February 2022 Gems

Gems

F E B R U A R Y

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Exceptional Lives Here.

Cooking Up Greatness

Greg O’Gorman Executive Chef

Food and Nutrition Services 2021 Employee of the Year Garnet Health Medical Center (Middletown)

Maryann Eldred Second Cook

Food and Nutrition Services 2021 Employee of the Year Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills (Callicoon)

Quality Corner Upcoming DNV Survey Garnet Health hospitals expect to receive a DNV survey sometime in March. DNV ensures the organization is in compliance with accreditation standards, including the Medicare Conditions of Participation, and it determines if we have implemented an effective Quality Management System. We are assessed on whether processes are consistent and produce the best outcomes, and if we focus on risk-based thinking to optimize patient safety in accordance with ISO 9001 requirements.

What to expect: • Due to COVID-19 surges across the country, DNV has moved to remote surveys. It is uncertain whether we will have a remote or on-site survey in March; we will be prepared for both.

• Surveyors will ask about how we manage documents to ensure the clinical staff have the most current guidelines. They may request select policies to verify that we do what we say we’re going to do.

• Surveyors will visit clinical areas (in person or virtually) and conduct staff interviews, medical record reviews and environment-of-care building tours.

• Surveyors will ask about quality and safety initiatives. They are looking to see that our Quality Policy “Operational Excellence Through Continuous Improvement” drives what we do.

• Focus areas will include patient care processes, admission assessment, care planning and discharge, infection control, medication management, human resources, medical staff, emergency management, environment-of-care, building and fire safety, diagnostic imaging, and respiratory and laboratory services.

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DNV collaborates with us to identify and build on our strengths, and also helps us to identify and work to improve our challenges. The DNV accreditation process is about making us a better organization all around.

Be prepared to share your accomplishments!

Garnet Health Culinary Experts Employees of the Year in 2021 The kitchen is hot! Two Food and Nutrition Services department employees have been selected as Employees of the Year for 2021.

Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills selected Maryann Eldred, Second Cook, as their 2021 Employee of the Year. Maryann works at the Callicoon campus and regularly goes above and beyond to provide excellent service on a daily basis. Greg O’Gorman, Executive Chef at Garnet Health Medical Center, has been chosen as its 2021 Employee of the Year for consistently delivering exceptional service and experiences to patients and colleagues. Both are truly role models. Check out what the nominators had to say.

Maryann Eldred “Maryann displays the utmost professionalism in everything she does. The food services department is an integral part of providing care to our patients here at Callicoon, and Maryann always goes above and beyond to ensure that patients and staff are well cared for. Maryann is incredibly passionate about what she does, and it is apparent in the way that she cooks and her interactions with patients and staff.”

“Maryann takes the time to talk with our patients at length and goes above and beyond by discussing their desired dietary requests. She does everything in her power to make sure both patients and staff are satisfied.”

“Patients frequently provide excellent feedback about Maryann’s cooking and how friendly and personable she is. She has often gone out of her way to make sure patients have the foods they desire while in the hospital. She will also come in for extra shifts to make sure we are all well fed and well cared for!”

Greg O’Gorman “Three months ago, the kitchen had five full-time vacancies.

Considering there are 13 cooks in total, being down five created a crippling effect for the culinary team. In order to compensate for the void, Greg worked almost every weekend for two months straight, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Not once did Greg complain; not once did he ask for time back; not once did he call out during the week.

He did what was needed to feed our patients and keep everyone happy.”

“Greg rolls with the punches. Almost every day, the kitchen gets a request to fulfill a patient’s birthday surprise, a family’s request for their terminally ill loved one or even an employee’s dietary request. You just ask Greg and he is like the genie in the bottle! Last year, the kitchen was tasked to put together a wedding reception in two hours. Again, Greg sprang into action and by 12 p.m. a beautiful wedding with bells and whistles was happening.”

“The weekend of 11/20, Greg spent the entire weekend working at the Medical Center prepping for Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving, not only do we feed our patients turkey and all the trimmings, but we also feed the entire working staff plus all the uniformed personnel (police, firefighters, EMT, corrections officers, etc.) for free. Greg prepped close to 600 pounds of whole turkeys over the weekend. And then he worked through Thanksgiving because we were short staffed, which meant his time with his family on the holiday was limited. He did not complain or air any frustrations.

