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Adirondack Journal / News Enterprise
April 18, 2020
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
First COVID-19 death of Warren County resident; local cases jump 148% in a week Nursing home in Glens Falls experiences outbreak By Thom Randall CORRESPONDENT
Warren County Health Services employees interview a person visiting the county’s newly established COVID-19 testing site on April 9. Located in a parking lot on the county’s Municipal Center campus, the facility is a joint effort of Warren County government and Glens Falls Hospital. Photo by Thom Randall
Layoff of 337 Glens Falls Hospital employees announced the laid-off personnel when circumstances permit. “Employees will be brought back as soon as possible, dependent on the course of the pandemic and when normal operations can be restarted,” the statement reads, adding that furloughing personnel was “a difficult decision.” In recent years, the hospital has employed from 2,500 to 2,800 employees — so the furlough involves about 35% of its staff. The hospital is considered the largest employer in the Warren, Washington and Hamilton counties region. Glens Falls Hospital President and CEO Dianne Shugrue was quoted in the announcement. “We deeply value the contributions of all team members and making changes to our teams’ employment status is never easy,” she said. “Like other hospitals and clinics in the region and across the country, we have made this decision so that we can focus resources on essential clinical services and ensure we’re positioned to continue caring for members of the community who are affected by COVID-19.” ■ — Thom Randall can be reached at 518-7449600 or thom@suncommunitynews.com
CORRESPONDENT
GLENS FALLS | A total of 337 employees of Glens Falls Hospital have been temporarily furloughed and its executives have taken a voluntary pay cut, hospital spokesman Ray Agnew announced on April 13 in a prepared statement. The email cites the state’s executive order to suspend elective surgeries and procedures as cutting into the hospital’s revenue, triggering the furloughs. “While these decisions were completely necessary, they have significantly impacted the financial standing and operations of all New York hospitals and clinics,” the press release said. The announcement noted that those employees laid off were not directly related to essential patient care, particularly those who have tested positive for COVID-19. The hospital will pay not only its share of each furloughed employee’s existing health insurance costs during the layoff, but also the premiums that the employees routinely shouldered, according to the email. This health insurance includes full medical, dental, and vision coverage. The statement also said the hospital administration “intends to preserve” each furloughed employee’s job position, and seeks to reinstate Glens Falls Hospital has announced it is laying off 337 employees not directly related to ‘essential patient care,’ according to a statement released the morning of April 13. The furlough was attributed to the reduction of revenue caused by the state’s executive order to suspend elective surgeries and procedures. Photo provided
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yielded three additional positive cases among 16 tests administered on April 9 alone. Testing at the site was slated to resume on April 14 after it was canceled the day earlier due to wind and rain. The testing is expected to continue until the supply of testing kits is exhausted. Moore said that additional test kits will be sought if there is a need for them. Result from tests take up to five days to be returned. The tests can only be performed after an order to have one conducted is issued by a physician or clinic. In addition, Hudson Headwaters Health Network performed nearly 100 tests last week based on CDC prioritizing criteria, Warren County Health Services Director Ginelle Jones said. Three Warren County residents remained hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment, and were listed in serious or critical condition as of April 12, Moore reported. Also, county Health Services said that they continue to monitor a number of quarantined residents. County spokesman Don Lehman reported that 90 percent of the current COVID-19 patients were only experiencing mild symptoms. He and Moore again urged that all seasonal residents coming to Warren County from outside the region isolate themselves for 14 days and contact Warren County Health Services at 518-761-6580 for information about local directives and practices. A directive to not rent out homes via services like AirBnB and Vrbo is still in force, authorities said. County leaders continue urge residents to follow social distancing practices so the spread of COVID-19 can be curbed. ■ — Thom Randall can be reached at 518-744-9600 or thom@suncommunitynews.com
had claimed the life of a northern Warren County resident, and that no further information would be released on the situation. County officials attributed the jump in confirmed cases to increased testing as well as an outbreak of COVID-19 at The Pines nursing and rehabilitation center in Glens Falls. Moore reported that there was a “cluster” of patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus at that nursing home. Inquiries to Warren County about the number of COVID-19 cases at The Pines were referred to the nursing homes administration. Mid-day Monday, The Pines spokeswoman Genvieve Worthington confirmed that the facility hosted residents that tested positive. “We continue to follow the guidance and directives of state and federal officials; no further comments,” Worthington reported via email. Moore said in a prepared statement that the situation at The Pines is being monitored by Warren County Health Services, the state Department of Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The jump in the confirmed cases was also attributed to a new testing clinic established last week by Glens Falls Hospital and Warren County on the county’s Municipal Center campus. This drive-up clinic is open to residents of Warren, Essex, Hamilton, Saratoga and Washington counties. Results from tests taken at this new site
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WARREN COUNTY | The first death of a Warren County resident from the COVID-19 virus was reported by county authorities on Aug. 13, as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among county residents jumped to 62, representing a 148% increase over the 25 cases reported a week earlier, and a 68% increase from in two days, County Administrator Ryan Moore reported. He said that county officials and public health workers were saddened that the novel coronavirus
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