The Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) announced that Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Program (26-bed acute rehabilitation inpatient unit) located at The Regional Rehabilitation Center has been re-accredited for a period of three years. This re-accreditation will extend through June 2011.
An organization receiving a three-year term of accreditation has voluntarily put itself through a rigorous peer review process and demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site survey that it is committed to conforming to CARF’s accreditation conditions and standards. Furthermore, an organization that earns CARF accreditation is commended on its quest for quality programs and services.
"This achievement is an indication of Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare’s (FSLH) dedication and commitment to improving the quality of the lives of the persons served” said Meenakshi (Mini) Malhotra, Program Director, Rehabilitation Services. "FSLH’s Regional Rehabilitation Center is a “One Stop” for the community’s rehabilitation needs throughout the continuum of care to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes," added Malhotra.
The Regional Rehabilitation Center provides quality occupational, physical, speech, therapeutic recreation, and aqua therapies at the Faxton Campus, where inpatient rehabilitation is housed, as well as at the St. Luke’s Campus (acute care), and St. Luke’s Home (sub-acute and long-term care).
The Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is an international, not-for-profit organization that accredits human services providers. Founded in 1966 as the Commission on Accreditation, the accrediting body is now known as CARF and touches close to 6 million individuals served in a wide range of human service organizations.
For more information about the accreditation process, please visit the CARF website at www.carf.org
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
1.6 Million State Grant
$1.6 Million State Grant Supports Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) and St. Elizabeth Medical Center Consolidation of OB Care Center Services
(Utica, NY) - Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) has received $1.6 million to fund the centralization of St. Elizabeth Medical Center’s Obstetrical Care Service with its own OB Care Center. The new central community-based OB/GYN Care Center will be located at FSLH’s St. Luke’s Campus.
Governor David A. Paterson announced recently that $280 million in grants will fund healthcare restructuring projects throughout New York State. The funding is designed to expand the availability of primary care in local communities, cut duplicative services in hospitals, “right size” nursing homes and fund consolidation projects by healthcare providers. These grants are funded through the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY), passed in 2006.
"The centralization of the OB Care Center at FSLH is one more way St. Elizabeth Medical Center and FSLH can pool valuable resources for the benefit of the patients and the community,” said Scott H. Perra, FACHE, executive vice president and COO of FSLH. “The two organizations have successfully established collaborative relationships with The Regional Cancer Center, Mohawk Valley Heart Institute, Community Diabetes Program and the Palliative Care Program. Our ability to access available funds through New York State was a key driver in the development and execution of the plan.”
The hospitals have been doing cooperative community planning for more than a decade. Their collaborative working relationship allows both organizations to address issues that impact patients throughout the area, including obstetrical services.
According to Robert Scholefield, Vice President of St. Elizabeth Medical Group, there are numerous benefits for both organizations to centralize OB Care Services.
“FSLH OB Care Center does not currently offer gynecology services to its patients and St. Elizabeth Medical Center does not offer inpatient OB services, so this collaboration will remedy both of these situations and allow patients a convenient access to both services ,” said Scholefield. “In the long term, this project will also offer a recruitment incentive to our Family Practice Residency Program. For the OB Service of the program, we need a larger volume of local patients and an increased number of local deliveries to support the Residency Program. Centralizing the OB Care Centers will enhance our current program by offering the space needed for the Residency Program, providing the number of deliveries required and creating an opportunity for a more intense, detailed OB rotation at one site.”
The $1.6 million project at the St. Luke’s Campus involves renovations to the existing 1,810 square foot OB Care Center as well as a 3,860 square foot addition. The expansion and renovations includes new exam rooms, procedure rooms, a larger waiting room, new medical equipment and support functions that include physician office space, reception, financial counseling and medical records.
The hospital is required to submit a Certificate of Need (CON) application to the New York State Department of Health for the expansion and that is anticipated to occur within the next 30 days. In conjunction with the CON approval process, the construction documents will be reviewed and completed with a possible start date of April 2009 and an opening in late 2009.
The OB Care Center project is designed to continue to improve the level of patient care - optimizing physician and family practice resident staff, alleviating space and staffing shortages, increasing available services to all patients within the community, as well as decreased healthcare costs.
The primary patient populations for both OB Care Centers are insured by Medicaid. In 2007, FSLH’s OB Care Center had 6,800 visits and St. Elizabeth’s OB Care Center had 5,124 visits and 1,356 visits for gynecology services. FSLH’s Birthplace had 2,200 deliveries in 2007, with approximately 750 of those being births from OB Care Center patients from both locations. The Birthplace at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare is the only hospital in the Utica area that performs deliveries and has a Level II Special Care Nursery staffed by neonatologists.
The mission of the OB/GYN Care Center at FSLH is to promote community-based care through the centralization of services providing optimal, holistic prenatal and gynecology care to the underserved and underinsured population of the community. This project will eliminate the duplication of local healthcare services at two facilities and remove barriers to accessing women’s services. There is a growing need to have prenatal, postnatal care and delivery services in one location, and this project will fulfill these needs.
