in good health

January 2013 • IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper •

CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

in good FREE

January 2013 • Issue 157

FREE

1,000,000electronic medical

records

No Kidding! You Can Have a Heart Attack

While ShovelingBeyond trouble with your heart, shoveling can also result in back muscular

strain, lumbar disc injury, and shoulder or elbow strains. We spoke about safety with local experts.

Tired of the Same Old Exercise Regimen?

New ideas to make exercise fun

Medical Society’s New President

Syracuse needs to do a better job branding itself as a city

that excels at treating certain diseases, says physician

Ramsay S. Farah

Paying It ForwardJudy Colvin, a physician

who practices in Fayetteville, volunteers in Haiti

HealtheConnections has already secured patient electronic medical records for more than 1 million of the 1.4 million

people who live in the region.

Refugee doctors find freedom, opportunity

in Syracuse

Noise at Basketball Games May Harm Your Hearing

Oneida Healthcare: Innovative Surgeries with da Vinci Robot

While the larger Syracuse hospitals have made Central New York a hot bed for robotic surgery, a smaller facility outside the metro area has become the first in the region to use the

emerging technology for an innovative new procedure. Story on page 17Story on page 14

Story on page 18

• IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • January 2013

I had achoice

PodiatryDr. Lynda Kreitzer

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Pedorthist on site specializing in diabetic shoes. Maureen Kaljeskie, C. Ped.


A monthly newspaper published by Local News, Inc. Distribution: 35,000 copies. To request home delivery ($15 per year), call 342-1182.

In Good Health is published 12 times a year by Local News, Inc. © 2012 by Local News, Inc. All rights reserved. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 276,

Oswego, NY 13126. • Phone: 315-342-1182 • Fax: 315-342-7776.

No material may be reproduced in whole or in part from this publication without the express written permission of the publisher. The information in this publication is intended to complement—not to take the place of—the recommendations of your health provider.

Consult your physician before making major changes in your lifestyle or health care regimen.

HealthCNY’s Healthcare Newspaper

in goodONONDAGA, OSWEGO, CAYUGA AND MADISON COUNTIES

Editor & Publisher: Wagner Dotto • Associate Editor: Lou Sorendo Contributing Writers: Jim Miller, Eva Briggs, M.D., Gwenn Voelckers, Deborah Banikowski,

Deborah Sergeant, Anne Palumbo, Chris Motola, Melissa Stefanec, Matthew Liptak, Aaron Gifford, Suazanne Ellis • Advertising: Jasmine Maldonado, Tracy DeCann

• Design: Chris Crocker • Office Manager: Laura J. Beckwith

Street forms of synthetic cannabi-noids — so-called “synthetic mari-juana” — were linked to 11,406 of

the 4.9 million drug-related emergency department (ED) visits in 2010, accord-ing to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Commonly known by such street names as “K2” or “Spice,” synthetic cannabinoids are substances that are not derived from the marijuana plant but purport to have the same effect as the drug. Though an increasing num-ber of states have passed laws against the sale of synthetic cannabinoids, they have been marketed as a “legal” alter-native to marijuana during the past few years.

In July 2012, a comprehensive, na-tional ban was enacted against the sale of synthetic cannabinoids under Title

XI of the Food and Drug Administra-tion Safety and Innovation Act.

The new report points out that the use of synthetic cannabinoids is tied to a variety of reported symptoms including agitation, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), elevated blood pressure, tremor, seizures, hal-lucinations, paranoid behavior and non-responsiveness.

The report found that youths be-tween the ages of 12 to 29 constituted 75 percent of all hospital ED visits involving synthetic cannabinoids, with males accounted for 78 percent of the ED admissions among this age group. The average age for people involved in synthetic cannabinoid-related ED admissions was younger than for mari-juana-related ED visits (24 years old vs. 30 years old).

‘Synthetic Marijuana’ Linked to Thousands of Hospital ER Visits

One in five American adults aged 18 or older, or 45.6 mil-lion people, had mental illness

in the past year, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Men-tal Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The rate of mental illness was more than twice as high among those aged 18 to 25 (29.8 percent) than among those aged 50 and older (14.3 percent), the report said. Adult women also were more likely than men to have had men-tal illness in the past year (23.0 percent vs. 15.9 percent), it said.

Mental illness among adults aged 18 or older is defined as having had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder (excluding develop-mental and substance use disorders) in the past year, based on criteria speci-fied in the fourth edition of the Diag-nostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association.

The 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health also shows that 11.5 million adults (5 percent of the adult population) had serious mental ill-ness in the past year. Serious mental illness is defined as mental illness that resulted in serious functional impair-

ment, which substantially interfered with or limited one or more major life activities. The rates of mental illness remained stable between 2010 and 2011.

“Although mental illness remains a serious public health issue, increasingly we know that people who experience it can be successfully treated and can live full, productive lives,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “Like other medical conditions, such as car-diovascular disease or diabetes, the key to recovery is identifying the problem and taking active measures to treat it as soon as possible.”

The report says that among adults with mental illness in the past year, about four in 10 adults (38.2 percent of adults with mental illness) received mental health services during that period. Among those who had serious mental illness in the past year, the rate of treatment was notably higher (59.6 percent).

The report also notes that an estimated 8.5 million American adults (3.7 percent) had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year — among them 2.4 million (1.0 percent) made suicide plans and 1.1 million (0.5 percent) at-tempted suicide.

Report: 20% of U.S. Adults Had Mental Illness in the Past Year

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of OASIS announces spring schedule

Oasis is a national nonprofit educa-tional organization that offers classes in history, technology, the humanities, art, science, and health, to anyone 50 and older. The following health classes are offered in the trimester from January to April. All classes are offered at the OASIS facility at 6333 state Route 298 in East Syracuse, next to the Double Tree Hotel off Carrier Circle.

“Vitamin D, Calcium, and You.” Presented by Arnold M. Moses, profes-sor of endocrinology and director of the metabolic bone disease program at the Joslin Centers, and Teresa Kou-louris, program coordinator, osteoporo-sis prevention and education program at the Joslin Centers. From 1 – 2:30, Friday, Jan. 25. Class fee $5.

• Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program. Presented by Tina Castle, Arthritis Foundation. From 10:45–11.45 a.m. Twelve sessions on Mondays from Jan. 28 to April 15. Class fee $56. • Does Screening for Cancer Save Lives? Presented by physicina Leslie Kohman, director of Upstate Cancer Center, Upstate Medical University. From 1–2:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 25. Class fee $5.

“The Hope for Stem Cell Therapy .. Fear and Facts.” Presented by Dr. Gregory L. Eastwood, Professor of Bioethics and Humanities and past President of Upstate Medical Univer-sity. From 1:30-3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 28. Class fee $5.

The Syracuse chapter of OASIS is sponsored in part by Upstate Medical University. Membership is free and there are modest fees for taking classes.

For information and a free catalog call 464-6555.

March 22–24St. Joe’s invites community to Hooray for Folleywood

The Auxiliary of St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center invites com-munity members to join the cast and crew of “Hooray for Folleywood,” a fun-filled variety show featuring St. Joseph’s physicians, nurses, staff and members of the community. “Hooray for Folleywood” will be held on March 22, 23 and 24 at the Franciscan Center (Gingerbread House building), 2500 Grant Blvd., Syracuse. Experience is not needed to participate. Anyone who is new to the stage as well as those with experience are encouraged to join the cast or crew of the volunteer show, pro-duced in conjunction with Christopher Allen Productions. “Hooray for Fol-leywood” will feature glitz, glamour, singing, dancing and a lot of laughs. Participants may perform on stage or assist back stage with sets, props, cos-tumes or advertising sales.

“We are building on the momen-tum of last year’s follies,” says Colleen Prossner, of Cazenovia, event chair-woman. “Not only are members of the St. Joseph’s family involved, but we encourage members of the community at large to join us and be part of the fun.” Proceeds from the follies will benefit St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center. For more information about “Hooray for Folleywood” or to participate as cast or crew, contact Colleen Prossner at [email protected].

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Julie Colvin believes in paying it for-ward, and that’s why she traveled thousands of miles in late October

to help the earthquake- and hurricane-ravaged people of Haiti.

But the debt she wanted to re-pay had nothing to do with storms; it was her way of saying thank you to a couple in California who had changed her life 18 years earlier.

“I came to America in 1994 be-cause everyone in China had dreams of coming to America,” said Colvin, a physician at North Medical Family Physicians in Fayetteville, which is part of the St. Joseph’s healthcare system. “America is the place where there is the most freedom, and democracy, and that’s what we were looking for.”

Before coming to the U.S., Colvin earned a degree in medicine from Hunan Medical University in Chang-sha, the capital city of Hunan. She also attended graduate school in China and passed the United States medical li-censing exam. She passed that test, she said, because her English writing skills were excellent. They weren’t, however, going to advance her medical career in America.

“Writing English is easier than speaking it,” she said. “Speaking English is much harder, and because I didn’t speak well, I had a hard time getting a residency anywhere.”

Unsure of her future, Colvin started volunteering at a hospital in the Silicon Valley area of California, and that’s when fate intervened.

“It was there that I was introduced

to Dr. Likkiu Ding and his wife who were missionary doctors,” she said. “They didn’t know me, but they met me and basically supported me finan-cially so that I could learn to speak English. I got a job at Stanford Hospital in the cardiology department and did volunteer research for over two years, and they supported me during all that time.”

The doctor and his wife have since passed away, Colvin said, but she never forgot their kindness. Because they were missionary doctors in their younger years, she said, doing mission-ary work seemed like the perfect way to honor them.

When plans to travel to Haiti on a medical mission were announced last summer at her church, Abundant Life Christian Center in East Syracuse, Colvin jumped at the chance. She im-mediately began making plans to join 13 others to provide medical and other types of care for victims still reeling from the devastation of the 2010 earth-quake in Haiti.

But days before their scheduled departure, Haiti was pummeled by Hurricane Sandy, making a bad situa-tion even worse.

“While the world’s attention has focused on the U.S., the suffering and consequences for [Haiti] are far greater,” according to an article about the hurricane published Nov. 2 in The Guardian, a British publication. “Al-most three years after the earthquake, 350,000 people in the capital of Port-au-Prince are still living in camps for

Dr. Julie Colvin poses with children in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, a few weeks after it was hit by Hurricane Sandy. She traveled there on a humanitarian mission and treated hundreds of people in need of medical care.

Dr. Julie Colvin, right, was a member of a small mission team that treated more than 500 children and adults in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, a few weeks after the “tail” of Hurricane Sandy battered the earthquake-weary country. The team, from Abundant Life Christian Center in East Syracuse, planned the humanitarian mission before Sandy struck and had a short window of time to leave the U.S. before the storm hit the mainland here.

Paying it ForwardPhysician who practices in Fayetteville volunteers in Haiti By Suzanne M. Ellis

displaced refugees.” Colvin said the team scrambled to

get out of the United States before the hurricane arrived here.

“Right before we were ready to leave, Sandy hit. We had only a little bit

of time to get there before it hit Ameri-ca,” she said. “The roads in Haiti were washed out when we got there.”

In a land still trying to recover from the catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earth-quake of 2010, the scene in Port-Au-Prince was horrific. “There was rubbish everywhere and there was concrete, trees, things torn up and deformed, piles of concrete on Presidential Plaza,” Colvin said. “It was so bad that it was hard to tell what came from the earth-quake and what came from the hurri-cane. Clearly they need an awful lot of help over there.”

The Central New York medical team, which included three doctors and a physician’s assistant, treated more than 500 patients during their brief mission that lasted less than a week. The ailments included arthritic and other issues with hips and knees, high blood pressure, urinary tract infections, skin problems, diarrhea, severe vitamin deficiencies and diabetes.

“The problem is, there’s no con-tinuity of care for them,” Colvin said. “They take the medicine they’re given for a month or two and then there’s no more medicine. You try your best and you have a lot of hope, but the living conditions are horrendous. Most people don’t have access to doctors, clean water or clean food.”

Colvin said she plans to return to Haiti as soon as she can.

“I wanted to go over there and help because I was helped when I came here to America,” she said. “I wanted the chance to pay back for the help I got, and I will definitely go back again. I am a member of this church and we are here to do God’s work.”


Meet Your Doctor

By Chris Motola

Q: What kind of process did you go through to become president of the Onondaga County Medical Society?

A: I think it was a great process. You’re nominated first to be a part of the executive council. You attend the meetings and participate in discus-sions. Eventually you get nominated by participating on the council in positions like treasurer, secretary, vice president. I think it’s a very good way of doing things because you’re not thrown into the mix without being ready. So, over the course of several years, you’ve participated in the decision-making process and are well prepared to take on the issues the society deals with. It’s really a greater honor to be nominated to begin this process. It’s definitely responsibility everyone who holds the position takes seriously, because you’re representing your peers.

Q: What kinds of duties do you have as president?

