Nathan Littauer Hospital Designated Blue Distinction® Center for Maternity Care Posted on March 17, 2016 by Dakota Pike GLOVERSVILLE – In an effort to help prospective parents find hospitals that deliver quality maternity care, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield announced that Nathan Littauer Hospital has been designated as one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation, a new designation under the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.Nearly four million babies are born in the U.S. annually, making childbirth the most common cause of hospitalization. This new Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program evaluates hospitals on several quality measures, including the percentage of newborns that fall into the category of early elective delivery, an ongoing concern in the medical community. Compared with babies born 39 weeks or later, early term infants face higher risks of infant death and respiratory ailments such as respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, and respiratory failure, among other conditions. These babies also have a higher rate of admission to Neonatal Intensive Care Units.In addition, hospitals that receive a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation agreed to meet requirements that align with principles that support evidence-based practices of care, as well as having initiated programs to promote successful breastfeeding, as described in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative by Baby-Friendly USA or the Mother-Friendly Hospital program by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) through its “Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care.” The program also evaluates hospitals on overall patient satisfaction, including a willingness to recommend the hospital to others.Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care, an expansion of the national Blue Distinction® Specialty Care program, are hospitals recognized for delivering quality specialty care safely and effectively, based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community.“I am so proud of our team,” said Maureen Mosher, Littauer Manager of Maternal Child Health. “Being one of the first hospitals designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care is a distinction we have achieved through our heartfelt dedication to our patients and community.”Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies across the nation have recognized more than 280 hospitals as Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care. Hospitals recognized for these designations were assessed using a combination of publicly available quality information and cost measures derived from BCBS companies’ medical claims.Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality providers for their specialty care needs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, spine surgery and transplants. Research shows that compared to other facilities, those designated as Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate better quality and improved outcomes for patients.For more information about the program, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.XXX Nathan Littauer Hospital and Family of Health Services serves Fulton, Montgomery, and Hamilton counties in upstate New York with a full-service, 74-bed acute care hospital, nine primary care centers, a nursing home and a community education center. The hospital was founded in 1894 and has 1,000 employees. Nathan Littauer continues to offer the latest in diagnostic imaging, including a new MRI suite. Littauer’s medical staff provides well over 100,000 patient encounters each year. For more information, please visit www.nlh.org.Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, a nonprofit independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is part of a family of companies that finances and delivers vital health care services to about 1.5 million people across upstate New York. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield provides access to high-quality, affordable health coverage, including valuable health-related resources that our members use every day, such as cost-saving prescription drug discounts and wellness tracking tools. To learn more, visit ExcellusBCBS.com.The Birthing Center at Nathan Littauer Hospital has been designated as one of the first hospitals to receive the Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care designation
Former Chief VanDeusen helms security at Littauer Posted on March 17, 2016 by Dakota PikeGLOVERSVILLE – Littauer is proud to welcome Donald W. VanDeusen III as the hospital’s new Supervisor of Security and Emergency Management. VanDeusen is well known in the community for his 26 years as a Gloversville Police officer and more recently as the Gloversville Police Chief. “Littauer is thrilled to have a professional with Don’s law enforcement experience working directly on our campus,” said NLH Vice President of Community Relations, Cheryl McGrattan. “His integrity and vast knowledge in the field is an asset to Nathan Littauer.” VanDeusen has smoothly transitioned into his new role. “I have met a lot of good people which makes the management transition from a municipality to health care much easier,” said VanDeusen. VanDeusen’s responsibilities include hospital security, and emergency management at Littauer and all nine primary & specialty cares centers.Littauer’s new Supervisor of Security and Emergency Management, Donald W. VanDeusen III
