Littauer and American Renal Associates set the foundation for Fulton County dialysis center

Littauer and American Renal Associates set the foundation for Fulton County dialysis center

GLOVERSVILLE – Nathan Littauer Hospital, in partnership with American Renal Associates, is proud to announce the “foundation setting” for its new state-of-the-art dialysis center in Gloversville. The new facility in Fulton County will offer the latest technology for the care and comfort of patients suffering from kidney disease.

 

On Friday, June 17, Nathan Littauer Hospital administrators, together with Dr. Soo Lee and Dr. Hani Shahata of American Renal Associates and local dignitaries, ceremoniously set the foundation as the construction of the center got underway.

 

“We are very excited about this venture with Littauer,” said Dr. Lee. “Dialysis is an essential service, and it will be a tremendous advantage to patients in Fulton County and beyond the region.”

 

The new dialysis center at Nathan Littauer Hospital will be the first dialysis center in Fulton County and one of the few dialysis centers in the nation attached to both a hospital and a nursing home. The center is fully prepared to serve all local patients suffering from kidney disease on an outpatient basis.

 

“Drs. Lee and Shahata of American Renal Associates share our mission of providing world-class healthcare services to Fulton County,” said Laurence E. Kelly, president and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital. “Our ongoing partnership with these extraordinary doctors will increase our capacity to better serve our neighbors.”

 

Littauer expects the dialysis center to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from kidney disease. Many dialysis patients have to travel hours for a treatment that can last up to four hours, three times a week. It is Littauer’s mission to provide world-class healthcare locally.

 

Although the new dialysis center is an outpatient facility, Littauer has filed an application with the New York State Department of Health to offer dialysis to patients admitted to the hospital. The facility fully expects approval for this request.

 

As stated, the Gloversville dialysis project is unique to the area since it is adjacent to a nursing home. According to Dr. Shahata, many nursing homes cannot offer dialysis services due to the time, frequency, and transportation costs.

 

The new 7,000-square-foot facility will house 12 dialysis stations, with one isolation station, and will treat approximately 60 patients a week. The total cost from start to finish is $3.5 million. Littauer anticipates being in the test phase by Dec. 1, and being open for dialysis by Jan. 1, 2017.

 

“This is the right project, at the right time, with the right partners,” confirmed Kelly.

From left: Leslie Beadle, Vice President, Administrator/NLH Nursing Home; Geoff Peck, Executive Director, Nathan Littauer Foundation; Laurence E. Kelly, President and CEO, Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home; Dr. Irina Gelman, director of the Fulton County Public Health Department; Dr. Soo Lee, American Renal Association; Jean Wilkinson, Littauer Auxiliary; Brian Hanaburgh, Chairman, Littauer Board of Directors; Janine Dykeman, Board Chair, Nathan Littauer Foundation and Mark Kilmer, President, Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce

From left: Leslie Beadle, Vice President, Administrator/NLH Nursing Home; Geoff Peck, Executive Director, Nathan Littauer Foundation; Laurence E. Kelly, President and CEO, Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home; Dr. Irina Gelman, director of the Fulton County Public Health Department; Dr. Soo Lee, American Renal Association; Jean Wilkinson, Littauer Auxiliary; Brian Hanaburgh, Chairman, Littauer Board of Directors; Janine Dykeman, Board Chair, Nathan Littauer Foundation and Mark Kilmer, President, Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce

Laurence E. Kelly, President and CEO, Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home, left, together with Dr. Soo Lee, American Renal Association stand together on the new dialysis center construction site in Gloversville

Laurence E. Kelly, President and CEO, Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home, left, together with Dr. Soo Lee, American Renal Association stand together on the new dialysis center construction site in Gloversville

Littauer expansion will temporarily move providers

GLOVERSVILLE – Nathan Littauer Hospital is pleased to announce the renovation and expansion of their Gloversville Medical Arts Building. The offices, located at 99 E. State St. on the hospital’s first floor will be temporarily moved to accommodate the construction.

