St. Francis Hospital recognized for excellence

Catholic Health’s St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center has been awarded the nationally recognized HeartCARE Center™ designation by The American College of Cardiology, the only ACC HeartCARE Center designation in the area, including the five boroughs of New York City, Long Island and Westchester.

First launched in 2018, the designation is awarded by the ACC to hospitals who have achieved several ACC accreditations and participate in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry program. The award recognizes and showcases the caliber of care delivered at St. Francis Hospital.

St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center received the HeartCARE Center National Distinction of Excellence based on meeting accreditation criteria, and through their ongoing performance registry reporting. St. Francis Hospital is the only hospital on Long Island with ACC Cardiac Catheterization Lab accreditation and the only ACCcertified TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) program on Long Island.

Additionally, St. Francis Hospital is one of only two hospitals on Long Island to have ACC accreditation as a chest pain center with primary PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention) Hospitals and health systems that have earned an ACC HeartCARE Center designation have met a set of criteria, including participating in at least two ACC Accreditation Services programs, with a focus on improving safety and patient experience.

“The HeartCARE Center designation from the ACC demonstrates the commitment to consistent, high-quality cardiovascular care through com- prehensive process improvement, disease and procedure-specific accreditation, professional excellence, and community engagement,” said Dr. Charles Lucore, president of St. Francis Hospital.

The HeartCARE Center distinction is the latest of many St. Francis Hospital is proud to achieve, including a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, its 21st Leapfrog “A” score, and being ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top hospitals in the country (2022–23) and #6 for all of New York State and the Metro Area.

Stop Throwing Out Pollutants event at Westbury High

North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Town Board remind residents that the town will be hosting a Stop Throwing Out Pollutants event on Saturday, June 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Westbury High School.

“Improperly disposing of dangerous chemical wastes could potentially contaminate our water supply, so programs like S.T.O.P. are essential to continue to ensure the Town and our residents are responsible environmental stewards,” DeSena said. “I’m proud that the Town will once again offer this amazing program that offers our residents a safe, convenient, and environmentally sound method of disposing their hazardous household waste.”

The S.T.O.P. program offers Town of North Hempstead residents the opportunity to dispose of dangerous and chemical wastes that are too dangerous to dispose of with routine curbside pickups. Residents can return items such as aerosols, household chemicals, pesticides, disinfectants, fertilizers, bulbs, thermostats, rechargeable and lithium batteries, TV’s and computers.

Latex and water-based paints, once dried out (usually 24-36 hours after the lid is removed) can be placed in a trash bag and thrown out with your regular household garbage. Latex and water-based paints will not be accepted at the S.T.O.P. collection site. Oil-based paints, on the other hand, are considered hazardous and will be accepted at any S.T.O.P. program.

Residents may also bring their sensitive documents to the S.T.O.P. event for proper shredding and destruction to prevent identity theft.

Any documents brought will be shredded on site by a document shredding company.

There is a limit of 6 “Bankers Box” sized boxes or bags of paper per car, per day. For every 2,000 pounds of paper the Town recycles equates to 17 trees saved.

Pharmaceuticals will not be accepted at S.T.O.P. events, however the Town will be collecting pharmaceuticals at several special events throughout the year. Please continue to check the Town’s website and social media pages for the latest information.

The S.T.O.P. events will also have a clothing donation area. Gently used and working clothes, stuffed animals, electronics, toys, sporting equipment, shoes, books, small area rugs, bikes, scooters, luggage, picture frames, table lamps, bolts of fabric, silverware, glassware, dishes, and cosmetics will be collected.

Participants must be residents of North Hempstead (no commercial vehicles will allowed) and need to show a driver’s license or other valid proof of residency. Only potentially hazardous household products and e-waste will be accepted.

For safety reasons, residents also must remain in their vehicle while event staff removes items to be discarded. Please also leave pets at home so staff can safely remove items from your vehicle.

Additional S.T.O.P programs will be held throughout 2023 Saturday, September 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park (North Lot) and Sunday, November 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at North Hempstead Beach Park (North Lot).

For more information on the S.T.O.P. program, please call 311 or 516-869-6311 or visit northhempsteadny.gov/stopprogram