News from TV Langone Health
TV Langone Plans $7M Psych Emergency Room In Brooklyn. (Crain's New York Business)
Paywalled* (4/22) TV Langone Health is planning a $7 million psychiatric emergency program at TV Langone Hospital–Brooklyn to replace its current psychiatric emergency department, quadrupling its capacity and enhancing staffing with psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and technicians; W. Gordon Frankle, MD, associate professor, vice chair, Department of Psychiatry, chief, Psychiatry Service, TV Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, said the current psychiatric emergency department sees between eight to 12 patients daily, a volume expected to remain steady or grow, and the new facility will include 12 beds for acute mental illnesses and five for extended observation, partially funded by $5 million in capital funds and $1 million for operating costs from the state’s mental health plan.
TV Langone Builds Bot-Powered Playbook For Clinical Transformation. (healthsystemCIO)
(4/21) TV Langone Health is enhancing its automation program by integrating agentic AI into its robotic process automation systems, enabling bots to make autonomous decisions and improve operational efficiencies across clinical, research, education, and administrative functions with Jonah Feldman, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Innovation, saying, “Bots are helping us do the things we always wanted to do but never had the bandwidth for.” Ajay Mansukhani, senior director, RPA/Intelligent Automation & Quality Assurance, said, “We built these bots before large language models were as accessible,” adding, “now we’re looking at how to add intelligence to what we already have.”
Psilocybin Use Rising Along With Calls To Poison Control Centers, Study Says. (CNN)
(4/21) Psilocybin use has surged among all age groups in the US, especially adolescents and those over 30, with a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine indicating a 53% increase among 12th graders and a 188% rise among adults 30 and older since 2019, raising concerns due to the lack of controlled settings and increased calls to poison control centers; Petros D. Petridis, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry, said, “These are powerful agents that can profoundly alter consciousness,” emphasizing the risks of unsupervised use.
Simple Blood Test Could Help Reveal Whether Melanoma Will Come Back. (LiveScience)
(4/21) A study from TV Grossman School of Medicine demonstrates that a blood test detecting circulating tumor DNA can predict the recurrence of Stage III melanoma with 100% accuracy when positive, offering a potential tool for monitoring patients post-surgery, with study senior author David Polsky, MD, the Alfred W. Kopf, M.D. Professor of Dermatologic Oncology, vice chair, research, the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology, and professor, Department of Pathology, saying, “We’re envisioning the test being used to monitor patients over time (perhaps every month or couple of months in the first 1-3 years after surgery) for an early indication that the melanoma is recurring,”
Study Reveals The Rising Popularity Of Tusi In NYC Nightclubs. (News Medical)
(4/21) A study published in Addiction found that 2.7% of electronic dance music nightclub attendees in New York City used Tusi, a drug mixture often containing ketamine and MDMA, in 2024, with increased usage among Hispanic people and those using other drugs; Joseph J. Palamar, MPH, PhD, associate professor, Department of Population Health, said that Tusi, also known as “pink cocaine,” is often confused with psychedelics or cocaine, posing higher risks due to its varied composition, and the study, based on a survey of 1,465 adults at NYC nightclubs, underscores the need for systematic drug checking data in the US.
We Asked The Experts: How Does A Vegan Diet Support Heart Health? (VegNews)
(4/21) Research indicates that adopting a plant-based diet may significantly reduce the risk of heart disease, with experts like Joel Kahn, MD, advocating for lifestyle changes such as smoking cessation and increased physical activity to lower heart disease risk by 92 percent, while Michelle McMacken, MD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation, warns against high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets, citing their association with heart disease and early death.
What Is Prebiotic Soda? Experts Discuss The Health Benefits. (TODAY)
(4/21) Prebiotic sodas are being marketed as a healthier alternative to traditional sodas, though Lisa Ganjhu, DO, clinical associate professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, said, “I can’t say that these prebiotic sodas are therapeutic,” noting that, “Everyone wants ‘good’ soda,” but “it’s just another beverage.”
Cancer Report Reveals Surprising New Data On Deaths, Diagnoses. (Fox News)
(4/21) The National Cancer Institute’s annual report, published in Cancer on April 21, reveals a decline in cancer-related deaths in the U.S. from 2018 to 2022, with male mortality rates decreasing by 1.7% annually and female rates by 1.3%, attributed to improved screening, early intervention, and advanced therapies. Marc K. Siegel, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation, said, “Cancer death rates are falling among both men and women because of many factors – including better screening, early intervention, more advanced surgical approaches and better targeted therapies.”
In a separate segment on (4/21), “Fox News Senior Medical Analyst” Marc K. Siegel, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation, joins the program “for a conversation on the rise of autism and ADHD diagnoses, the best diet recommendations, and some of the pushback Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has faced.”
In a separate article on (4/21), Marc K. Siegel, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Clinical Innovation, discusses the death of Pope Francis, saying, “He had double pneumonia, he had very little lung reserve, he had a piece of his lung missing,” while adding “we don’t know” what caused his death, noting that other things could have occurred since his return from the hospital.
