As demand for medical supplies increases during the COVID-19 pandemic, medical providers are facing a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, gowns, gloves and face shields. Many local doctor’s offices, long-term care facilities and hospitals are taking careful inventories, implementing stringent practices to preserve supply, and soliciting donations from community members and businesses.

Samaritan has had many people reach out to make donations — not just of PPE, but donations of food and other supplies for our staff. We thank you and are so grateful for your generosity!

Below is our general guidance for those who wish to make donations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coordinating Your Donation

For everyone’s safety, we ask that you please contact us to coordinate when and where you should drop off your donation. Please note: we are under strict visitor restrictions and certain entrances to the hospital are no longer open to the public.

If you are ready to schedule a time to drop off your donation, or if you have any questions, please email [email protected]. You can also reach out by phone — call us at 315-785-5785 or 315-785-5725. Thank you!

Effective Thursday, March 19, 2020, the Samaritan Family Health Centers in Cape Vincent, Lacona and Sackets Harbor will temporarily close and all patients will be seen at the larger nearby Health Centers — Clayton, Adams, and LeRay, respectively.

This precautionary measure is being taken to help control patient traffic flow and support staff in these smaller centers. Patients can still call their normal doctor’s office and phone traffic will be routed to the temporary partnering center.

In addition, all patients in the Samaritan Family Health Network should expect some changes to the way in which they visit our Health Centers. More telemedicine options will be available and limiting patients in our waiting rooms are two changes you can expect to see. All patients scheduled for appointments will be called with details to help explain these changes as we respond to the Coronavirus in the best possible way.

We want to remind all community members who have questions or concerns about Coronavirus (COVID-19), or who think they have symptoms related to the Coronavirus, to please call Samaritan’s COVID-19 Resource Line at 315-755-3100.

Remember to do your part to stop the spread of germs:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hand
• Practice social distancing
• Avoid contact with sick people
• Stay home if you’re sick

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

WATERTOWN, NY — In the past when faced with a diagnosis of “skin cancer,” those words would often mark the beginning of a long journey with multiple visits to complete surgical treatment. That journey will soon be much easier with Mohs Surgery coming to Samaritan Medical Center.

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 is proud to offer this specialized technique to our patients.

Samaritan Auxiliary’s “One Night, One Diamond” is being held on Saturday, March 28th from 6:00-11:00 p.m. at The Commons on Fort Drum. Tickets are $150 per couple, which includes dinner, dancing and an opportunity to win a real diamond, as well as a Lake Placid getaway package. Live music will be provided by the popular band “Atlas.”

For more information, please contact event chairperson Irene Carman at [email protected] or visit the event website for tickets and information at www.samaritanhealth.com/onod. RSVPs, with the names of attendees and date of birth for entrance onto Fort Drum, must be received by March 17, 2020.

“The benefit of having Mohs Surgery available at Samaritan Medical Center is that Dr. Nathanial Miletta and Dr. Zachary Nahmias will provide this specialized care for you close to home, without having to travel outside the region,” explains Irene Carman, Samaritan Auxiliary’s “One Night, One Diamond” Event Chair. “This equipment is a testament to Samaritan’s commitment to investing in a new service line with up-to-date technology to assist in the care of its patients. For the Samaritan Auxiliary volunteers, it is a privilege to be able to provide the hospital this Mohs Surgery equipment with the gracious and generous support of so many from the community and beyond.”

The Commons on Fort Drum will once again be the setting for “One Night, One Diamond,” an elegant evening of dining, dancing, and a chance to win an exquisite half-carat diamond donated by Cook’s Jewelers. Additionally, someone will win a getaway package donated by Lake Placid’s Mirror Lake Inn.

Presenting Sponsors for “One Night, One Diamond” are Apogee Physicians, Pepsi of Watertown 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, Krafft Cleaning Service, The Martin Group, North Country Orthopaedic Group, Northern Radiology Associates, Renzi Foodservice, Running Boards Marketing, and Slack Chemical Company. 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 232 members, 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 total volunteer hours for 2019 was 20,667 between Samaritan Medical Center, Samaritan Keep Home and Samaritan Summit Village. Since 2016 when the event began raising funds for equipment, Samaritan Auxiliary’s One Night, One Diamond proceeds have purchased over $600,000 in equipment for Samaritan Medical Center.

