Looks Forward to Subway Upgrades & More in 2023  

By ARIEL PACHECO
Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) held their final board meeting of 2022 on Dec. 13, following a successful annual tree-lighting event in Bedford Park on Dec. 8. The meeting was attended by around two dozen people, updates were shared by the different CB7 committee chairs and concerns of some community members were also heard.   The meeting was the first to be presided over by recently elected Bronx CB7 chair, Yajaira Arias, following her election to the position on Nov. 15. As reported, Arias, the incumbent CB7 secretary, succeeds Emmanuel Martinez, who stepped down as chair in the summer of 2022.


Read More

Nurses Strike Against Montefiore and Mount Sinai Ends After Three Days as Deal is Struck

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES
Editor’s Note: The following is an updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition which went to press prior to the announcement regarding the end of the strike action.   The nurses strike led by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) against both Montefiore Health System and Mount Sinai Health System, which has been ongoing for three days since Monday, Jan. 9, has ended, according to a statement released by NYSNA on Thursday, Jan. 12. Gov. Kathy Hochul joined New York State representatives of The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO),


Read More

Montefiore-Einstein Receives $5.2 Million in NIH Grant to Study Heart Failure in Hispanic Populations

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Cardiology researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein) and Montefiore Health System (Montefiore) have received a 5-year, $5.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the underlying causes of heart failure among Hispanics/Latinos, who are at heightened risk for heart disease. Investigators will take a novel approach to assessing risk. They will simultaneously evaluate heart function as well as the relationship between the heart and the aorta, the large artery that conveys oxygen-rich blood from the heart’s left ventricle to the rest of the body. Carlos J. Rodriguez M.D., M.P.H., principal investigator on the grant,


Read More

Bronx Marks World AIDS Day Amid High HIV Rates

By ARIEL PACHECO
  The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.   Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson hosted an event to mark World AIDS Day on Fordham Plaza on Thursday, Dec. 1 to spread awareness about AIDS, a life-threatening condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that attacks the immune system of the patient. The event also served to offer helpful resources to the Bronx community.   Gibson was accompanied on the day by numerous organizations and non-profits, including Black Health, Amida Care, Latino Commission on AIDS, Essen Health Care, Osborne Association, Boom!


Read More

Health Check: The Truth About HIV: U=U

By DR. ERIC A. MEYEROWITZ
  World AIDS Day has been observed on Dec. 1 since 1988. This date is an opportunity to remember all those we lost during the HIV pandemic, and to reflect on the progress made to date in treating this virus and in diminishing stigma surrounding AIDS. Each year, our resolve to ending the epidemic once and for all strengthens.   What It Means to Have HIV in 2022 The progress scientists and physicians have made in treating HIV and preventing the spread of the virus is remarkable. In the last 30 years, treatment options have rapidly evolved. Most people living


Read More

After Bronx Medical History is Made, HIV-Positive Heart Transplant Recipient Meets Donor Family

By RACHAEL MCCALLEN & SÍLE MOLONEY
It was an extra special Thanksgiving this year for one mother and her family. Seven months after history was made in The Bronx, an emotional meeting took place on Tuesday, Nov. 22, between the world’s first HIV-positive to HIV-positive heart transplant recipient and her donor’s family. Westchester mom, Miriam Nieves, 62, who is HIV-positive, met the mom and sisters of deceased donor, 30-year-old certified nursing assistant, Brittany Newton, who was also HIV-positive.   Newton’s family had flown in from Louisiana for the special occasion. Seven months after her surgery at Montefiore Health System, Nieves shared her gratitude for her medical


Read More

Caroling After A Stroke, Montefiore Melodies Sing Again

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Choir, Montefiore Melodies, will bring together people recovering from strokes or other neurological disorders for the first time in two years on Friday, Dec. 2. The choir will meet in person and sing songs of holiday cheer.   Led by speech pathologist, Mehak Noorani, the singers will work to improve their vocal clarity and coordination as they play with tambourines and maracas. The choir is a place of community, helping people build confidence, socialize, and feel joy during their recovery.   The event takes place on Friday Dec. 2  from 12:30 p.m. to  1 p.m. at Montefiore Moses Campus,


Read More

Montefiore Resident Doctors Call on Hospital to Form Voluntary Union

By ARIEL PACHECO
  Montefiore Medical Center residents and fellows requested voluntary union recognition during a press conference held outside the Norwood-based hospital, one of the largest teaching hospitals in New York City, on Nov. 1. The group pointed to conditions that they say were exacerbated during the pandemic and which they say continue to persist.   Over 1,200 residents and fellows asked for better compensation, better pay, and improved benefits like improved family leave. Many say they have been overworked and understaffed. The residents also called for yearly bonuses and more support staff. Some residents say they work 80 hours a week


Read More

$3 Million for Montefiore to Engage Fathers, Improve Child Welfare among Families at Risk of Substance Abuse

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The Administration for Children and Families, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded researchers at Montefiore Health System a $3 million grant to improve the well-being of families, by helping fathers with substance use disorders. The new grant aims to enhance a regional partnership between addiction treatment programs, child welfare services, and government agencies.   Officials from the hospital said that in the United States, 8.7 million children live in households with at least one parent who has a substance use disorder. In The Bronx, where there are more overdoses than in any other U.S. county,


Read More