As of October 23, 2024, Samaritan is still experiencing several phone and fax issues with our clinics and other locations. We are working diligently with our vendor, however there is no timeframe at this time for the issues to be resolved.

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October 17, 2024 Update:
Samaritan locations are currently experiencing intermittent phone and fax service issues. We are trying to work with our phone vendor to fix the issue, but there is not an immediate solution at this time.

If you are trying to reach our various locations and the call is dropped, you cannot get through, or the quality of the call is poor, please understand this is out of our control. We encourage patients to call back or use their Patient Portal account (if set-up). Please know that if anyone is having a life-threatening emergency to call 911 directly or head to their nearest emergency department.

Thank you for your patience as we work through this issue.

Samaritan Medical Center, the Walker Center for Cancer Care, and some community-based services are addressing computer systems issues. They will need to limit and reschedule some patient appointments. We anticipate most services will be back up and running by noon today, Friday, July 19, 2024.

Most scheduled appointments at the hospital’s Main Registration area, including most radiology/imaging, lab, ECHO, EKG services, etc., are canceled today until noon. Samaritan employees will contact scheduled patients with more information.

Medical oncology appointments at the Walker Center for Cancer Care will also be canceled up until noon. Radiation oncology appointments are not impacted.

Walk-in lab and X-ray services at all Samaritan community locations, including the Family Health Centers, are canceled Friday, July 19, 2024, until noon.

Scheduled radiology/imaging appointments at the Health and Wellness Plaza will also be canceled until noon today.

The scheduled patients of surgical, infusion, interventional radiology, and physical, speech, and occupational therapy are not impacted.

All clinics and specialty services are open and patient appointments are not impacted.
We are working to contact patients and fix the technical issue as quickly as possible. This has a direct correlation to the vendor, CrowdStrike, and the national computer systems that have been impacted.

We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this issue. Your cooperation is invaluable during this challenging time.

Watertown, NY – Samaritan’s Cape Vincent Family Health Center will hold an Ice Cream Social for area residents to meet new provider Colin Ross, PA-C. The event will take place on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. at the Cape Vincent Family Health Center, 782 East Broadway Street, Cape Vincent.

Join us for free ice cream plus meet the team at the clinic and take a tour. Colin and the team are excited to care for the greater Cape Vincent community and are accepting new patients.

Mr. Ross attended Clarkson University and completed a Master of Science degree in Physician Assistant Studies. Mr. Ross is certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

The Ice Cream Social is open to all. To RSVP, please visit https://samaritanhealth.com/upcoming-event/ice-cream-social/.

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The expanded Blue Distinction^® Centers for Maternity Care Program aims to provide patients with higher-quality care, with a goal of reducing preventable or treatable pregnancy-related complications.

WATERTOWN, NY – Samaritan Medical Center has been designated as a Blue Distinction Centers+ for Maternity Care by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (BCBS) as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program plays a key role in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) National Health Equity Strategy aimed at reducing racial health disparities across the care spectrum and improving patient outcomes for all Americans.

Based on data from the current designation cycle, facilities designated under the Maternity Care program demonstrate higher-quality care compared to non-Blue Distinction Center facilities, with overall average rates of 26% lower episiotomies, 60% fewer elective deliveries and 17% lower cesarean births—all of which point to healthier outcomes for patients.

“We are pleased that Samaritan has once again earned the Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield designation as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Maternity Care,” said Courtney Emmerich, director, Car-Freshner Center for Women and Children. “Samaritan first earned this designation in 2016 and is very proud to continually uphold it.  Each year families of the civilian and military community place their trust in us to provide high quality maternity care. With some of the most experienced and compassionate caregivers, we are able to offer the exceptional level of care that our patients deserve.”

Blue Distinction Designation Offerings:

Facilities that meet the program’s selection criteria are eligible for designation at one of two levels:

• Blue Distinction Centers (BDC): recognizes health care facilities that deliver quality care, safely and effectively.
• Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+): recognizes health care facilities that deliver quality care, safely and effectively, in addition to demonstrating more affordable care. BDC+ designated facilities also exhibit an average savings of 21% for maternity care, according to a recent program survey.

“Congratulations to the team at Samaritan Medical Center on achieving this important quality recognition,” said Eve Van de Wal, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Utica regional president. “The Blue Distinction designation is one more tool to help members make informed decisions about their health care, allowing them to be assured that the facility has met specific benchmarks”

Commitment to Maternity Care:

Severe maternal morbidity rates are on the rise among all pregnant women in the United States, which has the highest maternal mortality rate than any developed country. Moreover, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. These disparities are unacceptable and demand immediate attention.

