Category Archives: Health / Community Services

By Paul Post 

ASCEND Chief Executive Officer Andrea Deepe wants everyone, but business owners especially, to know that help is only a phone call away.

Her non-profit agency is Warren and Washington counties’ main mental health wellness provider with numerous programs and support services available.

Just about every workplace has some degree of stress, but unsettling geopolitical issues, fast-rising prices and mounting financial pressures have contributed to unhealthy levels of anxiety and depression for many people.

“People are having to make some really difficult decisions now more than ever,” Deepe said. “We’re just all trying to keep up and get it done; just trying to show up for work and be there for our families. It’s a lot for a person to take on, especially when there’s no rulebook or guidebook for these types of life scenarios.”

Large companies and small firms alike should be cognizant of such issues and do their best help employees because as Deepe said, “If you don’t have them, you don’t have your business, so you have to invest in them and that includes mind and body. It makes a significant difference when you have top-down leadership who are invested in their employees.”

By Rod Bacon

An idea floated at a breakfast meeting at Shirley’s Diner in Saratoga Springs six years ago has finally come to fruition.

Three local residents — Cheryl Hage-Perez, Ray O’Conor and Tiffany LeAndrea — were planning the annual Veterans’ Ball, a fund raiser for the Ballston Spa-based Veterans & Community Housing Coalition. 

Eventually, the conversation turned to the unmet needs of veterans. LeAndrea, an Air Force veteran with two children, mentioned the fact that there wasn’t a facility where veteran women in similar situations could find housing and support services while they are making the often difficult transition from the military to civilian life. 

“Later that night Ray called me and said ‘We need to do something for veterans in this situation’,” Hage-Perez said. “That’s how Foreverly House started to take shape.”

The inspiration for the name came from a song entitled “Foreverly” penned in 2017 by local singer/songwriter Jeff Brisbin.

Foreverly House is comprised of two separate living spaces, each with its own entrance and each featuring four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, dining area, pantry, and laundry room, ensuring privacy and comfort for the families. It will welcome its first residents June 1.

“Beyond housing, Foreverly House provides on-site counseling and facilitates access to essential services, empowering veteran mothers to rebuild their lives while keeping their families intact,” said Hage-Perez, executive board liaison for the Veterans & Community Housing Coalition.

Salem Family Health, Hudson Headwaters Health Network’s 26th brick-and-mortar health center, is now open. Located at 1830 County Route 64, Salem Family Health is a 14,300-square-foot building with nine exam rooms for general primary care and three exam rooms designated for pediatrics. Hudson Headwaters has also partnered with Glens Falls Hospital to operate on-site lab services at the center.

“The establishment of Salem Family Health has been a longtime community effort, with many details thoughtfully developed to improve access, convenience and patient experiences for years to come,” said Hudson Headwaters CEO Tucker Slingerland, M.D. “Salem was our first community to experience mobile health in 2021, resulting in numerous patients establishing primary care for themselves and their families, some for the very first time. This demand encouraged our further investment in Washington County. We thank Salem town officials and community members for their ongoing engagement and partnership.”

Salem Family Health opens with 14 employees, including full-time providers, Hunter Southerland, M.D., Jillian Herrington, PNP and Sarah Hyland, FNP. Services include family medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, nutrition counseling, as well as virtual care management and behavioral health services. Future plans include a community pharmacy on-site, and Hudson Headwaters will inform the community once updates are available.

Salem Family Health also includes the Stewart’s Shops/Dake Family Teaching Kitchen, a state-of-the-art space offering patients and community members free nutrition classes. A program series called “Kitchen RX: Cooking for Better Health” will launch in June, with classes scheduled throughout the remainder of 2025. This program series is made possible by the Mary McClellan Foundation.

By Rod Bacon

Due to a need for more space, Southern Adirondack Child Care Network recently relocated to 16 Pearl Street in Glens Falls. The move was celebrated on April 24 with a ribbon cutting hosted by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and well attended by community stakeholders, current and former staff, and board members.

“We moved for a variety of reasons,” said Lynn Sickles, executive director of SACCN. “We were a bit crowded in our old location and the opportunity presented itself to move to a larger space.”

Sickles noted that the organization now has a training room that can be used for the education of child care providers.