A: The medical society is com-prised of around 1,700 members—phy-sicians mostly and some medical students. We meet six times a year and discuss issues that are of concern to physicians and the community. The issues are various and sundry: the Af-fordable Care Act (ACA), tort reform, keeping graduating physicians in the community. Our job is to come up with solutions based on the wishes of the members of the society. We also have a dedicated staff that works on our behalf regarding these issues. We keep our membership informed by email about legislative actions that may affect us. We also mobilize our membership on certain issues to contact political representation. We like to have an open dialog and communication with them so they can hear our positions when appropriate.

Q: Is it difficult to represent physi-cians’ issues without formally organiz-ing into a union?

A: I would say the answer is “yes at times.” It’s difficult to represent every member on every issue, but I think that’s true of every organization, including labor unions. But there are general themes that we have a near consensus on. Almost everyone be-lieves that we need medical malpractice reform, that we need to rescue and retain physicians who graduate in this area. But then there are issues where our membership differs greatly, just like society in general. To the extent that there are differences, we encourage our members to give us all of their opinions and come up with a consensus state-ment that’s as broad and encompassing as possible.

Q: What’s your own medical back-

ground? A: I’m a local,

thankfully. I’ve lived in the area from second grade all the way through medi-cal school. After medical school I was accepted into a dermatology resi-dency in St. Louis. That’s my medical background. I’m vested in the commu-nity, I care a lot about it and I’m here to stay. I’m a specialist working in a private practice with my father and sister; we’re all dermatologists. All three of us also hold academic positions at SUNY Upstate Medical University. So I think this is a great mix of backgrounds, which gives me a good perspec-tive from both the institutional and private practice perspective.

Q: As a lifelong resident of the Syracuse area, what medical needs does Syracuse have that may be different from the country at large.

A: We have similar issues as other places in the country. Some of our spe-cialties are under-served and certainly primary care is under-served. Another issue that affects the state generally is the medical liability situation. In gen-eral, it’s viewed from the physicians’ points of view as being somewhat oner-ous and perhaps regressive. I think one of the things about the Syracuse area is that we have a lot of talent in our medi-cal community. We have superlative doctors and facilities, but I think one of the things we could do better is brand ourselves as a city that excels at treating certain diseases are being excellent at specific specialties. Cities like Roch-ester have already done that. I don’t think they have more talent than us or are any less dedicated than we are, but I think they’ve done a better job of branding themselves. That’s something we still need to work on.

Q: You’re one of the youngest presi-dents the society has ever had. What kind of perspective do you bring as a younger physician?

A: I think every generation has their differences. I think a relatively younger physician has a greater vested interest in being involved. We’ve spent so much time, effort and resources get-ting to where we are that we’re here to

stay. We’re not going to stop being doc-tors and find a different line of work. We’re here to stay. So our future is de-pendent on the structure of medicine, so I think a younger physician feels that more than an older physician who is closer to retirement. So I think one of the unique things about youth—and I’m not saying I’m that young—is that there’s a greater sense of urgency to be-come involved and affect change. There was a get-together the other night and I was just so encouraged by the medi-cal students there. That kind of energy is nice to see, especially in the younger age group.

Q: What do you want your legacy to be? What would you like to say your key accomplishments were as president years from now?

A: One of my goals is to engage the younger physicians of the community

and create a structure that teaches them that advocacy is neces-

sary. I’d like that to become incorporated into their

education so that they take that into their professional life. It’s so important with all the changes coming down to pipe-

line. Physicians can’t be on the sidelines anymore. I’m work-ing on a program for the hospitals that will hopefully do this.

Q: What elements of the ACA do you see as be-ing challenging to imple-

ment locally and what do you think will

improve health care?

A: Whether you agree with it or not, it’s the law of the land, so we know we have a general framework we have to work within. Just like

society is divided about it, so is the physician community. But within that framework, there’s a lot of latitude for change and modification. I don’t think anyone knows for sure what the challenges coming down the pipeline will be. It’s such sweeping legislation with so many permutations. I think it’ll be a work in progress for some time to come. One of the challenges will be making sure we have enough physi-cians to meet the needs of more people with health insurance. Some of our areas are already under-served. I think there are many possible solutions. One is the use of emerging technologies like telemedicine. Another is to form col-laborations between physicians. These are things that still need to be worked out.

Lifelines:Name: Ramsay S. Farah, M.D.Hometown: Liverpool, NYEducation: Syracuse University (under-graduate), SUNY Upstate Medical Uni-versity (medical), Dartmouth-Hitchcock (general medicine), Washington Univer-sity, St. Louis (dermatology residency)Affiliations: SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital; St. Joseph’s Medical CenterOrganizations: Onondaga County Medi-cal Society (president); American Medical AssociationFamily: Married, two daughters, one sonHobbies: Skiing, tennis, reading, travel, movies

Dr. Ramsay S. FarahSyracuse needs to do a better job branding itself as a city that excels at treating certain diseases, says new president of Onondaga County Medical Society

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If you’re uninsured or under-in-sured, the worst thing you can do is ignore your health until you get

sufficient health insurance coverage. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Plenty of resources and strategies can help you stay healthy without cleaning out your bank account.

Gambling that you’ll stay well can cost you a lot if you should delay treat-ment for a health problem. Usually, prevention and early treatment can help you both maintain better health and save money.

If you have been laid off, you can obtain insurance through the provi-sions of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). Although COBRA-based insurance coverage can be less expensive than paying non-group rates, it’s still expen-sive since it’s all out-of-pocket and not subsidized by your former employer.

You can also visit www.mybenefits.ny.gov and speak with a representa-tive of your county’s health department to see if you qualify for any state insurance programs, includ-ing Medicaid, Family Health Plus or Child Health Plus.

“We have facilitated en-rollers who meet with people and help them apply for public insur-ance,” said Sara Holmes, program coordinator of the Onondaga County Health Depart-ment public health insurance program. “Different documenta-tion can be required for each program and the enrollers can help with that.”

If you don’t qualify, your coun-ty’s health depart-ment enrollers may also help you find low-cost insurance or area clinics.

Some offer free services and others charge fees on a sliding scale basis.

Some of these clinis are:• East Hill Family Medical in Au-

burn, Waterloo and North Rose• Moravia Family Health Network • Finger Lakes Community Health

at Port Byron Community Health • Amaus Medical Services at Ca-

thedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse

• Poverello Clinic in Syracuse • Syracuse Community Health

Center • Christian Health Services in

SyracuseDental clinics are at Upstate Medi-

cal Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Syracuse Community Health Center.

In Oswego County, people may go to:

• Pulaski Health Center, (www.pulaskihealthcenter.org/), phone 315-298-6564 (sliding fee)

• Oswego County Opportunities (OCO) Health Centers in Fulton and Oswego (oco.org). Phone: 315- 592-0721. Some discounts and sliding fee

for women’s health.• In Madison County, there is the

Mary Rose Center, Oneida (www.mary-rosecenter.org). Phone: 315-280-0855, which uses sliding fee and some free services for uninsured.

“Tell them over the phone when

you make the appointment that you don’t have health insurance or are under-insured so you can work with the provider to establish a payment plan or sliding fee scale,” said Deanna Hoey, public health educator of Cayuga County Health Department.

More are available online at www.needymeds.org. Call before you go to ensure you can be seen that day and that you understand the terms of pay-ment.

Continuity of care goes a long way toward supporting good health,

so if you know your lack of insurance is temporary,

it may be worthwhile to stay put. You may be able to see your regular physician and

receive a reduced rate paying out-of-pocket if

you let the office know in advance and ask if they can work with you on the

expense, either to re-duce it or to set up a payment plan. It never hurts to ask.

Be wary of healthcare in for-eign countries and buying medication over the Internet

because you may not be able to ensure that

the quality and safety standards measure up to

those in the United States.You can also reduce

medical expenses by re-maining proactive about your health.

“There are different health fairs people can attend and screenings

that are offered free of charge,” Hoey said. “[Auburn Community] hospital has the Heart Expo in September and people can get their blood pressure and cholesterol checked there. People should be on the lookout for these.”

You can also find free screenings of all sorts at the Kinney Drugs Hall of Health at the New York State Fair each August.

Onondaga County offers a number of free health services, including vari-ous cancer screenings, and clinics for immunizations.

Do not use a hospital emergency room for routine care needs or non-life or limb-threatening emergencies. Instead, going to an urgent care facility that offers a sliding fee keeps the cost manageable for you and does not force the hospital to absorb a bill you can’t pay.

In general, it pays to live health-fully to avoid needing expensive medication, therapy and procedures. Eat a balanced diet rich in a variety of fruits and vegetables, engage in regular exercise, maintain a healthful weight, and avoid smoking and abusing drugs and alcohol.

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They fled for their freedom. Sergio Garcia of Cuba and Ammar Shaker of Iraq are refugee physi-

cians who found a way to escape the oppression of their native lands and come to the United States.

The medical duo is part of the Healthcare Initiatives for Community Inclusion program featured at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syra-cuse.

It matches refugee physicians in Central New York with non-licensed direct patient care positions at Upstate while they continue their studies for medical licensure in America or pursue graduate work in other health-related fields.

While Garcia and Shaker will even-tually help increase access to quality healthcare in the Syracuse region, they are also experiencing a stiff dose of newfound freedom.

Garcia’s adventurous trip from Cuba to the U.S. came through Ven-ezuela just several months ago. He was studying to be a critical care doctor and neurologist in communist Cuba before his life dramatically changed.

Garcia said he was expelled in his fifth year of studies from the University Hospital Celia Sanchez Manduley in Manzanillo, Cuba, for voicing opposi-tion to then-President Fidel Castro’s policies.

“It was sad. I was almost crazy about it,” he said.

He was then banished to work on a farm for seven years as a laborer.

A new dean was then appointed to the University Hospital, and Garcia was re-admitted and completed his medical degree in Cuba. He went on to become head of neurological care.

The Cuban Minister of Health then sent Garcia as part of a medical team to provide assistance in Acarigua in the state of Portuguesa, Venezuela.

Cuba exports considerable health services and personnel to Venezuela in exchange for subsidized oil.

“Many Cuban MDs are sent by the Cuban Minister of Health to assist in Venezuela,” Garcia said. “They are expected to return to Cuba, however.”

When they do not return to Cuba from their mission and go to another country such as the U.S. or Canada, they are considered to have left with-out permission.

From there, Garcia fled to a sanctu-ary in Caracas and escaped the rigors of the mission.

He would later hand over his life savings of $1,500 for immigration of-ficials to covertly fly him to the U.S.

“I’m just trying to resume [my ca-reer]. I went to the American Embassy and they have a special program for Cuban medical professionals. I should get my visa in about two months,” he said.

“I’m here trying to start my life and get back to the health field that I love,” he said.

What does Garcia, 42, enjoy most about his new opportunity?

“Freedom is the most important part,” he said.

“This is new hope, a new life. It is exciting,” Shaker added.

Escape from war-torn IraqShaker, 46, is a native of Baghdad.He earned his medical degree

with a focus on general medicine and surgery in 1990 at the University of Baghdad College of Medicine.

He would later acquire his medical specialization in thoracic and cardio-vascular surgery from the Iraqi High Committee for Medical Specialization in 2001.

Following the war in Iraq, Shaker left his homeland and sought refuge in Jordan. There, he enjoyed relative stability for several years while ensur-ing the safety of his family.

“I was hoping that everything would settle down in my country and I could go back and start my career there again,” he said. “Finally I gave up. I don’t think it will ever be settled down anymore.

“I had to come to the U.S. for the benefit of my children so they can start their lives here and I can possibly re-sume my medical career,” he added.

Shaker said he knows it will be dif-ficult to resume his work in cardiology for the time being, but looks forward to taking a step-by-step goal-oriented approach.

For a foreign-trained doctor, get-ting a license in the U.S. requires the physician to pass a medical board exam and an English language test.

The physician is then required to complete a residency program in his or her chosen specialty. For Garcia and Shaker, this process is expected to take several years to complete and will in-evitably involve managing family life, study time, and the need to support their families.

Shaker said his main challenges do indeed lie in being responsible for

supporting his family while finding a job and making time to study. He said other challenges involve adjusting to different ways of doing things, such as buying a car, finding an apartment, looking for a job, and registering his kids for school.

Shaker and his wife and three children reside in Syracuse. He enjoys spending time with his family explor-ing Syracuse. “It’s a beautiful kind of nature,” he said.

Different worldsGarcia has family members in

Syracuse, although he is still await-ing his wife’s arrival. He faces money challenges while surviving as a single parent.

His wife was also expelled from medical school and was studying medicine as a nurse when Garcia met her in South America.

“I’m going to fight with all my strength to be a physician here in the U.S.,” he said.

“My ultimate goal is to get back to my field and get back to being a physi-cian again,” Garcia said. “I want to develop all my skills.

Garcia said Cuba replicates many of the U.S. medical practices, but suf-fers from problems such as lack of medication and life-sustaining equip-ment.

