Geriatrician Named Medical Director

Of Hospital’s Nursing Home

ROME – November 14, 2002

Elif N. Erim, M.D., has been appointed medical director of Rome Memorial Hospital’s 80-bed Residential Health Care Facility (RHCF), announced RHCF Administrator Debra Wurz.

Dr. Erim is board certified in internal medicine and completed a fellowship in geriatric medicine at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center and Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. She received her medical degree at the Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine in Turkey, where she completed her residency in diagnostic radiology.

While pursuing her chief residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center, she decided to continue her training and specialize in geriatrics. "In medicine, a large percentage of our patients are elderly," she said. "I wanted the expertise to better understand the unique needs of my elderly patients."

As the medical director, Dr. Erim oversees the medical care provided to the residents of the skilled nursing facility located on the third floor of the hospital. The primary focus of the medical director is to help the facility ensure that the residents’ medical needs are being addressed at a high quality level.

"Dr. Erim has excellent credentials and she is also a very caring person. She understands the needs of the elderly," Wurz said. "Her gerontology background will prove to be a very valuable asset for our residents and our staff."

Dr. Erim is also the medical director of the hospital’s Senior Behavioral Health Unit and its cardiac rehabilitation program. She is a primary care provider at PrimeCare, the hospital’s primary care center located in downtown Rome at 155 W. Dominick St.