Hospital receives high marks for energy use Posted on March 31, 2010August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeMarch 1, 2010By Jason SubikThe Daily GazetteNLH cares for Mother Earth, tooNathan Littauer Hospital has received praise as a health industry “bench mark” for its energy management by an independent auditing firm hired by the New York Power Authority.Laurence Kelly, Nathan Littauer ‘s president and CEO, said the energy audit was conducted as part of the oversight for his hospital’s participation in the New York Power Authority’s Power for Jobs program, which has given Nathan Littauer approximately $100,000 each year for the last seven years.The funding is given for implementing energy savings initiatives while increasing employment.Getzville-based PRES Energy LLC, the auditing firm hired by the Power Authority, examined the hospital’s energy and water use, including its heating and cooling systems, energy management control systems and lighting systems and electrical distribution.The auditing firm found the energy savings programs at Nathan Littauer on an annual basis have the equivalent environmental impact of removing one car from the road, planting two acres of trees, conserving 12 barrels of crude oil and conserving two tons of coal.“The Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home is one of the most progressive facilities in regards to the management of gas and electricity,” according to the summary of the audit report.“Many hospitals in the country have neglected their infrastructure and subsequent energy management which has resulted in higher health [costs]. Nathan Littauer is a bench mark for the industry for its innovative approach to all aspects of managing its resources and waste.”Kelly said he always believed his hospital had taken the right steps to conserve energy, but he didn’t realize where the hospital stood in relation to other hospitals. “We’ve always been working to be greener and save energy costs but you never really know how you’re doing compared to everybody else,” Kelly said. “I think we realize now not everybody is doing what we are doing and we really are further ahead than most.”Dave Bruhns, Littauer ‘s director of engineering, said that in its audit report PRES Energy made two suggestions for what the hospital could do to further increase its energy efficiency.PRES Energy suggested they replace boilers in the hospital’s nursing home and upgrade the hospital’s exit signs from incandescent light bulbs to LED technology, which is more energy efficient. “We’re about 80 percent through [installing LED exit signs] anyway, so that’s almost knocked off,and we’re planning on replacing the older boilers at the nursing home that they recommended to us,” he said.Bruhns said it’s long been the policy of the hospital to purchase energy-efficient equipment whenever old equipment is replaced.He said little by little the energy savings has been significant and it’s gratifying to receive praise for the effort.
Nathan Littauer’s blog featured nationally Posted on March 11, 2010 by Dakota PikeWhen Social Media Explorer, a blog circulated to 50,000 people world-wide, went searching for best practices in public relations they chose to feature Nathan Littauer Hopsital’s new blog and news room. The story was also “tweeted” to an additional 20,000 people. Learn here how NLH is setting the example in website communications!
Wellness Words March 2010 Posted on March 9, 2010August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeHealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Carol Tomlinson RN BSCommunity Health Educator 6 TIPS TO “QUICK SCAN” FOOD LABELSDetailed nutrition labels are supposed to make it easier for you select healthy foods. But sometimes they cause information overload and confusion. For instance, is it more important that something has fewer grams of fat or fewer trans-fats? Are you better off getting fewer calories even if it means getting fewer nutrients?The Arthritis Foundation of America, in its Just Diagnosed magazine, offers these 6 tips you can use to “quick scan” those labels for the numbers that matter most!1. Focus On The Fats: “Look for products with less than 1 gram of saturated fat and no trans fat,” says Jennifer Vimbor, Registered Dietician with the Nutrition Counseling Service of New York. She also recommends that if you are trying to lose weight, you look for foods that have less than 3 grams of fat per serving.2. Fill Up On Fiber: Preliminary research indicates that a high-fiber diet (25 or more grams per day) lowers cholesterol and helps in diabetes prevention. A high fiber food has at least 5 grams per serving.3. Watch Serving Size Relative To Calorie Count: You should always look at how the manufacturer’s serving size compares to what you typically eat. For example, if you eat twice the amount of a serving size, you will also be getting twice the amount of fat and calories.4. Skimp On Sodium: A high-sodium diet, like a high-fat diet, may put you at risk for high blood pressure. Experts recommend keeping your sodium less than 2400 milligrams (mg). Recommendations for those who already have high blood pressure are even less.5. Skim The Ingredients: The main ingredients are listed first, so check out the top three or four. Remember, some ingredients can sneak in under different names. If sugar, molasses, honey, maple syrup or high fructose corn syrup are near the top, you may be getting more sugar than you bargained for.6. Look For Must Have Ingredients: Nutritionists recommend calcium, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish and flax-seed oil. They also recommend that you consider foods high in antioxidants like Vitamin C and A, which are believed to have anti-inflammatory properties.Scanning labels may be time consuming at first, but well worth the effort in health benefits. Once you become familiar with the foods that have the highest quality and the best flavor for you, the time needed for scanning will diminish significantly and you may just feel better too!For more information on reading food labels, contact Littauer’s Outpatient Nutritional Counseling at 773-5413, your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office, or HealthLink Littauer. You can call us at 736-1120, e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org, see our website at www.nlh.org, or visit our wellness center at 213 Harrison Street Ext. in Johnstown, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We’re your community health & wellness service of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home.