Garcia said Cubans do not receive sufficient medical care primarily be-cause the country exports physicians to Venezuela.

Meanwhile, schools are not pro-ducing doctors at a pace necessary to provide adequate healthcare in Cuba, he said.

As a result, Garcia sees chronic illnesses such as hypertension and

Taking part in the Healthcare Initiatives for Community Inclusion program are, seated from left, Mary Kane, job developer for the Syracuse City School District Refugee Assistance Program, and April English-Palozzola, career development team leader for Onondaga Community College JOBSplus! Standing from left are physicians Sergio Garcia of Cuba, Ammar Shaker of Iraq and Jasenko Mondom, job developer for the SCSD Refugee Assistance Program.

Refugee doctors find freedom, opportunity in SyracuseBy Lou Sorendo

diabetes and the subsequent complica-tions as spinning out of control.

Shaker said the Iraqi health system is completely different than the U.S.

There are no insurance companies providing health coverage; medical services are free. However, due to mis-management and rampant corruption, patients are often faced with having to provide medication and equipment themselves, he said.

Patients in the U.S. follow a more orderly process for treatment, while in Iraq, “patients are completely confused. They don’t know where to go or how to do things to manage themselves. It’s completely different,” Shaker said.

Shaker said endemic diseases are more prevalent in undeveloped countries like Iraq, while illnesses are more related to lack of hygiene or poor environmental conditions as compared to the U.S.

Wars have certainly taken their toll on both the physical and mental condi-tion of Iraqis.

“The psychological behavior of people changes when they go through war after war. You find a lot of issues from that,” he said.

Shaker said in the U.S., obesity and related illnesses such as diabetes are more prevalent than in Iraq.

HICI participants are referred from agencies that provide services to refugees such as Catholic Charities and InterFaith Works.

Several refugee physicians have been hired at Upstate University Hos-pital and Upstate University Hospital at Community Campus since the pro-gram began in the fall of 2011.


Practical tips, advice and hope for those who live alone

Live Alone & Thrive By Gwenn Voelckers

Life after a divorce or the death of a spouse can leave you reeling and wondering about practically ev-

erything — your judgment, your future, your fears, and your faith.

Recently, I interviewed Teresa Jackson, one of the most thoughtful and inspiring women I’ve met through my Live Alone and Thrive workshops. She is now happily remarried. Her faith lifted her up and carried her through the hardest times. Her journey may inspire yours. Here are some excerpts of the interview:

Would you care to share a little bit about your faith?

I’m a Christian. I’ve looked at other religions and have made a conscious decision to remain a Christian, even though I don’t understand it all.

What role did your personal faith play in your adjustment to living alone?

My Christian beliefs hold to the te-net that I am never alone — that Christ is with me wherever I am. I’ve prayed a lot and have found indescribable peace in that praying.

What was the biggest challenge you faced living alone and how did your faith help you heal?

Grieving the end of my marriage caused me the most pain while alone. All the “if only’s” and “why me’s” really tore at my heart. “The Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren, and other inspiring Christian books helped me get things into perspective. I also listened to

What do you find most rewarding about your faith?

I feel like I have a purpose in life. My job is to be a servant to God. He’s the boss of me! The thing is, I need to figure out each day what he’d like me to do with the time and resources he has put in my care.

What role does prayer play in your life?

Prayer is the great wireless com-munication connection to God. God speaks to us in three ways, (1) through the Bible, (2) through people, which in-cludes books people write and teachers like you, and (3) through prayer, which includes sending things in nature to us for comfort like sunrises, dogs, and deer.

How can those who live alone activate their faith more fully?

It’s like exercise and eating right. You get out of it what you put into it. You prepare your body for the years ahead by keeping moving and putting good things into it.

You prepare your mind for the times ahead by studying your faith, whichever faith you choose, and put-ting good things into your mind, like good music, good words, and good visuals.

Was there a favorite scripture pas-sage that lifted you up during your challenging times that you’d like to share with my readers?

‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and sup-plication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ Philip-pians 4:6-7

Gwenn Voelckers is the founder and facilitator of Live Alone and Thrive, empowerment workshops for women held throughout the year in Mendon, New York. For information about her work-shops or to invite Gwenn to speak to your group, call 585-624-7887 or email: [email protected].

Christian radio programs. Talking to girlfriends was also a huge part of my healing.

Is there a particular experience you had that captures the power of your faith?

My son was 7. After dinner he brought me his homework book to sign, as this was his teacher’s daily requirement. He’d been at his dad’s house the previ-ous three days and I saw his dad’s girlfriend’s sig-nature on the parent line in the book. Something snapped — all the weeks my precious children were away from me ... all the awfulness ... all the hatred and injustice and fear. I sucked it up and forced my shaking hand to sign my name next to hers. I made my way outside, stumbling in the cold, and collapsed under my pear tree.

I laid on my back clutching my chest, my heart. No tears. Just intense pain. I did not, could not, make a sound nor move, but after a while my mind prayed a lament, begging God for relief from this excruciating pain.

In that instant, a “peace that passes all understanding” moved over me and I felt my golden retriever, Kyla, appear and quietly curl up next to my body.

Did you ever lose faith or struggle to regain your faith?

I did not lose my faith but, boy, did I ever have a few words with God! One morning during breakfast with my two young boys, I ran to the garage and grabbed my bike after just learning of another injustice the boys endured.

I needed to get out of the house so the boys wouldn’t hear my rant at their father. I tore down the road, enraged and scream-ing at God, ‘How could you let this happen?!’

About a half mile from home, I saw a doe standing by an apple tree by the side of the road. I calmed down

immediately and just sobbed. I turned the bike around just as the sun burst over the horizon, washing the sky, the quiet country road, and me in orange light. I was reminded again, “You are never alone.”

What advice would you give to those whose suffering has challenged their faith?

Remember a time when you risked it, trusted God, and felt pretty good after you did. Remember that, “this too, shall pass.” Remember that there are things we can only learn when we are alone. That God has a bigger plan than our plan.

The Power of Faith: One Woman Finds Her Way

“You don’t have to live like a refugee.” Tom Petty’s “Refugee” lyrics may ring true with a set of

refugees who are seeking quality lives and careers in the Syracuse healthcare arena.

From the fall of 2009 to the present, more than 2,660 refugees have resettled in Onondaga County. Refugees are people who apply to the United Na-tions for sanctuary due to the threat of persecution in their home nations.

JOBSplus! has focused on assisting these new arrivals with finding jobs, said April English-Palozzola, career development team leader at JOBSplus!, 677 S. Salina St., Syracuse.

JOBSplus! is a program of Ononda-ga Community College in partnership with the Onondaga County Depart-ment of Social Services. Its mission is to assist individuals applying for and receiving temporary assistance benefits in their job search and retention efforts.

The refugee physicians are indeed in a fortunate position. The United

States accepts less than 1 percent of refugee applicants worldwide.

Those arriving in Central New York receive critical services from the Onondaga DSS. There are approximate-ly 15,000 refugee families in Syracuse.

A new program at SUNY Upstate Medical University is Healthcare Initia-tives for Community Inclusion.

It matches refugee physicians in Central New York with non-licensed direct patient care positions at Upstate while they continue their studies for medical licensure in America or pursue graduate work in other health-related fields.

According to English-Palozzola, HICI meets a need among highly skilled individuals who are part of the area’s refugee population while ben-efiting the Upstate community.

English-Palozzola said there have been a significant up-tick of refugee health care professionals entering On-ondaga County over the past several years. Many hail from Iraq and Cuba.

Refugee doctors “These refugees bring a wealth of skills and experience but are un-licensed and underemployed in the U.S.,” she said.

“The physicians in particular express great interest in obtaining em-ployment in a medical facility where they can work closely with fellow healthcare professionals, she noted.

Since the inception of HICI, Up-state Medical University—through its competitive hiring process—has hired nine refugee physicians in non-licensed positions.

Syracuse Community Health Cen-ter has hired two.

St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse has hired one refugee physician and two refugee nurses by way of the Northside Urban Partnership’s Health Train Program.

Collaborative effortA number of community agen-

cies serving these individuals came together with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Upstate Medical University to coordinate services and employment/educational opportuni-ties for those diverse populations who are traditionally underserved or living in poverty.

HICI members include representa-tives of Upstate’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Volunteer Services and Office for Community Outreach and Global Health; and JOBSplus! Syracuse

City School District Refugee Assistance Program and the Westside Learning Center.

“Future HICI initiatives include continued matching of healthcare positions with those in poverty across cultures,” English-Palozzola said. “We also wish to expand the program to involve representatives from other healthcare facilities and human service agencies, creating a community-wide imitative.”

English-Palozzola said HICI seeks to create a “win-win” for the refugees, Upstate Medical University, and Cen-tral New York in general.

“Refugees learn U.S. medical poli-cies and procedures in a state-of-the-art research facility,” she noted. “They network and support their families while pursuing U.S. credentialing and licensing.”

The Upstate healthcare community has the benefit of adding skilled health-care professionals to its team while enhancing the medical facility’s ability to communicate and deliver services across cultures, she added.

“With the patient population becoming increasingly diverse, these are critical benefits,” English-Palozzola said. “The Central New York commu-nity wins in that we are the beneficia-ries of a ‘brain gain’ while CNY as a whole has made significant efforts to retain scientific and technical talent.”

Influx of refugee healthcare professionals hits Syracuse area


By Eva BriggsMy Turn

Eva Briggs is a medical doctor who works at North Medical Urgent Care in Liverpool and Fulton Urgent Care in Fulton.

A few days ago I was reading my latest issue of Popular Photog-raphy, studying the text describ-

ing how a striking photo of fashion model was made. I noticed there was a sidebar explaining how the model’s hairstyle was created. Her hair was very short — almost shaven — with di-nosaur-like triangular spikes Mohawk-style down the midline. It turns out that the spikes were created from wiry green pot scrubbers cut into triangles, painted black and glued onto the model’s head. I had no idea how you would glue something to someone’s scalp, so I did a Google search.

It turns out there are many prod-ucts for gluing things — usually hair extensions — to hair and heads. They vary by color, permanence and other qualities. And I began to wonder, could there be a downside to this stuff?

Of course Google immediately lead me to the worst case scenario, a tabloid article about a woman cut down in the prime of life, killed by a massive al-lergic reaction to the glue used to affix her hair extensions. Fortunately I think that’s pretty rare, although the article goes on to quote a British pathologist (this happened in the U.K.) who claims that 10 to 20 women die from this ev-ery year in England, and “many more” in the U.S.

VNA Homecare and Home Aides of Central New York recently an-nounced that the organizations

are affiliating to form a new home care system that will bring more affordable and readily available home care to the community.

Patients will experience no changes in staffing or services as a result of the affiliation and will continue to be seen by the same caring professionals.

A joint committee of the VNA Homecare and Home Aides of Central New York boards spent nearly a year examining the potential of this affilia-tion.

Their decision was approved by VNA Homecare’s board on Dec. 13 and by Home Aides of Central New York’s board on Dec. 14.

This change is subject to approval by the New York State Department of Health which is expected to occur in the first half of 2013.

“The affiliation brings together the region’s best known names in home care,” said VNA Homecare board chairman Thomas H. Dennison. “VNA Homecare for providing patients of all ages with long term, skilled nursing at home and a diverse range of both short and long term home care services, and Home Aides of Central New York for helping the aging, frail and ill remain at home with dignity and indepen-dence.”

“The VNA Homecare—Home

Hair products can cause severe allergic reactions

Fortunately I have never cared for a patient suffering from the most serious type of allergic reaction — ana-phylaxis — caused from hair products. But I have seen lesser allergic reactions, especially contact dermatitis, caused by hair dyes, glues, and other hair prod-ucts. Contact dermatitis is an inflam-mation of the skin caused by touching a substance to which one is allergic. Poison ivy is the best-known example.

Although contact dermatitis doesn’t cause your throat to swell up or your lungs to constrict, it can still be very unpleasant. In mild forms it’s annoyingly itch. Severe cases are miser-ably itchy, and can ooze, weep, swell, and become secondarily infected by bacteria.

The fine print on packages of hair dye recommends that you do a self test before using the product, by apply-ing a small amount to the skin on the inside your elbow. Leave the product on 24 -48 hours before washing off, and observe for rash or itching. If you react, don’t use it.

To be fair, hair products are only one of a number of things that can cause contact dermatitis. Approximate-ly 3,000 different substances have been documented to cause allergic contact dermatitis. And just because you didn’t react to a substance in the past, or even

many times in the past, doesn’t mean you can’t become allergic to the sub-stance. The most common substances causing allergic contact dermatitis are poison ivy, nickel, hair dyes and tem-porary tattoos, textiles, preservatives, fragrances, neomycin (Neosporin and other brands), and benzocaine.

The first line of treatment is to remove and avoid the offending sub-stance. The next step is the use of topi-cal steroid creams or ointments. Don’t use these on the face or for prolonged periods without medical supervision. Severe cases often require systemic steroids given by mouth or sometimes injection. Antihistamines can relieve itching. If the area becomes infected, antibiotics will be needed.

