NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx Receives Gage Award Honorable Mention for Quality Improvement in Continuing Care After Death
The Jacobi and North Central Bronx Hospital teams are recognized for reducing decedent holding time in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic
Jun 23, 2025
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx CEO Christopher Mastromano announced today that the hospital’s “Compassion for Community: Continuing Care after Death” program has been recognized by America’s Essential Hospitals with a Gage Award honorable mention for quality improvement. The Jacobi and North Central Bronx hospitals’ teams are recognized for the “Compassion for the Community: Continuing Care after Death,” which successfully reduced decedent holding time in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic from thirteen days to five days. The Gage Award is named after association founder Larry Gage to honor and share successful and creative member hospital programs that improve patient care and meet community needs.
“Our members reach outside their walls to meet patients where they are and provide superior, person-centered care,” said Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals. “These awards spotlight innovative solutions that reflect their commitment to their mission.”
“Losing a loved one is one of the most traumatic experiences someone can face,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx CEO Christopher Mastromano. “To help our patients deal with this ordeal, our teams came together to provide the compassion and resources that are needed to help folks avoid getting caught in the system, minimizing the suffering of having to navigate a complex system of burial services. Today’s award is another example of our healthcare teams going above and beyond to provide our patients with the assistance they need.”
“We thank America’s Essential Hospitals for this recognition,” said Dr. Komal Bajaj, Chief Quality Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx. “This initiative shows what’s possible when we lead with compassion and operational clarity—reducing delays, improving access to timely resources, and advancing trust during a deeply vulnerable time. I’m thankful for our pioneering community partners and clinical teams for this impactful effort.”
“Compassion for the Community: Continuing Care after Death” was developed in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, when, even as late as 2022, the decedent holding time in the morgue had drastically increased from three to thirteen days. As Jacobi and North Central Bronx’s healthcare teams began to examine the situation, their analysis revealed challenges in navigating the funeral process, including storage capacity issues, rising funeral costs, and other complexities that contributed to these delays. Furthermore, these delays included alarming racial disparities, with black decedents far more likely to experience longer release times. The program, led by an interdisciplinary team of staff from pathology, admitting, patient experience, bereavement, finance, and quality management, collaborated with funeral homes and religious institutions to identify capacity and support for families, data collection to track capacity, and developed a guide “Illuminating Forever Care” which helped explain to families, in multiple languages, what resources were available for funeral costs and other end of life expenses.
The results speak for themselves: In 2024, 90% of decedents were released within five days. This process not only provides closure to families going through an emotional grieving process, which should not be prolonged, but it also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13.1 metric tons and saves over $90,000 in overtime by minimizing the need for additional resources, such as staff and refrigerated trailers.
Dr. Bajaj and the program team dedicated the GAGE award to the late Suzanne Pennacchio, Jacobi, and North Central Bronx’s longtime Chief Nursing Officer, who passed away earlier this year. Ms. Pennacchio was known for her dedication to patient care and safety, and this award will carry on that legacy into future transformation projects.
If you are interested in scheduling an appointment at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx, please call (718) 918-5000.
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MEDIA CONTACT: John Doyle, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi | North Central Bronx, 718-918-4055, 917-553-4642
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi is a 457-bed teaching hospital affiliated with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The facility has earned numerous Center of Excellence designations, accreditation, and recognition for its renowned Level 1 Trauma Center, Burn Center, Surgical Intensive Care Unit, regional Stroke Center, Snakebite Treatment Center, Breast Health Center, Bariatric Surgery Center, and Cancer Service. The facility also offers the region’s only multi-person hyperbaric chamber, allowing up to nine patients to dive together at one time. Jacobi’s Ambulatory Care Pavilion is a stunning complement to its inpatient acute care, allowing staff to provide patients with high-quality service in a modern, state-of-the-art environment. For more information visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/locations/jacobi/.
About NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx (NCB) is a member facility of the New York City Health + Hospitals system, one of eleven acute care facilities within the City of New York. A 215-bed community hospital, NCBH specializes in women’s and children’s services. It also provides Behavioral Health acute and ambulatory care. Its busy outpatient department has led the way in community-based care delivered in a compassionate and culturally-appropriate manner. Its Labor and Delivery service safely brings more than 1,000 babies into the world each year. NCBH is committed to providing safe, high-quality medical care for any and all in need. For more information visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/locations/north-central-bronx/.
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 MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 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.
