St. Vincent's Hospital Appoints Frances L. Wong as Director of Asia Services and Liasion to the Chinese Community
04/21/2006
Media Contact: Maura Duffy, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan
Phone: 212-604-2675
New York, NY, July 29, 2005 - St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan has appointed Frances L. Wong, L.C.S.W, A.D.S., as Director of Asian Services and liaison to the Chinatown community.
'Ms. Wong is a multitalented individual who is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, Toisanese and Hoi-Ping,' said Robert Fanning, executive director, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan. 'Her extensive experience in the hands-on delivery of health care, along with her strong ties to the Chinese community, make her the ideal person for this position. With her assistance, we look forward to enhancing services and cementing bonds with our Chinatown neighbors.'
A licensed psychotherapist and acupuncturist, Ms. Wong is a graduate of the Eastern Group Society's psychotherapy training program. She holds a master's of science degree in social work form the University of Pennsylvania and bachelor's degree in human development and family studies from Cornell University. In addition, as a recognized expert in her field, Ms. Wong is often called upon to make presentations and offer workshops to peer groups and the public on social issues that affect the Asian community.
Throughout her career, Ms. Wong has served in a number of increasingly responsible positions with hospitals and health care organizations. Most recently, she excelled as Asian Services Coordinator for Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers World Trade Center Healing Services, where she created and implemented a stress reduction and ear acupuncture program in partnership with the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, serving over 600 clients.
St. Vincent's Hospital has had the honor of serving the Chinatown community with high quality primary and specialty services for more than 30 years. Under Frances' direction, the hospital will work to enhance these services, which currently include:
• Chinatown clinic, located at 25 Elizabeth Street, offering primary care, obstetrical and pediatric services;
• Inpatient and subspecialty care at St. Vincent's Hospital and outpatient sites;
• Living-at-Home Program, offering care to the homebound elderly;
• Language Interpreter services, available in both St. Vincent's emergency department and throughout the hospital;
• World Trade Center Healing Services, providing free counseling and ear acupuncture services at the American Legion every Wednesday from 12:30-3:30;
• Continued collaboration with Charles B. Wang Community Health Center.
In addition, St. Vincent's is working to expand services to in the near future by:
• Opening an inpatient Asian unit to include Chinese physicians, Chinese-speaking staff, an Asian menu and ambiance, acupuncture for pain management and herbal medications;
• Continuing talks with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to obtain funding for expansion of the Chinatown Clinic;
• Re-opening of the St. Margaret's House medical practice, located at 49 Fulton Street, with a full-time Chinese-speaking staff and physician, in September.
• Improving the hospital's Asian menu choices and expanding interpreter services;
• Expanding psychosocial services for suicide prevention, at the request of Mr. Chan, President of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.
• Expanding health screening and prevention programs throughout the Chinatown community.
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers is one of the New York metropolitan area's most comprehensive health care systems, serving nearly 600,000 people annually. SVCMC was established in 2000 as a result of the merger of Catholic Medical Centers of Brooklyn and Queens, Saint Vincents Hospital and Medical Center of New York and Sisters of Charity Healthcare in Staten Island. Sponsored by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Sisters of Charity of New York, SVCMC serves as the academic medical center of New York Medical College in New York City.
The system includes seven hospitals: Mary Immaculate Hospital, Queens; St. John's Queens Hospital; St. Mary's Hospital of Brooklyn; St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan; St. Vincent's Hospital Staten Island; Bayley Seton Hospital, Staten Island; and St. Vincent's Hospital Westchester. Resources include over 2,500 physicians, four skilled nursing facilities, a system-wide home care service, a hospice and over 60 ambulatory care sites which provide a broad array of medical, psychiatric and substance abuse services. In 2004, SVCMC recorded over 92,000 inpatient discharges, more than 1,100,000 outpatient visits, and 640,000 home care visits. Its emergency rooms, which include three Level 1 trauma centers, received 255,000 visits in that same year, while SVCMC is the largest private provider of EMS services in the New York City Fire Department's 9-1-1 service. Also in 2003, St. Clare's Hospital, now St. Vincent's Midtown, became affiliated with the healthcare system.