He did what it takes to make our patients and staff happy behind the scenes. A true gentleman and culinary expert.”

Congratulations to Maryann and Greg! We appreciate all you do for our patients and our hospital family!

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Heart–A–Thon Raises $ 91,000+ for GHMC-C A huge and heartfelt thanks goes out to our amazing friends at Bold Gold’s 98.3 WSUL for sponsoring the 44th Annual Heart-A-Thon to benefit cardiology services at Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills.

We’d also like to say THANK YOU to our community and staff for donating!

Hosted at Resorts World – Catskills on February 11, this year’s fundraiser raised more than $91,000, which will help to fund potentially lifesaving cardiology equipment.

We’re still taking donations! If you’d like to give, please reach out to Jodi Goodman at jgoodman@garnethealth.org.

Grateful Patient Volunteers Annually to Raise Funds Jack Costello is huge advocate for Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills. Almost eight years ago, Jack went to his doctor for what he thought was a cold, but ended up being referred to GHMC-C for an echocardiogram. What was supposed to be a day of running errands in Monticello with his wife turned out to be a lifesaving date in the GHMC-C ER. Read Jack’s story here: tinyurl.com/2p9hf3vm.

Jack praised Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills and their caring staff. “Every person working there is terrific and very conscientious about their job,” he said.

Jack is a true supporter of the annual Heart-A-Thon that benefits Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ cardiology services. As for what drives him to raise money for the event, now at age 81, Costello said, “Because I may save someone like myself.”

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Likes, Loves, Tweets and Follows Sharing some love from our social media followers!

BEE

AWARDS

Buzzworthy: Compassion Takes Flight Damon Martinez, Nursing Assistant on Med-Surg-Tele at the Harris campus, has been selected as the Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ January 2022 Employee of the Month. Damon receives accolades on a regular basis for his excellent preceptor skills. During a recent precepting session, Damon was quick to respond to a colleague who fainted. He handled the situation in an appropriate and caring manner, ensuring the safety of the individual he was training. Kudos to you, Damon! Thank you! Congratulations!

Enid Berg, Nursing Professional Development Practitioner, is Garnet Health Medical Center’s January 2022 Employee of the Month. Although Enid is a clinical development leader, she went back to the bedside to help her colleagues care for patients during the recent COVID surge, which had taken its toll on so many staff members. Her nomination states that she is “an amazing individual and an excellent resource and is always providing encouraging words.” It appears that Enid not only talks the talk (while teaching), but also walks the walk (when she’s not teaching)! Congratulations, Enid! Thank you!

The Employee of the Month program is also known as the Being Exceptional Every day (BEE) Award—and Being Exceptional Every day takes dedication, loyalty and commitment. To nominate an employee, physician, volunteer or team/department, visit the intranet page, scroll down and click on the BEE Award icon.

Good

catch A W A R D S

For more information about the Good Catch Award, whose nominees are judged by the Patient Safety Subcommittee, email Vice President, Quality/Patient Safety Officer Mary Ellen Crittenden at mcrittenden@ garnethealth.org.

A Good Catch Award was presented to Jodi Galvin, RN, CCU. Jodi, thank you for your diligence and focus in keeping our patients safe!

A Good Catch occurs when corrective action and/or timely intervention prevents an incident or medical error.

Left to right (front row): Kelly Tomi, RN; Suzanne Lange Ahmed, CNO; Jodi Galvin, RN; Mary Kay Mooney, CD, CCU; and Jonathan Schiller, CEO Back row: Olga Dutcher, RN

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Recognizing Our Certified Nurses!

National Certified Nurses Day is March 19. Garnet Health will celebrate on March 17 at the Middletown Campus and on March 18 at the Harris and Callicoon campuses.

Did you know that nursing certifications and excellent patient outcomes helped Garnet Health Medical Center earn and maintain its Magnet recognition? And that Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills’ certified nurses and patient outcomes will play a key role in the pursuit of our Pathway to Excellence recognition that is already in progress?