 

The following providers will be assigned to temporarily practicing at other Littauer Primary & Specialty Center as indicated:

David Pesses, MD, will be at Johnstown Primary & Specialty Care, phone 775-4201

James Vacek, MD, will be at Johnstown Primary & Specialty Care, phone 775-4201

Rainer Feyer, PA, will be at Caroga Lake Primary & Specialty Care, phone 835-2341

Crystal Baker, PA, will be at Perth Primary & Specialty Care, 883-8620

 

“We anticipate this transition will go smoothly, and the project will produce optimal results for our patients,” stated Littauer Vice President of Marketing and Communications Cheryl McGrattan. “We expect the new offices to be completed by fall.”

 

Please contact your provider with any questions.

 

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Littauer Primary Care has weekend hours

Summer is here, and because illness and injury can happen any time, Nathan Littauer Hospital Primary Care offers weekend hours. On Saturdays and Sundays, you can trust your healthcare with the providers you already know and trust. Weekend hours are available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days at Littauer’s Primary Care Center located at 99 E. State St., in Gloversville. For questions or an appointment, please call 773-5690.

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Alexandra Barbieri MS, RD, CDN, a Registered Dietitian (RD) at Littauer makes the Leader Herald Sunday edition once again

Alexandra Barbieri MS, RD, CDN, a Registered Dietitian (RD) at Littauer discusses healthy choices for losing weight. See this story from The Leader Herald…

Lifestyle Changes

Even small changes can have big results in weight loss

May 29, 2016

By PATRICIA OLDER, Leader Herald

GLOVERSVILLE – After four heart attacks, the doctor told John Lee had a decision to make – lose weight or die.

“I’ve always been big and I have always had a problem with my weight,” said Lee. “Then I had four major heart attacks and my doctor told me I either had to lose weight or I’d be in the ground.”

He decided he wanted to live.

Lee made an appointment with a bariatric surgeon and attended an orientation to see if he could be a candidate for gastric bypass surgery. He was.

“They told me I was a candidate, but I had to lose 10 percent of my weight before they could do the surgery,” said Lee who weighed in at almost 455 pounds at his heaviest.

It took about six months for him to take off the 45 pounds with the doctor’s help and in January 2010, Lee had the surgery.
But to be successful, Lee would have to make lifestyle changes in the way he ate and in his daily routine in order to continue to lose and to keep it off.

“[The doctor and his team] set me up with a basic plan and it was pretty easy to follow,” said Lee, who admits his love for fast food didn’t help the process. “The hardest part is not being able to go to McDonald’s – I still have the cravings for a burger.”

Alexandra Barbieri, dietitian at Nathan Littauer Hospital, said even subtle changes can help someone with losing weight and keeping it off.

“If you make small changes like taking three less bites of a hamburger or taking no sugar in your coffee or going for a small, 20-minute walk will help,” said Barbieri. “You can burn 80 to 100 calories in a 20-minute brisk walk and it is calories in and calories out and it is one of those small changes you can do to reduce caloric intake. One of my favorite quotes is from Mark Twain – ‘Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.'”

Continuing, Barbieri said for weight loss, a person needs to reduce their daily calories by 500 to 700 calories a day.

 

“You can do it through either diet or exercise or a combination of both,” said Barbieri. “That will give you a total of 3,000 calories a week and you will lose about a pound a week.”

She said some of the ways to lose weight include monitoring what you eat, wearing a fitness bracelet or using one of the many free applications for smart phones and computers and by moving more.

“If you watch what you eat by self-monitoring, you become way more aware of just how much you are eating,” said Barbieri. “Portions are important and the fitness bracelets help with self-awareness because we all think we are moving more than we are.”

She suggested parking farther away in the parking lot when going to the grocery store, taking a short walk after work before getting in the car to go home and cleaning.

“Taking small steps of any kind will eventually become a habit for you,” said Barbieri. “Do what you can to fit it into your daily routine – try wheat bread, brown rice, wheat pastas. Have meatless Mondays or where you fix a dinner with leaner meats such as chicken without the skin, fish, and pork loins.”

She said even too much of a good thing can be bad for weight loss.

