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Press Releases

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital Launch iPad Program for Cancer Center

Auxiliary Makes Generous Donation of iPads, Hospital Adds State-of-the-art, Multi-Purpose Stretcher Chairs, Enhancing Cancer Patients' Experience During Life-saving Treatment

Dec 20, 2016

New York, NY

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue and the Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital Center, Inc. launched a new program to provide iPads for patients with cancer to use while undergoing life-saving treatment in the chemotherapy infusion center. The iPads were generously donated by the Auxiliary to help patients pass the time and provide health information, educational opportunities, news and entertainment as they undergo their long treatments.
“We at the Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital were struck by the fact that patients receiving their treatments were essentially captive for the better part of the day. What better way to use this time than to have music, games, newspapers, magazines and educational material available to them digitally at the flick of a finger,” said Lorinda A. Klein, President of the Auxiliary to Bellevue. Applications on the 20 iPads are available in multiple languages to serve Bellevue’s diverse population.
“The iPad project is but one example of the many programs the Auxiliary has conceived of and supported at NYC Health + Hospitals/ Bellevue since the auxiliary was founded in 1906,” Klein said.
The hospital also recently upgraded the center with 13 new state-of-the-art, multi-purpose stretcher chairs that are mobile, safer and more comfortable for the patient. The chairs go from sitting to reclining to stretcher position, can be adjusted by height and have memory foam for comfort. A patient can safely undergo procedures and can be transported in the battery-powered chair.
“We appreciate this generous donation of iPads from the Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital and their enthusiasm in working with us to enrich the patients’ experience while they are getting their life-saving treatment here at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue,” said William Hicks, Chief Executive Officer of the hospital. “The Cancer Center and its highly skilled staff provide excellent care including the screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The iPads and the high-tech, multi-purpose chairs are important in helping to keep the patients busy, informed, safe and comfortable during their visit with us.”
“We are very proud of the quality of care that we offer,” said Dr. Jennifer Wu, Director of the Cancer Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. “A patient can spend several hours in treatment. With the iPads they can use the time to learn more about the chemotherapy treatment they are receiving, catch up on things online or simply pass the time in an enjoyable manner using the latest technology.”
“A variety of applications ranging from health education apps, to ethnic newspapers to games for entertainment and more have been downloaded to the iPads to provide patients with a distraction during their treatments, ” said Nancy Guzman, Bellevue’s Cancer Center Administrator. “We serve a diverse group of patients so we wanted to ensure that the apps were also available in multiple languages. This is one of the many ways we continue to strive to improve the patient experience.”
The Auxiliary undertook the iPads project in partnership with Apple Inc. and iBusiness Technologies. The Auxiliary purchased 20 iPads for the Cancer Center and all the requested applications (apps), which were selected through a focus group of cancer patients and staff in the Cancer Center. The Auxiliary will also fund the ongoing service and maintenance of the iPads.
The iPads are preloaded with a variety of applications grouped in categories such as entertainment, reading material, games, medical and social. Patients can also access the internet to check their emails, browse the web and do research.
The Bellevue Cancer Center serves more than 23,000 adult patients a year with suspected or confirmed malignancies receiving consultation, follow-up, chemotherapy, supportive therapy and/or radiation treatment follow up. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Bellevue’s state-of-the-art on-site chemotherapy infusion unit hosts 13 chairs and operates from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Monday through Friday. The staff includes oncology trained/certified registered nurses, a nursing administrator (AND), a patient care tech (PCA), a clerk and an on-site medical oncology attending physician.
Patients seeking more information about the Cancer Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/ Bellevue can visit: /bellevue/cancer-center/ or call 212.562.1011.


Contacts: Lorinda Klein, Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital Center, 212.562.5255/917.693.4846, Bellevueauxiliary@gmail.com, Lorindak@msn.com
Evelyn Hernandez, NYC Health + Hospitals/ Bellevue, 212.562.4516/718.406.3643, Evelyn.Hernandez@nychhc.org

About the Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital Center, Inc.

Grounded in a philanthropic and humanitarian effort to assist Bellevue’s indigent sick patients, the Auxiliary to Bellevue Hospital, founded in 1906, continues its modern-day mission to offer direct enhancement to all patients’ well-being, care and convalescence, through financial and programmatic support. The Auxiliary has taken to heart, and continues to honor, its original mission: to discover a need and “supply the appropriate relief to those Bellevue patients who, by reason of poverty, continued weakness, or lack of home or family, stand in active need of a friend.” It takes pride in its motto, “Keeping the Humanity in Healthcare.” The Auxiliary is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Please visit us at BellevueHospitalAuxiliary.org.

About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue

Bellevue Hospital, is a member of the NYC Health + Hospitals Health Care System and is America’s oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU School of Medicine, Bellevue is a major referral center for highly complex cases. The 844-bed hospital has 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. It sees more than 110,000 emergency room visits and 500,000 outpatient visits annually. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU); Comprehensive Children’s Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information, visit nychealthandhospitals.org/Bellevue or find us on twitter.com/BellevueHosp.