The Birthing Center at announces the Littauer Leapster Posted on March 17, 2016 by Dakota PikeGLOVERSVILLE – Paisley Raye Carpenter made her grand entrance into this world at 9:32 a.m. on Feb. 29, 2016. Waiting until a week after her due-date, she was born at Nathan Littauer Hospital’s Birthing Center on the 2016 Leap Year. She is the daughter of Dallas and Dan Carpenter of Johnstown, and joins a two-year-old brother Ryder. “I haven’t even thought about how we will spend her first birthday,” said Dallas Carpenter. “I know people with birthdays on Feb. 28 and March 1. We may just choose any special day, like St Patrick’s Day? We will do something big every four years for sure,” she added. Feb. 29 pops up every four years to keep up with the disparity in the Gregorian calendar and the earth’s rotation around the sun. Earth’s complete orbit around the sun takes exactly 365.2422 days. Every four years we need to add a day to our 365 day calendar year to keep us in sync with clocks, calendars and seasons. “I was told by people that I would probably have the baby on Leap Year. My first child was born two weeks early, so I never believed Paisley would be this late,” said Dallas. “She is special, and we are so happy.”Littauer Leapster Paisley Ray Carpenter with her parents Dallas and Dan Carpenter of Johnstown. Paisley was born at Nathan Littauer Hospital on Feb. 29, Leap Year 2016
Littauer announces Paula Zemken 2015 Employee of the Year Posted on March 17, 2016 by Dakota PikeGLOVERSVILLE – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home announces Paula Zemken, Office Coordinator Women’s Health as the 2015 Goodwill Employee of the Year. Zemken was nominated by her peers for this top honor for going above and beyond to help others every day. She has been a Littauer employee since 2003.Littauer President and CEO Laurence Kelly made the announcement at a hospital-wide celebration praising Zemken stating, “She is an example of the best of the best.”“I am very surprised and very, very honored” said Zemken.Littauer has over 1000 employees and Paula Zemken was nominated by her peers for this top honor. She has a special way with our patients and our providers,” said Goodwill Committee Chairperson Brenda Hammons. “From helping to bring new life into this world, to promoting healthy lifestyles, Paula is someone we count on to get things done,” Hammons added.In a blind format, the Goodwill Committee narrowed the scope to three finalists. First runner up honors went to Michelle Beckley, a Registered Nurse in Littauer’s Special Care Center and second runner up to Occupational Health Coordinator, Deb Perham.Zemken received along with her honor Flowers, a cake, gift certificate, check, and the coveted year-long prime parking spot, and a plaque on Littauer’s Wall of Fame.Paula Zemken, Littauer’s 2015 Goodwill Employee of the YearLittauer 2015 Gooedwill Award winners, Kelly Perham, left, standing in for second runner-up Deb Perham, 2015 Goodwill Employee of the Year Paula Zemken, and first runner-up Michelle Beckley
Wellness Words March 2016 Posted on March 8, 2016 by Dakota PikeHealthLink Littauer’sWELLNESS WORDSSubmitted by Carol Tomlinson, RN BSCommunity Health EducatorSleep & AgingWe all look forward to a good night’s sleep. Sleep allows our body to rest and restore its energy levels. Without enough restful sleep, not only can we become irritable, but also inattentive and more prone to accidents. Like food and water, adequate sleep is essential to good health and quality of life.Unfortunately, many older adults get less sleep than they need. One reason is that they often have more trouble falling asleep. In a recent study, NIH-Senior Health found that in adults over age 65, at least 36% take more than 30 minutes to fall asleep.Additionally, older people often sleep less deeply and wake more often during the night. There are many possible explanations. As we age we may produce less melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. Chronic health conditions, and the medicines used to treat them, can also cause sleep problems.Not sleeping well can lead to a number of other problems such as depressed mood, attention and memory issues, excessive daytime fatigue and more nighttime falls. Sleep patterns may change as we age but disturbed sleep and waking up tired daily is not part of normal aging.According to NIH, simple lifestyle changes may relieve many sleep problems. Some of the changes that may help are to:Avoid substances that can cause sleep disturbances such as alcohol and caffeine, and don’t consume large amounts of fluids within 2 hours before sleep.Consult your physician or pharmacist for the best time to take prescription drugs so that sleep is not affected. Additionally, have over-the-counter (OTC) drugs checked to be sure they won’t cause sleep problems.Try to get some sunlight during the day and avoid long naps. If you need a nap, set an alarm for about 30 minutes.Make your bedroom sleep-friendly. It should be dark, well ventilated and as quiet as possible. Don’t use a TV or computer in your bedroom for at least 30 minutes before sleep. According to recent studies, these devices actually disturb your sleep/wake cycle.Adopt bedtime habits that signal your body to get ready for sleep. Such rituals as a warm bath, reading for 20-30 minutes, or writing in a gratitude journal are often helpful.Go to bed around the same time each night and get up the same time each morning. Changing times causes changes in your brain chemistry that can mimic jet lag.If you are often tired during the day and don’t feel that you sleep well, you should discuss this with your health care provider. Make sure you inform him/her of all medications you are taking including OTC drugs. There are many things that can affect sleep. Your health care provider is your best resource to identify issues that may affect your particular sleep problem.At Nathan Littauer Hospital, we have the area’s only sleep lab that can test and pinpoint sleep problems and recommend the most effective treatments. Remember, a good night’s sleep is essential to your physical and mental health and quality of life. Don’t take sleep problems lightly!For more information, visit nihseniorhealth.gov, call Littauer’s Regional Sleep Disorders Center at 775-4000, or HealthLink Littauer at 736-1120. You can e-mail us at healthlink@nlh.org, see our website at nlh.org, or visit our NEW wellness center at 2 Colonial Court in downtown Johnstown, Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. We’re your community health & wellness service of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home.
