Extend-A-Hand program shares holiday joy

Extend-A-Hand program shares holiday joy

December 2015

Littauer employees became secret Santas to the residents in the nursing home. Each person in Littauer’s extended care facility opened a beautifully wrapped present on Christmas morn.
The Littauer team bought wonderfully adorned gifts for all 84 residents.
The annual “Extend-A-Hand” program is spearheaded by Director of Recreational Therapy, Rachel Johnson

rachel_hand

The NLH Gingerbread Project

December 2015

NLH in conjunction with the Mental Health Association of Fulton and Montgomery Counties made the holidays brighter for Fulton County children.

Since 1994, the NLH Gingerbread Project has collected hundreds of brightly wrapped and perfectly ribboned packages – bringing holiday cheer to local children in need. The project is coordinated by Kelly Colby, The Littauer Foundation Development Coordinator.

“This effort truly brings out the holiday spirit in our staff,” said Colby. “This project is highly anticipated each year. We get to be Santa to a child we don’t even know, thereby brightening their holiday as well as our own.”

Recently, students from the Criminal Justice program at Fulton-Montgomery Community College joined in collecting additional names and contributing gifts through the hospital’s drive.

This year the NLH Gingerbread Project served 66 local children. The gingerbread cut-outs were hung for Littauer employees to choose. All the names were selected resulting in hundreds of gifts for holiday distribution.

“The Mental Health Association in Fulton and Montgomery Counties has been the recipient agency of the generosity of the Gingerbread Project of Nathan Littauer Hospital for the last three years. The children and families that have benefitted from the Gingerbread Project have always been so amazed at what has been given to help their children have a magical Christmas,” said Janine Dykeman, Executive Director, Mental Health Association in Fulton & Montgomery Counties.
Dykeman went on to explain that when one boy’s mother opened the door for our staff when dropping off the gifts for her son – she burst into tears.
“She was a single parent who had been laid off from her job and did not know what she was going to do for him. All of the wonderful people involved with the Gingerbread Project gave her and her son a Christmas to remember,” concluded Dykeman. “Thank you for all the care you give to our neighbors in so many ways.”

gingerbread1gingerbread2
gingerbread3

Students from the Criminal Justice program at F-MCC contribute to Littauer's Gingerbread Project

Students from the Criminal Justice program at F-MCC contribute to Littauer’s Gingerbread Project

NATHAN LITTAUER HOSPITAL PROJECTS AWARDED STATE SUPPORT THROUGH MOHAWK VALLEY REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

December 11, 2015

“We had a lot of good news in December”

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home’s goal of delivering dialysis care and expanding their primary care footprint is getting closer to becoming a reality. In December, when Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the 2015 Regional Economic Development Council Awards, several important projects for Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home (NLH) were awarded critical support from New York State. The hospital is slated to receive $740,000 from Empire State Development (ESD) to expand its primary care services and to contribute towards the cost of building a dialysis care facility. The funds will help offset the significant investment the hospital is making to bring the projects to fruition.

The hospital submitted Consolidated Funding Applications (CFA) to the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council and ESD earlier this year with two goals in mind: to expand primary care and to provide comprehensive renal health care at Nathan Littauer’s Hospital campus. In addition to the dialysis center, two applications were submitted in response to the burgeoning demand for Littauer’s primary care.

Laurence E. Kelly, Nathan Littauer’s CEO and President stated, “Primary care is vital to our population health goals. We have a hugely successful primary care practice spanning almost 50 miles. It is a formula we would like to replicate for underserved communities.” One such goal is to build a new Primary and Specialty Care Center in the village of Fonda.

“The Certificate of Need for our Fonda project was approved,” explained Kelly. He added, “We had a lot of good news in December.”

The renal dialysis care center, when completed, will provide critical access to dialysis care in Fulton, Montgomery and Hamilton counties and the surrounding rural communities. “With the prevalence of kidney disease in our area the center will fill an important need,” said Kelly.

Geoff Peck, Vice President and Executive Director of the Nathan Littauer Foundation stated, “Traveling long distances to receive primary care and in particular, dialysis care is not only a financial burden it is also an emotional and physical burden on our patients and their families. Kidney failure disproportionally afflicts minorities and the disposed.” He concluded, “So this project is wonderful for the community because it will drastically improve the quality of life of our neighbors.”

In August, Littauer announced a relationship with American Renal Associates, LLC (ARA), a national provider of outpatient dialysis services and nephrology care and two local physicians Hani Shahata, M.D. and Soo Gil Lee, M.D. The new center will be one of the few dialysis centers with direct access to a nursing home and a hospital. New York State approved the Certificate of Need for the project this fall.

“It is exciting to think of the lives that will improve with these projects,” said Kelly. “Thursday’s announcement by the Governor is a wonderful endorsement of that vision.”

“Nathan Littauer is grateful to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, Empire State Development, Mohawk Regional Economic Development Council and the Fulton County Planning Department,” said Kelly.

NLLogoOnly

Littauer presents check to Make-A-Wish Northeast New York

December 15, 2015

GLOVERSVILLE – The Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home’s Courtesy Counsel annual Holiday Basket raffle raised $5500 for Make-A-Wish Northeast New York this year. The donation remains local for a medically eligible child.

Over 20 baskets were donated from departments throughout the hospital and nursing home. “The employees here at Nathan Littauer are very giving and willing to help their community” said Moshgan Jones, NLH Courtesy Counsel Chairperson. “Each department is so creative.”

“Every year we support a local community non-profit organization, and typically raise over $5000,” said Jones. “We are thrilled that Make-A-Wish gives back so greatly to those in our community. This means the world to our employees.”

For the third year in a row, the NLH Courtesy Counsel has partnered with Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. In the course of two and a half days on Dec. 9, 10 and 11, 2015 employees and guests of NLH contributed $5500 to the fundraiser.

Receiving the check for Make-A-Wish Northeast New York was the foundation’s Director of Philanthropy, Margot Anderson along with the Director of Finance Eryn Foster. Anderson told the crowd gathered at the celebration, “Know that you are bringing hope, strength, and joy to a special child with this generous donation.” Adding, “We can’t thank you enough for your generosity and this money will be used locally to make a child’s wish come true.”

Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. Since 1987, Make-A-Wish Northeast New York has granted over 1,500 wishes in the 518 area code and currently grants 90 to 100 wishes each year.

DSC_0157