Gems
July 2020
Exceptional Lives Here.
From the President & CEO Welcome to the very first issue of our new Garnet Health employee newsletter, Garnet Health Gems. Upon reflection, I always knew we had great people within our healthcare system, but the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated it in countless ways. I observed you come in to work day after day, sometimes under tremendous pressure and emotional strain. Many of your loved ones had the virus, and yet you still remained at our patients’ sides providing treatment and support. Your flexibility and innovation showed how our healthcare system could operate during unprecedented times, with little to no time for preparation. You adapted to the moment and met the most unforeseen challenges. You met the shortages we faced with creative resources and solutions. In days, you completed projects that would normally take months. You were there to meet surge capacity no matter what department you work in or with whom you work. It seems almost impossible to capture everything you’ve done, but know this: I could not thank you enough for everything you have sacrificed for our patients and community. I hope this new system newsletter bears witness for years to come – years where you will continue on as heroes in every sense of the word. You are, after all, our healthcare “gems” – each and every single one of you. Sincerely,
Scott Batulis, President & CEO, Garnet Health
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Exceptional Lives Here We rebranded our organization to Garnet Health to more easily and memorably communicate that we are a united group committed to delivering exceptional healthcare. Together, we are vital ambassadors of the new era ahead. Thank you for proudly doing your part to make Garnet Health a name associated with excellence. Above all else, you are what matters most. We are here, with and for you, to elevate health, to do the extraordinary, to deliver exceptional — every day. We have purposefully built our health system Designed to deliver excellence in care Working as a collective, Enhancing each person’s experience at every point along the journey. Together, we are driving what “better” looks and feels like Together we are Garnet, the state gemstone of New York A symbol of brilliance, quality, clarity and healing Representing that we are raising the standard and giving our all. All ways exceptional. Always excellence. Garnet Health. Exceptional Lives Here.
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We are Garnet Health
Legacy Day
We encouraged our staff to wear their Catskill Regional Medical Center, Orange Regional Medical Center and Medical Group swag for the last time, and what an awesome show of support for our legacy names! 4
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Frequently Asked Questions What is Garnet Health? Garnet Health is the corporate parent and the new name of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System. Have the hospitals and medical groups changed names? Yes, the names changed, but locations, phone numbers and services remain the same. • Orange Regional Medical Center has been renamed Garnet Health Medical Center. • Catskill Regional Medical Center and Grover M. Hermann Hospital have been renamed Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills. • Orange Regional Medical Group and Catskill Regional Medical Group have been renamed Garnet Health Doctors. • Greater Hudson Valley Urgent Care has been renamed Garnet Health Urgent Care. • Orange Regional Medical Center Foundation has been renamed Garnet Health Foundation. • And Catskill Regional Medical Center Foundation has been renamed Garnet Health Foundation - Catskills. When did the name change happen? We officially changed the names of our hospitals and medical group on June 18, 2020. Why was Garnet Health chosen? We rebranded our organization to more easily and memorably communicate that we are a united group committed to delivering exceptional health. The garnet is also New York State’s gemstone and represents brilliance, quality, clarity and healing. Was the Greater Hudson Valley Health System purchased by or merged with another organization? No. We are still the same independently-run not-for-profit healthcare organization with the same management and voluntary board of directors comprised of community members.
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Our Mission, Vision and Values Mission Statement Improve the health of our community by providing exceptional healthcare. Vision Statement We are caring professionals driven by standards of excellence who go above and beyond to provide an exceptional patient-care experience. Values Statement • Patients and families first • Respect and civility (recently added) • Honesty, integrity and transparency in action • Operational excellence • Teamwork, collaboration and communication • Accountability • An impeccable healing environment
OUR NEW LOOK New Garnet Health Medical Center Landing Page
New Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills Landing Page
New Garnet Health Doctors Landing Page
New Garnet Health Facebook Page
Center for Sleep Medicine
New Garnet Health Employee Intranet Page
Sample Covers of New Garnet Health Brochures
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A Shining Example of Excellence Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills’ Grover M. Hermann Hospital has done it again. For nine consecutive years, the Hospital has been named one of the Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the country. This recent honor means we scored among the best for patient satisfaction as determined by The Chartis Center for Rural Health. The rankings are announced each year by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). “Our results as a top performer in patient satisfaction means our community can count on us to deliver the services it needs now and in the future,” said Rolland “Boomer” Bojo, Vice President of Patient Care Services & Chief Nursing Officer, Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills and Administrator, Grover M. Hermann Hospital. This is the ninth time Grover M. Hermann Hospital has been awarded as a top 20 CAH in either patient satisfaction or quality. We salute our colleagues for this outstanding and honorable achievement. Keep shining, Garnet Health! For more information on Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills, visit garnethealth.org.