Nathan Littauer Hospital cited as “one of the most progressive facilities” for energy conservation! Posted on February 26, 2010August 16, 2012 by Dakota Pike Audit regards Nathan Littauer as a benchmark for the entire industryGloversville, NY…Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home recently received results of an audit conducted by PRES Energy LLC, which was formally presented to the New York Power Authority. “The results are dramatic.” stated Dave Bruhns, Director of Engineering for Littauer. PRES Energy was engaged by the New York Power Authority and the New York State Governor’s Office to perform energy audits for a representative sample of its business customers. The audit, conducted January 6, 2010, determines cost-effective measures that could be implemented to reduce energy costs and to improve the efficiency of buildings. The results of the audit were announced to Nathan Littauer’s management team today.The report concludes that Nathan Littauer’s energy maintenance efforts are a benchmark for the health care industry. Laurence E. Kelly Littauer’s President and CEO explains, “Everyday Nathan Littauer strives to care for our patients while reducing our carbon footprint.” He added, “We want to be a good “green” neighbor, not for accolades but because it is intrinsically good for our area. That said, it is certainly exciting to be lauded as an industry leader.”The thorough audit examined the HVAC system, the heating and cooling systems, the building energy management control systems, electrical distribution and lighting systems and a host of other systems utilized at the hospital. The report concludes by saying:“The Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home is one of the most progressive facilities in regards to the management of gas and electricity. The staff at this hospital has been very forward thinking in its implementation of new projects with respect to future energy saving. Many hospitals in the country have neglected their infrastructure and subsequent energy management which has resulted in higher health acre cost. Nathan Littauer is a benchmark for the industry for its innovative approach to all aspects of managing its resources and waste.” Littauer’s engineering team plays a key role in our green effortsDave Bruhns, Director of Engineering for Littauer reflects, “Our goal is to provide an Environment of Care in support of the hospital’s mission. Being flexible in our approach to projects and day-to-day operations allows us to take advantage of circumstances and opportunities when they arise. The findings of this survey are the measurable results of our efforts.” He concluded, “We have found that by sharing the positive results with staff, we obtain valuable buy-in, and some good ideas for further improvement”.“Congratulations to the people at Nathan Littauer for creating a bold vision and then following through with the hard work necessary to become an industry leader in energy efficiency,” said Congressman Paul Tonko. “This kind of effort provides for a better outcome by cutting the use of energy, saving dollars, reducing the costs of health care, and improving the surrounding community. Nathan Littauer has created an example of what can be accomplished through energy efficiency that will be a model for other hospitals to follow.”The report also summarizes the hospital’s Environmental Impact. The energy savings realized by Littauer in one year is equivalent to:removing 1 car from the roadplanting 2 acres of treesconserving 12 barrels of crude oilconserving 2 tons of coal.In April of 2009, Littauer embarked on a hospital-wide green effort in an effort to reduce energy use and waste at Littauer. Congressman Tonko came to the hospital to see first hand the hospital’s energy reducing efforts. “We are obviously doing the right things.” stated Mr. Kelly, adding “But we are not done yet.” XXXNathan Littauer’s Family of Health Services in Gloversville, NY serves Hamilton, Fulton and Montgomery counties in Upstate New York with a 74- bed regional hospital, eight primary and specialty care centers and an 84-bed nursing home. The hospital opened in 1894 and currently employs 950 people. The hospital recently opened a new state-of-the-art Birthing Center. To learn more about Nathan Littauer, please visit www.nlh.org.The engineering team at Littauer is a key factor in the hospital’s green efforts.
Wellness Words February 2010 Posted on February 9, 2010August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeHealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Carol Tomlinson RN BSCommunity Health Educator WOMEN & HEART DISEASE – 4 MYTHSMany women are surprised to learn that coronary heart disease – often thought to be a “man’s illness” – is the #1 killer of women in the United States, according to the American Heart Association. In fact, women are 5 times more likely to die from heart disease as from breast cancer, and almost twice as many American women die of heart disease and stroke than from all types of cancer combined!While heart disease cannot completely be stopped, certain lifestyle changes can significantly lower your risk of developing this illness. Unfortunately, several myths about heart disease and women continue to persist. Four of the top myths include:Myth #1: Risk factors for heart disease are the same, regardless of gender. Studies show that certain illnesses and conditions are more likely to cause heart disease in women than in men. For example, metabolic syndrome is more likely to trigger heart disease in women. This condition is marked by obesity around the abdomen, high blood pressure and high levels of blood sugar and triglycerides.Myth #2: Heart disease is likely to be milder in women. In some ways, women are at greater risk of serious injury from heart problems than men. For unknown reasons, statistics show that women are less likely to survive a heart attack than men. Myth #3: Symptoms of a heart attack are the same for both genders. Women are actually likely to experience different types of symptoms than men. For example, women are more likely to feel unusual fatigue, abdominal, neck, shoulder or upper back pain, nausea, vomiting and shortness of breath during a heart attack than their male counterparts. Often women ignore these symptoms especially if they are not accompanied by severe chest pain. By the time they finally realize that something is seriously wrong, there may be significant heart damage.Myth #4: Smoking is a greater heart-disease risk for men. Traditionally, men have been more likely to smoke and to smoke more than women. However, in recent years there has been an alarming upward spike in the numbers of women smokers. The risk of heart disease rises with both the number of cigarettes you smoke and the length of time since you first started smoking. According to the American Heart Association, these myths and misconceptions lead many women into a false sense of security—just 13% of women believe heart disease is their own greatest risk factor. Not only should women take this condition seriously, but they should also discuss their concerns with their physician during their annual exam.For more information on heart disease, contact the American Heart Association at 1-800-242-8721 (americanheart.org), your health care provider or HealthLink Littauer at 736-1120. You can e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org, see our website at nlh.org, or visit our wellness center at 213 Harrison Street Ext. in Johnstown, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We’re your community health & wellness service of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home.