Among last year’s Auxiliary highlights is the 2019 One Night, One Diamond, with all proceeds to purchase a tissue tracker for tissue implants at Samaritan Medical Center and an Oncologic Navigation System to help manage the continuum of care for oncology patients at the Cancer Center. 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. These ventures, along with annual uniform sales and membership dues, allow it to provide funding for support of programs, services and the pledge commitment. The Auxiliary provided its most recent annual pledge commitment to the Capital Campaign of $500,000 for the Walker Center for Cancer Care, continued to support our youngest patients in the Emergency Department and Surgical Care Center with stuffed animals, coloring books and crayons, provided two $1500 scholarships to Samaritan employees to further their education, funded and provided tours at Samaritan Medical Center to 400 second graders of Jefferson County, trained 76 new volunteers for SMC, SKH, and SSV, including college students and teen volunteers, provided a flower for each SSV and SKH residents’ birthday and 17 copies of the Watertown Daily Times for patients at SMC daily. Additionally, the Auxiliary 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.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has selected Samaritan Medical Center as a Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement, part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. Blue Distinction Centers are nationally designated healthcare facilities shown to deliver improved patient safety and better health outcomes, based on objective measures that were developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies with input from the medical community.

Knee and hip replacement procedures are among the fastest growing medical treatments in the U.S., according to studies published in the June 2014 Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. In 2010, the estimated cost of hip replacements averaged $17,500 and the estimated cost of knee replacements averaged $16,000, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ for Knee and Hip Replacement demonstrate expertise in total knee and total hip replacement surgeries, resulting in fewer patient complications and hospital readmissions. Designated hospitals must also maintain national accreditation. In addition to meeting these quality thresholds, hospitals designated as Blue Distinction Centers+ are on average 20 percent more cost-efficient in an episode of care compared to other hospitals. Quality is key: only those facilities that first meet nationally established, objective quality measures will be considered for designation as a Blue Distinction Center+.

Samaritan Medical Center is proud to be recognized by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield for meeting the robust selection criteria for knee and hip replacements set by the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program. It has held this designation since 2012.

“Samaritan is pleased to again be recognized for this designation of quality and positive patient outcomes,” states Dr. Mario Victoria, Samaritan’s Chief Medical Officer. “We performed 319 knee and hip replacement surgeries in 2019 under the direction of well-trained surgeons, an inpatient unit dedicated to orthopaedics, and a suite of rehabilitation services. We also provide preliminary information at our popular Joint Camp series to help patients learn more about procedures and expectations. The program we offer is comprehensive and certainly this Blue Distinction Center+ for Knee and Hip Replacement speaks to the quality of service we provide.”

Since 2006, the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program has helped patients find quality providers for their specialty care needs in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacements, maternity care, spine surgery, and transplants, while encouraging healthcare professionals to improve the care they deliver.

“To receive the Blue Distinction designation, an organization must meet a specific set of rigorous standards that represent a commitment to quality and helping members better manage their care,” said Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Regional President Eve Van de Wal. “We’re glad to recognize Samaritan Medical Center for their excellence in delivering safe and effective knee and hip replacement surgery to their patients.”

For more information about the program and for a complete listing of the designated facilities, please visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction.

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 BlueCross 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 3,500 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 Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide healthcare coverage for nearly 105 million members – one-in-three Americans. For more information on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and its member companies, please visit bcbs.com. We encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out The BCBS Blog, for up-to-date information about BCBSA.

About Blue Distinction Centers
Blue Distinction Centers (BDC) met overall quality measures for patient safety and outcomes, developed with input from the medical community. A Local Blue Plan may require additional criteria for facilities 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 health care. Each facility’s cost of care is evaluated using data from its Local Blue Plan. Facilities 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 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 non-covered charges or other losses or damages resulting from Blue Distinction or other provider finder information or care received from Blue Distinction or other providers.