VNA Homecare, Home Aides of Central New York Announce Affiliation

Aides of Central New York affilia-tion will protect and grow local jobs,” remarked Home Aides board chairman Anthony Marshall. “Together we are stronger and will be better able to en-sure consistency and continuity of care for patients.”

With a combined 575 employees, the affiliation is expected to help the organizations respond to a serious aide shortage and increase the organiza-tions’ employee base by at least 10 percent in the next two years. Admin-istrative staff is expected to remain the same and support continued patient care staff growth.

The organizations will continue to operate under their current names as part of a common parent company, Home Care of Central New York. M. Kate Rolf, president and CEO of VNA Homecare, will become president and CEO of the affiliated organizations.

Sandra Martin, president of Home Aides of Central New York, will continue in her current role until the affiliation is approved by the NYS De-partment of Health and will participate in the integration of the organizations prior to her retirement in 2013.

“I want to thank the boards of each organization for the hard work they put into this decision,” said Sandra Martin. “Their vision and foresight will ensure the community these two not-for-profit agencies will continue to serve as the primary providers of home

care in Central New York long into the future.”

“The thoroughness of the decision making process was made possible by a grant from the Community Founda-tion, which financially supported the joint committee’s efforts,” said M. Kate Rolf. “The boards’ involvement has been a true asset and the outcome of their efforts ensures Central New York will enjoy continued access to local home care.”

This affiliation will help ensure Central New York can rely on these local non profit home care providers as the marketplace quickly changes. New York state is in the process of advanc-ing the Medicaid Redesign Initiative, transitioning the Medicaid system from a fee for service environment to a managed care environment requir-ing mandatory patient enrollment in a managed, long term care plan. The change will take effect in Central New York beginning December 2013.

“Closer collaboration among home care providers is a necessary step in the transition to managed care,” said Home Care Association of New York State President, Joanne Cunningham. “This affiliation is a wonderful example of two long standing home care pro-viders pro actively coming together to meet the challenges all home care providers will be facing over the next few years.”

Noise at Basketball Games May Harm Your Hearing

An exciting basketball game often generates deafening noise. That noise may not

cause people to become deaf, but it most certainly can result in hear-ing loss, according to Wichita State University audiologist Ray Hull.

At college and professional basketball games across the na-tion, noise has become part of the show. Even at middle school and high school games, gymnasiums are like echo chambers, reverberating with sounds from the pep band and shrieking fans.

All of this noise concerns Wichita State University audiologist Ray Hull.

“Basketball games from grade school, middle school, high school, college and on into professional levels are fun, they’re exciting, but they’re also very loud. And there-fore, without realizing it, our hear-ing can become affected,” said Hull.

Hull says those who are most susceptible to hearing loss are those sitting in or near the pep band. Hull isn’t against crowd noise and enthusiasm at basketball games, but he says in order to prevent unneces-sary hearing loss, fans should wear inexpensive noise reducing ear plugs.

Hull says many gyms are equivalent to echo chambers. “From small gymnasiums to large arenas, almost inadvertently they are de-signed to amplify sound. They are reverberation chambers. Therefore they amplify sound more than they might have otherwise.”

Hull says the intensity level at some basketball games can perma-nently damage hearing.

“When you combine all the noise that we listen to during a basketball game, the intensity of that noise — from the pep band to the crowd, the PA system — can reach levels that are damaging to our hearing up to around 115 deci-bels. At that intensity level, we can stand that noise without permanent damage to our hearing for approxi-mately seven and a half minutes,” he said.

Hull says those most suscepti-ble to hearing loss are those who are sitting in or near the pep band.

Hull: “Those who are most sus-ceptible to damage to their hearing are those who are sitting, for exam-ple, near the pep band or, of course for those in the pep band, because intensity levels can reach 125 to 130 decibels. At that intensity level, you are susceptible to permanent dam-age to your hearing after about a minute and a half of exposure.”

Hull encourages fans to wear ear protectors at basketball games.

“My recommendation is that to enjoy the game, but also protect our hearing, we should be wearing hearing protectors, and by that I’m talking about ear plugs, the noise reducing plugs that can be bought at the grocery store or any sporting goods store.”

“I think the reason why people don’t wear hearing protectors as much as they should is because either they’re not aware of the po-tential damage to their hearing, or perhaps they don’t care, or perhaps they don’t want to look like a wimp by wearing hearing protection dur-ing a basketball game.”


Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle columnist, food guru, and seasoned cook, who has perfected the art of preparing nutritious, calorie-conscious dishes. She is hungry for your questions and comments about SmartBites, so be in touch with Anne at [email protected].

By Anne Palumbo SmartBitesThe skinny on healthy eating

I’ve always been fond of car-rots. Sweet and crunchy, they last forever in the fridge, don’t cost a pretty penny, and make an ideal snack.

Plus, they’re low in calories (only 25 per medium carrot) and super high in nutrients, especially vitamin A. A powerhouse nutrient for all-around good health, vitamin A is essential for growth, healthy skin, and — no sur-prise here — eyesight.

Do carrots improve your vision? No, that’s a myth. But they do pro-mote overall eye health and help to protect your eyes from serious vision problems, such as cataracts, age-re-lated macular degeneration, and night blindness. In fact, reduced night vision is one of the earliest signs of vitamin A deficiency, although people rarely notice it until it’s severe.

Keep Your Eye on Carrots

Lately, however, I’ve been seeing carrots in a whole new light, thanks to some exciting research. According to a recent Harvard study that tracked near-ly 90,000 nurses for eight years, eating carrots five times a week or more — vs. once a month or less — may reduce your risk of a stroke by an astound-ing 68 percent. Lead researcher JoAnn E. Manson of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, speculated that the protection may be due to a carrot’s high concentration of beta-carotene, a potent antioxidant that inhibits cholesterol from clogging arteries.

Carrots may also keep your heart thumping longer. New research from the Netherlands has shown that con-

suming more deep orange fruit and vegetables, especially carrots, may protect against coronary heart disease (CHD). Specifically, participants who ate at least 25 more grams of carrots per day (about one medium or two small) had a 32 percent lower risk of CHD. The possible explanation? Once again, all roads lead to beta-carotene and, according to this study’s researchers, its potential ability to reduce inflam-mation and gobble up damaging free radicals.

On the fiber front, carrots are a decent source, with one medium carrot providing about 2 grams. Heart-friend-ly fiber helps to ferry cholesterol out of the body and keep us satiated longer. It also promotes regularity.

Helpful tips

If carrots are not organically grown, peel them. Otherwise, there’s no need to peel, unless carrots are old or thick. Do wash any carrot right before eating. Carrots will last longer in the refrigerator if you minimize the moisture they lose. To do this, transfer carrots (both regular and baby) from the store bag to a zip-lock plastic bag.

Carrot Coconut Soup Serves 4

Adapted from whfoods.org

1 tablespoon olive oil1 large onion, chopped1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped4 medium garlic cloves, chopped

1 ½ teaspoons curry powder2 cups sliced carrots, about ¼-inch thick1 cup sweet potato, cut into ½-inch cubes3 cups chicken or vegetable broth6 ounces canned “lite” coconutmilk1 teaspoon kosher salt½ teaspoon coarse black pepperCrumbled feta cheese (optional)

In medium soup pot, saute onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring often. If onion starts to stick to pan, add a little water to loosen.

Add garlic, ginger and curry pow-der and continue to sauté for another minute.

Add carrots, sweet potato and broth and simmer on medium high heat until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add coconut milk and mix well. Using a handheld blender, puree soup in pot to desired consistency. Ad-just spices. Top with feta cheese.

Note: No blender? Mash mixture with a potato masher right in pot.

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It didn’t happen overnight but it did happen. Terri West from Brewerton went from a 126-pound high school

girl to a 359-pound 40-something woman. Her weight was an issue she had tried hard to conquer on her own.

“I tried exercising and diet, and diet pills, and the Atkins diet and protein shakes and you name it, and I’d lose five or 10 and gain it back,“ she said. “I have done that repetitively. It’s that yo-yo dieting thing and it’s the combination of genetics and poor dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle and you work all day and you’re tired when you get home and the last thing you want to do is go to the gym.

“I never felt like I was a big heavy girl but I always felt like people that knew me in high school that saw me would go ‘golly there’s two of her now.’ They’d still like me but it was still such a shocking thing to me because in my brain I was still that 125-pound little girl that could be around the dance floor and now I couldn’t dance for a minute without being out of breath.”

West has company in observing that losing weight when you’re obese can seem next to impossible.

Physician Howard Simon is the di-

rector of bari-atric surgery at Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse. “You can’t overcome cancer with will pow-er,” he said. “You can’t overcome morbid obesity with will power. A few percent can but you generally can’t. That’s the whole rationale for doing bariatric surgery.”

The doctor said there are over 20 million people in the United States now who are morbidly obese. Technically you are morbidly obese if you have a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or more or you are morbidly obese if you have a BMI of 35 and also have type 2 diabe-tes, hypertension, or sleep apnea. The BMI is a combination of your height and weight.

Simon said that only about 3 per-

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Bariatric Surgery: Teri West’s StoryRegistered nurse from Brewerton weighted 359 pounds. After years of research, she decided to have a bariatric surgery. She now shares her story with usBy Matthew Liptak

cent of people who are morbidly obese can lose substantial weight and keep it off. The vast majority gains the weight back or adds more to boot. For them diet and exercise alone just doesn’t seem to be enough.

“I had a patient once,” the physi-cian said, “he lost 300 pounds. He gained back 325. It’s a description of the problem. Why dieting and exercise alone results in 97 percent of people getting the weight back? I don’t think anybody knows the answer to that.

“I think the answers are is that when you become morbidly obese there are probably changes in the brain almost in some ways like an addict. If you’re an addict and then you’re abstinent for 25 years, you start up again, you know, you start using drugs or alcohol, in the same amount if not

more than before. The same thing seems to happen with morbid obese patients.”

So what’s the solution? Where’s the hope? For West the help came in the form of bariatric surgery. Unfortunately for some, their BMI isn’t high enough for their insurance to cover the surgery. Insurance will only cover the surgery if it is at the limits doctor Simon de-scribed above.

West’s BMI was over the limit so she was eligible. She is a registered nurse and did her research. For five years she explored the ins and outs of getting surgery. There are primarily three kinds that are popular: gastric bypass, lap-band and sleeve resec-tion. West opted for the gastric bypass operation.

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Simon, the director of bariatric surgery at Upstate, said both the gastric bypass and sleeve resection often have good results but the lap band isn’t as popular anymore because it isn’t as successful in many cases and one out of three people will need an additional operation for it.

Not that the dangers aren’t very real for the other operations. Simon said mortality rates for the operations in general can be one in 400 to one in 500 patients during surgery.

West was most worried about the dangers of anesthesia.

“Surgery’s scary,” she said. “There’s anesthesia problems with obesity and you worry about dying un-der anesthesia and losing your family, having complications, so I looked into it and said ‘you know what? I need to go to the seminar.’”

Several bariatric departments in Syracuse host seminars regularly for those interested in learning more about the procedure. West found Dr. Graber and Dr. Fitzer out of Utica who did a seminar at St. Joseph’s in Syracuse. She did a check on their backgrounds and track record of doing surgeries. They passed her test. Simon said his department has seminars three times a month. Upstate, he said, does up to 500 bariatric surgeries a year.

“We talk about a big overview of bariatric surgery,” he said. “We talk about the problem of morbid obesity. We talk about the operations. We talk about the complications. Then people who are interested send their papers in and we see them in the office.”

When West was at her seminar she wrote Graber a letter and handed it to him.

“I said ‘I’m an RN. I’ve been an RN for years and years,” she said. “I have this summer off. Is there any way you

can do this surgery? I’ve researched it for five years. I know the dietary risks. I know I have to go to a dietitian. I know I have to go see a psychiatrist. So I wrote him this whole letter expecting it will be months or years or whatever before they get back. They called me the next day and they scheduled it for the following month.”

She and her husband were both nervous about the surgery but they persevered. She opted for a laparoscop-ic procedure, which means the surgeon makes four or five half-inch incisions in the belly and uses tools and cameras to perform the actual surgery.

“They go in there with little cam-eras and these little tubes and they tool around and they cut the big part of your stomach away and they staple it into the size of a little pouch prob-ably the size of smaller than a plumb

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maybe.”Terri West’s gastric bypass was

a success. Where once she sat on the couch and ate a bag of potato chips she now only splurges on two or three. An entree at the Cracker Barrel can now last her for three or four meals. She’s lost 150 pounds. It’s an absolute life-style change, she said.

West recommends it for others.“The benefits outweigh the risks

because if you’re morbidly obese you’re going to die from morbid obes-ity complications,” she said. “If your afraid you’re going to die from the surgery—either way you are going to die early. So have that surgery done, live it up and your life is going to be great and your just going to be a happy camper because I’m telling you my life is amazing. I would do it again tomor-row.”

