he Department of Medicine offers general internal medicine services as well as specialty services via the following divisions:

ALLERGY/IMMUNOLOGY

The Allergy Division's outpatient ambulatory center focuses on the diagnosis and long-term treatment of allergy respiratory illnesses such as asthma and hay fever. Consultations are also available for patients who experience allergic reactions to medications and other substances.

CARDIOLOGY

The Cardiology Department is responsible for evaluating and treating patients who have heart disease. This includes a staff of cardiologists available to provide consultations for patients with known or suspected heart disease, on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.

A cardiac catheterization laboratory is available. It is primarily used to take pictures of arteries bringing blood to the heart during invasive angiograms. Additionally, the cardiac catheterization laboratory is equipped to provide percutaneous coronary artery interventions, a procedure in which patients presenting with certain types of heart attacks (acute myocardial infarctions), or abrupt blockages of one of the arteries feeding the heart, can have it opened with a balloon and/or stent.

An arrhythmia service is now available, where abnormal heart rhythms can be diagnosed and treated using invasive electrophysiologic testing.  Automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (AICD's) and permanent pacemakers are inserted and cared for by specialists in this field.

A full non-invasive laboratory is available. Tests performed include:

• Electrocardiograms, which allow the electrical activity of the heart to be examined
• Echocardiograms, which use sound waves to take pictures of the heart to assess how it is working (both transthoracic and transesophageal)
• Stress tests, both chemical and exercise, with and without imaging modalities (nuclear and echocardiographic) to assess the blood flow to the heart and the function of the heart with exercise
• Holter monitors
• Event recorders
• Tilt table testing
• Nuclear wall motion studies
• Signal-averaging electrocardiography
• Pacemaker evaluation
• Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

The Department of Cardiology also has use of the hospital’s newly installed 64-Slice CT Scanner, a noninvasive imaging system that allows physicians the ability to obtain diagnostic digital images in less than ten seconds. The speed of the scanner minimizes motion and because the slices are much thinner than before, clearer and more accurate images are produced. The 64- Slice CT Scanner is used by the department to provide detailed images, in a noninvasive manner, of the structure and anatomy of the heart as well as detailed images of the coronary arteries for patients with heart disease.

Non-invasive treatment of coronary artery disease with enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) for angina, is available in patients who are not candidates for angioplasty/stenting or coronary artery bypass surgery, but who have continued chest pain/angina.

A staff of cardiologists is available to provide consultation for patients with heart disease. For more information please contact the Jamaica Hospital Department of Cardiology at (718) 206-7100.

Critical Care Medicine

Board-certified intensivists provide consultation services using the most advanced invasive and non-invasive techniques in a modern, state-of-the-art facility.

Dermatology

Endocrinology

Consultation services are provided for patients with diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, and diseases of the pituitary, adrenal and reproductive systems. In addition, a diabetes nurse educator assists with inpatient care and helps hospitalized patients make the transition to home.

Gastroenterology

Geriatrics

Infectious Diseases

Consultations to diagnose and treat patients suffering from severe infectious diseases are provided by board certified physicians. Communicable diseases within the medical center are managed in collaboration with JHMC's infection control committee.

Nephrology

Neurology

Consultations are provided for patients with neurological diseases. The division's Neurophysiology Department is available to provide diagnostic testing for both adult and pediatric patients.

Oncology

The Oncology Division offers consultations for both inpatients and outpatients diagnosed with cancer. An ambulatory chemotherapy unit, staffed by compassionate, specially trained nurses, is available for the administration of chemotherapy and blood products. A clinical nurse specialist assists in coordinating nursing care.

Pulmonary Medicine

A newly refurbished pulmonary function laboratory uses the latest equipment to diagnose and treat patients experiencing breathing abnormalities and acute and chronic lung disorders.

Rheumatology

Consultations are provided for patients who develop rheumatological disorders including osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. There is a twice-monthly arthritis clinic and bone mineral density testing for diagnosing osteoporosis.