Category: News

Watertown, NY – Samaritan Auxiliary’s 19th Annual “One Night, One Diamond” will be celebrated virtually in honor of all Samaritan Staff as Our Healthcare Heroes on Saturday, March 27th at 7pm. Proceeds from the 2021 One Night, One Diamond event will assist with the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all Samaritan Staff – our heroes!

This past year, the pandemic has dramatically changed our lives in so many ways. Fortunately, Samaritan led us through these unprecedented times. Whether it was a call to the COVID Resource Line, COVID testing, a visit to a primary care physician, a visit to the Emergency Department or a stay in the hospital’s COVID Unit – Samaritan was there. As a community we are most fortunate to have the heroes at Samaritan taking care of us. Their efforts have been caring, committed, compassionate, and courageous and we are thankful that our community is hopefully beginning to get back to normal.

As a way to honor them, all Samaritan employees will be automatically entered for an opportunity to win the Lab grown, ¾-carat, round, brilliant cut diamond donated by Cook’s Jewelers; a two-night getaway package donated by Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake Inn; a one-night getaway package donated by 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel in Clayton, or a $250 gift certificate donated by The Scrub Hub. The event will include an update on the equipment that was purchased with the proceeds from the 2020 One Night, One Diamond event. We will also hear from a few healthcare providers sharing their professional and personal perspectives on the past year.

Please visit the event website at www.samaritanhealth.com/onod for more information on how to participate in honoring our Samaritan heroes and assist in the purchase of PPE. An RSVP would be appreciated by March 25 in order to allow time to email information on how to join the event. For more information or with questions, please contact event chairperson Irene Carman at [email protected]

Presenting Sponsors for the 2021 “One Night, One Diamond” are Apogee Physicians and Purcell Construction. Media Sponsors are the Watertown Daily Times and 7News/Fox 28/MeTV North Country. Other top sponsors include FX Caprara Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Alexandria Bay, Hancock Estabrook, KeyBank, The Martin Group, Northern Radiology Associates, Renzi Foodservice Charitable Foundation, Runningboards Marketing, Slack Chemical Company, and T. Urling Walker. The event receives additional support from numerous other sponsors at the Emerald, Ruby and Sapphire levels.

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 and its membership, composed entirely of volunteers, play a vital role today in improving the quality of care in the Samaritan system through volunteer activities and financial support. The One Night, One Diamond proceeds have purchased $700,000 in equipment for Samaritan Medical Center.

Among last year’s Auxiliary highlights is the 2020 One Night, One Diamond. Although the event had to be cancelled, due to the gracious generosity of all sponsors and donors the proceeds purchased the equipment necessary to perform Mohs surgery. Mohs surgery is a precise surgical technique that offers the highest skin cancer cure rate available. During Mohs surgery, thin layers of cancer-containing skin are progressively removed and examined until only cancer-free tissue remains, allowing you to go home with the knowledge the skin cancer is definitively cleared. For the first time in the North Country, Samaritan Medical Center was proud to offer this specialized technique to our community in 2020. The additional funds raised were used to purchase a Clorox Optimum-UV light to kill bacteria and viruses as an adjuvant to terminal cleaning of patient rooms after discharge.

Aside from the community-sponsored One Night, One Diamond event, the Auxiliary manages the gift shops at Samaritan Medical Center, Samaritan Keep Home and Samaritan Summit Village, as well as the Starbucks Coffee Shop at the Medical Center. It is the sales from the gift shops and Starbucks Coffee Shop, along with the five uniform sales and membership dues, which provides funding for support of programs, services, two scholarships, and the pledge commitment.

Additionally, the Auxiliary has continued the WHALE (We Have A Little Emergency) child safety seat ID program ([email protected]) and That’s Using Your Head, a helmet ID safety program ([email protected]), in conjunction with our Kinney Drugs Foundation partner and 7News/Fox28/MeTV North Country media partner.

Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center will re-open limited hospital inpatient visitation starting Monday, March 15, 2021 and Emergency Department (ED) support persons starting Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Both were paused in late October 2020 when COVID-19 infection rates increased and a surge of cases impacted our region.

Samaritan is pleased to welcome back these visitors and support persons, who are important to the care and recovery of our patients. However, some restrictions will apply to limit the number of people in our facilities on any given day.