BCBSA is committed to reducing racial disparities in maternal health and has executed a multi-year National Health Equity Strategy to achieve this goal. To align with this strategy, the Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program enhanced its quality and measurement standards to recognize higher-quality facilities that have taken action to respond effectively to obstetric emergencies, reduce racial disparities, and improve maternal health outcomes.

The Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care program’s selection criteria was devised to close clinical care gaps and reduce inequities that persist throughout the maternal care spectrum. The selection criteria includes components of BCBSA’s Maternal Health Equity Actions, which dismantle the cultural, operational and structural barriers that created inequities in maternal care.

To be designated under this program, each applicant facility was evaluated on a combination of objective data on patient outcomes as well as the practices implemented to reduce racial disparities and improve maternal health outcomes, such as:

• Using evidence-based best practices to respond effectively to obstetric emergencies
• Offering unconscious bias training
• Participating in the regional Perinatal Quality Collaborative
• Having doula support available on the maternity care team
• Collecting race, ethnicity and language data
• Having a program dedicated to quality improvements in maternal care
• Running drills and simulations to prepare providers are prepared to deal with a range of obstetric emergencies
• Demonstrating health outcomes that exceed the selection criteria from our program’s previous evaluation cycle

To further drive improvements to maternal care, BCBSA will be working closely with Excellus BCBS to encourage facilities to implement performance improvement activities that will enhance their maternity care programs and improve patient outcomes.

“It is time to raise the bar. Everyonedeserves to have higher-quality care at every stage of their pregnancy,” said Erin Barney, BCBSA’s vice president of Network Solutions. “Facilities that earned a Blue Distinction Centers for Maternity Care designation have proven that they deliver higher-quality maternity care and are committed to reducing maternal health disparities that are often treatable and preventable. Closing clinical care gaps is a joint effort, and we are proud to recognize facilities that put insights into action, creating a more equitable system of health for all.”

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality specialty care at lower costs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cancer care, cardiac care, cellular immunotherapy, fertility care, gene therapy, knee and hip replacement, maternity care, spine surgery, substance use treatment and recovery, and transplants, while encouraging health care professionals to improve the care they deliver.

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated providers, visit our website.

All companies and trademarks listed above are the property of their respective owners and used for identification purposes only and are in no way associated or affiliated with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Use of these trademarks does not imply endorsement. The Blue Cross^® and Blue Shield^® names and symbols and Blue Distinction^® are registered trademarks of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

About Samaritan Medical Center

Samaritan Medical Center (Watertown, New York) is a 290-bed not-for-profit community medical center, offering a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. From primary and emergency care to highly specialized medical and surgical services, such as cancer treatment, neonatal intensive care, behavioral health and addiction services, and imaging services, Samaritan Medical Center and its team of healthcare professionals proudly serves the medical needs of our civilian and military community. Quality, compassion, and safety are the basic principles by which exceptional care is delivered at Samaritan.

About Excellus BlusCross BlueShield

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, is a nonprofit health plan with 1.5 million upstate New York members. The company’s mission is to help people live healthier and more secure lives through access to high-quality, affordable health care. Its products and services include cost-saving prescription drug discounts, wellness tracking tools and access to telemedicine. With more than 4,200 employees, the company is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce to foster innovation and better serve its members. It also encourages employees to engage in their communities by providing paid volunteer time off as one of many benefits. To learn more, visit ExcellusBCBS.com.

About the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a national federation of independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Index^SM. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com.

About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for providers located in its own service area; for details, contact your Local Blue Plan. Blue Distinction Centers+ (BDC+) also met cost measures that address consumers’ need for affordable healthcare. Each provider’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Providers in CA, ID, NY, PA, and WA may lie in two Local Blue Plans’ areas, resulting in two evaluations for cost of care; and their own Local Blue Plans decide whether one or both cost of care evaluation(s) must meet BDC+ national criteria. National criteria for BDC and BDC+ are displayed on www.bcbs.com. Individual outcomes may vary. For details on a provider’s in-network status or your own policy’s coverage, contact your Local Blue Plan and ask your provider before making an appointment. Neither Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association nor any Blue Plans are responsible for noncovered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.

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Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center is in the process of applying for Level III Adult Trauma Center Designation through the New York State Department of Health.  As part of this initiative, we are prepared to treat and stabilize trauma patients effectively and Samaritan aims to take a community approach to injury prevention.

