Category: News

WATERTOWN, NY – Samaritan Auxiliary’s One Night, One Diamond will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2025, from 5:30-10:30 p.m. at The Peak (formerly The Commons) on Fort Drum again this year.  The attendees will enjoy a dazzling evening of dinner, dancing and diamonds.

Tickets are $225 per couple or $115 per individual, which includes dinner by The Clipper Inn, dancing to the popular band ‘Atlas’, and an opportunity to win the one of two 1-carat or one 2-carat exquisite lab-grown diamonds donated by Cook’s Jewelers, or a get-away package to Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa or Clayton’s 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel.

The funds raised from this year’s event will support the purchase of Cardiopulmonary Stress Testing Equipment for Samaritan Medical Center. This equipment gives the ability for cardiologists and pulmonologists to view precise assessments of heart health, lung function, and muscle strength during exercise. Not only will this equipment help patients with various respiratory symptoms and those who may need lung surgery, it will also allow for early detection of hidden health concerns before symptoms arise and can help create tailored fitness, rehabilitation, and performance plans for peak wellness. It will also be integral to the expansion of Samaritan’s Cardiology services. 

This year’s Blue Diamond Sponsor is Apogee Physician. Pink Diamond Sponsors include AmeriCU Credit Union, Bob Johnson Auto Group, KeyBank and Purcell Construction.  Media Sponsors are the Watertown Daily Times, 7News, Tunes 92.5 and Kara Dry Photography.  Other top sponsors include Coca-Cola Company, Hancock Estabrook, King + King Architects, The Martin Group, Nickles Property Service, and Slack Chemical Company.

Among last year’s Auxiliary highlights, the 2024 One Night, One Diamond raised over $100,000 and allowed for the purchase of the UroNav Fusion Biopsy System for the Samaritan Urology Clinic.  

The Auxiliary operates the gift shops at Samaritan Medical Center and Samaritan Summit Village, as well as Sips Coffee Shop at the Medical Center, along with the Auxiliary uniform and purse sales for the staff, and membership dues which provide funding for support of programs, services, and the pledge commitment to support Samaritan Health. The Auxiliary had committed $500,000 as its most recent pledge commitment to the Capital Campaign for the Walker Center for Cancer Care and annually provides two $1500 scholarships to Samaritan employees to further their education.  Additionally, the Auxiliary has continued the WHALE (We Have a Little Emergency) child safety seat ID program and That’s Using Your Head, a helmet ID safety program, in conjunction with our Kinney Drugs Foundation partner.

For tickets or more information please visit the website www.samaritanhealth.com/onod or with questions contact [email protected] or (315) 408-6475. RSVPs with the names of attendees and date of birth, for entrance onto Fort Drum, must be received by March 14, 2025.

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About Samaritan Auxiliary: The Samaritan Auxiliary was established in 1896 to serve as ambassadors and volunteers to support and enhance healthcare programs at the House of the Good Samaritan.  As a 501(c)(3) organization, the Samaritan Auxiliary is composed entirely of volunteers and play a vital role today in improving the quality of care in the Samaritan system through volunteer activities and financial support. Since 2006 when the event began raising funds for equipment, Samaritan Auxiliary’s One Night, One Diamond proceeds have purchased nearly a million dollars in equipment for Samaritan Medical Center.

Watertown, NY– Samaritan Medical Center is proud to announce that it received Provisional Level III Adult Trauma Center designation by the New York State Department of Health in 2024. The designation reflects the hospital’s efforts to show preparedness and capability to offer critical advanced care for patients presenting to Samaritan Medical Center’s Emergency Department with traumatic injuries. In 2024, Samaritan’s Emergency Department served over 30,000 patients, with more than 600 receiving treatment for traumatic injuries, underscoring the need for the hospital to become a designated trauma center.

Level III Trauma Centers play a vital role in communities that may not have timely access to higher-level facilities, such as Level I or II trauma centers. These centers provide definitive care for patients with mild to moderate injuries, ensuring that individuals can receive critical treatment closer to home. In addition to offering essential care, Level III centers are equipped with systems to promptly evaluate, manage, and transfer patients with more severe injuries to Level I and II facilities when necessary. Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse is the Central New York region’s only Level I Trauma Center for adults and pediatrics.

“We are honored to receive the Provisional Level III Trauma Center designation from the New York State Department of Health,” said Thomas H. Carman, President and CEO at Samaritan Medical Center. “This designation is an important step in highlighting our trauma care capabilities, and we are eager to complete the verification process with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) to solidify our position as a comprehensive trauma care provider.”

As the largest hospital and the only trauma center in Jefferson and Lewis County, Samaritan Medical Center is committed to providing immediate care for trauma patients and improving outcomes for patients in our community.

Daniel Bryden, DO is the Trauma Medical Director for Samaritan Medical Center. “The provisional designation is an essential first step in our long-term goal of becoming an ACS Verified Level III Trauma Center,” said Dr. Bryden. “In the meantime, the hospital will continue to build upon its trauma care services, ensuring that patients receive the best care in their time of need.”

