New Security System on Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare’s Maternity and Pediatrics Units

On Wednesday, May 28, 2008, a security system will be activated at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) that will offer additional security and protection to the organization’s smallest patients. In a 2005 study by the National Center on Missing & Exploited Children and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, there were 116 infants abducted from healthcare facilities in the last two decades. Eighty-five percent of the abductions were within the areas including mother’s room, nursery and pediatrics. Having one child abducted is too many.

The new security system for Maternity, Labor & Delivery, Nursery and Pediatrics, which was funded by the Children’s Miracle Network of the Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare Foundation, includes locked doorways that can only be accessed by swiping Staff ID badges at the entrance or by calling the unit using the telephone available at each unit entrance.

The number of family members to Labor & Delivery will also be limited. Only two can be present in the delivery room and they will be identified by purple wrist bands.

Unique to the new system is the change in access for the two elevators located directly across from the Medical Records Office. The elevators will continue to have public access for the Ground, First and Second floors, but no public access to the Third Floor where Maternity and Labor & Delivery are located.

The Admitting staff (available 24-hours-a-day) can access the unit directly via the two elevators across from Medical Records by using a special swipe card. They can also call the unit and let them know when the mother is coming up on the main bank of elevators. If the mother arrives through the Emergency Department, the ED staff will make a call to the floor to let staff know the mother is coming.

There were more than 2,100 births at The Birthplace of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare in 2007. It is the only hospital in the area with a Level II Special Care Nursery and Neonatologists on call 24-hours-a-day.

For more information, contact Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare at 315-624-5600 or visit faxtonstlukes.com

Emergency Angioplasty Now at FSLH

Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare Now Performing Emergency Cardiac AngioplastiesAs a 17-year board member at Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH), Dick Notebaert of New Hartford always knew of the technology and skilled professionals that were found behind the hospital doors, but he didn’t know he’d have to test them following a heart attack. After admission through the Emergency Department at the St. Luke’s Campus, a cardiac angioplasty was performed on Notebaert to save his life.Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, as part of the Mohawk Valley Heart Institute (MVHI), a cooperative venture with St. Elizabeth Medical Center, is now providing primary (emergency) cardiac angioplasty, which is a catheter-based procedure performed by an interventional cardiologist in order to open up a blocked coronary artery and restore blood flow to the heart muscle. In most cases, following balloon angioplasty, a stent will also be placed to keep the artery open. Angioplasty is performed on an elective basis to treat coronary artery disease, but is also performed on an emergency basis to treat a heart attack, such as in Notebaert’s case.“FSLH has a dedicated team of highly trained professional nurses and outstanding cardiologists,” he said. “The key to a successful outcome is quick response and Faxton-St. Luke’s has consistently outperformed the “gold standard” of 90 minutes. In my case, the time to completion was 66 minutes.”This standard of care that Notebaert speaks of is the nationwide time for “door to balloon” time. At FSLH, patients are experiencing faster times with wonderful results, often moving out of Critical Care and onto a medical surgical floor just 24-hours later.The MVHI physicians involved with the primary angioplasties are Dr. Hugh MacIsaac, Dr. Thomas Mathew, Dr. Ramzi Nassif, Dr. Michael Kelberman, Dr. Prabhat Varma, and Dr. Ashok Patel. Once 36 successful emergent procedures are completed, Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare hopes to be given privileges from the New York State Department of Health to schedule angioplasties on an elective basis.“The community will always benefit when there are health care choices,” said Notebaert of the addition of this service at FSLH. “Some residents might simply find Faxton-St. Luke’s more convenient, while some doctors might find it a better fit for their practice patterns.”Scott Perra, Executive Vice President/COO of Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare, agrees.“We have the largest emergency department in a four to five county area,” Perra explained. “Many patients come through our doors that require an angioplasty in order to save their life. By offering this procedure here, we reduce the need for any transport.”To date, FSLH has conducted seven emergency angioplasties. Cheryl Perry, MA, RN, Nursing Administrator and MVHI Co-Coordinator, is confident that within a year they will have met their goal of 36. “It’s wonderful news for the community,” she said. “The physicians and nurses that work with these patients are some of the very best. They are professional, highly skilled – and most importantly, the standard of care for every patient is consistently high.”Notebaert resides in New Hartford with his wife Patti, a first grade teacher at Hughes School in New Hartford. He has two daughters, Jessica and Shannon, who are both in college. Notebaert is a retired President and CEO of Homestead Savings Bank.Photo attached: Pictured are Notebaert and his wife, Patti, at Bald Head Island, North Carolina just two weeks following his angioplasty.###

Online Bill Pay Now Available

Online Bill Pay Now Available at http://www.faxtonstlukes.com/Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) is now offering the opportunity to pay FSLH bills online at http://www.faxtonstlukes.com/.To take advantage of this free service, users simply need a credit card, a checking or savings account information and the account number located on the bill received.“It’s nice to have this feature because it focuses on patient convenience,” said Lisa Lasalle, billing manager at FSLH. “Patients can pay their bills anytime online without having to worry about calling during business hours.”To access this service, just follow these easy steps:1. Visit http://www.faxtonstlukes.com/.2. Click on “Financial Services” at the top of the page, or “Online Bill Pay” on the left side of the page.3. Once the Financial Services page opens, click on the words “Pay Your Bill Now.”4. The Bank of America One Time Bill Pay page will then open. Follow the instructions on each page to proceed.For more information or questions about paying bills online, call (315) 624-5170 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.# # #