November 18, 2023, is National Injury Prevention Day, also termed “Shine a Green Light” day, and many healthcare facilities nationwide are bringing attention to the incidents that can lead to unnecessary injuries.

Injuries and violence are the leading causes of death and disabilities for people from age one to 44 years old. Advocacy organizations like Injury Free Coalition for Kids®, Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe States Alliance, the American Trauma Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, BeSMART, a division of Everytown for Gun Safety, the Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research, the Trauma Centers of America Association and JPMA Cares a division of the Juvenile Products and Manufacturers Association are part of the coalition to bring awareness to the cause.

Samaritan appreciates the City of Watertown for their Proclamation of November 18, 2023, in the City as Injury Prevention Day. 

Samaritan has had almost 1,000 patients present with preventable injuries through the Emergency Department this year.  Awareness and education are key for community members to make better choices and to prevent injuries. “We are grateful for the support the City of Watertown has shown to our community education effort,” states Dr. Daniel Bryden, General Surgeon and Chief of the Trauma Program at Samaritan.  “Our team has been working on this designation and are fully prepared to care for local patients.  Outside of the clinical needs, community education is key; prevention is key. Acknowledging and celebrating this Injury Prevention Day is the start of our public outreach efforts.”

There are many ways to prevent injuries, but there are significant areas of focus such as: All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) safety, daycare safety, fire safety, firearm injury prevention, home safety, motor vehicle safety, playground safety, poison prevention, safe teen driving, sports injury prevention, water safety, and wheeled sports safety.  Each of these areas outline specific ways to reduce injuries and be safe. Learn more at https://injuryfree.org/

On average, Samaritan’s Emergency Department has over 30,000 patient visits each year.

Watertown, NY – Samaritan recognizes the benefits to our patients through visitation. With the decrease in COVID-19 cases in the community, we have increased the opportunities for visitation to those who are inpatients of the hospital.  

As of Monday, June 26, 2023, most inpatients (patients admitted) at Samaritan Medical Center may have two (2) visitors present at a time during designated visiting hours, and there is no limit to the number of total visitors per day.

Our intensive care unit will now have visiting hours from noon – 8 p.m. to allow for more personalized patient care each morning with our providers.

For health and safety purposes, all visitors must be in good health. Inpatient visitors will need to show a driver’s license or other government-issued photo ID at the time of visit. Most visitation is restricted to those 12 years of age or older. A parent or guardian must accompany visitors under the age of 18. Masks are required in certain cases and visitors will be made aware if masks are required, as well as proper hand-washing throughout the visit.

Support persons in our Emergency Department and outpatient services has not changed.

Please review our policy online in its entirety at samaritanhealth.com/visitation.

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Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center is pleased to announce its DAISY and BEE Award recipients for March and April 2023. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® recognizes exemplary nursing staff, and the BEE Award honors other outstanding staff members who support patient care, both at the hospital and all outpatient clinics.

Michael Belles, registered nurse in the Emergency Department at Samaritan Medical Center received the DAISY Award for March. Melissa Buker, secretary at Samaritan’s Urology specialty clinic, received the BEE Award for March. Kassandra Keene, registered nurse on 4 Pavillion at Samaritan Medical Center received the DAISY Award for April. Isela Silva, clinical discharge planner in the Inpatient Mental Health Unit at Samaritan Medical Center received the BEE award for April.

Kim Smith, BSN, RN, Director of Nursing Critical Care, Samaritan Medical Center, nominated Belles after witnessing various acts of kindness and compassion with patients and their family members like walking with them rather than simply pointing the way and listening to their needs while responding with compassion. She said: “His genuine approach was empathetic and sincere.” 

A grateful patient nominated Keene saying:

“Kassandra stopped in many times to ensure that I was comfortable and if there was anything that she could do to assist me.  She was very attentive and in my mind went above and beyond to ensure I was taken care of.”

For receiving the DAISY Award – which is an international award backed by The DAISY Foundation – Belles and Keene were presented with certificates commending them as extraordinary nurses, DAISY Award pins, and  symbolic sculptures called “A Healer’s Touch,” which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. A larger version of this sculpture has also been installed in the Healing Gardens at Samaritan Medical Center in honor of all DAISY and BEE Award winners to come. It was purchased using funds donated by the Samaritan Auxiliary.

Makensie Coniski, operations manager, Samaritan Urology, nominated Buker for the BEE award saying:

“She worked with other members of our healthcare team to find a solution for a patient who nearly had their surgery rescheduled due to provider illness. She showed resourcefulness, caring, and compassion and I appreciate her for it.”