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While the larger Syracuse hospi-tals have made Central New York a hot bed for robotic

surgery, a smaller facility outside the metro area has become the first in the region to use the emerging technology for an innovative new procedure.

At Oneida Healthcare Center in Madison County, a surgical team led by physicians (and brothers) Pedro DelPino and Alberto DelPino, recently began performing a single-site proce-dure where the da Vinci robot is used to remove gallbladders through a one-inch incision in the patient’s naval. OHC officials say this type of gallblad-der surgery, which results in no scars, minimal pain and a quicker recovery time, is unique to the Syracuse area as well as the Mohawk Valley.

“Neither robotic surgery or single-incision surgery is new, but combin-ing the two to remove the gallbladder requires additional training and special equipment,” Pedro DelPino said. “To be the first hospital in the region to offer this technically advanced surgery demonstrates Oneida Healthcare’s leadership with the most up-to-date minimally invasive surgical options.”

OHC officials say the procedure takes about an hour, and the proceed-ing hospital stay is less than 24 hours. The Food and Drug Administration ap-proved the use of the da Vinci system for gallbladder removal in 2011, but surgeons were first required to com-plete extensive training. Coincidentally, Alberto DelPino was among a small

Introduction of surgical robot offers better options to patients at Oneida hospitalBy Aaron Gifford

Oneida Healthcare performing innovative surgeries with da Vinci robot

group of surgeons in the country who had just finished a training program for that type of surgery when the approval was announced.

The da Vinci system is used for many different types of complex mini-mally invasive surgery. OHC acquired the $2 million device in last year and was expected to complete about 100 procedures with it in 2012, including colon surgery. In the coming years, OHC surgeons expect to increase the da Vinci’s uses to include prostate removal and surgery in the chest and lungs.

Before acquiring the da Vinci sys-tem, OHC surgeons were still able to perform laparoscopic surgery using a camera to help them see the tissue bet-ter so they could cut and sew in tighter spaces. Although these procedures

could also be done with a single inci-sion, the cuts made by human hands were still larger than that of the robot and the stitches weren’t as tight, result-ing in more blood loss, more pain and longer recovery times.

With the da Vinci, the surgeon looks into a console and uses a control panel to operate robotic hands. These hands allow the user to position a surgical instrument at seven different angles. The controller moves like a hu-man wrist but has much more dexter-ity, maneuverability and precision. It also filters hand tremors. If the user pulls his head out of the console, the machine shuts down. The surgeon can use a magnifier to focus in on certain areas, and the console also produces 3-D images.

“He can actually tell the robot to make both hands left handed for a bet-ter angle. It enhances their own hands and allows them to get behind organs and tissue,” explained physician Janis Kohlbrenner, OHC vice president for clinical service. “This is just one more piece of equipment we bring to the table. It’s great to listen to the surgeons talk about it. The excitement for this [technology], it’s like watching analog TV and then getting HDTV.”

“These arms don’t shake,” added Alberto DelPino. “And they’re very meticulous.”

According to the da Vinci Surgical System website, the technology does allow the surgeon to “feel” things in-side the patient’s chest or abdomen by relaying feedback sensations through the robotic arms.

After acquiring the da Vinci, OHC personnel introduced the technology to the public during the Heart Run & Walk event in Utica. People had a chance to witness the machine’s amaz-ing capabilities first-hand by operat-ing the robotic arms to pick up thumb tacks and paper clips. Since then, patients from as far away as Herkimer County have selected OHC for non-invasive surgeries, as no other hospital

between Syracuse and Albany has a da Vinci robot, Kohlbrenner said.

“We’ve had great satisfaction rates from the folks who traveled here,” she said.

Alberto DelPino believes the device will help OHC to recruit new surgeons. Training with this type of technology is becoming the norm in medical school while the technology is continually improving. He said the next generation of robots will probably be smaller, with arms that are even more agile and bet-ter able to staple and seal tissue more seamlessly that the current devices.

“We get new technology all the time,” he said. “This is essentially mov-ing into the realm of 3-D high-defini-tion. It’s another step in the process. If we never have to open a person up [using our own hands], that’s great.”

In Syracuse, Upstate University Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Crouse Hospital and Upstate Community Campus also have da Vincis.

According to the da Vinci Surgical System website, the robots are current-ly being used throughout the United States as well as Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Holland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, Swit-zerland, the United Kingdom, Austra-lia and Turkey. The website also said da Vinci systems are “theoretically” capable of being operated by remote control over long distances, though such procedures are not the focus of the company at this time and are not avail-able with the current da Vinci Surgical System.

Healy said the hospital will launch a new da Vinci “microsite” in January. It can be found at the hospital’s main site, www.oneidahealthcare.org. “It’s a specialized website devoted exclu-sively to our specific da Vinci services, including video, surgeon interviews, patient testimonials and other helpful content,” he concluded.


New Year

Though it’s impossible to spot reduce — meaning that sit ups specifically target belly flab

— you can perform exercises that will help tone and tighten the muscles in problem areas, help prevent injury and build more overall muscle, which helps boost your body’s metabolism and burn more fat.

It doesn’t take a weight bench or resistance machine in the basement to tone and strengthen your muscles.

Michael Knapp, certified personal trainer and owner of At Your Home Personal Training in Syracuse, likes us-ing calisthenics in his clients’ routines.

These can include “anything that’s pushing, pull-ing or standing up,” he said. “Pushups against a wall or chair, sitting up and down from a chair.”

Greg Payne, certified personal trainer at River-side Fitness Center in Baldwinsville, recommends pull-ups for upper body toning. Any bar such

as at a playground or a clothes bar that can support your weight will do.

Perform both overhand and under-hand grasps to work different muscles.

“Try to keep the body perpendicu-lar to the floor,” Payne said. “Come up to collar bone, using control.”

Beginners can stand on a chair and lower themselves slowly for “negative pull ups” until they become strong enough for standard pull ups.

Kathleen Frizzi, registered yoga teacher at Metro Fitness in Syracuse, recommends wall push ups for people new to fitness.

Place your feet hips’ distance apart.

“How far your feet are from the wall depends upon how strong you are,” Frizzi said.

Start with them 12 inches from the wall and increase that distance as you grow stronger.

Your hands should be shoulders’ width apart and level with the shoulders.

“Hold the shoulder blades wide,” Frizzi said. “Go as far as you can

without dipping your head. The body stays in a straight line. Do as many as you can. If it’s easy at 10, put your feet farther out from the wall. To keep your shoul-ders stable on the back, I tell people to imagine they have a newspaper or clutch purse under each elbow. If you can do that while you’re doing wall pushups, you’ll activate shoulder blade muscles. It can also help prevent injuries.”

When shoulder blades slide all around, it endangers the rotator cuff.

If you’re strong enough, perform push ups on the floor, with the feet together.

“Squeezing the legs together can help engage the

abdominals, too,” Frizzi said.

The plank pose can also engage the

core muscles. It’s basically a

push up posi-tion with the up-

per body resting on the forearms, not the palms.

Hold the pose in the “up” position.

Wall squats are

another ex-ample of a

callisthenic move-

Frizzi

Moves to Tone and StrengthenBy Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

ment. Unlike a free-standing squat, a wall squat gives your body support and helps with balance issues.

“There’s a lot of key factors with the correct form for squats that people don’t realize,” Jim McIntyre, a certified personal trainer.

McIntyre provides services for home clients and leads fit boot camps at various fitness clubs in the Finger Lakes area.

He reminds clients to not allow their knees past their toes as they perform squats. Stand with your feet shoulder’s width apart with toes for-ward.

“Try to roll your hips in toward your heels,” McIntyre said. “That will force your glutes to pop out a little bit. Pretend you’re sitting on a chair and slowly go straight down.

“You don’t want your back per-fectly straight, but not arching either

because that puts more pressure on the lower back,” he added. “Put the shoul-ders back so they’re in control.”

Exhale as you go down; inhale as you stand up. If you have balance problems, you can perform squats near a chair for support.

Try the sumo squat, in which the feet have a space between them that is double your shoulder width. The tech-nique is the same otherwise.

“That will hit the inner and outer areas of your thighs a little

bit more than a parallel squat will,” McIntyre said.

Calf raises will work the entire leg and can impact the abdominal muscles as well. Stand near a chair or coun-tertop if you have balance issues. Roll forward slightly so your weight is on the balls of your feet as your heels lift. Flex all the leg’s muscles and keep the abdomen tucked in as you rise. Hold the pose a few moments and lower slowly to a standing position.

Initially perform it on both feet and as you become stronger, go with one foot at a time. You can also perform it on the edge of a step so your heels dip lower on the downward movement.

“Calf raises done properly will work calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes and a lot of stabilizing muscles in the ankles,” McIntyre said.

With any of these movements, it is important to not flop into position or jerk yourself out of the position.

“If you can’t control it, start with something a little less impact,” Mc-Intyre said.

To complete one “set,” perform as many of one movement as you can, then rest 60 seconds. Then perform as many as you can. Rest 60 seconds and repeat. The number may be smaller in the subsequent sets. Once you have completed three sets, move on to a dif-ferent area of the body.

Performing exercises will help tone and tighten the muscles in problem areas, help prevent injury and build more overall muscle, which helps boost your body’s metabolism and burn more fat.


New Year

Bored by exercise? Logging endless treks up a stair stepper or pedal-ing bicycle going nowhere won’t

keep your interest. Instead, get off the beaten treadmill and try something dif-ferent this year.

At the area YMCAs, you can try any number of different activities to jar out of your fitness rut.

“I think we have something for ev-eryone,” said Jackie Sheffield, associate director of the Oswego YMCA.

In addition to the facility’s two fitness centers, group classes include Zumba, Tae Kwon Do and pool-based fitness classes and lap time.

Growing in popularity at the Y, indoor parkour involves using mats and gymnastic equipment to form an obstacle course to challenge partici-pants. It’s sort of like dog agility train-ing for people: climbing, jumping and running.

“We change up the routine ev-ery week,” Sheffield said. “Everyone strives to be healthier, whether you’re already fit or someone who’s just get-ting started. We have such a variety that it’s never boring.”

Classes and activities offered by YMCA vary from location to location.

Kickball, Flag FootballThe Syracuse Sports Association,

headed by Jim Colloura, offers orga-nized leagues for adults who want to

play middle school recess games.

“We are based upon getting out, being active and having fun,” Col-loura said.

Participants may choose from indoor whiffle ball, dodge-ball, kickball, flag football, and, new this year, basketball and bowling.

The teams are all co-ed. About 24 to 28 teams participate and about 300 show up any given evening, plus spectators.

“People get dedicated to it,” Col-loura said. “They look forward to it so they return and stay active.”

Karate, Kickboxing and ArnisMartial arts are not just for tough

guys. In fact, many schools, such as World Class Karate in DeWitt, teach techniques suitable for people of any size or strength and either gender.

“We say the family that kicks together, sticks together,” said Randy Lawrence, owner and head instructor.

“A family atmosphere helps keep you coming back, instead of just hav-ing the gym mentality where you’re separated. If a family can go bowling and have fun, they can learn karate, get in shape and learn something to protect themselves.”

The school accepts students from

Yoga, Zumba, martial arts and dance class are good options for fun exerciseBy Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

age 4. “Martial arts work with a lot of

small muscle groups,” Lawrence said. “There is a lot of fast movement. It takes balance, coordination and it’s a great aerobic workout.”

Greg Tearney, head instructor and 10th degree black belt in karate, oper-ates Tearney’s Karate in Syracuse. He added that martial arts provide many fitness benefits.

“Our programs emphasize flexibil-ity, strength and aerobics,” he said. “We also focus on discipline, focus, span of attention for kids and for adults total wellness and wellbeing, including stress relief, safety, and staying in good shape.”

The adult program includes Krav Maga, Thai kickboxing and Arnis, a Filipino stick fighting art.

“There’s very strong camaraderie,” Tearney said. “There’s a social element, as opposed to getting on a machine where you’re by yourself. You interact

Bored with your treadmill? Trysomething new

with like-minded adults who en-courage you to go on to the next level. When someone pushes you to do better, you get better results.”

Practicing a martial art also engages the mind. Learning a variety of techniques, handing various weapons and maintain-ing the mental acuity require to spar keeps the brain active.

Dance lessons can also help you improve your level of fitness.

Dance“Physically, we offer a

variety of classes,” said Alissa Bachand, co-owner of The Movement Box

Dance Studio in Syra-cuse. “They’re all very different in how they target muscles. We

do cardio, strengthen-ing, flexibility and toning.

You get what you’d get in a gym but in half-hour to an hour increments. It’s not monotonous; it’s a sneaky fitness.”

The school offers ballet for children and tap, modern, jazz, point, and hip-hop styles for all ages.