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Patient Safety Corner High-Reliability Organizations Are Committed to Safety High-reliability organizations always maintain a commitment to patient safety at all levels, from frontline providers to managers and executives. This commitment establishes a “culture of safety” that encompasses the following: • Acknowledgment of the high-risk nature of an organization’s activities and the determination to achieve consistently safe operations. • A blame-free environment where individuals are able to report errors or near misses without fear of reprimand or punishment. • Encouragement of collaboration across ranks and disciplines to seek solutions to patient-safety problems. • Organizational commitment of resources to address safety concerns. For more information on patient safety throughout our healthcare system, contact Quality Data Specialist Katie Haun at 333-1294 or khaun@garnethealth.org.
COVID-19 Information
Please remember, it is everyone’s responsibility to stay informed. Organizational information can always be found on the intranet under ‘COVID-19 Information.’
Dr. Camille's Specialized Care Available in Middletown, Monticello Women’s Health services are getting a boost in Monticello now that OB/ GYN Irvelyne Camille, MD, is back in Sullivan County seeing patients at the Garnet Health Doctors Monticello office (in addition to Middletown). Dr. Camille partners with women of all ages to help them maximize wellness for a fuller, richer quality of life in an era when women are living longer than ever before. Dr. Camille provides preventive care, contraception counseling, prenatal care, cancer screenings and menopausal care, as well as other specialized diagnoses, treatments and aftercare for varying stages of life. She earned her Medical Degree at New York Medical College in Valhalla, Westchester County, and completed her Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. For appointments, call the Monticello office at (845) 333-6500 or the Middletown office at (845) 333-7575.
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Congratulations! The Employee of the Month program is also known as the BEE Award – and Being Exceptional Every day takes dedication, loyalty and commitment! Congratulations to our 2020 winners and thank you for everything you do! Please read the wonderful tributes below. To nominate an employee, physician or volunteer, visit the intranet page, scroll to the bottom and click on the BEE Award icon.
January Antoinette Karellas (middle), Care Coordinator, Garnet Health Doctors: “Antoinette is always professional and kind. She makes herself available to providers and staff for questions and follows up on cases to ensure plans are enacted and evaluated. In her interactions with patients, she presents herself as knowledgeable and caring, always being empathetic to the patient’s situation.”
February Sara Sargente (second from left), Head and Neck Cancer Nurse Navigator, Garnet Health Medical Center: “When a patient is diagnosed, they are extremely anxious. When Sara meets them, her calming influence and caring attitude shine. She makes a commitment to be there and help them through their treatment and survivorship. When you see how comfortable and cared for Sara makes patients feel, it is truly the essence of what being a nurse is all about.”
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March Anna Pizzari (right), Environmental Services Worker, Garnet Health Medical Center: “Anna has taken initiative to add to the patient experience by making our Labor and Delivery rooms feel like hotel suites. Not only does she take pride in ensuring that rooms are immaculate, but each room she prepares gets a swan made out of towels.”
April Anthony Mella (left), Emergency Department Technician, Garnet Health Medical Center: “The (COVID) patient was actively dying… the patient’s son was called in and he asked for last rites. It was 4 a.m. and Anthony went to his locker and retrieved his Bible. He held back his tears and read to the patient and the son. This brought some peace to both. I know this was not easy for Anthony, but he selflessly went above and beyond…”
National Honor For Dr. Vieux The excellence of Department of Psychiatry Chairman Ulrick Vieux, DO, MS, is going national! Dr. Vieux, who also serves as Director of the Psychiatry Residency Program, will be joining the editorial board for Academic Psychiatry. The appointment was made by the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training. Dr. Vieux will provide support and direction for the journal. This includes advising editors, reviewing manuscripts, developing ideas for special collections of papers, helping render decisions on complex manuscripts and stimulating interest in the journal for authors, readers and reviewers. He will serve from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2023. Dr. Vieux was chosen after a highly competitive process, so this is an honor for both Dr. Vieux and Garnet Health Doctors. Congratulations! 11
Transforming Care Through Challenging Times Within the blink of an eye, the care provided in the Skilled Nursing Unit (SNU) at Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills demanded change. The talented staff for our population’s most vulnerable had to face the COVID-19 pandemic head-on for the safety of its residents. “Long-term care closely resembles a home-like environment; pictures are in rooms, everyone eats together, religious services are held. We laugh, cry and even mourn the loss of loved ones together,” said Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills’ Director of Nursing at the Skilled Nursing Unit, Jessica Conklin-Picard, RN. “COVID-19 changed all of that for us.” Jessica and her staff had to find the right way to tell the unit’s 60 residents, whose ages range from 77 to 102, how important it was to stay in one room of their entire “home.” That meant eating there, sleeping there and staying only there. The residents could no longer invite visitors. Their only contact was the staff, who were encouraged to limit their time with patients to avoid risk of spreading the virus.
