Gems
October 2021
Exceptional Lives Here
Celebrating 50 Years of Community Healthcare at Grover M. Hermann Hospital Learn more on page 3.
Celebrating 50 Years of Community Healthcare Fifty years ago, a new hospital opened in Callicoon, New York, helping to revolutionize the delivery of local healthcare by bringing specialized services to the community. Today, we know it as our very own Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ Grover M. Hermann Hospital, Callicoon Campus. Dr. Paul Salzberg Honored On September 29, we celebrated our milestone anniversary by dedicating the hospital’s Emergency Department in the name of local physician Paul Salzberg. Dr. Salzberg served the hospital and Callicoon community for nearly 40 years, providing healthcare to all ages, from newborns to geriatrics. Now retired, Dr. Salzberg returned as the guest of honor at a special ribbon-cutting commemorating our $1.1 million ED renovation project. Setting High Standards, Yesterday and Today Over the years, our standards of care have always been high. “Indeed, the practice of medicine has been constantly changing over the past 50 years. Our technology, techniques, medications and therapeutics have advanced along with the entire field of medicine,” said Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Schiller. “We pride ourselves on keeping our organization at the leading
Grover M. Hermann Hospital
2
edge of clinical practice and invest in training and technology to help continue that advancement.” Our Dedication to Patient Satisfaction Also Remains As Strong As Ever In fact, for the fourth consecutive year, Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ Grover M. Hermann Hospital has received Press Ganey’s Guardian of Excellence Award for Patient Experience in its Emergency Department. This year, the hospital received its second Pinnacle of Excellence Award for Patient Experience in its Emergency Department. Continuing the Legacy of Grover M. Hermann While we named our ED for Dr. Salzberg and his memorable healthcare career, honoring his efforts as well as those of the many doctors, nurses, therapists, technicians and others who have made contributions to our hospital, none of it would have been possible without the vision of Grover M. Hermann. After his tremendous success in the industrial world, and later as a philanthropist, Mr. Hermann, a Callicoon native, didn’t think twice about returning some of his prosperity to where his life began. Among his generous gifts was over $400,000 in funding for the opening of the Grover M. Hermann Hospital in 1971.
50 Years of Generosity Today, the philanthropy continues with the Grover M. Hermann Hospital Auxiliary, which also celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and the tremendous generosity of a community that cherishes its local hospital. “If we are at all to be considered successful at healing our community, the credit for that belongs squarely
in the hands of the caregivers who sacrifice for our patients, and for a generous community that sacrifices to support our caregivers,” added Mr. Schiller. To learn more about Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ Grover M. Hermann Hospital or to donate, visit garnethealth.org/donate-catskills.
3
COVID Safety Is Everyone’s Business Garnet Health continues to tighten infectionprevention regulations, resuming past COVID-19 practices and developing new protocols to keep everyone as safe as possible.
Requirements for Visitors Garnet Health requires visitors to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Exceptions to this practice will be made for support people of obstetric patients, parents of pediatric patients, end-oflife patients and patients with special needs that require a support person. Individuals accompanying a patient or wishing to visit a patient will be asked to show proof of vaccination at the time they present identification for their visitor’s pass. All forms of vaccination proof, including New York State Wallet, will be considered. For the latest visitor guidelines, please visit garnethealth.org/visitation.
Reminders for Staff As a reminder, masks are required for all staff in both clinical and nonclinical settings. You must wear a mask properly (fully covering your nose, mouth and chin) when you enter any Garnet Health building. You cannot travel unmasked to your department and then put on a mask. Please keep your inner circle outside of work small and remember that the new variant of COVID-19 spreads more easily and rapidly. Remember to mask, social distance and practice hand hygiene often. • Please don’t come to work if you’re feeling sick. Contact your manager immediately and call the Occupational Health Staff Medical Evaluation line at 333-2066. • A ll staff working in clinical areas with direct patient contact must wear approved Garnet Health–issued eye protection at all times when within 6 feet of another person. • Maintain social distancing. Thank you for helping to slow the spread!
WASH HANDS
4
PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING
WEAR A FACE MASK
USE PROPER EYE PROTECTION
Employee of the Month/BEE Award
Greg Mills, Garnet Health Medical Center Manager of Security, Courier Services and Valet, was recognized as the September 2021 Employee of the Month and received our BEE Award. Greg consistently goes out of his way to be helpful. He protects and assists patients and staff beyond expectations. Thank you for all you do to keep us safe, Greg. We are proud to work with you!