Inpatient visitors will be allowed to visit based on the updated guidelines outlined below. Our inpatients will make the determination who can visit them during their inpatient stay since they are limited to one visitor per day. At entry, all visitors will be asked questions about travel and exposure to COVID-19. They will also have their temperature taken and will be expected to sanitize their hands and properly wear a face mask at all times.

Hospital Inpatients:

• One (1) designated visitor per day per patient is permitted. Exceptions may be made for end-of-life visitation and must be arranged with the nursing supervisor.
• NO visitation is permitted for COVID-19 inpatients, COVID-19 Patients Under Investigation (PUI) or patients in quarantine. Exceptions may be made for end-of-life visitation and must be arranged with the nursing supervisor.
• Visiting hours are from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day.

Emergency Department Patients (beginning 3/17/2021):

• Only one (1) support person will be able to accompany a patient in the Emergency Department.
  • The support person will be asked to wait in the car if a COVID test is performed during intake in the Emergency Department.
• Support person must remain in the patient’s treatment room for the entire visit.
• Support person must be screened for COVID-19 symptoms.
• Support person must wear a mask at all times, practice social distancing and proper hand hygiene.
• If an Emergency Department patient is admitted to the hospital, their support person may accompany them to their room if the transfer occurs during inpatient visiting hours (2:00 – 6:00 p.m.). If they are admitted outside of visiting hours, the support person must return during visiting hours.
• Patients with a Left Ventricular Assistive Device (LVAD) will be allowed to have a support person with them immediately upon arrival.

Any patient, no matter the hospital location or service, with an intellectual and/or developmental disability (I/DD), or any patient with a cognitive impairment such as dementia, may designate two (2) support persons to participate in their care; however, only one (1) support person at a time will be allowed at the bedside.

Overall, there are General Visitation Guidelines that apply to all visitors that enter the Medical Center:

• All visitors must be 18 years of age or older.
• All visitors must enter and exit through the Rotunda entrance (circular building between the Medical Center and Keep Home), except for obstetrics visitors, who need to use the Car-Freshner Center for Women and Children entrance.
• Visitors will be asked to visibly wear the visitor ID name tag provided at entry.
• Visitors will be provided with a face mask upon entry to the facility and must wear the mask at all times while inside the facility. If a visitor refuses to wear a mask, they will be asked to leave the facility.
• Visitors should wash their hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, especially before and after entering a patient’s room.
• Visitors must stay in the patient’s room, or designated area identified by staff, unless directed by staff to leave the room during a procedure.
  • Visitors may not roam hallways, enter the cafeteria or any other location.
  • Visitors cannot accompany patients to tests outside of their room.
• All visitors should do their best to stay at least six (6) feet away from others while in the facility.
• Visitors should self-screen for contagious diseases before arriving and before accessing patient care areas.
  • Please do not visit if you are ill.
  • If you have been in contact with someone with COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19 within the past 14 days, please do not visit the hospital.
• All visitors are required to comply with our screening checkpoint procedures. If you are unable to comply, you will not be permitted an in-person visit in the hospital.

If you cannot visit for any reason, you may contact your loved one over the phone or through a scheduled video call. The patient’s care team can help set up the video call if the patient needs help.

We encourage all patients to continue calling our Resource Line if they have questions or concerns about COVID-19 or think they may have symptoms. Please call 315-755-3100.

Campus Map

Watertown, N.Y. – Samaritan Medical Center (SMC) and Northern Radiology Imaging (NRI) announced today SMC will purchase NRI’s Imaging Center assets, which will consolidate and align services in an effort to streamline patient access and enhance the continuity of care for diagnostic imaging services. Samaritan will purchase all equipment from NRI effective March 15, 2021.

SMC will offer NRI patients services through its existing, and soon to be expanded, radiology platform. Patients will enjoy the same skilled radiology services as they did at NRI, as NRI’s physicians are the same radiologists who have expertly served SMC for decades through their other practice, Northern Radiology Associates (NRA).

The agreement comes after much discussion dating back to 2017. Original plans to align were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To meet the anticipated increase in demand for imaging services volume, SMC will move its main community-based radiology and imaging location to a new, expanded facility at the Samaritan Health and Wellness Plaza at 1575 Washington St., scheduled to open in late April 2021.

Northern Radiology Imaging, located at 1571 Washington St. which is directly in front of SMC’s Health & Wellness Plaza, will close at the end of the day on March 5, 2021, which will allow the practice time to transition patients if needed or requested to SMC. SMC will not re-open at NRI’s location as it does not meet the physical requirements needed to operate a hospital-level radiology service.

