Category: News

Please note: The following Samaritan Health outpatient locations and services will have limited hours during the holiday season. Patients are encouraged to call ahead before visiting any Samaritan location, even if it is not listed below. Please click here for a full phone directory.

As always, Samaritan Medical Center’s Emergency Department will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week throughout the holiday season. Do not delay emergency care — call 911 immediately.

On Sunday, December 13, Samaritan Health received notice two residents at Samaritan Summit Village long-term care facility – one in Assisted Living and one in Skilled Nursing – tested positive for COVID-19. This is the first positive case for both Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living at Summit Village.

The Assisted Living resident was tested as part of screening being done and was asymptomatic. The resident will be quarantined for 14 days and will be closely monitored.

The Skilled Nursing resident was symptomatic and was tested immediately. As a precaution, all residents on the same floor as this resident were rapid tested and all are negative. All Summit Village Skilled Nursing residents will now be tested multiple times over the next two weeks. The COVID-positive resident was hospitalized after being evaluated and cannot return to Summit Village until they test negative for COVID-19, per New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) guidelines. This measure helps ensure the safety of other residents and staff.

Contact tracing is being done to determine any other residents or staff that may be impacted by both of these positive cases. This suspends indoor visitation at Summit Village; we must stay COVID free for 14 days before it can resume.

Samaritan Health places the health and safety of our residents and staff above all else and will continue diligent efforts to prevent the spread of this virus in our facilities, following all NYS DOH directives for testing, contact tracing, safety equipment precautions, staff screening and close monitor and frequent temperature checks of all residents.

Samaritan Medical Center, Carthage Area Hospital, Jefferson County Public Health and the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) are hosting a community-wide COVID-19 mass testing event on Monday, December 7th and Tuesday, December 8th. Collectively, these organizations hope to test as many community members as possible in these two days.

This testing event will help determine the community spread of COVID-19 following the Thanksgiving holiday. Anyone who is concerned about their level of exposure should take this opportunity to protect themselves and their family members. Knowing the volume of new positive cases will help slow the spread as community members are asked to quarantine and take precautions.

This event is FREE and open to all, but is appointment-only to safely and efficiently accommodate as many people as possible. All testing will take place at two community locations:

• Samaritan’s Drive-Up Testing Site: 1575 Washington St. in Watertown, NY. Testing hours will be from 7:00am to 7:00pm on both days.
• Carthage Area Hospital: 1001 West St., Carthage, NY, using the back entrance off of West Street. Testing hours will be Monday from 1:00pm to 5:00pm and Tuesday from 9:00am to 7:00pm.

Results will be provided by NYS DOH’s lab vendor, BioReference, and will be provided within 2 to 3 days after tests are collected. This is not rapid testing.

Appointments must be requested by visiting Samaritan’s website at: www.samaritanhealth.com/covid-test. Patients without access to a computer or the internet should call the Samaritan Resource Line at 315-755-3100 to schedule an appointment. Anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms should not delay testing – symptomatic patients should immediately call the Samaritan Resource Line at 315-755-3100 or the Carthage Area Hospital COVID-19 Hotline at 315-519-5497.

Any community member who receives a positive test result will be contacted by Jefferson County Public Health, who will provide details and begin the process for contact tracing. Local public health officials have additional resources available from NYS to help aid in contact tracing.

Please remember that everyone has a role in helping to slow the spread of this disease. Wash your hands, wear your mask, social distance and avoid large crowds and non-emergent travel.

Watertown, N.Y. – Samaritan Medical Center announced the second COVID-19-related death in Jefferson County. The patient, an elderly Jefferson County resident with underlying health conditions, acquired COVID-19 in the community and was receiving inpatient care at Samaritan.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the patient’s family, said Thomas H. Carman, president and CEO, Samaritan Health. “The pandemic’s current, record-setting surge is intense and is impacting communities of all sizes throughout our region, New York State and the U.S. This is only the second COVID-related death here at Samaritan in the past three months, but it is heartbreaking nonetheless and helps drive home the message that we must remain vigilant in our efforts to minimize the virus’s threat as we head into Thanksgiving, the holiday season and the winter months. As virus cases spike nationwide, it’s important to note younger and healthier people are increasingly becoming infected; this is not something that only impacts older Americans or those with underlying health conditions.”

Samaritan Medical Center remains the primary Jefferson County hospital providing inpatient care to those diagnosed with COVID-19. Currently there are four other inpatients with COVID-19 at the hospital. Samaritan remains well prepared to care for these patients, with proficient staff and critical care physicians, ample personal protective equipment, and dedicated space to separate patients with COVID-19 from the rest of the patient population. Our COVID-19 only unit has been open consistently for several weeks now, after not having any inpatients for many weeks this summer. The local rise in cases leads us to believe we will have inpatients consistently for the near future.

“Once again, we pause to thank our staff for their dedication and continued efforts to ensure safe, quality health care for our patients during this crisis,” said Carman. “The risk they face every single day, and the strain it puts on them and their families warrants our appreciation and gratitude. We remind everyone to recommit to safe behaviors that will allow us to slow the spread and help protect our entire community.”

This second COVID-related death of a local community member is even more reason to practice all the safety guidelines to slow the spread of this virus. To protect yourself and your loved ones – wash your hands, wear your mask properly, social distance and avoid crowds.

Robotic Bronchoscopy Could Enable Earlier and More-Accurate Diagnosis of Lung Nodules

Watertown, NY – A new innovation that holds promise to fight lung cancer is now in use at Samaritan Medical Center. Used to view the inside of the lungs and obtain a tissue sample for biopsy, Auris Health’s Monarch™ Platform aims to enable an earlier and more-accurate diagnosis of small and hard-to-reach nodules in the periphery of the lung.

