NATHAN LITTAUER HOSPITAL HONORED IN 2013 TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE Posted on January 8, 2013January 8, 2013 by Dakota PikeNathan Littauer played a role in The Donate Life Rose Bowl Parade FloatNathan Littauer Hospital was recognized with a rose on the Donate Life Float in the 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. Nathan Littauer partners with the Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT) to facilitate life-saving organ and tissue donation. CDT is sponsoring a rose on the Donate Life float in honor of the donors from Nathan Littauer Hospital. The rose also recognizes Littauer’s for its support of donors and their families through the Donate Life Flag Program. In 2013, a flag will be flown at the hospital following every organ and tissue donation case, which will then be given to the donors’ families in honor of their loved one.Today, over 117,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant; this statistic includes just over 10,000 New Yorkers. Over 28,000 organ transplants were performed in 2011; however, the demand is still much greater than the supply, with an average of 17 Americans dying every day due to the shortage of donor organs.New Yorkers can register to be an organ and tissue donor by joining the New York State Donate Life Registry available online atLittauer honors organ donation. When a donation is made we raise a “Donate Life Flag”www.donatelifecdt.org.The Center for Donation & Transplant is the federally designated non-profit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation at 43 hospitals throughout western Vermont and northeastern New York State.
Littauer’s Barb DeLuca, RRT-NPS appointed to state board Posted on November 29, 2012November 29, 2012 by Dakota PikeLittauer’s Barb Deluca, RRT-NPS appointed to state boardGloversville NY — Nathan Littauer announced today that their Cardio-Pulmonary Supervisor Barbara DeLuca, RRT-NPS. has been appointed to serve on State Board for Respiratory Therapy which is the advisory board to the Board of Regents. The board’s focus is on public protection in the healthcare arena. Barbara was appointed by the Board of Regents for a term to begin November 1, 2012. “We are very proud of Barbara’s accomplishments as a professional, a manager, a clinician and most importantly as a caregiver.” stated Cheryl McGrattan Hospital Spokesperson who added, “She will be a huge asset toNew York State’s Education Department.” Ms. DeLuca will remain in her role at the hospital as well.According to Sarah Benson from the New York State Department of Education, Barbara “brings extensive hands-on and supervisory experience to the board, serving since 2004 as the Cardiopulmonary Supervisor at Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville,NY.” She added Barbara has, “wide-ranging experience as a Respiratory Therapist” concluding, “I know that Barbara will be a wonderful addition to the board, and look forward to her involvement and contributions.The State Board for Respiratory Therapy’s purpose is to assist the Board of Regents and the Educational Department on matters of professional licensing and conduct in accordance with state licensing. Currently, the board is composed of six licensed respiratory therapists from throughout New York State, one physician, and one member of the public.Barbara stated, “I am pleased to be appointed to this board as I share a common purpose with its mission. Respiratory therapy is important work, and I look forward to assisting the board in any way possible.”
Nathan Littauer Achieves Renewal of Certified Diabetes Educator® Status Posted on November 7, 2012November 7, 2012 by Dakota PikeHospital remains resource for those living with diabetes The National Certification Board for Diabetes Educators (NCBDE) announced that Nathan Littauer Hospital has renewed the certified Diabetes educator® (CDE®) status by successfully completing thee continuing Education renewal option process. Candidates must meet rigorous eligibility requirements to be eligible for certification. Achieving the CDE credential demonstrates to people with diabetes and employers that the health care professional posses distinct and specialized knowledge, thereby promoting quality of care fro people with diabetes. Currently, there are over 17,400 diabetes educators who hold the NCBDE certification.Kathie Rohrs, RN, MSN, CDE heads up Littauer’s Diabetes Education Programs“This certification is a great personal and professional achievement.” stated Kathie Rohrs, MSN, CDE. Mrs. Rohrs heads up Diabetic Programming for Nathan Littauer. She continues, “Maintaining my CDE status validates my endeavors in remaining current with professional standards of care in diabetes management education”Nathan Littauer Hospital Diabetes Education is an American Diabetes Association recognized program since 2002. Mr. Rohrs said, “We have a comprehensive program for people who are living with diabetes or for those who are newly diagnosed. Our approach is highly customized and personable. We are unique because we offer a multidisciplinary team of educators focused on the patient’s learning experience.” Mrs. Rohrs has been a nurse at Nathan Littauer Hospital for over 25 years and holds a Masters of Science in Nursing with an Education Specialization. She concludes, “Teaching people how to manage their disease is at the heart of this program. I am very proud of our team and our patients.”