SMC will continue to offer imaging services including MRI, CT scan, ultrasound, X-ray and more at its main hospital location, plus X-ray and ultrasound services at various community-based sites. These sites provide access to walk-in and appointment-based imaging and lab services.

The new, expanded imaging facility at the Samaritan Health and Wellness Plaza will provide comprehensive community-based imaging services complete with MRI, PET, and CT scans, ultrasound, X-ray, mammography, stereotactic breast biopsies and more.

All physicians who are part of Northern Radiology Associates will continue to provide radiology and image interpretation services for Samaritan at all its locations. The radiologists will remain in private practice and will not be directly employed by the hospital.

In addition, some NRI staff will be hired by Samaritan. All staffing needs are being evaluated now and will be directly communicated to impacted staff members.

Prior to the opening of its new facility, Samaritan is fully prepared to meet the needs of the community and handle the additional patients through expanded hours and increased access at many of our existing imaging locations.

Thomas H. Carman, president and chief executive officer at SMC, said the strategic acquisition of the highly respected NRI will offer patients the outstanding customer service they are accustomed to, with the same providers, ensuring their access to the best care possible.

“We are pleased to bring this transaction to closure as it strategically aligns the Northern Radiology physicians and SMC for the future growth of our diagnostic imaging services, while at the same time strengthening a long-standing partnership. SMC will continue to provide high-quality technical services and NRA will continue to offer their professional interpretations,” said Carman.

Dr. Dean J. Phillips, NRA’s president and director of outpatient imaging at NRI, echoes Carman’s statement and adds that the radiologists are delighted with the transaction and excited to take this next step in aligning the provision of radiology services to the community.

“Our radiologists, as practitioners and longtime business owners, bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in the provision of imaging services,” he said. “We are pleased the day has finally come for us to unify outpatient imaging with SMC in meeting the ongoing and growing imaging needs of patients and the medical staff.”

Currently, SMC handles over 100,000 radiology and imaging procedures per year.

SMC patients in need of a new appointment are asked to contact the Medical Center’s central scheduling office at 315-779-5200. Current Northern Radiology Imaging patients should refer to their direct patient communication or call 315-786-5000 for further details.

Although the events of 2020 prevented Samaritan from welcoming and celebrating its new physicians at the annual New Physician Reception, we are proud to introduce the following doctors to our community.

Nineteen physicians chose to move to the area and care for our community in 2020. A few are returning to the region after working elsewhere, others are brand new to the North Country, and some bring their talents to our area through our close relationships with Fort Drum.

Please join us in welcoming the following physicians to our community, medical facilities, and social circles. Click on any physician to learn more.

New Physicians 2020

Opoku Adjapong, MD

Honeylee Agustin, MD

Florence P. Arnold, MD

Griffin M. Biedron, MD

Justin D. Budnik, MD

Leilani M. Garcia, MD

Ingrid M. Hall, MD

Ihsan U. Haq, MD

Diane Keating Jones, DO

Asim A. Kichloo, MD

Diane I. Shumbusho, MD

Shikhar Vyas, MD

Andro A. Yousef, MD

Watertown, N.Y. – Samaritan Medical Center recently began offering outpatient monoclonal antibody therapy to help COVID-19-positive patients recovering at home and to meet the increased demand for this therapy type. This treatment has shown to work well at minimizing symptoms and shortening recovery time for COVID-19-positive patients.

The therapy is being offered in a dedicated section of the hospital, separate from other patient populations, utilizing equipment and staff expertise from the existing outpatient Infusion Unit. The clinic is open daily from 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat mild to moderate symptoms of COVID-19 in non-hospitalized adults and adolescents (12 years of age and older who weigh at least 88 pounds [40 kg]) who are at high risk for developing severe COVID-19 symptoms. The goal is to treat patients quickly and prevent symptoms from progressing to severe illness. Monoclonal antibody therapy is not a new treatment and has been given emergency use authorization for treatment of COVID-19 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to the FDA, a recent clinical trial of patients with COVID-19 at high risk for disease progression found that a single intravenous infusion of two monoclonal antibodies (bamlanivimab and etesevimab) administered together significantly reduced COVID-19-related hospitalization and death during 29 days of follow-up compared to placebo.

