Category Archives: Health & Fitness

By Christine Graf
According to national data, doctors in the United States logged more than 1 billion virtual telemedicine appointments during 2020. Its usage peaked in April at which time 69 percent of all patient visits were virtual.
At Glens Falls Hospital, no telemedicine system was in place when the COVID-19 pandemic began. As a result, administrators had to scramble to get a system in place.
“This was all new to all of us,” said Patti Hammond, vice president for physician practice management. “One of the reasons was that the insurance companies including Medicare were not paying for virtual visits as though it was an in-person visit. Because of COVID, there were some emergency approvals, and the insurance companies said they would pay for that visit just as though the patient was in your office setting.”
In a matter of 48 hours, Glens Falls Hospital had a telemedicine system up and running. The hospital uses the Doxy.me platform and pays a monthly fee for each provider who uses the tool.
“Because we are a health care organization, we had to have a system that was HIPPA compliant. You can’t just do a Zoom call,” said Hammond.
Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, a group of more than 250 providers practicing out of 20-plus locations, implemented a telemedicine platform in the spring of 2019.

By Maria Savino
Tis’ the season for health and wellness resolutions. While there is no shortage of diet plans and exercise regimes to follow in a New Year, I believe the most important aspect to achieve any health goal is the mindset you have going into it.
Many wellness resolutions are created from a place of lack and restriction.
For example: “I am going to cut out processed foods,” “I’m going to give up soda” or “I am going to stop sitting all day.”
Although these goals have positive intentions, the mindset behind them is not setting anyone up for success.
As a health coach, I instruct clients to set wellness goals from the mindset of positivity and addition, rather than restriction and subtraction. This mindset shift is a key component of their long term success for two reasons.
The first reason pertains to how we are naturally wired. As human beings, it never feels good when things are taken away or restricted, especially if those things have given you a sense of comfort or happiness in the past. For example, overeating can be a form of comfort, binge watching hours of television can provide stress relief, or grabbing that afternoon chocolate bar can promote a sense of joy during an otherwise dull or stressful day.

By Jill Nagy
“We’re breathing in a lot of stuff in the air that we cannot see,” said Patrick Schmidt, vice president of sales at Air Pro Solutions, a new business selling, installing and servicing air filtration systems.
When he and other member of his sales staff visit a potential customer, they bring along an air quality meter that can measure that “stuff in the air” and then show it disappearing as one of the company’s Air Box filters goes to work.
Air Pro, located at 229 Washington St. in Saratoga Springs, services an area including Saratoga and Albany counties, the Glens Falls area and the North Country. They are independent dealers for Air Box units manufactured in the Carolinas. Currently, the company employs three sales people and two service people.

Glens Falls Hospital received its first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before Christmas and began vaccinating employees based on the CDC and state Department of Health guidelines.
The first person to receive the vaccine at the hospital was Stephanie Kelly, lab lead, microbiology.
“It was great, I did not feel a thing, less than what I feel with the flu shot usually,” she said. “I would recommend everyone getting this vaccination. It is important. We are so lucky and I am happy to have it.”
Some of the doses received were earmarked for EMS and other first responders. The hospital worked directly with these first responder teams to get members vaccinated.

Saratoga Hospital has added space and services at the former Adirondack Urgent Care center, which is now known as Saratoga Hospital Urgent Care – Adirondack, located on Route 9, just north of Walmart, in the Mount Royal Plaza.
Officials said patients have easy access to urgent care—no appointment necessary—from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. Walk-in X-ray and laboratory services are also available seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for X-rays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for lab draws.
A prescription is required for lab and X-ray services.

By Jill Nagy
Underwood Park CrossFit of Fort Edward was named a 2019 Small Business of the Year in Washington County by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Washington County Local Development Corporation. They were also nominated as Ethical Business of the Year by the Adirondack Samaritan Counselling Center and will know next April whether they receive that honor as well.
Also in 2019, the gym was selected as the second best health and wellness business by the Glens Falls Post-Star and co-owner and head coach Michael Plank was named to the list of 20 under 40 by the same newspaper. His wife and co-owner, Lauren Grogan, made that list in 2018.
Plank declared himself “honored and humbled” by the awards.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
Kathy Scherer, owner of Go-For Fitness in South Glens Falls, is expanding classes and services for the new year.
The fitness center has eight instructors and teaches around 50 group exercise classes a week.
“One misconception out there is that we are a ladies gym. We are not just a ladies gym. We have many male members and would like to attract more. We’d really like to attract more male instructors too,” said Scherer. “It’s not just for women. Everyone is welcome.”
The staff recently went through Barre certification through Barre Above.
“It’s a fusion of ballet, pilates, body weight strength training and leg work, while using the barre for balance. It’s a different take on group exercise. We’re using body weight, with a focus on balance and strength. It has a wide appeal. Anyone can do it,” said Scherer.

ADK CrossFit In Glens Falls Opens A New Facility Above Its Downtown Location
by Andrea Harwood Palmer
Israel Del Toro has opened his second gym in the heart of downtown Glens Falls.
ADK Fit is a 24-hour fitness facility located above Del Toro’s ADK CrossFit gym.
The expansive space is 6,000 square feet, located at 80 Glen St., between NBT Bank and J.E. Sawyer & Co.
ADK CrossFit has been open just under eight years, and moved to its downtown Glens Falls location about a year ago.
“The best part about CrossFit is it’s a nice big community,” said Del Toro. “Everybody knows everybody. Everybody’s very friendly with each other. There’s no drama or issues. Nobody judges anyone, nobody cares what anyone can or can’t do.”

By Christine Graf

Founded in the late 1960s by Dr. William Tedesco, Irongate Family Practice in Glens Falls is one of the largest independent medical practices in the area. It is owned by Irongate’s 11 board-certified family physicians.

“We all play a role in this,” said Irongate president Dr. Robert Reeves. “We are all partners in the practice. It’s a shared responsibility, and we all have different roles within the organization.”

In addition to 11 physicians, Irongate has 18 nurse practitioners and physician assistants. They also employ 100 nurses and support staff members.

By Susan E. Campbell

Fitness trainers have found that while wearable devices are fun and useful tools for tracking progress, there is nothing like the personal touch for motivating clients to meet their goals.

Fitness tracker devices count steps walked, calories burned, heart rate, sleep patterns, and more. Many sync data to cell phones or other devices though mobile apps that can be shared with friends and personal trainers.

Some believe “wearables” have led to better health or greater weight loss, although results can vary among different age and lifestyle groups when compared with the old-fashioned methods. A study published by the JAMA Network in 2016 concluded there was less weight loss among 471 adult users when compared to a control group.