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Times of Ti
April 11, 2020
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
North Country hospitals complete surge capacity plans State directive looked for 50 percent capacity increase, 100 percent if attainable By Kim Dedam, Alina Walentowicz, Laurel Caroll STAFF WRITERS
NORTHERN NEW YORK | Area hospitals have responded to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s order for bed expansion. The state looked for every hospital to increase available beds by 50 percent, shifting that goal up to 100 percent where possible.
ADIRONDACK HEALTH
At Adirondack Health, spokesman Matt Scollin said they have achieved the Department of Health measure for surge capacity for both acute care and intensive care unit beds. Adirondack Medical Center built capacity from 95 certified beds to 145. They have 8 ICU beds with plans in place, Scollin said, to get to 12. The hospital in Saranac Lake has nine ventilators. I n add it ion to i n-hospita l room, Adirondack Health is currently reviewing sites for off-site care. “We have looked at three locations that could be utilized for non-COVID patients,” Scollin said. “But we’ve made no decision yet, so we are not naming the sites. Staffi ng for the extra beds and offsite beds is also in the works.” Adirondack Health is paying particular attention to local demographics, given the elderly demographic in Essex County with 5 percent more people age 65 and older than the rest of the state. An unusual demand is also looking to Adirondack Health for childbirth options. Expectant parents from outside the region have approached the hospital
looking to deliver their new babies at the Stafford New Life Center, a wing of Adirondack Medical Center dedicated specifically for labor and delivery. “We have had five requests, and there are likely going to be more, from moms in their third trimester,” Scollin said, adding that the inquiry is welcome. “It is what we do.” Coordination between hospital systems, administrators and staff throughout the North Country is ongoing, Scollin said, as area hospitals pool resources, monitor data and supplies. “It really has been something to see. Our communities can be assured we are working extremely well together on their behalf.” More information available at www. adirondackhealth.org.
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT HEALTH NETWORK, ELIZABETHTOWN COMMUNITY HOSPITAL (ECH)
Expansion for beds is in place at ECH, with a plan submitted to the state’s Department of Health (DOH) to include 13 beds split between the Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga campuses. More information available at www.ech.org.
UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT (UVM) HEALTH NETWORK, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY PHYSICIANS HOSPITAL (CVPH), PLATTSBURGH
‘Tell you what: Keep the change.’
CVPH now has two intensive care units: one for COVID-19 or “suspected” COVID-19 patients; one for non-COVID-19 patients. The hospital added a supplemental, tented outdoor ER for patients with respiratory illnesses. “We are planning to be able to ventilate up to as many as thirty [ICU beds],” said Dr. Wouter Rietsema, MD, VP of Population and Information Services, an infectious disease physician at CVPH. Originally at 14, the hospital’s surge capacity for ICU beds has now reached 28, but Dr. Rietsema said appropriately trained staff are just as needed as the beds themselves, with the expectation that current
Apparently money is no object at the Ticonderoga Post Office, where a postal customer, in full combat gear, forewent her change. The post office has covered its walls and doors with COVID-19 protection directives. Otherwise it’s business as usual with the noted exception of an earlier-than-usual return of the snowbirds. Photo by Laurel Carroll staff members could fall ill. “We’ve started training certain people for other work within the hospital so that we can meet our surge plans.” Officials are discussing overflow bed options and circumstances, should the hospital require support. Some nearby hotels are partnering with Clinton County Health Department (CCHD) and Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide care and housing resources in an
overflow situation, with particular attention to populations experiencing homelessness. DSS maintains housing partnerships with a number of area hotels and motels. Should a positive test occur, individuals are “housed in a location specified by CCHD”, according to Area 9 County Legislator Christopher Rosenquest (D), also legislative liaison to the area business community. See SURGE PLANS » pg. 15
BACKPACK PROGRAM HELPING FEED KIDS
Moriah program gets grant from Stewart’s for food By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
PORT HENRY | Moriah Central School’s BackPack Program has received a $500 grant from Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Program. It’s been a Stewart’s tradition since 1986 to collect and match donations in their shops from Thanksgiving until Christmas, and these funds are used directly for children under
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“Currently, meals are being delivered every Friday as part of our normal meal delivery system,” Larrow said. “These particular students receive breakfast and lunch for the day plus food to carry them through the weekend and beyond. It’s an extremely important program during such a time of need for all residents in the town of Moriah.” The superintendent said It would not be possible to provide these students with a backpack without the generous donation from sponsors like the Stewart’s Shops. “We are extremely grateful for their generous donation to help us in our efforts to combat childhood hunger,” he said. A donation of $183 will feed one child for an entire school year and all donations are tax-deductible. For more information, contact Val Mildon, Moriah Central School treasurer at 518-546-3301, extension 506. To learn more about Stewart’s Shops contribution programs you can visit their website at www.stewartsshops.com/community-giving. ■
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not available to them. The program provides bags filled with food that is child friendly, shelf stable and easy to prepare. The contents of the BackPack vary each week, but contain a variety of items such as: two breakfast Items (cereal, oatmeal packets, graham crackers, granola bars; three entrees (canned pasta, mac and cheese, tuna, soup, peanut butter and jelly); one loaf of bread; two juice boxes; fresh fruits; canned vegetables; two snacks (cookies, popcorn, pudding, etc.); Stewart’s milk and egg cards (every other week). The egg card for one dozen eggs is a new addition to the program this year. One hundred percent of the grant money received will be used to purchase food for the backpacks through the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Moriah has over 70 volunteers that help support the operation of the program by serving on committees, picking up food deliveries, packing backpacks and distributing the backpacks to the students.
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18 years of age in the geographic areas where their shops are located. Moriah’s BackPack Program started in October 2015 with 30 students. Today it supplies 42 students with nutritious meals on the weekends and on extended school breaks. The effort to start this program was championed by a freshman student at Moriah, Brooke Mildon, as her Gold Award project for the Girl Scouts. It’s taken off since then, and has been particularly important in the added economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “The program is a mainstay for the students involved in the program,” sad Moriah Central School Superintendent Bill Larrow. “Many of these students come from single family or families where finances are scarce, and being able to ensure these kids are eating over the weekend and holidays is essential to their social and physical development.” The BackPack program is designed to meet the needs of hungry children when other resources are
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