“With COVID-19 cases on the decline and vaccine distribution broadening, monoclonal antibody therapy will decrease the risk of progression to severe disease and help patients recover faster,” said Dr. Marylene Duah, Infectious Disease Physician at Samaritan. “Samaritan is proud to offer any service possible that can speed recovery and prevent further COVID-19-related deaths in our community, and it is encouraging to see this therapy producing positive results for COVID-19-positive patients.”

Monoclonal antibody therapy has also been offered to residents of Samaritan’s long-term care facilities who meet criteria, both at the outpatient clinic and in residences.

“Residents at Samaritan Summit Village and Samaritan Keep Home benefited early on from this therapy,” said Dr. Collins F. Kellogg, Jr., Samaritan Long-Term Care Medical Director. “Since many of our residents are at high risk for developing severe COVID-19 symptoms, and some have mobility restrictions, being able to offer monoclonal antibody therapy on-site has been incredibly helpful. We have been very pleased with the results.”

Currently, only physicians on the Samaritan Medical Center Medical Staff are able to refer their patients for this therapy. Patients should speak to their primary care provider about this therapy if they are interested.

This press release was first issued by Jefferson County Public Health on February 12, 2021.

Watertown, NY — On February 5th, Governor Cuomo announced a list of comorbidities and underlying conditions that New York State will use to determine eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine. New Yorkers who have one of these conditions will be eligible for the vaccine beginning February 15th. The Jefferson County Public Health Service and area providers are preparing for this expansion in vaccine distribution.

Adults of any age (over 18 years old) with the following conditions due to increased risk of moderate or severe illness or death from the virus that causes COVID-19 are eligible for the vaccine:

• Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Pulmonary Disease, including but not limited to, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome
• Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of other immune weakening medicines, or other causes
• Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher) or Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
• Cerebrovascular disease (conditions affecting blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia
• Liver disease

Individuals who have one of these conditions will need to verify their eligibility by signing a personal attestation found at www.jcphs.org. Print and sign the attestation from, and bring it with you to your clinic appointment.

The counties in the North Country Region collaborated with others in the Capital Region on the documentation required for this expanded eligibility group to ensure the process is as easy as possible and does not create a barrier to receiving the vaccine. Completing the attestation form is sufficient documentation in confirming eligibility. A doctor’s letter is not necessary. However, if individuals have questions about whether their medical condition qualifies as a co-morbid condition, they should contact their primary care provider to discuss this.

The comorbidity and underlying conditions population is a high percentage of our Jefferson County population and, as with all eligible populations, vaccine availability is limited at this time. Please be patient.

Operational changes to family health centers necessitated by financial impact of the coronavirus and reduced patient volumes

Watertown, N.Y. – Samaritan Health announced today the Cape Vincent Family Health Center will reopen to patients April 1, while the Sackets Harbor and Lacona clinics will remain closed due to financial constraints brought on by the COVID-19 crisis and the impact of lower patient volumes.

Samaritan will continue to provide care to former Sackets Harbor and Lacona clinic patients at the Adams, LeRay and Watertown family health centers, as these clinic locations have the capability and resources to accommodate Samaritan’s entire patient base in the area. All providers and staff from Sackets Harbor and Lacona have been transferred to the larger clinics.

The temporary closing of the Cape Vincent clinic, and the previous consolidation of the Sackets Harbor and Lacona family health centers into other existing, larger clinics was first announced in April 2020. Samaritan leadership reassessed the consolidation measures following the close of the 2020 fiscal year and determined permanent consolidation of Sackets Harbor and Lacona remained essential due to the  ongoing negative impact of COVID-19 on finances in 2021. In 2020, Samaritan faced a significant revenue shortfall.

Cape Vincent patients, who previously were asked to travel to the nearby Clayton Family Health Center, are able to make appointments in advance of the clinic’s reopening by calling 315-654-2530.

“We are pleased to reopen the Cape Vincent Family Health Center and remain committed to the community and thankful for its support,” said Thomas H. Carman, president and chief executive officer of Samaritan Health. “It’s unfortunate the pandemic forced us to close the clinic temporarily, but we’re looking forward to resuming the local services the community has grown accustomed to.”

“While the closure of the Sackets Harbor and Lacona clinics is unfortunate, and we recognize the inconvenience this may cause, current patients have adapted well to traveling to Adams, Watertown or LeRay for primary care and to be seen by their trusted care team,” he said. “We’re pleased to continue to serve those communities at our other locations.”

