Monday, April 28, 2025
Few community hospitals have done more to burnish through measurable achievements than Long Island Jewish Valley Stream hospital. Now it joins the nation’s top tier — earning the 2025 Patient Safety Excellence Award.
The award recognizes hospitals that not only deliver top-tier care but also excel at preventing serious safety lapses during patient stays. Fewer than 10 percent of hospitals make the cut.
Dr. Angel Meng, the hospital’s director, said the award reflects a deep commitment to patient-centered care, backed by strict safety measures and a strong team effort. “It’s really about collaboration—nurses, doctors, and leadership all working together to provide the highest level of care,” Meng said.
One of the hospital’s key strategies is its proactive safety rounds. Every Thursday, leadership teams visit each unit to address patient needs in real time. On Fridays, staff focus on a “topic of the week,” such as infection control or fall prevention, using these discussions to share best practices and fine-tune protocols.
A major success has been in eliminating catheter-associated bloodstream infections. “Since launching our infection prevention initiative two to three years ago, our CLABSI rate has dropped to zero,” Meng said. However, their record hasn’t been blemish-free. Last year, the hospital fell short of achieving optimal blood infection control, according to The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog that evaluates hospitals nationwide.
In a comprehensive assessment, Leapfrog cited its rate of bloodstream infection as an area for improvement. LIJ Valley Stream’s SIR of 1.364 suggests the hospital experienced 36.4 percent more bloodstream infections than expected. With a ratio above 1.0, it signals worse-than-expected infection control.
Overall, the hospital was handed a “B” grade in June 2024. But Kate O’Neill, the hospital’s chief nursing officer, said that while LIJVS was within striking distance of getting an “A,” the hospital has taken those critiques that dampened its overall performance seriously.
Now the hospital has been 571 days without a central line associated blood stream infection. It has also reduced falls with help from a dedicated prevention committee, though exact numbers weren’t available.
”We do proactive monitoring about risks for infection or complications and communicate that across all departments,” said O’Neill. “There’s a great level of situational awareness about these things.”
Whether it’s a central line or a urinary catheter, where there is a risk of infection, staff members continuously evaluate whether these tool are still needed for a patient’s treatment. Once it's determined that the patient can fare well without them, they’re removed.
As a community hospital, LIJ Valley Stream runs on a tight-knit leadership team, O’Neill noted. With high trust among staff and less red tape than larger hospitals, ideas flow freely, nimble thinking is encouraged. Resource constraints often give way to creative workarounds or innovative solutions that ultimately push the level of care forward.
LIJV’s excellence also goes well beyond safety. It’s a designated stroke center, ensuring fast, high-quality care for stroke patients. The hospital recently passed its stroke certification renewal and has also been recognized as a Network of Excellence in Hernia Surgery. U.S. News & World Report named it the Best Hospital for Orthopedics for 2024-2025, providing high-performing care in procedures like knee replacement.
“These recognitions speak to our team’s dedication,” Meng said. “We’re always working to raise the bar—not just to meet standards, but to exceed them.”
Meng says that the community hospital perpetually strives to improve its benchmarks, a feat made possible through its inclusion in the larger Northwell Health system, the state’s biggest employer and healthcare system.
Northwell Health, the parent organization of Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital, announced that 11 of its hospitals received an “A” grade in the fall 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. Valley Stream was not among the list.
O’Neill, however, is confident its latest improvements will reflect in Leapfrog’s ratings for this upcoming round.
Leapfrog issues grades twice a year based on more than 30 measures of safety, from how well hospitals prevent falls to their track record on infections. The goal? To push hospitals toward higher standards and give patients a clearer picture of where they’re getting optimal care.
“At every level of care, we’re trying to empower our team members what we can do differently to raise the bar,” said O’Neill. “Go past the status quo.”
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