Sherri Reynolds, Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ Food Services Worker, is the September 2021 Employee of the Month and received our BEE Award. Sherri works with patients to obtain food preferences and tailors each menu to their dietary needs and requests. She goes above and beyond to make sure our patients are satisfied with their food choices and even receives calls from patients who check in with her and say hello. Sherri brings in special/requested items that the patients are allowed to eat—paid for out of her own pocket—because she knows they look forward to certain “treats.” This makes their day. We appreciate your compassion and care, Sherri. Thank you for the special care you provide to our patients!
Garnet Health’s BEE Award honors staff who choose to Be Exceptional Every day. To nominate an employee, physician, volunteer, team or department, visit the intranet homepage, scroll down and click on the BEE Award icon.
Congratulations Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills and Garnet Health Medical Center have earned the 2021 College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) Digital Health Most Wired recognition four years in a row. Over the past year, our system implemented a new Garnet Health Mobile application, online patient scheduling and telehealth visits. These enhancements have helped to improve the patient experience and to enhance patient care. As a result, both of our Hospitals moved up to Level 9, with Level 10 being the highest level of the Most Wired recognition. Awesome job!
5
Look Who’s Leading Christine Ammendolea has been promoted to Director of Patient Financial Services. In this role, Christine oversees all functions of the hospital patient accounting office, including timely and accurate billing, collections, customer service, insurance carrier denial follow-up and cash posting. She is responsible for meeting performance indicators, such as accounts receivable days, clean claim rate and cash goals. Christine plays a key role in monitoring changes in the healthcare industry impacting the billing and collection efforts of the health system. She can be reached at cammendolea@garnethealth.org.
Gregg Geisler has been promoted to Vice President of Clinical Operations. He will maintain oversight of Perioperative, Trauma and Bariatric service lines, as well as system wide transfer activities. In his new role, Gregg will oversee operation of the Behavioral Health Unit and assume responsibilities for the development of the Neurosciences service line. Gregg can be reached at ggeisler@garnethealth.org.
We welcome Paula Pope to the position of Breast Patient Navigator. Paula joined the organization in 2017 as a pediatric registered nurse and worked in the Emergency Department and Labor and Delivery Unit at Garnet Health Medical Center. As Breast Patient Navigator and a breast cancer survivor, Paula is an advocate, educator, cheerleader and supporter of breast cancer patients and their care. She also facilitates the Garnet Health Breast Cancer Support Group. Paula can be reached at ppope@garnethealth.org.
6
Nicole Sewell has been promoted to Nursing Administrator of Clinical Operations. The Staffing Office, Payroll Specialist, Float Pool for Registered Nurses, Unit Clerks and Nurse Assistants, Administrative Coordinator, Administrative Director of Nursing (ADN) Team and Patient Flow Coordinators now report to Nicole. She can be reached at nsewell@ garnethealth.org.
Lisa Konopko has been promoted to Senior Nursing Director of the Rowley Family Birthing Center. In addition to her current roles and responsibilities, Lisa oversees the Rowley Family Birthing Center. She can be reached at lkonopko@garnethealth.org.
Garnet Health Medical Center Recognized by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report has named Garnet Health Medical Center a Best Regional Hospital in the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh region, recognized in seven types of care for 2021-22.
Garnet Health Medical Center ranked “high performance” in one specialty (pulmonary and lung surgery) and in six conditions (congestive heart failure, COPD, diabetes, heart attack, kidney failure and stroke). U.S. News publishes Best Hospitals annually to help guide patients in making informed decisions about where to receive care for a particularly difficult surgery, a challenging condition or common elective procedures. Rankings are determined largely through examining objective measures, such as patient survival and safety data, and evaluating the adequacy of nurse staffing levels and quality of nursing care. For the 2021-22 rankings, U.S. News & World Report evaluated more than 4,750 medical centers nationwide, in 15 specialties and 17 procedures and conditions.
“
Garnet Health Medical Center is committed to providing exceptional patient care, and these U.S. News & World Report recognitions are a testament to what we do every day. We are proud to receive these honors.
“
Scott Batulis
Garnet Health Medical Center Chief Executive Officer
7
Recognized for Excellence in Healthcare Marketing Garnet Health’s Marketing team won numerous national and international healthcare marketing awards for a 30-second video and a 60-second video about its brand name change (from Greater Hudson Valley Health System), as well its “Keeping you safe from COVID-19” TV ad and the Garnet Health Medical Center bariatrics program promotional video. Additionally, the system won Gold Aster Awards for its telehealth ad campaign and bariatric testimonial ad campaign, and Gold Healthcare Advertising Awards for the “visit notes” campaign radio spot and bariatric service line advertising campaign among several other awards. “At Garnet Health, our goal is to maintain the highest standards of care across our entire health system,” said David Smith, Garnet Health Vice President of Marketing and Strategic Planning. “This standard of care is reflected in our videos and advertising, which reinforce our mission to improve the health of our community.”