Founded in 1992, the network has leased space for many years from Community, Work & Independence (CWI), first at 88 Broad Street and later at 37 Everts Avenue in Glens Falls.

Southern Adirondack Independent Living has launched the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPA), a collaborative initiative with BRIDGES, an independent living center situated in Rockland County, New York.

This program is specifically crafted to empower consumers, allowing them to take charge of their own care and oversee their personal assistant.

CDPA represents a paradigm shift, offering a less restrictive level of care as an alternative to the conventional home health care model. Through a strategic partnership with BRIDGES, SAIL is committed to delivering both technical and practical support to individuals living with disabilities or chronic conditions, empowering them to tailor their care based on their unique plans.

In this innovative approach, each individual assumes the role of the employer for their personal assistant. The program is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and older adults who require personal assistance at home.

By Christine Graf

PA Medical Supply of Queensbury has opened a second location in the Wilton Mall next to JC Penney. Both stores carry an extensive selection of home medical equipment and soft good orthotics, boasting the largest showrooms and most extensive product selections in the area.

Established in 1995, PA Medical Supply was purchased by Lake George native Michael Gipson in July 2022. Prior to purchasing the business from John Bisceglia, Gipson spent more than a decade working in medical equipment sales.  

“I have been in the durable medical equipment industry for about 12 years,” he said. “I started out on the manufacturer side, selling throughout New York state. I worked for one of the largest durable medical equipment manufacturers in the world.” 

After working his way up to regional manager for the Northeast, Gipson was promoted to vice president of sales for the company’s pediatric rehab division, a job that required extensive travel. 

“I  was traveling all over the country almost weekly, and my kids were getting to the age where school and sports were starting. I wanted to be able to stay closer to home,” he said. “I always knew I wanted to own my own business one day, and it got to the point where it was time to make a change.”

Over 20 environmental organizations and sustainably oriented businesses exhibited at the year’s Glens Falls Earth Day celebration, sponsored by Sustainable PR, the City of Glens Falls and the Crandall Public Library. 

They brought with them interactive learning activities that were engaging for all ages, and the variety captured the interest of over 100 community members, organizers said.

“Our Earth Day planning team has received nothing but praise for this year’s lineup,” said Tony DeFazio of Sustainable PR.  “We wanted to expand our reach this year and incorporate more family-friendly exhibits to broaden our audience and that’s what we did.”

In addition to eco-conscious exhibitors, the event marked the grand opening of the city’s vertical farm. Dr. Jeff Flagg, the city’s economic development director, gave tours of the facility to more than 50 people, including representatives from Saga City, Glens Falls’ sister city in Japan. 

By Paul Post

A new facility offering day programs for people with traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s and dementia is now open, after a three-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It replaces a facility that was in Fort Edward.

STRIVE, which stands for Supportive Techniques for Rebuilding Independence & Vital Experiences, is a program of nonprofit AIM Services that supports people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including those with traumatic brain injuries and those looking for nursing home transition or diversion.

 STRIVE is for people in Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties, but participants may also come from the immediate Capital Region along with Fulton and Montgomery counties as well.

AIM is headquartered at 4227 Route 50 in Wilton, near the intersections of Old Gick and Ingersoll roads. Previously, STRIVE was housed at a somewhat remote location in Fort Edward, which presented transportation obstacles for many people.

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has verified Albany Medical Center as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. 

Glens Falls Hospital is part of the Albany Med heath care system.

The Massry Family Children’s Emergency Center, which opened in 2018 as the region’s only designated pediatric emergency department, is the referral center for all seriously ill and injured children in a 25-county area of northeastern New York and western New England. Physicians in the center are fellowship-trained and board-certified in the specialty of pediatric emergency medicine.

The Level 1 verification is the highest a hospital can attain and comes after a rigorous review by the ACS Committee on Trauma to ensure the hospital is meeting all aspects of trauma care, prevention, rehabilitation, and more.

“The comprehensive and expert care provided to pediatric trauma patients at Albany Medical Center is second to none,” said Dr. Dennis P. McKenna, president and CEO of the Albany Med Health System. “As the region’s only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, we are demonstrating our commitment to elevate the level of critical and emergency care provided to our youngest patients.”