“You’re not working on the same equipment or the same routine,” Bachand said. “It’s refreshing mentally and keeps your brain engaged as much as your body. Most of our adult stu-dents find that the most fun part of it.”

When considering a new activity, don’t be afraid to try something differ-ent, but set realistic goals for yourself. It will take awhile to become proficient. Most schools expect you to practice outside of class, too.

School owners should readily provide you with reference from satis-fied students and help you get in touch with them. They should also allow you to observe students in a class.

When you visit, check out the facility itself. Is it clean, well-lit and adequately sized? Is the equipment in good repair and appropriate to the activity? Do the students look happy?

Read any contract thoroughly so you understand your obligations.

With the holiday season just behind us, children are busy playing with their new toys.

But parents may need to check them yet again to ensure toy safety. Accord-ing to the U.S. Consumer Product

Safety Commission, more than 250,000 toy-related injuries are treated in emer-gency rooms each year. Most of these injuries affect children under age 15, and almost half affect the head or face. In light of these dangers, the American

Academy of Ophthalmology encour-ages parents to be eye smart about toys this post-holiday season.

Some toys, like airsoft guns, BB guns and paintball guns can be particu-larly hazardous, with the potential to propel foreign objects into the sensi-tive tissues of the eye. Common eye injuries from these toys include corneal abrasion, ocular hyphema, traumatic cataract, and increased intraocular pressure. These and other injuries sometimes require children to undergo eye surgery. In most cases, the victims of these toy-related injuries were not wearing protective eyewear.

The good news is that most eye in-juries can easily be prevented. To keep children’s eyes safe from injuries, the American Academy of Ophthalmology offers a few tips:

1. Avoid letting your kids play toys with sharp, protruding or projectile parts.

KIDSCorner

Doctors: Hazardous Toys Are Responsible for Thousands of Eye Injuries Each Year

2. Make sure children have appropriate supervision when playing with po-tentially hazardous toys or games that could cause an eye injury. 3. Along with sports equipment, give children the appropriate protective eye-wear with polycarbonate lenses. Check with your eye doctor to learn about protective gear recommended for your child’s sport. 4. Check labels for age recommenda-tions and be sure to select gifts that are appropriate for a child’s age and maturity. 5. Keep toys that are made for older children away from younger children.

“Many toys have the potential to cause eye injuries,” said David G. Hunter, a pediatric ophthalmologist and spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Being aware and thoughtful about what you are putting in your children’s hands is the best preventative medicine.”


throw it. That can get us into a lot of trouble, especially if we’re in a bent over position.

“When lifting the snow, tighten up your stomach muscles. It puts more stress on your abdominal muscles and less on your back. It’s a good exercise for your stomach and gives more sup-port to your spine.”

Instead of twisting, move your feet to change position. And don’t extend your arms to toss the snow away. Don-lan said that this puts more pressure on your back. Walk the shovelful to where you want it.

Lift with your legs and don’t spend the afternoon stooping over the shovel.

The right kind of shovel can make the job easier and help prevent injury, too.

“A shovel with a curved handle or an adjustable handle length will minimize the degree of bending or pre-vent overstrain of the back muscles,” said Terry Clark, physical therapist at Upstate University Hospital. “This style of shovel will allow a slight bend in the knees and arch in your back while keeping the shovel blade on the ground.

“Also, a small, lightweight, plas-tic blade helps reduce the amount of weight that you are moving. The lighter materials that snow shovels are made of today, and the design allows lifting the snow without creat-ing as much load on your back when you bend. An ergonomic curve in the handle lets the shovel get lower to the ground without making you bend as much o pick up the snow.”

Dress warmly for shoveling, but in layers so you can peel off layers as your body heats up. This helps prevent perspiration from chilling you. Wear sensible boots. They should have rub-bery soles and insulation. Even if you don’t see ice, it could be lurking under the snow, waiting to yank your feet out from under you.

ParentingBy Melissa Stefanec

[email protected]

As the white stuff piles up, many of us get busy with the snow shovel. But shoveling snow can

present a few physical hazards, espe-cially to people who do not regularly exercise.

For starters, it’s physically de-manding and sometimes people don’t notice how hard their hearts are pump-ing as they’re intent upon clearing the driveway, sidewalk and doorways efficiently. Without thinking, an unfit person or one with a heart defect can have a heart attack while shoveling.

“Published research in 2011 showed 6.7 percent of snow shoveling injuries seen in an emergency depart-ment involved cardiac related symp-toms,” said Laura Donlan, physical therapist at Upstate University Hos-

Safe ShovelingExperts say some people should warm up before shoveling the snow

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

I love my daughter Stella, but sometimes I have to face the facts. Besides being an adorable 17-

month-old toddler, she is also a light-ning-fast germ pod. Her baby friends and daycare mates are also miniature germ pods.

Before I was a mom, I knew kids did gross things. Now I bear constant witness to the filth that is involved in raising children. With one swift motion, she shoves every stray item on the floor into her mouth. When I ask her where her nose is, she picks it. She thinks it’s funny make sputtering sounds, which shoot off rounds of drool. She and her friends share only the things they shouldn’t. Toddlerhood may be fun, but it is rarely clean.

My instinct is to roll with the punches. I can’t keep her germ-free, so why try? If she pets strange animals or plays on public ground, a hand wash-ing is in order. Keeping her away from every person with a slight cough or runny nose isn’t practical. My husband tends to worry about these things a lot more. He is vigilant in protecting her. Sometimes we keep each other in check, while other times we disagree. Who is right? Does contact with germs

build the immune system? Or, does hy-per vigilance pay off and protect? How do parents find a sane medium?

As many modern parents do when a child-rearing question arises, I turned to the Internet for my answers.

A quick consult with WebMD did the trick. I found an article that cited some wisdom from pediatricians. At first, I felt victorious. The article offered phrases like, “Exposure to germs builds up a baby’s immune system,” and “germs are unavoidable.”

The easygoing side of me breathed a sigh of relief. It went on to say par-ents should never knowingly expose their children to pathogens to increase immunity. For example, pediatricians don’t recommend exposing your chil-dren to chicken pox to get it over with.

Instead of constantly stressing about germs, the article recommended taking some common sense approaches to protecting my little one. The first thing it mentioned was hand wash-ing. Apparently, all those campaigns to wash your hands during cold and flu season aren’t some conniving plan by the national soap council to get you to buy more soap. I instantly vowed to wash Stella’s hands at other times than

after meals and obvious touching of gross things. It also stated that I could use hand sanitizer, but I would have to make her vigorously rub her hands together for 20 seconds. I can’t cut three of her fingernails in one sitting, so I resigned myself to good-old-fashioned soap and water.

The next suggestion recommends vaccines. This is a no-brainer for me, so I breathed another sigh of relief and move on. Check and double check.

The next topic covered is cleaning and disinfecting. Apparently, there is a difference. Cleaning displaces germs (hopefully into the garbage, drain or washing machine), and disinfecting kills germs. The article is quick to point out that under most circumstances either is fine; I should just give extra cleaning TLC to the kitchen and bath-room. Those suggestions are already in practice. I felt even better and moved on.

The quest to wage the perfect war on germs continued to surface disin-fecting. The consensus is, attempting to sanitize every surface and toy isn’t practical. Hand washing is more effec-tive, because Stella’s hands are what is doing the contaminating. The article

even suggested that over-sanitizing could contribute to asthma or allergies for children. That made sense to me.

I felt pretty good about my lacka-daisical attitude toward germ warfare, but then the article took the germ hunt out of the home. The section on dining out cautioned about letting children eat off a table at restaurants. At last, my approach failed me. I do this. I can easily remedy it by bringing a travel place mat.

At the end of the article, I took home the key point. We all need to be washing our hands more. In my case, I need to wash my own hands and Stella’s more.

We live in a world that is full of germs and trying to avoid them is an exercise in futility. The only thing I have a small amount of control over is how many of them enter her precious little body. My happy medium will involve placemats and good-old-fash-ioned soap and water.

Note: The WebMD article refer-enced in this column can be viewed at www.webmd.com/parenting/d2n-stopping-germs-12/germs-at-home

pital. While that

percentage is small, it does indicate that people who are not in good physi-cal shape can place themselves at risk by abruptly engag-ing in a demanding task like shoveling.

“Snow shovel-ing requires coordi-

nated movement of the major muscle groups and requires a high level of simultaneous exertion from the legs, arms and back,” Donlan said. “The relative heart rate can exceed the upper limits of recommended aerobic exercise during a two-minute period of snow

shoveling in sedentary men.”Instead of throwing yourself into

the task, Donlan advises shovelers to start off slowly and go easy on caffeine beforehand.

“This will increase your heart rate,” she said. “Freezing temperatures alone can increased cardiac workload by causing peripheral vasoconstriction and increasing blood viscosity.”

Beyond trouble with your heart, shoveling can also result in back mus-cular strain, lumbar disc injury, and shoulder or elbow strains. One way to prevent injury is to plan the activity.

“Make sure you take breaks,” said Megan Hitkey, physical therapist with St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center. “Shoveling has you bent forward. Stand up and get your back straight. Lean back to relax your spine every five minutes or so. You can even take your first few minutes of shoveling as a warm up, just like a sport. Gradually increase your activity so your muscles are warmed up.”

In the name of efficiency, it’s easy to pile as much snow on the shovel as possible; however, doing so can cause muscle strains as the body over-exerts itself. Instead, take more, lighter shov-

elfuls. It will take longer, but it’s a lot easier on your back, arms and legs. The technique you use is also very important.

“As far as actu-ally [moving] snow, I tell people always push the snow as opposed to shovel-ing it when you can, especially if you’re

close to the edge of your sidewalk or driveway,” said Tom Fricke, physical therapist at Crouse Hospital. “That can save a lot of wear and tear, but it’s not always practical.

“People should not twist. A lot of times, we tend to twist our bodies to

Donlan Clark

My Fight Against Germs


The past few years have seen sig-nificant technological advances in the improvement of health care,

including the nationwide creation of some 300 regional health care informa-tion organizations. RHIOs, as they are known, collect and electronically store medical information, insuring that critically important patient data will be available to hospitals, laboratories, physicians and other health-care pro-fessionals with the touch of a keyboard.

One of the newly created RHIOs, HealtheConnections, serves 11 coun-ties in Central, Southern and Northern New York. Since being launched in late 2010, HealtheConnections has already secured patient records for more than 1 million of the 1.4 million people who live in those counties. It has also received consent from some 400,000 of those patients who wish to be included in the electronic medical database.

“The milestones we have reached are very significant,” said Rob Hack, executive director of the nonprofit, community-run HealtheConnections, which has a staff of 12 at the State Tower Building in Syracuse. “Some RHIOs that have been in operation in New York state for five years or longer haven’t yet reached that kind of mile-stone.”

The counties included in the HealtheConnections RHIO network are Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson,

Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Tomp-kins. Statewide, there are currently 12 regional health information orga-nizations. Nationally, the most recent estimate is 300, according to healthe-connections.org

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the concept for regional health databases was born in 2004 when then-President George Bush issued an executive order for the nationwide implementation of technological infrastructure to improve the efficiency of health care for Ameri-cans. The goal was for most Americans to have a comprehensive, electronic health record by the end of 2014.

HealtheConnections was created by the nonprofit Health Advancement Collaborative of Central New York (HAC-CNY), a group of health care, business and insurance professionals who got together in 2005 to address concerns about access to health care, its quality and costs. Founding members were the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, the Hospital Executive Council, the Manufacturers Association of CNY, the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and CNY, the Onondaga Medical Society and Excel-lus BlueCross BlueShield. Other entities represented on the group’s board of directors, according to healtheconnec-tions.org, are C&S Engineers, MVP Health Care, Kinney Drugs, Syracuse University, Welch Allyn and Stickley Audi.

HealtheConnections became a real-ity thanks to $900,000 in federal funds, $2.1 million in New York State HEAL (Health Care Efficiency and Afford-ability Law) funds, and $350,000 in corporate contributions from Excellus, MVP Health Care and National Grid. It is being sustained by health-insurance companies like Excellus, MVP, POMCO and EBS-RMSCO “and you and I, the consumers,” said Rob Hack, who joined HealtheConnections in April of 2010.

At this point, most of the 19 hos-pitals in the region are participating in HealtheConnections, Hack said, and the staff is working with the remaining two hospitals in Oneida and Hamilton.

The participating laboratories, radiolo-gy centers, physician’s offices and other medical facilities currently number 110.

“We have really just started our effort with the providers,” he said. Part of the challenge is that about half the providers don’t keep electronic records, but Medicare and Medicaid are push-ing for everyone to move to electronic databases and away from paper record-keeping. “Our push for the past two years has been hospitals and large radiology and laboratory [facilities],” he said. “Our push over the next few years will be to get physician practices and small labs connected to the ex-change.”

In addition to the collection and storage of medical records, Healthe-Connections also directs the movement of that information. When a laboratory sends a report, for example, they make sure the test results get to the proper providers.

