NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens Earns National Recognition As Center of Excellence In Surgical Safety

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens Earns National Recognition As Center of Excellence In Surgical Safety

Designation from the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses recognizes national leadership in perioperative innovation and evidence-based care

Dec 23, 2025

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens today announced its designation as a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), the nation's leading authority on perioperative nursing practice. This recognition honors Queens Hospital's commitment to improving patients' physical and psychological well-being before, during, and after surgery through consistent, evidence based Enhanced Recovery practices.

"Achieving AORN's ERAS Center of Excellence designation reflects our team's dedication to continuous improvement and person-centered innovation," said Neil Moore, MBA, MPA, MPH FACHE, Chief Executive Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens. "This national recognition validates the collaboration, clinical excellence, and operational rigor of our perioperative services - all of which translate into safer surgeries and faster recoveries for the communities we serve."

"ERAS is changing how we approach surgical care by standardizing best practices across the perioperative pathway," said Dave Holson, MD, Chief Medical Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens. "These protocols - combined with multidisciplinary collaboration and continuous training - deliver safer, more predictable recoveries and better outcomes for the people we serve."

"ERAS represents a major advancement in perioperative care - it's not just about shorter stays, it's about safer, more predictable recoveries," said James O'Connor, MD, Chief of Surgery, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens. "Our surgical teams embraced evidence-based pathways that keep people comfortable, reduce complications, and restore function more quickly."

"Achieving this designation as the very first facility nationwide is a testament to our team's extraordinary collaboration, innovation, and dedication to person-centered care," said Abbi-Gail Baboolal, DNP, MSN, RN, FNP, Chief Nursing Officer, Patient Care Services, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens. "Our peri-op team has set a national standard for Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols, paving the way for better outcomes across the country."

The Center of Excellence designation signifies that NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens has successfully completed AORN's comprehensive ERAS program - an evidence based, multidisciplinary initiative focused on reducing postoperative complications, improving pain management, optimizing recovery, and strengthening team communication.

Mary Philip, MS, RN, CNOR, Director of Nursing, Peri op Services, led the perioperative team that developed and implemented the ERAS pathways, bringing together nursing, surgical, anesthesia, rehabilitation, and ancillary services to achieve this milestone.

To earn this national recognition, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens completed a rigorous assessment and implemented a series of key initiatives, including:

• A comprehensive review and enhancement of ERAS related protocols across preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative care.
• Adoption of advanced technologies and state of the art equipment to support surgical safety and best practices, including the recent addition of robotic surgical capability to expand minimally invasive, precision procedures.
• Advanced education and high-fidelity simulation training for surgical teams, anesthesiology, nursing and perioperative staff to rehearse complex cases, refine communication, and reduce preventable errors.
• A strengthened culture of teamwork and psychological safety in the OR, empowering team members to speak up for safety and consistent, evidence-based care.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens provides a comprehensive range of surgical services - including general, colorectal, orthopedic, urology, gynecologic, and minimally invasive procedures - to serve the diverse communities of Queens. In recent years, the hospital has modernized its surgical program through upgraded operating rooms, investment in state-of-the-art equipment, and the addition of a surgical robot to expand minimally invasive and precision procedures. Robotic-assisted surgery enables smaller incisions, less blood loss, faster recovery, and often shorter hospital stays, supporting ERAS goals and contributing to lower per-patient costs.

The hospital also uses high-fidelity simulation training for surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and perioperative teams to rehearse complex cases, refine communication, and reduce preventable errors. Simulation-based practice improves team performance, accelerates skill acquisition, and increases readiness for uncommon or high-risk scenarios - all of which strengthen safety and quality of care.

ERAS protocols, surgical modernization including robotic capabilities, and robust simulation training position Queens Hospital as a leading surgical center in the borough and a hospital of choice for people seeking high-quality, efficient, and innovative surgical care. Queens Hospital will be featured on AORN's Center of Excellence webpage and honored at the AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo on April 12, 2026, in New Orleans, LA.

For more information about the hospital's surgical services, visit: https://www.nychhc.org/locations/queens.

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Media Contact: Cleon Edwards, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, (646) 772-5725;

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About NYC Health + Hospitals/QueensA member of NYC Health and Hospitals, NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens is a major health care provider in the borough of Queens. Its foremost mission is to provide quality, comprehensive care to all members of the public regardless of their ability to pay. In 2025, Queens Hospital marked its 90th anniversary of serving the communities of central and southeastern Queens, having first opened its doors as Queens General Hospital in 1935. Encompassing 360,000 square feet, it comprises 253 licensed beds, spacious ambulatory care suites featuring both primary and specialty services, and cutting-edge equipment. It also houses four Centers of Excellence: Cancer Care, Diabetes Management, Women's Health, and Behavioral Health. The hospital has recently added a fully expanded Emergency Room, a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence accredited by the American College of Radiology, and a Total Hip and Knee Replacement Center, with plans underway to build the health system's first Dialysis Center to train patients to perform their own at-home dialysis. To learn more about NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/queens.

About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About AORNFounded in 1949, AORN supports more than 200,000 perioperative nurses with evidence-based research, education, standards, and resources to enable optimal outcomes and promote safe surgery for every person, every time. For more information, visit https://www.aorn.org.