The family of a patient of Samaritan’s Inpatient Mental Health Unit nominated Silva for the BEE award saying:

“She openly communicated with each member of our family uniquely as we each had a different role to play in our family member’s care. Isela even stayed late after her shift for a chat after my visitation to see how I thought my family member was progressing.”  

Buker and Silva were presented with certificates, BEE Award pins, and gift bags with other tokens of gratitude.

Both awards will continue to be presented throughout the year, and nominations can be submitted by patients, families, or colleagues at any time. To make a nomination or to learn more about the Samaritan DAISY and BEE Awards, visit www.samaritanhealth.com/daisy-bee.

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About Samaritan Medical Center

Samaritan Medical Center (Watertown, New York) is a 290-bed not-for-profit community medical center, offering a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services. From primary and emergency care to highly specialized medical and surgical services, such as cancer treatment, neonatal intensive care, behavioral health and addiction services, and imaging services, Samaritan Medical Center and its team of healthcare professionals proudly serves the medical needs of our civilian and military community. Quality, compassion, and safety are the basic principles by which exceptional care is delivered at Samaritan.

About The DAISY Foundation

The DAISY Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, established in memory of J. Patrick Barnes, by members of his family. Patrick died at the age of 33 in late 1999 from complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), a little known but not uncommon auto-immune disease. (DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System.) The care Patrick and his family received from nurses while he was ill inspired this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of their patients and patient families. In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to the nursing profession internationally in over 3,900 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of direct care Nurses, Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects and for nurses participating in medical missions. More information is available at http://www.DAISYfoundation.org.

Watertown, NY – On June 5, 2023, Samaritan Summit Village became a mask-optional facility for all staff, residents, and visitors under certain criteria. Summit Village now safely offers a mask-optional environment in many areas, however if there is a local uptick in COVID-19, Influenza, or other respiratory illnesses, we could return to wearing facemasks. 

Because of the high-risk involved with our residents, there are some exceptions to this change. Masks will be required if the following occur:

• Local/county COVID-19 hospital admission levels are medium or high. 
• Staff who have respiratory symptoms or exposure will be required to mask until they are cleared by our employee health caregivers.
• If there is a respiratory outbreak in a particular unit, all residents, staff, and visitors will be required to wear a mask in that area.
• Staff who do not have the Influenza vaccine will be required to wear a mask during flu season.
• Staff who are caring for residents with respiratory symptoms will be required to wear the appropriate mask during care of those residents.    

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend all staff members and visitors maintain vaccines and boosters and follow proper infection control practices.

It is important to note that COVID symptoms may include but are not limited to fever/chills, shortness of breath, sore throat, cough/congestion/runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. Visitors who are not feeling well or have been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to stay home and refrain from facility visitation. Hand hygiene is significant and will help stop the spread of germs. Please continue to wash hands and sanitize in our facility. Masks are available upon request and at the main entry point. Check-in and –out is required for all visitors through our visitor management system. Help us keep our high-risk long term care population healthy and safe.

At this time, Samaritan Keep Home is mask-required due to current COVID cases in various units. We will make an announcement when they are mask-optional.

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Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center has received an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Health and Wellness Award in the amount of $9,942.81 for its Cancer Pathology Quality Improvement program to fund a new Compound Microscope and a C-Mount Camera Port. This purchase will directly impact the quality of care for cancer patients by improving prognosis time and alleviating the need for follow-up biopsies. With this equipment upgrade, Samaritan will be able to directly improve the quality of care for 120 cancer patients annually.

“We are proud to partner with Samaritan Medical Center to fund this essential equipment designed to improve quality of care for cancer patients,” shares Excellus BCBS Regional President Eve Van de Wal. “This work aligns with our mission as a Health Plan to improve the health and wellbeing of those in our community.”

According to Dr. Shikhar Vyas, Laboratory Director, Samaritan Medical Center participates in a monthly multidisciplinary cancer conference with subspecialty participants from Samaritan, Walker Center for Cancer Care, and other regional hospitals.  As a team, patients with a cancer diagnosis are presented, radiologic and pathologic findings are discussed, and an optimum treatment plan of action for the best patient outcome is determined.  “With this new microscope and camera equipment, pathology will be able to share vital patient information beyond reports by showing slides in real-time to all participants in these conferences for educational, diagnostic and prognostic purposes. We hope to improve the quality of care for the Walker Center for Cancer Care patients and overall outcomes,” he said.