By Susan E. Campbell
Women’s Health, part of the Hudson Headwaters Health Network, reopened its doors following months of interior renovation.
The changes make the center at 90 South St. in Glens Falls “an optimal experience” with more comprehensive services for women and their families, according to practice leader Sally Howard.
“We expanded up and down,” said Howard, who has been with the practice for three years. “The physical expansion of the facility creates an environment where patients and providers feel they will get the best care.”
Hudson Headwaters Health Network has centers from Champlain down to Moreau and west to North Creek. The recently re-named Women’s Health became a part of the network in 2013, said Dr. Ted Denious, who co-leads it with Dr. Danielle Goertzen.
Saratoga And Glens Falls Hospitals Get Aid As Part Of the Federal CARES ACT
The federal government in May distributed more than $100.7 million to health care providers in the Capital Region as part of aid prompted by the pandemic.
Hospitals lead the regional list of recipients, with Albany Med’s $20.3 million at the top. But funds also went to providers such as physician groups and nursing homes. The non-hospital group that received the largest payment was New York Oncology Hematology, which received $3.5 million.
Glens Falls Hospital received $4.9 million. Saratoga Hospital received $7 million.
Inpatient and outpatient skilled nursing groups received some of the largest payments, including Wesley Health Care Center with $733,715.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is allocating $50 billion to providers as part of the CARES Act. Congress approved the funds to help health care providers offset lost revenue and increased expenses because of the COVID-19 crisis.
Health systems and physician groups have said
New Owner Of Alpine Lodge In North Creek Has All 36 Rooms Set Up For Health Safety
By Jennifer Farnsworth
The North Country expect the Alpine Lodge’s transformation into what new owner Keir Weimer describes as both a smart hotel and a property set up to keep people safe from COVID-19.
The real estate entrepreneur purchased the property at 264 Main St., North Creek, in late May for about $1.2 million.
Weimer, president of Adirondack Hospitality Ventures LLC, said she has worked to transform the 19-room property with top-level voice, streaming and energy-efficient technology as a way to provide guests with a modern, yet still rustic, experience. Weimer said the company is excited to show patrons the changes in technology.
But the top priority is safety. He said they have been working diligently to ensure the safety of their employees and guests in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Thermal Camera Screening System Can Detect Elevated Body Temperatures
By Susan E. Campbell
Shepherd Communication & Security, an electronic security and structured wiring integrator, is helping client companies stop coronavirus “at the front door” by offering thermal cameras it says that screen people for elevated body temperature before they step into a business.
“Thermal imaging is a fairly mature technology that came out of the military 45 years ago,” said Richard Ruzzo, managing partner, who founded the company with Robert Guillerault in 2007. “Infrared thermal imaging today has a broad variety of medical applications for screening and diagnosing a patient in real time.”
Ruzzo said elevated body temperature levels (EBT ) are being captured extensively with cameras and scanners by first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“EBT is highly correlated with sickness,” he said. “Identifying individuals with EBT as an early warning can dramatically slow the spread of viruses and infections,” he said.
Northern River Family Of Services Launches Mental Health Program For Local Counties
Northern Rivers Family of Services has launched its new Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program to serve Warren and Washington counties.
ACT is an intensive community-based, client-centered program developed to serve adults age 18 and older who experience a serious and persistent mental illness that makes functioning in the community difficult for them.
Glens Falls Hospital And Fort Hudson, A Senior Care Group, Align For Better Services
Glens Falls Hospital and Fort Hudson Health System have developed a new model of care for patients that officials claim will more effectively integrate acute and post-acute services.
The jointly developed program, known as the Partnership for Better Health, targets patients at Glens Falls Hospital who require short-term rehabilitation or home health care and have risk factors which increases their chance of future hospitalizations.
Glens Falls Hospital Honors Nurses; Prepares For Designation As Federal ‘Magnet’ Hospital
Glens Falls Hospital, during a week-long celebration of Nurses Week in May, honored 11 nurses for the quality care they provide throughout the entire year.
The events of Nurses Week were centered on recognizing nurses for the critical role they have in delivering compassionate and expert clinical care to patients.
The hospital also announced that for the past four consecutive years, Glens Falls Hospital nurses have been finalists or named in the Top 10 Nurses of the Year for the Times Union Salute to Nurses, including this year’s winner Jennifer Cleveland.
At the hospital’s annual Nurse of the Year awards ceremony, honors were given in four diverse categories: nurse leadership, nurse as teacher, clinical nurse, and magnet champion. The nurses were nominated and selected by their peers. Winners included:
Fort Hudson Health System CEO Gets The 2018 Lawrence E. Martin Memorial Award
The CEO of Fort Hudson Health System, Inc., has been awarded the highest honor for excellence in senior care leadership by a statewide association of senior care providers.
Andrew Cruikshank as presented with the 2018 Lawrence E. Larson Memorial Award of Honor from LeadingAge New York on May 24 in Saratoga Springs.
LeadingAge New York represents more than 450 nonprofit senior care organizations from across the state.
NYS Health Connector Website Allows Quick Access To Wide Range Of Health Information
The state Department of Health has launched the NYS Health Connector, a web-based application that allows quick access to a wide range of health information—such as the costs of various medical procedures and the frequency those procedures are performed at hospitals—empowering consumers to make more informed health care decisions.
The new website, which also features health care service and utilization data, is a rich resource for policymakers and researchers interested in identifying needs and resources in communities throughout the state as well, officials said.
“It is critical for patients to be active participants in their healthcare decisions, and we are proud to announce that the NYS Health Connector can help them reach that goal,” said state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker. “We have consolidated and made accessible multiple sources of data that will help New Yorkers achieve better health, better care and lower costs.”
State’s Official Health Care Marketplace Says Enrollment Topped 4.3 Million People In May
NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace,reported in May that more than 4.3 million New Yorkers enrolled in health plans during its fifth open enrollment period that ran from Nov. 1, 2017 through Jan. 31.
“We worked hard to get the message out that the Marketplace is ‘open for business,’ and that the health plans offered through NY State of Health provide New Yorkers with the protection and security of health insurance,” said NY State of Health Executive Director Donna Frescatore. “This year, consumers had a choice of health plans at prices that were, in many cases, the same or lower than last year.”
Despite being a year marked by concerns about the continuation of the Affordable Care Act, consumer demand for coverage in New York remains strong, she said.