“Patients will greatly benefit from receiving all of their care at one location,” said Kathleen Dean, RN, at FSLH’s OB Care Center. “Having the opportunity to provide prenatal and postnatal care as well as delivering the baby will allow us to form long-term relationships with our patients. We are looking forward to providing all aspects of care, which will not only benefit patients, but our staff as well.”
(Utica, NY) - Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) has received $1.6 million to fund the centralization of St. Elizabeth Medical Center’s Obstetrical Care Service with its own OB Care Center. The new central community-based OB/GYN Care Center will be located at FSLH’s St. Luke’s Campus.
Governor David A. Paterson announced recently that $280 million in grants will fund healthcare restructuring projects throughout New York State. The funding is designed to expand the availability of primary care in local communities, cut duplicative services in hospitals, “right size” nursing homes and fund consolidation projects by healthcare providers. These grants are funded through the Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY), passed in 2006.
"The centralization of the OB Care Center at FSLH is one more way St. Elizabeth Medical Center and FSLH can pool valuable resources for the benefit of the patients and the community,” said Scott H. Perra, FACHE, executive vice president and COO of FSLH. “The two organizations have successfully established collaborative relationships with The Regional Cancer Center, Mohawk Valley Heart Institute, Community Diabetes Program and the Palliative Care Program. Our ability to access available funds through New York State was a key driver in the development and execution of the plan.”
The hospitals have been doing cooperative community planning for more than a decade. Their collaborative working relationship allows both organizations to address issues that impact patients throughout the area, including obstetrical services.
According to Robert Scholefield, Vice President of St. Elizabeth Medical Group, there are numerous benefits for both organizations to centralize OB Care Services.
“FSLH OB Care Center does not currently offer gynecology services to its patients and St. Elizabeth Medical Center does not offer inpatient OB services, so this collaboration will remedy both of these situations and allow patients a convenient access to both services ,” said Scholefield. “In the long term, this project will also offer a recruitment incentive to our Family Practice Residency Program. For the OB Service of the program, we need a larger volume of local patients and an increased number of local deliveries to support the Residency Program. Centralizing the OB Care Centers will enhance our current program by offering the space needed for the Residency Program, providing the number of deliveries required and creating an opportunity for a more intense, detailed OB rotation at one site.”
The $1.6 million project at the St. Luke’s Campus involves renovations to the existing 1,810 square foot OB Care Center as well as a 3,860 square foot addition. The expansion and renovations includes new exam rooms, procedure rooms, a larger waiting room, new medical equipment and support functions that include physician office space, reception, financial counseling and medical records.
The hospital is required to submit a Certificate of Need (CON) application to the New York State Department of Health for the expansion and that is anticipated to occur within the next 30 days. In conjunction with the CON approval process, the construction documents will be reviewed and completed with a possible start date of April 2009 and an opening in late 2009.
The OB Care Center project is designed to continue to improve the level of patient care - optimizing physician and family practice resident staff, alleviating space and staffing shortages, increasing available services to all patients within the community, as well as decreased healthcare costs.
The primary patient populations for both OB Care Centers are insured by Medicaid. In 2007, FSLH’s OB Care Center had 6,800 visits and St. Elizabeth’s OB Care Center had 5,124 visits and 1,356 visits for gynecology services. FSLH’s Birthplace had 2,200 deliveries in 2007, with approximately 750 of those being births from OB Care Center patients from both locations. The Birthplace at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare is the only hospital in the Utica area that performs deliveries and has a Level II Special Care Nursery staffed by neonatologists.
The mission of the OB/GYN Care Center at FSLH is to promote community-based care through the centralization of services providing optimal, holistic prenatal and gynecology care to the underserved and underinsured population of the community. This project will eliminate the duplication of local healthcare services at two facilities and remove barriers to accessing women’s services. There is a growing need to have prenatal, postnatal care and delivery services in one location, and this project will fulfill these needs.
“Patients will greatly benefit from receiving all of their care at one location,” said Kathleen Dean, RN, at FSLH’s OB Care Center. “Having the opportunity to provide prenatal and postnatal care as well as delivering the baby will allow us to form long-term relationships with our patients. We are looking forward to providing all aspects of care, which will not only benefit patients, but our staff as well.”
Cardiac Rehab Celebrates 30 Years of Excellence
On October 23, 1978 St. Luke’s-Memorial Hospital opened its doors to exercising the first Cardiac Rehabilitation patient. It was the first cardiac rehabilitation program in Upstate New York and one of only 70 programs in the nation.
Today, 30 years later, the highly trained staff at Cardiac Rehab located at the Faxton Campus of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare is helping hundreds of patients each year return to active and healthy lives. The program is now part of the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute (MVHI), a program of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
“We are so proud of the progress we have made in the past three decades,” said Alice (Williams) Browar, RN, who has been with the program since its inception. “From new findings in cardiac care to more advanced equipment, we have continually improved our program to benefit our patients.”