The technology integrates the latest advancements in robotics, software, data science, and endoscopy (the use of small cameras and tools to enter the body through its natural openings). Samaritan is the first hospital in Central New York and the North Country to invest in this new technology and one of only two sites in the entire state to utilize the platform, which was recently cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Samaritan made the strategic decision in 2019 to purchase this important equipment and complement its pulmonology and oncology services. Illness and death due to lung cancer is staggeringly high across our tri-county region. The lung and bronchus cancer rate in Jefferson County alone is 91 incidences per 100,000 persons – 50% higher than the New York State average of 60, according to National Cancer Center Institute statistics. Jefferson County’s death rate due to lung cancer is 54 per 100,000 population, compared to the state’s average of 37. Rates in St. Lawrence and Lewis counties also are well above statewide averages. This data is provided by the National Cancer Center Institute.

“Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, in part because it has no symptoms in its early stages. Because the Monarch Platform provides improved reach, vision and control for bronchoscopic procedures, it holds potential to help us to make a diagnosis earlier,” said Dr. David P. Rechlin, Pulmonology & Critical Care Physician at Samaritan. “We are excited about the promise of this technology to offer a more hopeful future for our patients with lung cancer.”

Since lung cancer is often found at an advanced stage, more than 90 percent of people diagnosed with the disease do not survive it. There are a variety of diagnostic options currently available for lung cancer, but all have limitations in accuracy, safety, or invasiveness. These limitations can lead to false positives, false negatives, or side effects such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung) and hemorrhage, which may increase health care costs and extend hospital stays.

The Monarch Platform utilizes a familiar controller-like interface that physicians use to navigate the flexible robotic endoscope to the periphery of the lung with improved reach, vision, and control. Combining traditional endoscopic views into the lung with computer-assisted navigation based on 3-D models of the patient’s own lung anatomy, the Monarch Platform provides physicians with continuous bronchoscope vision throughout the entire procedure.

To learn more about Samaritan Pulmonology or to see a video about the Auris Monarch Platform, visit www.samaritanhealth.com/lung-care.

Watertown, NY — The 20th Annual Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Radiothon — held November 11-13, 2020 — set a new fundraising record this year, bringing in $163,400. This is the most ever raised during the event, surpassing last year’s total of $140,647.

DJs Johnny Spezzano from the Border 106.7 and Lance Hale from 94 Rock were live on air for three days asking for the North Country’s financial support for local Children’s Miracle Network kids, and the community came through in a big way!

“I am always in awe of our generous community,” said Bonnie Eppolito, of the Samaritan Foundation. “Funds raised from Radiothon allow us to continue assisting CMN families in our local tri-county area, and for that we are very grateful.”

“We are very excited to be a part of this record-breaking fundraising year,” said Jim Leven, President of Community Broadcasters. “Johnny, Lance and the entire Community Broadcasters team, with its advertisers, are proud to a part of this event each year.”

Sponsors of this year’s Radiothon include Northern Federal Credit Union; BCA Architects & Engineers; Advanced Business Systems, Inc.; Lake Ontario Realty; MVP Health Care, and Carter Young of Allstate Insurance. Special thanks to Watertown Savings Bank, which assisted in counting change collected from the “Change for Kids” initiative.

All funds raised for Children’s Miracle Network stay local. Funds are used to purchase the most advanced life-saving medical equipment needed to care for children at Samaritan Medical Center and also to support capital projects, like the Car-Freshner Center for Women and Children. Additionally, Children’s Miracle Network of NNY offers a direct family assistance program to families in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence counties who have a child facing a medical crisis.

For more information on Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals contact the Samaritan Medical Center Foundation at 315-785-5785 or email [email protected].

Watertown, NY – Samaritan Medical Center is changing the COVID-19 Drive-Up Testing Site to a more suitable long-term location in anticipation of winter weather. The new location will be at the Samaritan Health & Wellness Plaza, 1575 Washington Street in Watertown. This change goes into effect Monday, November 16, 2020.

The new location will continue as a drive-up site, with patients never exiting their vehicle. Patients will enter an existing garage bay and will exit out another bay of the same garage. This indoor setting will protect staff and patients from winter weather and provide safe and convenient access for vehicles. The Samaritan Health & Wellness Plaza is located directly behind the North Country Orthopaedic Group.

Patients who arrive for testing will be directed to proceed straight down the existing main driveway in the right-hand lane and then will enter the garage on the right-hand side of Plaza building. They will have their test performed and will exit the building using the same driveway. Please see the map at bottom.

Currently, the Drive-Up Testing Site is a NYS Collection Site, offering up to 300 free tests per week to any community member that wants to be tested. It also tests all community members who need testing via the Samaritan Resource Line (315-755-3100) and all pre-surgical patients for Samaritan and other surgical providers. On average, the Drive-Up Testing Site sees approximately 50 patients per day. Appointments must be scheduled. To date, the Drive-Up Testing Site has performed over 9,000 tests since its inception in March. It was the first COVID-19 Drive-Up Testing Site in the local region.

Community members who wish to schedule a free COVID-19 test should submit their request on our website and a staff member will reach out to schedule an appointment. If you have any questions or symptoms relating to COVID-19 – including but not limited to cough, fever, shortness of breath, chills, sore throat, or headache – please contact the Samaritan Resource Line at 315-755-3100.