Littauer welcomes new Chief Information Officer Posted on December 5, 2018December 5, 2018 by Dakota PikeEvans to focus on new technologies and cybersecurityMr. Evans joins Littauer as our new Chief Technology OfficerGloversville, NY…. Littauer is proud to welcome Brian Evans, M.H.A., F.A.C.H.E., as the new Vice President of Information Services & Chief Information Officer. Brian comes to Littauer from Milford Hospital in Connecticut where he was their Chief Information Officer for 3 years. Prior to that, Brian was the Information Technology Director at Milford Hospital and also at Community Medical Center in Nebraska.Brian received his Master’s Degree in Hospital Healthcare Administration from The University of Texas at Arlington. He received his Bachelor’s of Science in Management Information Systems degree from Oklahoma State. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (F.A.C.H.E.), as well as a Certified Professional in Electronic Health Records (E.H.R.). He is a member of cybersecurity and health information groups nationally and regionally.As Chief Information Security Officer and Privacy Officer, one of Brian’s roles is to review cybersecurity risks and to ensure Littauer complies with HIPAA regulations.Healthcare has played an important role in Brian’s life. Brian explained his mother is a recently retired nurse, his older sister is a nurse and his younger sister is a surgeon. When he was young, his mom used to take him to visit nursing homes. As a result, he caught the healthcare bug at a young age. He has played the piano in nursing homes for many years.Brian says, “I am very much looking forward to playing piano in the nursing home at NLH and during dinner time.”Brian is from a small town and likes small towns. He joined the NLH team in September and is very happy to be here. “Everyone is extremely welcoming,” says Brian.
Littauer welcomes Pediatrician Dr. David Eisenberg Posted on March 1, 2018 by Dakota PikeDavid Eisenberg, M.D., F.A.A.P. (February 21, 2018) Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home is proud welcome David Eisenberg, M.D., F.A.A.P., to their pediatric staff at Perth Primary/Specialty Care Center.Dr. Eisenberg medical career has spanned 20 years. He is the founder /pediatrician of Eisenberg Pediatrics establishing a 10-year practice in Long Island. He comes to Littauer from private practice in both Putnam and Westchester Counties, as well as in Greenwich, Connecticut.“I am thrilled to be practicing at Littauer,” said Dr. Eisenberg. “I’d like to think I will be a positive influence as I practice in this community.”Dr. Eisenberg received his Doctor of Medicine degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and completed his residency at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, New York. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.“Littauer is fortunate to have Dr. Eisenberg practicing in our community,” states Cheryl MCGrattan, Littauer VP Marketing/Communications. “His experience and expertise is exceptional. He is bringing the latest in pediatric healthcare to Littauer’s youngest patients.”Dr. Eisenberg is practicing at Littauer’s Primary/Specialty Care Center in Perth Monday through Friday. For an appointment, please call (518) 883-8624.
Littauer Nursing Home welcomes new staff Posted on February 8, 2018February 8, 2018 by Dakota PikeNathan Littauer Nursing Home Social Worker, Kerry Benway, standing and Nathan Littauer Nursing Home Director of Recreation Therapy, Amanda GrossmanNathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home is proud to welcome Kerry Benway, Social Worker and Amanda Grossman, Director of Recreation Therapy to their nursing home staff. Kerry Benway is a Social Worker providing assistance to nursing home residents and their families. Benway’s experience serving families is an asset to the Littauer residents.“I’m proud to be a part of a positive and strong team that provides excellent care to our residents as well as support to our families at Littauer,” said Benway. “I feel we are a family-infused community working together to meet everyone’s needs.”Amanda Grossman is the Director of Recreation Therapy in the Nathan Littauer Nursing Home, providing daily programs to residents on that focus on cognitive, emotional, spiritual and physical well-being ultimately improving their overall quality of life.Grossman came to Littauer after finishing a practicum at Albany Medical Center working in the Recreation Therapy Department. She received her Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation from the State University of New York at Cortland.“My experience at Nathan Littauer has been amazing,” said Grossman. “The residents, staff and community make my work feel like a home away from home. I’m hoping my presence here is doing the same for our residents and staff.”
