STAFF MATTERS
Update for Catskill Regional Medical Center employees, physicians and volunteers
February/March 2020
A Message From Our Leader The health and safety of our patients and staff remains our number one priority during this unprecedented time.
Jonathan Schiller
A very special thank you goes to our frontline staff and leaders. Many of you are working long hours throughout this health crisis and your courage and dedication are admirable.
The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise due to spread of the virus and, while it represents a significant concern for our community, the more we come to learn about it, the better we can contain it. We are adhering to CDC recommendations and are actively working with New York State and county Departments of Health. We continue to closely monitor COVID-19 and continue to update our policies and promote best practices to keep our entire healthcare team safe. The compassion and comfort of our community have come to us in so many ways during this time of uncertainty. Let’s not forget the gracious donations of food, supplies and monetary contributions and remain thankful for their generosity. A FAQ Bulletin Board is available on the intranet within the COVID-19 information box. Feel free to read through the information and ask questions. Please also keep in mind,
your supervisor is also available to you for valuable information. You should be reaching out to them for department specific questions. It is every employee’s responsibility to stay informed. We are now offering telehealth to meet the needs of our new and established Medical Group patients who may not need to visit our offices. Telehealth allows providers to hear, and in some instances see, patients while providing the same services that happen in their offices. Most insurances cover telehealth. I ask that when you are not working, that you rest, do your best to stay calm and engage with family and friends via phone, email and other electronic avenues. It’s important for your well-being to laugh and smile as often as you can. Our great responsibility to care for patients requires our unique skills. I have seen your bravery firsthand, and know what we are capable of when called to duty by our community. We will get through this together. In the end, our hospital and our community will be even stronger in the future because of how we have come together today. Sincerely,
Jonathan Schiller, CEO
Annual 98.3 WSUL Heart-A-Thon Raises More Than $80,000 The 42nd Annual 98.3 WSUL Heart-a-Thon took place on February 21 in the Woodland Wildlings Garden Café, located on the Hospital’s ground floor. The radio station broadcasted live from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The annual event raised more than $80,000, and donations are continuing to come in. All proceeds from the Heart-a-Thon are earmarked exclusively for Hospital use. This year, the funds will help subsidize the purchase of a new echocardiogram unit.
GHVHS Medical Group
Update
Telehealth is Here!
We are now serving new and established Medical Group patients in an exciting way: Telehealth. Patients, during phone or video visits from the comfort and safety of their own home, can now receive exceptional patient care. That means no travel to a doctor’s office and brief wait times, if any. It is important to let patients know about this alternative access to care. We encourage you to discuss Telehealth services with all patients and explain that it is available across all services lines in primary and specialty care, if appropriate. Telehealth is covered by most insurance. Telehealth is available during the medical group’s regular office hours. To make a Telehealth appointment with a doctor, call (845) 333-7575. For more information, visit https://www.crmcny.org/telehealth
New Designated Institutional Official Dr. Frantz Duffoo leads Undergraduate, Graduate and Continuing Medical Education The Greater Hudson Valley Health System announced Dr. Frantz Duffoo, of Orange Regional Medical Group, as its new Designated Institutional Official. In this role, Dr. Duffoo has oversight of all Graduate Medical Education, including the System’s six Graduate Medical Education residency programs, Undergraduate Medical Education and Continuing Medical Education. Dr. Duffoo was previously Director of Medical Education and Designated Institutional Official at Saint Peter’s University Hospital (SPUH), in New Brunswick, NJ, overseeing three SPUH-sponsored residency programs, two fellowship programs and three Rutgers University-sponsored residency programs with over 131 residents and fellows. He successfully developed two fellowship programs in gastroenterology and pulmonary medicine. Dr. Duffoo also has extensive experience as an internal medicine residency program director and nephrologist. Dr. Frantz Duffoo
He completed his undergraduate and medical school training at Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education at City College of New York and Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Brookdale Hospital Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, and his Nephrology Fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY.
