Health Care Headliner: Joyce Malaskovitz

Editor's note: This story was originally published in Health Care Headliners, a magazine meant to introduce the community to the people making a big difference in local health care. The doctors honored in the magazine come from nominations accepted by VEGASINC.

Joyce Malaskovitz inspires people.

Throughout her 34 years as a nurse, she has accomplished much, collected many awards and remained passionate about education, research and knowledge-sharing.

She is a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Preventative Cardiovascular Nurses Association, Nevada Educational Associates for Diabetes, IDO committee (Diabetes and Obesity), and the Clark County Diabetes Group. She is also involved with the American Diabetes Association as an active board member and is the vice president and membership chairwoman for the Las Vegas International Diabetes Lions Club.

“As a registered nurse, I’ve spent the majority of my career focused on disease management, beginning with diabetes,” she said. “In my current, I oversee our bariatric surgery, diabetes, wound care, stroke and heart failure programs. I’m also responsible for all our accreditations in bariatric surgery, diabetes, stroke, heart failure and chest pain, which validates the high quality of work we perform via a third party. This is what our patients deserve.”

Desert Springs Hospital was the first in the United States to be accredited for inpatient diabetes care by the Joint Commission. “We field calls from all over the country asking how we did it, for recommendations and insights on what they are doing and if it will meet the Joint Commission’s requirements,” Malaskovitz says. “I’m proud that we are truly a leader in diabetes prevention, diagnosis, intervention, treatment and education.”

For Malaskovitz, commitment is more than just professional. “My grandfather had diabetes and died from a heart attack when I was young,” she said. “I didn’t get to say goodbye. His medical condition had a profound impact on me, and I’ve dedicated the majority of my career to understanding diabetes and helping people cope with it, medically and emotionally. My significant other has cancer, and I can honestly say I’ve been in the shoes of our patients. I know firsthand what it’s like to care for someone with a serious disease, to deal with multiple doctors, to be faced with exorbitant bills for medications, to look for resources to help someone I love. It’s complex and it’s difficult, and I want to make it a little easier for others.”

The Valley Health System strives to continually improve its health care delivery system, Malaskovitz said. “It’s always our goal to better serve our patients. It’s also very important to me that every patient who enters our hospital receives the best possible care. We’re expanding our role from treating patients. We want to make sure our patients are safely transitioned to the next provider in their health care journey. We do this throughout Desert Springs Hospital, by making sure our patients who are discharged back to their home have follow-up appointments with a physician before they leave. We make calls to them two to three days after they are discharged to see how they are doing, and to address any questions or concerns they might have. We’ve partnered with a pharmacy so our patients can have their medications delivered to their bedside before we leave. We’re always seeking ways to help our patients during and after their time with us.”

One of her top goals for 2015 is to create a comprehensive approach to obesity. This will include offering weight-loss surgery, medical weight-loss options, and a program for children to help prevent obesity. “On a personal level, my goal continues to focus on the health and wellness. To me, it is important to continually find ways to prevent disease and ensure people who do have disease receive the best possible care.”

Share