Littauer certified to ISO 9001 Quality Management System by DNV GL Posted on February 8, 2018 by Dakota PikeLittauer Director of Performance Improvement, Christine WaghirnGLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (February 6, 2018) – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home has been awarded by DNV GL – Healthcare full certification to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System. Littauer is dedicated to providing the safest and most effective healthcare services possible,” says Christine Waghorn, Littauer Director of Performance Improvement. “ISO certification not only reflects that mission, but helps to empower it. The certificate is not just a piece of paper, but the effort required to achieve it fundamentally transforms the way we do business. ISO 9001 is ideally suited to the complex, people-intensive challenges of running a hospital.” ISO 9001 is the most widely-accepted quality management system in use around the world, and is quickly gaining acceptance among US healthcare providers as a foundation for their quality and patient safety programs. “Littauer has worked hard to achieve this certification, and they have done so with unwavering commitment from their top leadership to make their hospital the best it can be,” says Patrick Horine, President of DNV – GL Healthcare. “ISO certification isn’t just an award or trophy for something you’ve done, it’s public evidence that you are at the top of your game with an obvious plan in place to make excellence an every day objective.” ISO 9001 brings science to the art of caregiving; it helps to standardize processes around things that are proven to work, by the people doing the work, thus empowering frontline workers while creating an environment of predictability for the entire organization. The ultimate impact of ISO within hospitals is the reduction or elimination of variation, so that critical work processes are done consistently and the “best ideas” aren’t held by one person or one department, but are ingrained in the organization itself. Businesses that implement ISO do so for both the internal and external benefits. Internally it helps staff create clear and consistent processes of patient care, and ensure that progress is constantly being made toward specific quality objectives. Externally, it tells the public, as well as insurers and regulatory agencies, that the hospital is not only talking about quality, but is pursuing it with discipline and transparency. “ISO 9001 is like sheet music for an orchestra; it gets everyone on the same page and helps us achieve our objectives,” says Waghorn. “We are honored to accept the DNV certificate of accreditation on behalf of Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home. This is not a certification that can be achieved by a single person or department; rather, it takes the effort of an entire workforce. This certification truly symbolizes our commitment to a culture of safety and quality.” About DNV GLDNV GL Healthcare, with offices in Cincinnati and Houston, is a division of DNV GL – Business Assurance, part of the DNV GL Group, an independent foundation dedicated to safeguarding life, property and the environment. Globally, DNV GL – Business Assurance has more than 100 offices and is one of the world’s leading certification, assessment and training companies. For more information about DNV hospital accreditation, visit www.dnvglhealthcare.com.About Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing HomeNathan Littauer Hospital and Family of Health Services serves Fulton, Montgomery, and Hamilton counties in upstate New York with a full-service, 84-bed acute care hospital, 10 primary care centers, a nursing home and a community education center. The hospital was founded in 1894 and has nearly 1,000 employees. Littauer’s medical staff provides well over 130,000 patient encounters each year. For more information, please visit www.nlh.org.