All Samaritan family health center locations, including Cape Vincent, Adams, LeRay, Clayton and Watertown are accepting new patients. Prospective patients can call the center of their choice for more information and to make an appointment. Clinic addresses and phone numbers can be found here: https://samaritanhealth.com/location/family-health-centers/.

WATERTOWN, NY – Samaritan Medical Center is piloting a program that allows patients with less severe cases of COVID-19 to recover at home with the help of remote monitoring and follow-up care.

When patients arrive at Samaritan’s Emergency Department and they are COVID-19 positive, they are assessed according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) severity scale. The goal of the pilot program, which began January 10, is to treat patients on the low end of this scale at home, obviating the need for hospital admission.

Patients who qualify for the program are discharged home with a medical-grade pulse oximeter – which monitors oxygen saturation levels – as well as detailed instructions and a follow-up appointment with a physician within 48 hours. As of January 27th, at-home COVID-19 monitored patients are referred to the Samaritan Home Health COVID program. This program includes a robust Samaritan Home Health team, including nurses and therapists, who provide full home health benefits and direct access to a registered nurse (RN) for these COVID-positive patients. Samaritan Home Health attempts to begin services for these patients the day after the initial Emergency Department visit and, depending on symptoms, the team may see the patient daily until they begin follow-up telehealth visits with a provider.

Patients also receive a number to call in case their symptoms worsen or if they receive a low pulse oximeter reading. A real person is always available to answer this call and, depending on the time of day and nature of the call, the patient will receive a STAT telemedicine visit or a referral to the Emergency Department.

So far, at least 23 patients have taken part in the pilot program and just 3 have called with worsening symptoms and been readmitted to the hospital. Dr. Benjamin Rudd, Family Medicine Program Director, said these results are very encouraging.

“This means that a majority of patients who might have been taking up hospital beds were effectively able to stay home and recover from COVID-19,” he said. “Not only does this take pressure off the hospital to ensure it has enough bed capacity for more severe cases, but it also allows the patient to stay in a more familiar, comfortable setting.”

As with any pilot program, Samaritan will continue to track results and patients outcomes, fine tuning how available staff can work together to help COVID-positive patients recover quickly in the comfort of their homes.

“Not only does this take pressure off the hospital to ensure it has enough bed capacity for more severe cases, but it also allows the patient to stay in a more familiar, comfortable setting.”

Dr. Benjamin Rudd, Samaritan Family Medicine Program Director

Samaritan Medical Center is pleased to announce its DAISY and BEE Award recipients for January 2021. The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses® recognizes exemplary nursing staff at the hospital, and the BEE Award honors other outstanding staff members who support patient care.

Jill Rice, RN, a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Samaritan’s ICU/PCU, received the DAISY Award and Crystal DeWitt, Purchasing Assistant, was honored with the BEE Award. Both honorees were nominated by fellow staff members and selected by a committee.

Rice was nominated by colleague Hannah Sherrill, RN, for her empathy, positivity, and tireless efforts over the past few months:

“Jill works toward ensuring that patients receive genuine care and instills ethics in her training of new orientees and other staff members,” Sherrill writes in her nomination. “She is frequently called on by nurses to help, and she models empathy and care for patients with the utmost positive attitude. She is always professional and works tirelessly to ensure her staff has what they need to feel successful.”

For receiving the DAISY Award – which is an international award backed by The DAISY Foundation – Rice was presented a certificate commending her as an extraordinary nurse, a DAISY Award pin, and a symbolic sculpture called “A Healer’s Touch,” which is hand-carved by artists of the Shona Tribe in Zimbabwe. A larger version of this sculpture is on display in the Healing Gardens at Samaritan in honor of all DAISY and BEE Award winners. It was purchased using funds donated by the Samaritan Auxiliary.

DeWitt was nominated for the BEE Award by an anonymous colleague for her professionalism, trustworthiness, and “team player” mentality:

“Crystal gives 110% every day,” the nomination reads. “She is trustworthy and follows through on any additional projects or tasks assigned to her because she knows how important it is to our patients…She is always upbeat, professional and smiles even when it’s busy. She helps others when she can and is a team player every day!”

DeWitt was presented a certificate, a BEE Award pin, and a gift bag 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 DAISY and BEE Awards, visit www.samaritanhealth.com/daisy-bee.