Upon the successful completion of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) rigorous two-year verification process, Samaritan Medical Center will be recognized as an ACS Verified Level III Adult Trauma Center.

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Watertown, NY—Samaritan consistently evaluates its programs and services. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Samaritan has put more emphasis on frequent analysis of each. After thorough analysis, it has been determined that the Pain Management Center will close its doors, effective February 28, 2025, as it is not meeting the organization’s goals. The Pain Management Center has 15 employees and one contracted physician.

“We hope to retain all employees in other roles that need their area of expertise throughout the health system,” Tom Carman, president and CEO of Samaritan said. “Samaritan has provided ample notice to impacted employees, including counseling opportunities with Human Resources. It is a formal closure which causes formal layoffs, but we have jobs available if they wish to remain with Samaritan.”

Samaritan currently has over 400 job openings across the system, and employs over 2,400 employees.

Samaritan will notify Pain Management Center patients if they have been there for services within the last year. Patients will receive written correspondence through the mail. This notification will include local and regional solutions for other Pain Management facilities accepting new patients.

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Watertown, N.Y. – Samaritan Medical Center is proud to announce a $5.8 million investment in its staff with market rate wage adjustments across the organization for non-union employees. This initiative underscores the organization’s commitment to providing competitive compensation in line with the current healthcare job market, improving recruitment and retention efforts, and ensuring that staff across all departments are compensated for their hard work and dedication.

Samaritan’s senior leadership team and Board of Trustees carefully reviewed compensation data. They identified opportunities to align wages with industry standards better, reflecting staff’s critical role in delivering exceptional patient care. These market rate adjustments will apply to a wide range of positions across the organization; over 1,400 titles were impacted. This investment comes on top of major adjustments already made in 2024 for several other titles and through contract negotiations.

“We are deeply committed to supporting our employees, who are the heart of our mission,” said Samaritan’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Thomas H. Carman.  “Over the past few years, a national workforce crisis struck every industry, and healthcare was uniquely impacted due to the specialized training, credentials, and experience needed to fill the roles we have. We must continue to offer competitive wages to recruit and retain the talented individuals who make our health system a trusted place for care. We will continue to work hard to ensure we can financially cover the steep increases in wages we have experienced over the past few years.  It is a necessary investment to continue our role as the region’s largest healthcare system and anchor acute care hospital.”

In addition to market rate adjustments, the Board of Trustees approved a discretionary, one-time payment for non-union staff based on job grades and titles, weighted more heavily to those who earn the least. The market rate adjustments and one-time payments will take effect in late January 2025.

Along with the $5.8 million workforce investment, Samaritan will also significantly increase the starting wage for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) as part of a broader effort to address staffing shortages and retention efforts for a population of caregivers with a higher turnover rate. Recruiting, training, and retaining skilled CNAs is essential to maintaining excellent service and care standards for our long term care residents. Effective January 1, 2025, the starting wages for all new CNAs were increased to $20 per hour at both Samaritan Keep Home and Summit Village.

“Certified Nursing Assistants play a critical role in the daily care and well-being of long term care residents, and we want to convey how essential they are to us by ensuring they are compensated for the care they provide,” said Carman. “By increasing the starting wage for CNAs, we are not only investing in our workforce but also demonstrating our dedication to creating an environment where our employees feel valued and supported for the care they provide.”

The $5.8 million investment and increased starting wage for CNAs are intended to improve wage equity and meet market demand in a competitive healthcare environment. By investing in its people, Samaritan hopes to enhance employee satisfaction further, reduce turnover, and create a positive work culture that fosters excellence in patient and resident care. By adjusting compensation to meet market expectations, Samaritan reinforces its position as an employer of choice for healthcare professionals in the region.

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Watertown, NY – Due to severe winter weather, all Samaritan clinic locations in the city of Watertown, village of Adams and the town of LeRay will be closing by 3 p.m. today, Tuesday, January 21, 2025, with the exception of Outpatient Behavioral Health and Addiction Services which will close early for in-person appointments with options for virtual appointments for patients in need. All Samaritan patients who were scheduled and are impacted by the early release will be contacted and rescheduled appropriately. This early release and closure for the day include walk-in lab and X-ray services at the Watertown Health and Wellness Plaza. We hope to reopen Wednesday, January 22, 2025, for services. The Cape Vincent and Clayton Family Health Centers, Samaritan Medical Center (hospital), and long term care facilities remain open. Thank you.

Impacted Locations:

• Orthopedics
• Pulmonology
• Women’s Wellness and Breast Care
• Watertown Family Health Center
• Adams Family Health Center and Dermatology Clinic
• LeRay Family Health Center
• Plastic Surgery
• Gastroenterology
• Urology
• Rheumatology
• Cardiology
• Dermatology
• Ear, Nose & Throat
• Outpatient Behavioral Health and Addiction Services
• Pain Management
• General Surgery
• Samaritan Medical Academic Residency Training (SMART) Clinic
• Wound Care