From left to right: Garnet Health Marketing & Corporate Communications team: Director Marcy Manheim; Specialist Whitney Fors; Administrator Rob Lee; Senior Specialist Lauren Kropf-Zuckerman and Coordinator Rebekka Slate
To view Garnet Health’s rebranding campaign videos, the “Keeping you safe from COVID-19” TV ad and the Garnet Health Medical Center bariatrics program promotional video, visit youtube.com/garnethealth.
8
Timothy McCausland Joins Garnet Health’s Board of Directors We welcome Timothy McCausland as the newest member of the Garnet Health Board of Directors. Timothy is a Managing Director with Sterling National Bank in Middletown, New York. Prior to joining Sterling, Timothy spent over a decade in various senior roles at Orange Bank & Trust Company, ending his tenure there as Managing Director of Private Banking. Prior to his time at Orange Bank & Trust, he was President and CEO of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development in Monticello, New York. Timothy is an attorney. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree from St. John’s University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Additionally, he is a graduate of the American Bankers Association Graduate School of Banking at the Wharton School.
Nationally Recognized as Top Docs Seven physicians from Garnet Health Doctors were selected as 2021 Castle Connolly “America’s Top Doctors.” These physicians are among the exceptional board-certified and accomplished doctors who make up our expert team:
Dr. Joseph Chavez Carey Family Medicine
Dr. Raghuram Gorti Vascular Surgery
Dr. Samer El Zarif Sleep Medicine
Dr. Cleveland Lewis Thoracic & Cardiac Surgery
Dr. Eric Martin Orthopedic Surgery
Dr. Bella Fradlis Rheumatology
Dr. Emmanuel Nketiah Cardiology
To earn the title of Top Doctor, a physician must be nominated by a peer and vetted by the physician-led research team at Castle Connolly. Top Docs are among the most highly sought-after medical professionals in their communities. For more information about Garnet Health Doctors, visit garnethealth.org/doctors. 9
Committed to Our Community —Celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month At Garnet Health, employees demonstrate the capacity to serve, volunteer and give back, both inside and outside the walls of our organization. Whether it’s by participating in a charity walk, volunteering within the community, sending assistance to those in need or contributing funds in support of a good cause, our health system family is incredibly generous. Check out some scenes of our staff within the hospitals and out in the community during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, we raised $29,700, and we’re still counting. We had 88 registered Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walkers and 14 teams!
10
Virtual Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Support Group Begins November 9 Garnet Health Medical Center’s Gastrointestinal Cancer Support Group brings together those who have been diagnosed with any GI cancer—including colon, rectal, stomach, anal, esophageal, biliary, gallbladder, liver and pancreatic cancers. Facilitators Sara Sargente, RN, BSN, OCN, GI Cancer Navigator, and Jeanette Carbone-Marsh, LPN, Mental Health Professional, provide education, resources and a confidential forum for patients and their families or caregivers to share their common fears, concerns and experiences. This group’s goal is to preserve and restore physical and emotional health while living with a gastrointestinal cancer diagnosis.
Sara Sargente, RN, BSN, OCN, GI Cancer Navigator
The Support Group gathers monthly on the second Tuesday of each month, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., via Zoom. To register, visit garnethealth.org/events. For more information, please contact Sara Sargente at 333-1960 or ssargente@ garnethealth.org.
Sign of the Times A brilliant blue sky serves as a colorful border highlighting new signage at Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills in Harris.
Is Your Annual Education Complete? Act Today! Garnet Health annual education must be complete by November 11. For more information, contact Organizational Development and Learning at odl@garnethealth.org. 11
Don’t Forget Your Flu Shot! Getting a flu vaccination is the most effective way to protect yourself, fellow employees, your family and the community from the flu. Remember to also keep your immune system strong and practice good, consistent hand hygiene. Flu shots are available at our Occupational Health offices, or you can make an appointment with Garnet Health Doctors by calling 333-7575.
Garnet Health Doctor’s Women’s Health Services Are Relocating On November 1, 2021, Garnet Health Doctor’s Women’s Health Services relocated from the Monticello office to the Harris office. Office hours are Monday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please call 333-8909 to schedule an appointment.
Reminder:
Set Your Clocks Back Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 7, 2021, at 2:00 a.m. On Saturday night, remember to set your clocks back one hour and enjoy some extra sleep!
Looking for a Challenge? Join Our Word Find! Look for these words throughout our newsletter! Education
Compassion
Generous
Expert
Healthy
Gems Newsletter Produced by Garnet Health Marketing & Corporate Communications. For more information, email Senior Specialist Lauren Kropf-Zuckerman at lzuckerman@garnethealth.org or call 333-2363.
garnethealth.org