Park Terrace School and Nathan Littauer Celebrate International Walk to School Day Posted on October 4, 2012October 12, 2012 by Dakota Pike Hundreds brave the weather for good health while reducing their carbon footprints and local trafficToday, Park Terrace Elementary School joined schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day. The event was also supported and organized by Nathan Littauer Hospital. “ This was a fantastic event for all participants. We didn’t know that walking to school could be so much fun” stated Steve Pavone, Park Terrace principal.Littauer helps students walk to schoolApproximately 140 students walked to school along with parents, teachers and community leaders. Local Police were on hand to help direct traffic and promote safety.The event began at 8am with kids, parents, school staff and community leaders meeting at the park at the intersection of Park & Forrest Streets and walking up the hill to school, with walkers arriving at school in time for a special breakfast prepared by the school food service department. In all, the children walked approximately three quarters of a mile one way. Students carried signs they had made promoting Walk to School Day and demonstrating school spirit. They were asked to sign in and then chose from a selection of incentive items such as reflective tags or pencils provided by the state Safe Routes to School Program. Each student who participated will have their name entered in a drawing for a bicycle. Earlier in the week they had reviewed “walking safety” at an all school assembly.In 2011, International Walk to School Day was celebrated at more than 4,000 events at schools across the United States, along with children and adults in 40 countries around the world.Walk to School Day events raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community.The event was organized by Park Terrace with support from HealthLink, a department of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Fulton County Public Health. Both health agencies look forward to working with other schools in an effort to promote safe walking (and biking) to school as a healthy, fun way to get some activity, enjoy time with friends, reduce traffic congestion and pollution.“Events like the National Walk to school day really bring our message of preventative health to the community, where they can have the most impact. It was great to see so many children and families walking to school, participating in healthy activity and most of all, they had fun doing it”, said Sue Cridland, Director of Community Education from NLH.October 3, 2012 students joined Nathan Littauer for International Walk to School DayFor additional local information, please contact Sue Cridland at 518-736-1120 or Steve Pavone at 775-5750.For additional information, please visit these websites:Walk to School Day in the USA www.walkbiketoschool.orgNational Center for Safe Routes to School www.saferoutesinfo.orgInternational Walk to School Day www.iwalktoschool.org
NEW VISIONS STUDENTS AT NATHAN LITTAUER LEARN ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Posted on October 3, 2012October 4, 2012 by Dakota PikeYesterday, Nathan Littauer’s HFM BOCES’s New Visions program participants were exposed to the complex issues of Domestic Violence through a session led by the Reverend Bonnie Orth, an internationally-known domestic violence instructor and Pastoral Care Coordinator for Nathan Littauer Hospital. Reverend Orth is also minister at the Mayfield Central Presbyterian Church. She had the students live in the shoes of women who are victims of abuse. Some students assumed the role of a silent witness.Using a program, called “In Her Shoes” the students assumed the identities of women who were abused by their significant other, and with bags and dolls in tow, attempted to navigate the complexities of domestic violence abuse. Some women had to pretend to leave in the middle of the night and attempt to find shelter for herself and their children. Some students had to follow scenarios that called for them to forgive and forget, returning to their abuser only to be abused again. The students wore Band-Aids symbolizing a beating and carried their things and dolls throughout the hospital. The students then learned that the role playing they had assumed represented a real story and real women. In the end, three of the students’ characters died at the hand of their abusers.Bonnie Orth also reviewed cycles of abuse in teens as well. In a particularly poignant moment Reverend Orth said, “I want you to think about Alex Kogut, this Thursday. It is her funeral”. Reverend Orth then passed out an article about Alexandra Kogut, a 21 year-old from the Utica area who was killed Sunday morning allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend.The girls reflected upon the exercise stating they when they were assuming the roles of their character, they felt frustrated, isolated and confused.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 1894, has 980 employees and recently opened a new Diagnostic Imaging Center. For more information please visit www.nlh.org.The New Visions program is an academically rigorous one-year program, located at Nathan Littauer Hospital, and is designed for high school seniors interested in medical and health related professions. Students enrolled in the New Visions Health Careers program learn through traditional methods (lecture/discussion, reading and research, writing and specific topic study) as well as participation in clinical rotations—structured observations of medical professionals and procedures. These experiences provide students an opportunity to directly learn about the various health professions, appropriate patient care, and the latest in medical treatments and testing.