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Skilled Nursing Unit residents agreed to be photographed for the story about the great care they received during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the peak of the pandemic, staff persevered in making sure residents’ family members were communicated with frequently. “Conference calls were held with our SNU families. We provided updates – how many positive patients we had, if someone passed away and the health of our staff,” Jessica said. “We also used Webex meetings for face-to-face visits with families and loved ones. The biggest challenge here was teaching families to use the technology.” The relentless staff boosted the morale of both staff and our patients – whether it was with 30-second dance parties or assistance with virtual visitation, they celebrated victories through the challenging time. “I think our “color wars” week helped us unite. To see the amount of participation from the entire hospital was exciting,” Jessica said. Every day there was a new color that residents and staff were asked to wear.
“Our challenges were many. Every few days a new executive order came out - with new guidance on how to combat COVID-19.” Garnet Health Medical Center Catskills Director of Nursing at the Skilled Nursing Unit, Jessica Conklin-Picard, RN
Despite the staff’s incredible efforts to engage and comfort its residents, “Our happiest moments were when we could call families to tell them their loved one was COVID-negative or that their loved one was doing fine – that they were happy and enjoying one-on-one time with staff,” Jessica shared.
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Welcome, New Providers! A warm Garnet Health Doctors welcome to 24 new providers who have joined us since March! These doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants comprise the largest contingent of new providers we’ve ever had. And we’re especially proud that six are graduates of the Garnet Health Graduate Medical Education Program! We’re thrilled these talented, compassionate team members have joined us. On behalf of our patients and your new colleagues, thank you for demonstrating that at Garnet Health, Exceptional Lives Here.
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Mary Barber, MD
Michael Bliss, DO
Shajiuddin Mohammed, MD
Catharine Armentrout, NP
Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health
Behavioral Health
Critical Care
Patrick Bafuma, PA
Ilona Belinskaya, MD
Rhonda D’Agostino, ACNP
Panagiotis Kouloumbinis, PA
Critical Care
Critical Care
Critical Care
Critical Care
Kelly Kraebel, PA
Matthew Michaels, DO
John Savooji, MD
Steven Byrne, DO
Critical Care
Critical Care
Hematology/Oncology
Hospital Medicine
Christian de Elia, DO
Nathalie Hirsch, DO
Joel Lichman Lawrence, MD
Hospital Medicine
Hospital Medicine
Hospital Medicine
Jaewon Yoo, DO
Michael Morgan, MD
Aria Williams, DO
Hospital Medicine
Infectious Diseases and Hospital Medicine
Infectious Diseases
Kavneet Kaur, MD
Behzad Maghsoudlou, MD
Quais Sayeed, DO
Neurology
Neurology
Primary Care
Amir Gendy, MD
Michele Hoffmann, NP
Jezzreel Phillips, NP
Trauma
Trauma
Trauma
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Up Front and Personal: The Fight Against COVID-19 By Aamir Gilani, MD, MPH, FCCP Medical Director for Medical Specialties, Garnet Health Doctors When COVID-19 showed up in the news from the New York City area a few months ago, our critical care units were still calm, but there was a feeling among the nurses and physicians that we needed to be proactive and prepare in advance. As our administration started surge planning, we saw staff from multiple disciplines coming together to create a plan to deal with a pandemic – the likes of which have not been seen in decades. Through this coordination and open communication came a surge plan that would increase ICU capacity from 30 beds to more than 100. Thankfully, we never reached maximum capacity, though we did come close. I am fortunate that I was able to work with clinical and non-clinical staff who gave me a new perspective on the strengths of our hospitals. I am extremely proud of our nurses on the front lines, especially in the Intensive Care Units, who went above and beyond their call of duty. They not only took care of patients, they supported patients’ families over the phone by providing daily updates. In unfortunate circumstances, they provided closure to families by providing them insight into the last moments of a patient’s life. 16
I am additionally proud of our resident physicians who were brought in as part of pandemic coverage. They were exposed to the most difficult times in their clinical training, but they demonstrated great composure and medical insight. I am sure this experience has helped them develop great skills that they will use for the rest of their lives. Elsewhere, our advanced practice providers from ICUs and other specialties came together and worked seamlessly as part of a large team. Our medical group is young and still growing, but in these crucial times, we demonstrated tremendous flexibility and robustness – and we should be very proud. Lastly, the true strength of a healthcare system lies in coordination between healthcare providers and the administration. Our successful fight with COVID in the last few months largely was made possible through teamwork and communication between our leadership and frontline staff. We should now build on these relationships to prepare for future challenges.