In 1978, Cardiac Rehab was offered to patients who were diagnosed with a recent heart attack, coronary artery by-pass surgery, and stable angina pectoris. It was an educational program with a telemetry- monitored exercise program designed to strengthen the cardiovascular system, as well as support for patients to identify and manage their own personal coronary risk factors and develop a sense of well-being about life after having sustained a life-threatening cardiac event. Although this is common today, it was quite innovated at that time.
In 1979, St. Luke’s Cardiac Rehab joined other programs to form the New York State Association for Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation. In 1985, the program became a member of the newly formed American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and met the vigorous standards for program certification of this national organization in 1992. In 1997, it became the cardiac rehabilitation program for the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute.
Today, the program, medically directed by Mark Blaker, MD, is operated by cardiac nurses and exercise physiologists. In addition to heart attack, angina, and CABG (write out what this means)patients, insurance companies cover the outpatient services for patients with recent valve surgery, coronary angioplasty, left ventricular assist devices, and heart/lung transplants.
"The program is highly individualized for each patient. It can be one to 36 sessions long, depending on a patient’s clinical status, readiness to accept a healthier lifestyle and the referring physician’s medical judgment,” Browar said. “Family members are encouraged to seek out information from the cardiac rehabilitation staff to help them care for their loved one and promote their own healing from this experience.”
The MVHI’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is located at the Faxton Campus, 1676 Sunset Avenue, Utica, NY 13502. For further information about the program call 634-5335.
Today, 30 years later, the highly trained staff at Cardiac Rehab located at the Faxton Campus of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare is helping hundreds of patients each year return to active and healthy lives. The program is now part of the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute (MVHI), a program of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
“We are so proud of the progress we have made in the past three decades,” said Alice (Williams) Browar, RN, who has been with the program since its inception. “From new findings in cardiac care to more advanced equipment, we have continually improved our program to benefit our patients.”
In 1978, Cardiac Rehab was offered to patients who were diagnosed with a recent heart attack, coronary artery by-pass surgery, and stable angina pectoris. It was an educational program with a telemetry- monitored exercise program designed to strengthen the cardiovascular system, as well as support for patients to identify and manage their own personal coronary risk factors and develop a sense of well-being about life after having sustained a life-threatening cardiac event. Although this is common today, it was quite innovated at that time.
In 1979, St. Luke’s Cardiac Rehab joined other programs to form the New York State Association for Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation. In 1985, the program became a member of the newly formed American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and met the vigorous standards for program certification of this national organization in 1992. In 1997, it became the cardiac rehabilitation program for the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute.
Today, the program, medically directed by Mark Blaker, MD, is operated by cardiac nurses and exercise physiologists. In addition to heart attack, angina, and CABG (write out what this means)patients, insurance companies cover the outpatient services for patients with recent valve surgery, coronary angioplasty, left ventricular assist devices, and heart/lung transplants.
"The program is highly individualized for each patient. It can be one to 36 sessions long, depending on a patient’s clinical status, readiness to accept a healthier lifestyle and the referring physician’s medical judgment,” Browar said. “Family members are encouraged to seek out information from the cardiac rehabilitation staff to help them care for their loved one and promote their own healing from this experience.”
The MVHI’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is located at the Faxton Campus, 1676 Sunset Avenue, Utica, NY 13502. For further information about the program call 634-5335.
FSLHC President/CEO Honored with Scroll Award
Faxton-St. Luke’s President and CEO Keith Fenstemacher was recently honored at the Central New York Academy of Medicine’s Dr. Willard H. Willis 59th Annual Heart Teaching Day program at the Hart’s Hill Inn. Fenstemacher, who was nominated by Dr. Kevin Mathews, received the Scroll Award.
“Keith has made an outstanding contribution to Central NY Healthcare during his many years of service,” said Mathews. “His vision and commitment to our community is remarkable.”
The Scroll Award honors those individuals in the community who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of scientific progress or humanitarian attainment.
“Keith has made an outstanding contribution to Central NY Healthcare during his many years of service,” said Mathews. “His vision and commitment to our community is remarkable.”
The Scroll Award honors those individuals in the community who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of scientific progress or humanitarian attainment.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
District 7150 Rotary Gives Gift of Reading to OB Care Center
This year the annual Rotary conference of District 7150 was a ‘hare-raising’ and educational experience. More than 100 volunteers organized 300 gift boxes of reading materials for the OB Care Center at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare. The gifts were developed to support new mothers with baby books and help them begin a life long love of reading to their children. The Rotarians donated nearly 1,000 books, along with baby tee shirts that said “Read to Me” and created ‘boo-boo’ bunnies out of washcloths and ribbons. The bunny is used to hold an ice cube and place on a ‘boo boo’ for cooling comfort. “The Literacy Committee of District 7150 was the real driver behind this project,” said Larry Calabrese, District Governor. “Their team, along with volunteers, provided the set up and assembly materials for each gift box. It is estimated that one in five adults are illiterate and two-thirds of them are women. We know that reading to children at an early age is important for their life long success. And the earlier you begin the greater the learning for your child.” The OB Care Center staff commented about how much the patients love the gifts and how each parent looks forward to reading to their little one. A very special thanks to the members of District Rotary 7150 from all of us at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare.
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