“Remember it is calories in and calories out – you can even have too many vegetables,” said Barbieri. “Think of your plate like a pie chart and fill half the plate with a vegetable, one-quarter with your whole grain pasta, rice or beans and one-quarter with your lean protein such as beef, chicken or fish and then maybe a small side of fruit.”

Continuing, Barbieri said everyone should get a minimum of 30 minutes a day of activity as well.

“Try to find something you like to do biking, walking, cleaning, sports, yard work, swimming – remember, 20-minutes a day, twice a day can burn a couple of hundred calories right there,” said Barbieri. “If you focus on your physical activity and diet, it will lead to a more probable success rate.”

She said most people tend to diet by eliminating specific food groups and while they do work, the weight loss all goes back to calories.

“I love the app Fitness Pal,” said Barbieri, adding there are dozens of applications available for little to no cost. “It is all about accountability and with one of these programs you can have the community [to interact with] so if you are having a bad day, you can see others who have had one too and not feel so alone.”

She said people do not need a smart phone or computer to keep track of their eating and activity levels. “Just writing it down is good,” said Barbieri. “Once you do, you can really see what you eating and how much exercise you are getting.”

Lee said he also tries to stay on track with his weight loss and activity.

“Instead of ice cream I have cool whip on my sugar-free jello,” said Lee, who is down to 237 pounds at his last weigh-in. “And for my snacks I have wheat Cheerios.”

Noting that he wants to be able to help others with their weight loss, Lee said he just takes each day as a gift.

“This is no game – you have to have will power,” said Lee, a self-proclaimed whiz at budgeting for meals. “If there is anyone who wants help losing weight, I’d be more than willing to help them.”

As for his continued success, Lee says he takes it all in stride.

“It is one step at a time,” said Lee.

 

Littauer dietician Alexandra Barbieri makes a salad for lunch in the hospital cafe

Littauer dietician Alexandra Barbieri makes a salad for lunch in the hospital cafe

 

 

 

NLH Gastroenterology campaign gets National nod from American Hospital Assoc.

The American Hospital Association’s Matthew O’Connor reached out to Littauer after hearing about our gastroenterology campaign – his story is in the this months issue of the associations Health & Hospital Networks.

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Using Humor to Address a Serious Health Care Concern

Nathan Littauer Hospital in upstate New York uses silly pint glasses, puzzles to help improve colon cancer mortality rates.

May 3, 2016
Unable to make a dent in colon cancer patients’ mortality rate through traditional means, a small hospital in upstate New York is adding a new ingredient to its approach: humor.The 74-bed Nathan Littauer Hospital found its home county of Fulton was near the national average for incidence, but had a higher than average mortality rate. Leaders there decided to look at their gastroenterology department, and specifically its colonoscopy procedure — or lack of procedures in this case. They staffed up from one gastroenterologist to three and opened a new endoscopy center, but something was still missing.

“Everyone knows that nobody wants a colonoscopy,” says Laurence Kelly, president and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital, in Gloversville, N.Y. “We said, ‘Let’s do something different and creative to get people’s attention,’ and it certainly has worked.”

That’s where their humorous colonoscopy initiative comes in. Patients who schedule a colonoscopy receive a notepad filled with quizzes, puzzles and a space to write “a haiku about #2” for their frequent trips to “the office.”

The real draw is that each patient who schedules a colonoscopy gets a pint glass with tick marks to help measure out his or her laxatives for the procedure. It also makes a great beer glass for later.

The program is only five months old, but many are optimistic it will help to bring the hospital’s colon cancer rates down, including Nathan Littauer gastroenterologist Kamini Ramani, M.D., who some patients call “Dr. Innerds” because of the logo on the pint glass. “I’m hopeful we will reach our goal and at least get near the national standard,” she says.

Hospitals don’t often employ humor to tackle such serious issues, but Kelly believes it has made all the difference. “Listen to ideas that are out of the box,” he says. “You think your usual efforts will work: this is science, this is medicine, it’s preventive and the right thing, so people would say, ‘Yes, sign me up’ — but it just doesn’t work that way.”