“That helps with speed and drives efficiency,” Hack said.

Once a person’s medical data is collected by HealtheConnections, it can’t be shared among medical profes-sionals until that person gives his or her consent for the dissemination of information. Giving that consent, Hack said, isn’t mandated, but it’s something that can make a positive difference in a person’s health care. Patients won’t have the hassle of remembering the dates and other specifics of previous medical tests, prescriptions they previ-ously took or the ones they currently use.

“The more information you have on a patient, the better the treatment will be for that patient,” he said. “Take, for example, a person coming into the [emergency room] who can’t explain what’s going on or tell the doctors any-thing about his medical history. Having that information readily available can result in better care for a patient and less duplication of tests, which saves money. Once people understand what we do, they realize the benefits.”

New York state policy allows hos-pitals, doctors’ offices, laboratories and other medical entities to send records to a health information exchange with-out the patient’s consent. But before the

CNY: 1 Million Electronic Medical RecordsOne of the newly created RHIOs, HealtheConnections, serves 11 counties in Central, Southern and Northern New YorkBy Suzanne M. Ellis

Rob Hack is executive director of HealtheConnections Regional Health Information Organization, a nonprofi t organization created in 2010. HealtheConnections is an electronic health information portal which provides authorized medical professionals with essential patient information including test results, lab reports, medication history and insurance eligibility. In just two years, it has obtained patient records for more than one million people in an 11-county region of Central and Northern New York.

records gathered by HealtheConnec-tions can be viewed by medical provid-ers, the patient must first give his or her consent, in writing, to each of their providers.

Addressing concerns over online safety, Hack said, “We have agreements with providers who share information with us, and those providers would never share that information with [us] unless it was being shared in a com-pletely safe environment. The levels of security are extremely high, and before anybody can use the system they must have credentials and be trained in the privacy and security requirements that are in place.”

Surprisingly, perhaps, the largest percentage of people — so far — who have given their consent are older patients.

“People who have a long and complicated health history support what we are doing,” Hack said. “They understand that the more information that’s available, the better their care will be.”

Patients can’t access their medi-cal information online — that access is limited to medical professionals — but once they’re in the system they can request a printed copy of their records from participating providers.

“We may, in time, launch a patient portal to make some of that available online, but that’s a ways off,” Hack said.

Nationally, some states are operat-ing as single RHIOs and don’t have regional systems, like HealtheConnec-tions, that target smaller geographic areas.

“We believe health care is local and that the needs of patients are specific to a region,” Hack said. “Because we are a more rural area, we have differ-ent needs. We have a lot more one- and two-doctor offices and a lot more smaller practices.”

Consent forms are available from participating providers and the list of current participants is updated regu-larly at www.healtheconnections.org. Consent may be withdrawn at any time in the future. Additional information for medical professionals and patients is also available on the site.


By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

What They Want You to Know:Anesthesiologists

Deborah Jeanne Sergeant is a writer with In Good Health. “What Your Doctor Wants You to Know” is an ongoing col-umn that appears monthly to give our area’s healthcare

professionals an opportunity to share how patients can improve their care by helping their providers and by helping themselves.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy SeniorHow does one go about

tracking down a lost pension? About 35 years ago, I worked at a manufacturing company for a few years that offered employee pensions, and I want to find out if I’m eligible for any money now that I’m about to retire.

Searching Steven

Dear Steven,Losing track of a small

pension from years ago is actually quite common, especially if you’ve have had a lot of jobs throughout your working life. To help you locate a lost pension, here are the steps to take along with some free resources that can help you search if your previous employer has gone out of business, changed names or merged with another firm.

Pension Proof

If you think you have a pension from a previous employer, and the company is still in business, your first step is to call their human resources department and ask them to give you the contact information of the pension plan administrator. Then you’ll need to contact them to find out how much your pension is worth and how to claim it.

Depending on how complete the plan administrator’s records are, you may need to show proof that you once worked for the company and that you are pension eligible.

Your old income tax returns and W-2 forms from the years you worked at the company will help you here. If you haven’t saved your old tax returns from these years, you can get a copy of your earnings record from the Social Security Administration, which will show how much you were paid each calendar year by each employer.

Call 800-772-1213 and ask them to mail you the “Request for Social Security Earnings Information” form SSA-7050, or you can download it at www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-7050.pdf. You’ll pay a small fee for the report, depending on the number of years of data you request.

Some other old forms that can help you prove eligibility are your Summary Plan Descriptions (SPD) that

you should have received from your employer when you worked there, or any individual benefit statements.

Check the PBGC

If you can’t find your former employer because it went out of business or if the company ended its pension plan, you need to check the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s (PBGC) online pension search directory at search.pbgc.gov/mp/mp.aspx. Or, you can call 800-400-7242 and get help over the phone.

The PBGC is a federal agency that guarantees pensions of bankrupt companies. The agency also maintains information on any pension plan that has been terminated, even if the company is still in business.

The PBGC, however, does not cover or have information on lost pensions that are still active, nor will they help you locate lost 401(k) plans.

Get Help

The best resource to help you track down a lost active pension from a company that has moved or merged with another firm is the U.S. Administration on Aging Pension Counseling and Information Program. This free program encompasses seven pension assistance programs around the country that serve workers in 30 states. To get the contact information of these counseling programs and the states they serve, visit the Pension Rights Center website at pensionrights.org.

If your pension happens to be outside the area served by the pension counseling centers, or if you’re trying to locate a federal or military pension, use Pension Help America at pensionhelp.org. This resource can connect you with government agencies and private organizations that provide free information and assistance to help your search.

For more information, the PBGC has a free publication called “Finding a Lost Pension” that provides in-depth information that can aid in your search. See pbgc.gov to see it online, or call 800-400-7242 and ask them to mail you a copy.

How to Find a Lost Pension

The American Society of Anesthe-siologists states that members of the profession “are highly skilled

medical doctors (M.D. or D.O.) who specialize in the field of anesthesiology.

As physicians with significantly longer and more extensive training than other classifications of anesthesia practitioners, anesthesiologists are the most qualified to make anesthesia related perioperative medical deci-sions. Anesthesiologists are primarily responsible for the safety and well-be-ing of patients before, during and after surgery.” • “A lot of people are not so much afraid about the surgery but about the anesthesia. ‘Will I wake up?’ I reassure them that anesthesia these days is quite safe, a lot more than many other things they do like drive a car. When they’re driving their car, their assessment of risk is reduced as opposed to when they’re not in control such as undergo-ing anesthesia. • “Awareness under anesthesia is an-other concern. It does happen, but it is a very rare occurrence. • “We’re also asked if they’re getting the ‘Michael Jackson drug’ but they shouldn’t worry because they’ll have me there watching over them. This isn’t a drug you take on your own. • “It would make our job easier if patients realized that any make-up a patient wears can make it messy. We sometimes put eye drops in the eyes and put tape on the eyes to keep them closed or around the tube to secure it. Sometimes the tape won’t stick well if she has a lot of make up on. I can understand why some women wear it and want to look their best. A lot of times, the facial area is the primary area an anesthesiologist has access to and facial color or the color of the lips or eyes can give us good clues if there is anything unusual occurring. Makeup tends to mask that. • “It helps if they tell us about all medications and all things they con-sume. Herbal supplements they might use can cause difficulties in regard to the surgery, such as making it easier for the patient to bleed. We also hope they’re honest as to when they last had something to eat or drink. It can impact their risk if they had something to eat or drink recently. Or it might change the way we manage their anesthetic. Their use of recreational drugs is very important. Some of them can have some pretty nasty interactions with anesthetics. If we know they use them and when they last used them, we can take that into account. When you don’t know things about patients, that’s

when we run into problems.”

Dr. James Mostrom, chief of an-esthesia at Crouse Hospital and with

CNY Anesthesia Group.

• “Most people who do pediatric anesthesiology as I do enjoy their work tremendously. The patients are likable

to begin with. • “With MRIs, sometimes children

need anesthesia to stay still for the time they need the procedures, unlike adults

who are able to stay still that long. • “Parents commonly ask when their

children have to stop eating and drink-ing. We usually tell parents clear fluids

are alright up to two hours before the procedure and they should have noth-ing the night before. We try to discour-

age chewing gum on the day of surgery in case they swallow it.

• “Parents are very worried about nerve blocks for pain relief after sur-

gery about its safety. I tell the parents they can choose an epidural block or IV but they’re not making the choice based

upon safety. These are equally safe. • “Parents knowledgeable about anes-thetics are concerned about which you will use. Allergy to anesthetic agents is extremely uncommon. The agents now are all well documented and tested and

are very safe. • “The risk of nausea and vomiting is still there but much lower. The drugs

we have to prevent it are very effective. • “The people who do pediatric an-

esthesia have all undertaken an extra year of residency at a children’s hospi-

tal so they’ve made a commitment to children’s anesthesiology.

• “I’ve just come to Syracuse Sept. 4 and I see a lot of potential here. I’m very pleased to be here. I feel very

lucky to have been recruited.”

Dr. James Foster, professor and chair of anesthesiology, Upstate Medical

University.

• IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper • December 2012

Banikowski

Q&A

The Social Security Office

Ask Column provided by the local Social Security Office

1) Adult non-hodgkin lymphoma2) Adult onset Huntington disease3) Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome4) Alveolar soft part sarcoma5) Aplastic anemia6) Beta Thalassemia major7. Bilateral optic atrophy — infantile8. Caudal regression syndrome — types III and IV9. Child T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma10. Congenital lymphedema11. DeSanctis Cacchione syndrome12. Dravet syndrome13. Endometrial stromal sarcoma14. Erdheim chester disease15. Fatal familial insomnia16. Fryns syndrome17. Fulminant giant cell myocarditis18. Hepatopulmonary syndrome19. Hepatorenal syndrome20. Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome21. Leiomyosarcoma22. Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor23. Malignant germ cell tumor24. MECP 2 duplication syndrome25. Menkes disease — classic or infantile onset form26. NFU-1 mitochondrial disease27. Non-Ketotic hyperglcinemia28. Peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis29. Phelan McDermid syndrome30. Retinopathy of prematurity — stage V31. Roberts syndrome32. Severe combined immunodeficiency — childhood33. Sinonasal cancer34. Transplant coronary artery vasculopathy35. Usher syndrome — type IFor more information on the compassionate allowances initiative, visit

www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.

35 new ‘compassionate allowance’ conditions speed up disability processFast track disability process now has 200 conditions

Commissioner of Social Secu-rity Michael J. Astrue recently announced 35 additional com-

passionate allowances conditions are in effect, bringing the total number of conditions in the expedited dis-ability process to 200.

Compassionate allowances are a way to quickly identify diseases and other medical conditions that, by definition, meet Social Security’s standards for disability benefits.

The program fast-tracks dis-ability decisions to ensure that Americans with the most serious disabilities receive their benefit deci-sions within days instead of months or years. These conditions primarily include certain cancers, adult brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders that affect children.

“We have achieved another

milestone for the compassionate allowances program, reaching 200 conditions,” Commissioner Astrue said. “Nearly 200,000 people with severe disabilities nationwide have been quickly approved, usually in less than two weeks, through the program since it began in October 2008.”

By definition, these conditions are so severe that Social Security does not need to fully develop the applicant’s work history to make a decision. As a result, Social Security eliminated this part of the applica-tion process for people who have a condition on the list.

Social Security has held seven public hearings and worked with experts to develop the list of com-passionate allowances conditions.

These new compassionate allowance conditions are:

Financial Wellness Can Be Yours in 2013

January is “Financial Wellness Month,” a great time to think about your own financial future. It also

happens to be at this time that many people make resolutions for the New Year. Why not combine the two and make your own financial wellness a resolution for 2013?

Here are our suggested resolutions for your financial wellness.

• Start your financial plan with your Social Security statement. The online statement is simple, easy to use and provides estimates you should consider in planning for your retire-ment. It provides estimates for disability and survivors ben-efits, making the statement an important financial planning tool. Your statement allows you to review and ensure that your earnings are accurately posted to your Social Security record. This feature is impor-tant because Social Security benefits are based on average earnings over your lifetime. If the information is incorrect, or you have earnings missing from your record, you may not receive all the benefits to which you are entitled in the future. Visit: www.socialsecurity.gov/mystatement

• Work the numbers. Once you get your online statement, you can use the other free resources provided by Social Security. Use our retirement estimator, where you can get a personalized, in-stant estimate of your future retirement benefits using different retirement ages and scenarios. Visit the retire-ment estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator

• Once you are in the know, choose to save. The earlier you begin your financial planning, the better off you will be. Social Security replaces about

40 percent of the average worker’s pre-retirement earnings. Most financial advisers say that you will need 70 per-cent or more of pre-retirement earnings to live comfortably. You also will need other savings, investments, pensions or retirement accounts to make sure you have enough money to live comfort-ably when you retire. Visit the ballpark estimator for tips to help you save: www.choosetosave.org/ballpark

• Do some light reading. Learn more about Social Security, the benefit programs, and what they mean to you

and your family, by browsing through our online library of publications. In particular, our publication titled “When To Start Receiving Retirement Benefits” provides helpful information regarding the things you should consider when making a decision on when to collect retirement benefits. Many of our publica-tions also are available in au-dio format and other formats. Our library at www.socialse-

curity.gov/pubs is always open.• Help someone you love. Some-

times we get the most satisfaction out of helping someone else. If you have a grandparent, parent, relative or friend who could benefit from Social Security, share our website and the features of our online services with them. You can even help a loved one apply for Social Security benefits in as little as 15 min-utes — or for extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs. Whether you forward a publication or sit down to help someone apply for Social Security, the place to go is www.socialsecurity.gov.