Always Remember to Perform Hand Hygiene
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1. Upon entering a patient room or approaching a patient
3. Before handling invasive devices
2. Upon leaving a patient’s room
5. After removing gloves
4. Before putting on gloves
Leading the Way Grover M. Hermann Hospital announced the appointment of Megan Heaphy, MSN, RN to Clinical Director. As Clinical Director, Megan is responsible for ensuring quality care to clients and patients. She is also responsible for training and leading other employees and supervision of support staff. Megan was previously a staff nurse and has been employed at Grover M. Hermann Hospital since 2018. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Molloy College and her Master’s Degree in Nursing Leadership from Purdue University.
Megan Heaphy, MSN, RN
Prior to joining Catskill Regional, Megan worked on the telemetry unit at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, NY. She also worked in the emergency room at Tri-Town Regional Hospital in Sidney, NY.
Congratulations
The Diagnostic Imaging Department was presented with the Good Catch Team Award, earlier this year, for submitting the most nominations in 2019. Congratulations for your commitment to patient safety!
Pictured from L to R: Hope Morin, Donna DeStefano, Carol Ferguson, Sue Shaughnessy and Danielle Toffel. (Photo taken earlier this year.)
Certified Nurses Day Catskill Regional celebrated Certified Nurses Day on March 19 by honoring its Board-certified nurses and recognizing their professionalism, leadership and commitment to excellence in patient care. Board certification of nurses plays an important role as it assures high standards of care for patients and their loved ones. While a registered nurse license provides general nursing practice, the requirements to be certified necessitate extensive education, as well as a strong personal commitment to excellence by the nurse. Catskill Regional encourages national Board certification for all its nurses. Board certification recognizes nurses who have gone beyond the registered nursing license and passed the Board-certification exam. We congratulate our Boardcertified nurses for their dedication and commitment to higher education. 3
Health and Wellness Inside Our Hospital
Join Us Virtually
JOIN US FOR OUR
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Special thanks to all pictured: Jodi Goodman, Wanda Cruz (Cornell Cooperative Extension Healthy Schools & Community Coordinator), Jonathan Schiller, Christine Minton and Rebecca Forget (GHVHS). (Photo taken earlier this year.)
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DETAILS AT CRMCNY .ORG/RI SE-WALK . DOWNLO AD YOUR SUPPORT CARD TODAY!
#RISEUPS ULLIVAN
Through our commitment to promote employee health and wellness, we replaced an old water fountain with a water bottle filling station and Cornell Cooperative Extension purchased several evidence-based books about health and wellness to update resources in the Hospital library. We also eliminated sugar-sweetened beverages and updated vending machines so that they are in compliance with American Heart Association standards, thanks to the work of Colette Berger from Morrison Healthcare Food Service.
National Dress In Blue Day
Foundation Creates Emergency Coronavirus Fund You can join the fight against the virus by making a gift to our Emergency Coronavirus Fund, which will be used for the specialized equipment we need to keep fighting this dreadful disease. We need to keep our staff safe so we can continue to care for neighbors and loved ones. Donations large and small make a difference. To make a donation, visit www.crmc.org/emergency-fund.
COVID-19 Information We have established many ways for employees to communicate through the COVID-19 crisis.
• A FAQ Bulletin Board is available on the intranet within the ‘COVID-19 Information’ box. Feel free to read through the information and ask questions.
• A daily briefing goes out to all users and recaps the important messages of the day.
• A 24/7 hotline has been established. Please call 333-8888 for any needs and/or questions you may have.
• The Command Center sends out regular updates via
text messaging and emails to keep you informed of new developments.
• All executive team members are rounding on the floors to check in and answer questions you may have.
• Executive Leadership hosts a conference call twice a week to update all staff on the COVID-19 situation.
• Keep in mind, your supervisor is also available to you for Our staff helped promote colorectal cancer awareness on Dress in Blue Day on March 6. This year, more than 147,000 people will be diagnosed with this highly preventable disease. They will join more than 1.4 million colorectal cancer patients and survivors living today.
valuable information. You should be reaching out to them for department-specific questions.
The latest organizational information can always be found on the intranet under ‘COVID-19 Information.’ It is every employee’s responsibility to stay informed.
Staff Matters Newsletter For more information about Staff Matters or to make a submission for consideration, contact Senior Marketing and PR Specialist Lauren Kropf-Zuckerman at 333-2363 or lzuckerman@ghvhs.org. 4