By Rhonda D’Agostino, ACNP-BC Critical Care Medicine I joined Garnet Health Doctors earlier this year, coming from a large academic center in New York City. In hindsight, the timing of leaving the city could not have been more perfect, but little did I know the greater challenge awaiting us all. Most importantly, I never expected to be working alongside so many heroes and to be led by a deeply supportive community and leadership team. Without question, this experience has been bittersweet. Taking care of critically ill COVID-19 patients – some of whom were employees, friends and even family members – bore a huge emotional toll on us. Despite that, all the love, dedication and altruism from everyone – including
respiratory therapy, environmental services, radiology, lab and employee heath (to name a few) – were simply astonishing. In just a few weeks, we went from co-workers to partners in delivering extraordinary care! The care rendered to our community was, and still is, unparalleled. The nurses are truly amazing. They are some of the most flexible, passionate and hard-working nurses I have ever worked with. In addition, the advanced practice providers, residents and physicians all came together remarkably well, and the volunteerism I witnessed from other services was unprecedented. We worked hand in hand as a well-executed team as we tackled new consults, admissions and other unforeseen issues.
“...I never expected to be working alongside so many heroes... - Rhonda D’Agostino, ACNP-BC, Critical Care Medicine
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The Telehealth Takeoff As COVID-19 hit close to home, finding a different approach to caring for our nonCOVID patients with medical issues became a primary focus. Garnet Health Doctors expanded its Telehealth service almost overnight, offering new outlets for people in our community to consult with our clinicians without having to leave home and risk exposure. A Telehealth visit offers many of our primary, specialty and urgent care services, and is a convenient way to keep up with regular appointments. For example, during a Telehealth cardiology visit, the patient and doctor can address a range of priorities that can include swelling, post-procedure wounds and medications. We are seeing that specialty visits and follow-ups for orthopedics, urology and pulmonary are most popular. It’s important to not neglect your health, and these virtual Telehealth meetings with clinicians – by phone or video – are easy to set up and are covered by most insurance plans. Telehealth is available during Garnet Health Doctors’ regular office hours. To schedule a Telehealth appointment, call 333-7575 and a member of our team will assist you. To learn more, visit garnethealth.org/telehealth.
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Residents Graduate On June 19, the Graduate Medical Education Department hosted its Virtual Graduation and Awards Ceremony honoring the residents who have successfully completed their training at Garnet Health Medical Center. Although all our graduates had reached many academic milestones prior to starting their residency training in Middletown, their graduation from Garnet Health
Medical Center is very special because they are being celebrated as heroes. They have worked, and will continue to work, on the front lines fighting a deadly pandemic. They deserve all the accolades bestowed on them as they embark on their next journey. To view the virtual graduation, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcD4dc9JqKY
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The Garnet Health Foundation Healey Brothers 29th Annual Golf Classic September 14-15, 2020 Save the dates Enjoy a spectacular setting and help advance lifesaving care by participating in The Garnet Health Foundation Healey Brothers 29th Annual Golf Classic! The Classic, Orange County’s premier golf outing, will be different this year to ensure that health and safety are top of mind. It will be held on two days, Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15, on two exceptional courses: West Hills Country Club in Middletown and The Golf Club at Mansion Ridge in Monroe. Proceeds benefit the expansion and renovation of the Emergency Department at Garnet Health Medical Center. The expansion will add approximately 52 new treatment bays. A free 600-space employee parking garage will be constructed on the east side of the expanded ED to provide additional parking spaces for patients and visitors. The helipad will be relocated nearby. Construction will take 2.5 years.
Registration begins at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, September 14. The shotgun start on both courses on both days is 11 a.m. Safety measures include each golfer having his or her own cart. Day-of registration, as well as scoring, will be via smartphones. There is no in-person registration this year. The Garnet Health Foundation will thank golfers for their generous support with a Hicke Golf branded golf club travel bag, which will be placed in each golf cart. Participation includes quality catered boxed lunch and dinner. Early registration for this popular event is vital, so sign up today! The deadline is September 1. Visit garnethealthclassic.org. If you have questions, or would like to support The Classic through a wide array of sponsorship opportunities, please call the Garnet Health Foundation at (845) 333-2333 or email foundation@garnethealth.org.
Gems Newsletter Produced by Garnet Health Marketing & Corporate Communications. For more information, contact Lauren Kropf-Zuckerman at lzuckerman@garnethealth.org or call 333-2363.
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