There are a number of ways you can celebrate Financial Wellness Month, so start off the New Year by looking out for your own financial wellness at www.socialsecurity.gov.

Disability application and the dis-ability report? Do I have to complete both?

A: The disability application is an application for Social Security disabil-ity benefits. To receive Social Security disability or Supplemental Security Income disability benefits, you must file an application. The disability re-port, meanwhile, is a form that pro-vides Social Security with information about your current medical condition. We need this information to process your disability application. To start a claim for disability benefits, you need to complete a disability application, a disability report, and an authorization release form that allows us to obtain your medical records. You can get the disability application process started at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordis-ability.

Q: I’ve been turned down for dis-ability benefits. How do I appeal?

A: Visit www.socialsecurity.gov and click on the “Appeal a disability decision online” link in the left-hand column. This is the starting point. There you can ask us to review our medical decision. There are two parts to the Internet appeal process:

1) An appeal request Internet form; and

2) An appeal disability report, which gives us more information about your condition.

You can complete both forms online. To appeal online, the only form you are required to submit is an appeal request (Part 1). However, we encour-age you to submit an appeal disability report (Part 2) because it will give us more information about you and help us process your appeal more quickly. The place to start is www.socialsecu-rity.gov.

December 2012 • IN GOOD HEALTH – CNY’s Healthcare Newspaper •

Health NewsBaldwinsville’s medical practice has new doctor

Physician Julie King has recently joined Baldwinsville Family Medical Care, an affiliate of St. Joseph’s Hospi-tal Health Center.

King received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Albany Medi-cal College in 2009. She completed

her residency in family medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, where she was chief resident.

“As a new mom, I’d really like to focus on women’s and children’s health at this time,” said King. “I’m really looking forward to joining the practice because I live in the community.”

King received her Bachelor of Sci-ence degree in biology from Syracuse University, graduating magna cum laude in 2005. During her time at Syra-cuse University she was a member of the honors program and was selected for the Ruth Meyer Scholarship for research.

King is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. She is currently accepting new patients.

Karen Murray named new senior facility’s director

Karen Murray has been named executive director of St. Francis Commons Assisted Liv-ing Residence in Os-wego. St. Francis Com-mons is currently under development, with construction expected to be complete in the fall.

Murray, who is also the executive director of

Well known for his many years of dedicated care to Oswego County residents, physician David O’Brien was presented the Rural Practitioner of the Year Award dur-ing a reception for new healthcare providers in Oswego County held Oct. 23.

O’Brien is the first recipi-ent of this award, which will be given yearly during the annual new healthcare provider reception. To receive this physician award, the recipient must be an exceptional caregiver, must be involved in the community and have made a last-ing contribution to the rural health care system.

O’Brien, a native of Oswego, opened his internal medicine practice in 1965 after serving in the U.S. Air Force for eight years. He has been an active member of the Oswego Hospital medical staff since he first opened his local practice. “I loved practicing,” O’Brien said at the reception. “I loved the older folks, who had so much knowledge to share and I so enjoyed listening to them.”

O’Brien served as Oswego Hospital’s internal medicine service chief from 1984 to 1989 and again from 1994 to 1996. In addition, he served on the local hospital’s medical staff executive commit-tee from 1984 to 1996. He has also been active in the community, and

Bishop’s Commons Enriched Living Residence, will add the new role of executive director of the assisted living residence to her duties and responsi-bilities.

As executive director of Bishop’s Commons and St. Francis Commons, Murray will oversee all aspects of both operations.

Murray brings over 23 years of experience in health care to her new role, with 16 years in the St. Luke or-ganization, first serving as the director of social services at St. Luke. Prior to this, Murray served as a social worker at Community General Hospital in Syracuse.

Murray holds a master’s degree in social work from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne College.

When open, St. Francis Commons will be the only senior care residence in Oswego County offering assisted living program services and amenities.

New cardiologist joins Oswego Hospital staff

Board-certified cardiologist Thom-as Grady Jr., has joined the medical staff of Oswego Hospital bringing his more than 14 years of expertise in caring for patients with heart-related issues to Oswego County residents.

Grady earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Holy Cross in Worces-ter, Mass., and attended medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine. At Tufts, he was presented several major awards includ-ing the Zarren Family Award for Excellence in Clinical Cardiol-

ogy and the Hewlett Packard Award for Excellence in Internal Medicine. He also served as president of Alpha

Omega Alpha, an honor society for medical students and was the college’s representative to the American Heart Association.

Following medical school, he served in the U.S. Navy where he completed his first internship. After his honorable discharge, Grady completed his internship and residency training at Duke University Medical Center. He fulfilled his fellowship at The Cleve-land Clinic Foundation.

He is a fellow of the American Col-lege of Cardiology and a member of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiol-ogy and the American Heart Associa-tion.

In his spare time, Grady enjoys hik-ing and gardening as well as coaching his sons’ soccer games. He is an avid fan of Boston sports team and an active participant in his church, Immaculate Conception, located in Fayetteville.

ClearPath Diagnostics has new CEO, plans to grow

ClearPath Diagnostics, an inde-pendent, physician-owned tissue and cytopathology practice, has selected Jack Finn as its CEO. Finn was for-merly CEO and president of Centrex Laboratories, where he spent 25 years building the company into one of the nation’s premier regional laboratories. ClearPath also announced its plans to accelerate growth throughout the

To the Editor

The recent article “New Boss at Community General” written by Matthew Liptak in the December 2012 issue of In Good Health struck me as a bit odd. I found it extreme-ly disturbing as a female when the author described the new chief administrative officer at Upstate as “young and attractive” right on the front cover of the paper! I question if it’s really necessary to describe a professional well educated woman as “attractive?”

The small paragraph almost reads like a dating advertisement. I think it’s degrading to all woman

when your worth is judged based on your looks. If the new chief was homely and 50 pounds overweight I wonder what Matthew Liptak would have written.

Jolie BowerLiverpool

Editor’s Note: Matthew Liptak wrote the profile of the new admin-istrator at the Upstate University Hospital Community Campus. The blurb on the front page was written by the editor, not by the writer. We apologize for the inappropriate use of the language.

Letterto the Editor

Bad Language Used in Profi le

David O’Brien Presented ‘Practitioner of the Year Award’

provided expertise as a medical consultant for area companies throughout his career.

In addition, since 1975 O’Brien has served as the medical director of St. Lukes Health Services also in Oswego, and was instrumental in the development of the healthcare facility. He continues to serve on the board of directors, a responsi-bility he has held since the facility opened. In 2005, he received the St. Luke-John Foster Burden Award for his guidance and commitment to the St. Luke organization.

northeast through new hospital and service of-ferings.

“When I consider ClearPath’s depth, expertise, and excellence of services, and then look at the extraordinary opportunities that we can offer hospitals, I expect great things for this company’s future,”

said Finn. “To be a part of this plan for growth is really exciting.”

During his tenure, Finn helped Centrex grow from $1 million in sales to over $45 million. Cited internation-ally for his expertise, Finn has been called upon to speak on sales, market-ing, and hospital outreach programs. He was recognized by the Dark Report as one of the laboratory industry’s movers and shakers. He began his career as a medical technologist.

Having already widened its service area into Albany, the Southern Tier, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, ClearPath’s strategy is to provide new services, such as dermatopathology, and aggressively expand into the hos-pital market, where it sees significant opportunity.

Tully Hill’s Audrey Benenati receives certifi cation

Audrey Benenati, director of quali-

King

Murray

Grady

Finn


Health News

Members of the Oswego Health Auxiliary are thankful to the community and the employees of Oswego Health for supporting their very successful fall bazaar. Each year the auxiliary holds a two-day bazaar in October that supports the healthcare programs and services of Oswego Health.

This year’s bazaar raised more

than $10,000 through the sale of baked goods, craft items, employee themed baskets and more than 440 turkey dinners, which were served during two evenings.

In the photo, members of the auxiliary show off a quilt and other items that were available at the bazaar.

Upstate Medical University has received a $25,000 award from the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foun-dation for its promising practices in career flexibility for academic physicians.

Upstate was one of only seven national medical schools that were recognized through a competi-tive process, five with support for increasing faculty career flexibility, and two for innovative practices.

Physician David Duggan, interim dean of Upstate’s College of Medicine and associate vice president and vice dean for clini-cal affairs, and Paula Trief, senior associate dean for faculty affairs and faculty development and professor of psychiatry and medicine, ac-cepted the award on behalf of the university at ACE’s board of direc-tors meeting Sept. 24 in Washington, D.C.

Upstate was recognized for its innovative “trackless” promo-tion system for full- and part-time College of Medicine faculty. The promotion process is facilitated by Upstate’s Office of Faculty Affairs.

With this trackless system, faculty members choose an area of excellence in patient care and service, research, or education, in which they can be promoted, based on their leadership, innovation and national reputation. The system pro-motes career flexibility and faculty

satisfaction as it has clearly defined expectations and allows the indi-viduals to follow their passion.

“The criteria for advancement through promotion and tenure are clearly articulated,” said Trief. “We strive to provide our faculty members with the information that is necessary for their advancement and career growth. This system not only has opened the path to promo-tion for part-time faculty, but helps us in our efforts to retain our faculty members and attract future physi-cians.”

Trief says that the ACE/Sloan Foundation award will be used to further other new initiatives that will promote faculty career flexibil-ity and support work-life balance.

Another program offered by the Office of Faculty Affairs to support and recognize the Upstate faculty is the annual Celebration of the Faculty at which new members of the faculty, individuals who were promoted or tenured, and recipients of the Gold Standard awards are rec-ognized. The Gold Standard awards honor faculty members who have shown a passion for and excellence in their work, be it research, clini-cal service or teaching. The newest initiative is the Academy of Upstate Educators, that recognizes a group of highly innovative and excel-lent educators who also serve as a resource to colleagues for education-related consultations.

tyimprovement at Tully Hill Chemical Depen-dency Treatment Center, recently received certifi-cation from the National Association for Health-care Quality (NAHQ) as a certified professional in healthcare quality.

The certification sig-nifies professional and academic achievements

by individuals in the field of healthcare quality management.

St. Joseph’s Establishes Therapeutic Music Program

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center now has a therapeutic music program at the hospital. Geared at patients who spiritual care chaplains or care provid-ers believe would benefit from hear-ing music, the program features Dona Wonacott, a certified music practitioner and harpist.

“Music therapy is not meant to

Benenati

Oswego Health Auxiliary Bazaar Raises More Than $10,000

Seated in the photo from the left are Auxiliary President Barbara Handley-Place and Oswego Health President and CEO Ann C. Gilpin. Standing from the left are Margaret Maniccia, Noreen Zuccolotto, Sheila Gurdziel, Mary Roman, Marion Duplessis, Mary Margaret Restuccio, Terri Smith, Julia Burns and Sarah Weigelt, Oswego Health director of volunteers and auxilians.

be entertainment for our patients but rather a way for them to find peace and distraction from their illness,” said Sister Rose Ann Renna, one of the co-founders of the program. “So far, 99 percent of the patients who have received a visit from Wonacott have experienced peace and joy as a result.”

Wonacott visits patients twice a month in the afternoons, focusing on those who are at the end of life, anxious or need distraction from their pain. Sometimes they simply appreciate something different, if they have been in the hospital for a long time.

“Some of our patients are bored simply because they’ve been hospital-ized for a while,” said Sr. Laura Hack-enberg, co-founder of the program. “Hearing a harpist breaks up their day and helps them find serenity and peace in an otherwise trying circumstance.”

Wonacott visits patients as a service to them and they are always given the option to refuse. If the patient chooses to have the music, he or she is under no obligation to speak with the harp-ist. She plays with a great focus on the patient, speeding up or slowing down as she notes the patient’s heart rate fluctuating, helping to create a sense of calm for the patient.

“Research shows therapeutic music can reduce blood pressure, stabilize heart rate, decrease anxiety and stress and comfort among many other things,” explained Sr. Rose Ann. “Anything we can do to take care of the whole person will help in the healing process.”

Senior Associate Dean Paula Trief and College of Medicine Interim Dean David Duggan with the Sloan Foundation Award for Innovation Practices

Upstate honored for innovative practices faculty career growth

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