RUMC Vital Signs brings you up close and personal with the people providing care, services and support at Richmond University Medical Center. Airing on Staten Island Community Television, each episode of RUMC Vital Signs covers the latest trends in medicine and provides in-depth information on the services provided at Richmond University Medical Center.

NEW!

Episode 10: All About RUMC’s Silberstein Clinic & How to Administer Narcan

Richmond University Medical Center’s Silberstein Clinic serves individuals 18 and older who are seeking treatment for substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. Licensed by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS), and staffed with licensed clinicians, credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselors, medical and psychiatric personnel, and peer advocates, the clinic provides accessible resources in an effort to reduce the negative impact of drug addiction in the community. In this episode, find out more about the clinic’s comprehensive services and watch an actual Narcan training which can help someone who is experiencing an opioid overdose. Guest: Ileana Acosta, Program Manager for the Adult and Adolescent Substance Abuse Programs

Episode 9: Battling Staten Island’s opioid crisis & RUMC’s Project LAUNCH program

In the two part episode, our first segment focuses on the programs available through RUMC’s Silberstein Clinic to support people battling opioid addiction. The second segment shines the spotlight on RUMC’s Project LAUNCH program which assesses children’s physical and behavioral health conditions before they begin school so they can start their school lives ready to succeed alongside their peers. Guests: Ileana Acosta, Program Manager for the Adult and Adolescent Substance Abuse Programs; and Project LAUNCH Clinical Director Miriam Prat-Jerez.

Episode 8: Take A Tour of Our Mother/Baby Unit

Nearly 3,000 newborns begin life’s journey in our Richmond County Savings Foundation Mother/Baby Unit each year. In this episode, you play the role of an expecting family as we visit each section in the unit including triage, a birthing room, recovery, maternity and even our Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Along the way you will meet some of the medical professionals here at RUMC, Staten Island’s only officially designated “Baby Friendly” hospital.

Episode 7: Caring for Survivors of Sexual Assault

As Staten Island’s only Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Center of Excellence, Richmond University Medical Center cares for adults, adolescents and children from across the borough who are victims of sexual assault. In this episode, learn about how RUMC’s team of specially trained forensic nurses care for patients who come for treatment in the hospital’s Emergency Department. Later in the episode, meet some of RUMC’s community partners who provide additional support and services, including the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office who helps these individuals seek justice against their attacker.

Episode 6: Understanding Bariatric Surgery with Alex Barkan, MD

Metabolic or bariatric surgery is the most effective and long-lasting treatment for severe obesity resulting in significant weight loss and the improvement, prevention or resolution of many related conditions. In this episode, board certified surgeon, Alex Barkan, MD, talks about who qualifies for bariatric surgery, the lead up to weight loss surgery, what procedures are available, and the lifestyle changes post-surgery.

Episode 5: Exploring Neurosurgery with Douglas Cohen, MD

Neurosurgery is the medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of patients experiencing issues with their brain, spinal cord, spinal column and peripheral nerves throughout the body. In this episode, Douglas Cohen, MD, board certified neurosurgeon and Harvard Medical School graduate, discusses conditions he and his colleagues in Richmond University Medical Center’s Brain and Spine Center treat from emergencies to common disorders.

Episode 4: Advances in the Field of Surgery & A Look at RUMC’s New State of the Art Surgical Department

In this episode, Department of Surgery Chair Loren Harris, MD, discusses the latest advances in the field of surgery and how robotic surgery at Richmond University Medical Center is producing better overall outcomes for patients. In the second part of the episode, President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel J. Messina, PhD, FACHE, discusses RUMC’s new state of the art Surgical Department, opening later this year.

Episode 3: Understanding Angioplasty and Cardiac Health

In this episode we will talk about angioplasty, a minimally invasive procedure that restores blood flow through narrow or blocked arteries. Over 850,000 angioplasty procedures are performed annually in the United States, including at Richmond University Medical Center. This episode’s guest is Francesco Rotatori, MD, FACC, a board certified cardiologist and Chief of RUMC’s Cardiovascular Department. In addition to discussing angioplasty, we scrub in and join Dr. Rotatori as he walks us through actual angioplasty procedures he has performed and gives us a glimpse of what he sees while performing this potentially life-saving procedure.

Episode 2: A Salute to Nurses!

The backbone of any hospital can be summed up in one word: nurses. Each year May is celebrated as National Nurses Month. A time to recognize and thank the millions of nurses across our nation for their dedication, including the more than 600 who care for patients at Richmond University Medical Center. In this episode, a trio of nurses from different departments share their experiences as nurses and what led them to a career in the nursing profession.

Guests: Angela Settepani from the Labor and Delivery Department; Debbie Springstead from the Department of Surgery; and Shannon Thomson from the Emergency Medicine Department. Host: Alex Lutz

Episode 1: Unveiling RUMC’s New Emergency Department

In this episode, learn more about Staten Island’s newest Emergency Department. Richmond University Medical Center’s new state of the art 35,000 Sq. Ft. Emergency Department features expanded trauma and triage areas as well as specialty care units for pediatrics, stroke and cardiac emergencies and much more.

Guests: RUMC President and CEO, Daniel J. Messina, PhD, FACHE; Chair of Emergency Medicine, Johnathon LeBaron, DO; and RUMC Board of trustees member Kathy Connors. Host: Alex Lutz.