Littauer joins with The Baby Box Co. bringing a safe sleeping environment to all NLH Birthing Center newborns Posted on February 23, 2017 by Dakota Pike2. The Baby Box Co. and Littauer collaborate to bring Baby Boxes to the Littauer community. Shown here is the first baby to receive the giftGLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (February 15, 2017) – Nathan Littauer Hospital and The Baby Box Co. announced the launch of the Universal Safe Sleep program at Nathan Littauer Hospital.“This program is a critical first step in reducing infant mortality,” stated Cheryl McGrattan, Vice President of Community Relations for the hospital. The new program is free to the new parents of the expected 340 newborns welcomed into the world at Nathan Littauer’s Birthing Center over the course of a year. Ms. McGrattan added, “According to our research, we are the first hospital in New York State to provide Baby Boxes to every family throughout the year.”This program is focused on reducing the infant mortality rate in the U.S. which hovered around 6.5 percent in 2015 which is worse than all EU countries, Japan, South Korea, Australia and even Cuba. The innovative new program combines the Baby Box University information platform for new parents along with the proven safety of the Baby Box. Empowering parents and families with essential information for them to properly care for newborns is the heart of this new initiative.Nathan Littauer’s Baby Box program is accessible to all expecting and new parents regardless of socioeconomic status. The Baby Boxes are available upon discharge from The Birthing Center.The use of Baby Boxes has been associated with helping Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates. The Finnish initiative, which enables every expecting woman in the country to claim a free Baby Box once she receives prenatal care and parenting information from a healthcare professional, is credited with helping to decrease Finland’s infant mortality rate from 65 deaths for each 1,000 children born in 1938 to 2.26 deaths per 1,000 births in 2015.“What makes this program so unique is the focus on education” explained Maureen Mosher, RN, NLH Manager of Maternal Child Health, adding, “Every mother must watch a video syllabus in the prenatal stage to secure the box”. The multi-media parenting curricula called Baby Box University has video featuring local experts. The families will begin reviewing the syllabus in the prenatal stage. Upon completion, they are given a certificate which can be used to secure the free Baby Box.3. An example of the Baby Box contents new babies will receive after being born at Nathan Littauer’s Birthing CenterThe Adirondack Rural Health Network (ARHN), a program of Adirondack Health Institute, partially funded the Nathan Littauer Hospital’s Baby Box project, one of seven ARHN Prevention Agenda Projects, with support from the New York State Department of Health Charles D. Cook Office of Rural Health. “Providing families with a means to keep their newborn safe and secure is such a privilege,” said Margaret M. Vosburgh, CEO, Adirondack Health Institute. “We are grateful for the opportunity to support our partners at Nathan Littauer Hospital in this important work.”The Baby Boxes themselves, which are made from durable cardboard and come with a firm mattress, waterproof mattress cover and fitted cotton sheet, are traditionally used in Finland as a baby’s bed for up to the first eight months of life.Participants in the safe sleep program receive a Baby Box that contains the following items at Littauer:MattressWaterproof mattress protectorFitted sheetSafe sleep sackPampers baby wipesPampers Swaddlers diapersLansinoh breast pads and nipple creamVroom baby brain boosting activity cardsOnesieBoard bookThermometerInfant Mortality Rate Stats:Approximately 3,500 infants die annually in the United States from sleep-related deaths, including sudden unexpected infant death (SUID); ill-defined deaths; and accidental suffocation and strangulation.The number of infant deaths initially decreased in the 1990s after a national safe sleep campaign but has plateaued in recent years.The Baby Box Co. is Rooted from a Finnish Tradition:The use of Baby Boxes has been credited with helping Finland achieve one of the world’s lowest infant mortality rates. The initiative, which enables every expecting woman in the country to claim a free Baby Box once she receives prenatal care and parenting information from a healthcare professional, is credited with helping to decrease Finland’s infant mortality rate from 65 deaths for each 1,000 children born in 1938 to 3 deaths per 1,000 births in 2013, according to the World Health Organization.The success of the Finnish Baby Box intervention inspired the founders of The Baby Box Co. to adapt this tradition with enhanced multimedia parenting curricula through Baby Box University to the benefit of nonprofits, hospitals, government institutions and individual families worldwide.The Baby Box University program’s exponential growth has solidified the model as an impactful safe sleep and parenting education intervention for millennials.About The Baby Box Co.Entrepreneurs Michelle Vick and Jennifer Clary founded The Baby Box Co. to offer a safe sleep environment to babies everywhere. Through its Baby Box University platform, Baby Box Co. is an innovative, integrated program to support parents and improve maternal and infant healthcare outcomes globally. The Baby Box Co. partners with hospitals, government agencies and non-profit organizations to provide Baby Boxes, quality products, resources and ongoing education to families on a large scale. Baby Boxes are also available direct to consumer either as a standalone item or filled with new baby essentials. Serving families in 52 countries, The Baby Box Co. has offices in USA, UK, Canada, Australia and Singapore. For more information or to purchase a Baby Box, please visit www.babyboxco.com The Baby Box University education resource is at www.babyboxuniversity.comAbout Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing HomeNathan 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. Littauer’s medical staff provides well over 100,000 patient encounters each year. For more information, please visit www.nlh.org.1. The Hart family with the first baby to receive a Baby Box from Littauer