When healthcare organizations earn such prestigious nursing recognitions, it helps to build community confidence, supports excellent patient care and aids in recruiting great talent.

Thank you to all our certified nurses!

If you are a nurse interested in ANCC certification, contact your nurse leader or the Nursing Professional Development Department.

Pictured are some of the nearly 450 certified nurses who call Garnet Health home.

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Leading Way the

Dr. Leroy Floyd Named Chief Medical Officer for Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills Congratulations go out to Dr. Leroy Floyd, who was recently named Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills. In his new role, Dr. Floyd will oversee all medical care provided at the hospital and continue to serve as the Medical Director of Hospitalist Services for Garnet Health System and as Vice President of Medical Staff for Garnet Health Medical Center.

Dr. Floyd has been a member of the Garnet Health family since 2015, when he joined Garnet Health Doctors Hospitalist service. He has held numerous leadership roles during his tenure, most recently as the Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine and Member-at-Large of the Medical Executive Committee from 2020 to 2021, and Chair of Garnet Health Doctors Physicians Advisory Council from 2018 to 2021.

In addition to providing excellent care to patients and leading Garnet Health providers, Dr. Floyd is a clinical faculty member in Garnet Health Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Residency program. He is also a Physician Assistant Preceptor for Touro, NYIT, Clarkson University and PACE University, and the Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Floyd serves on numerous professional committees, including Physician Advisory, Credentialing and Pharmacogenomics, as well as the STEMI Committee and Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee.

Prior to joining Garnet Health, he held hospitalist privileges at Englewood Hospital. Dr. Floyd is Board-certified in internal medicine. He received his Doctor of Medicine from Florida State University and completed his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Dr. Floyd was Chief Medical Resident at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School-East Orange Veterans Hospital. He earned his MBA from the University of Massachusetts and is also a Certified Physician Executive. Dr. Floyd can be reached at lfloyd@garnethealth.org.

Lucy Busa has joined Garnet Health Doctors as Director of Physician Billing, with nearly 20 years of billing and revenue cycle experience. Lucy can be reached at lbusa@garnethealth.org.

Regina Carey has been promoted to Manager of Business Intelligence (BI). Regina joined Garnet Health in August of 2018 as a Senior Business Analytics Analyst and has been instrumental in creating and coordinating our Epic Business Intelligence solution. Regina played a large role in implementing nursing unit dashboards and led the adoption of analytical tools such as Epic Slicer Dicer, resulting in improved self-service analytical capabilities. In her new role, Regina will assume direct oversight of our BI requests. Regina can be reached at rcarey1@garnethealth.org.

Otis Freeman has joined Garnet Health as Director for Patient Access Management for the System. Prior to joining Garnet Health, Otis worked at Saint Michael’s in Newark, New Jersey. He has over 20 years of experience in Patient Access Management. Otis can be reached at ofreeman@garnethealth.org.

Katie Haun has been promoted to IT Regulatory Compliance Manager. In her new role, Katie will have oversight of ONC regulations and will collaborate with Quality and Medical Group leadership for annual regulatory submissions and attestations, as well as process improvement initiatives to maintain compliance in the various programs. Katie joined the organization in 2015, working within the Quality Department. In 2019, she transitioned into IT as a Business Intelligence Analyst and in 2020 became the IT Regulatory Compliance Analyst. Katie can be reached at khaun@garnethealth.org.

Richard Juengling has been promoted to Director of Accounting. Rick joined Garnet Health in 2019 as a Senior Accountant and was later promoted to Accounting Manager. He oversees the accounting staff and is responsible for the preparation of financial reports for all Garnet Health entities. Rick can be reached at rjuengling@garnethealth.org.

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Shawn Killeen has been promoted to Director of Managed Care and Denial Management for the System.

Shawn joined the organization in 2015 as a Senior Revenue Strategy Analyst and most recently filled the role of Manager of Revenue Strategy and Managed Care. In his new position, Shawn will lead the further development of our Denial Management team, committee meetings and process. Shawn can be reached at skilleen@ garnethealth.org.

Peggy Laggner, MSN, RN, NEA-BC has been promoted to Administrator of Perioperative Services. Peggy joined the organization in 2015 as Director of Same-Day Surgery, Endoscopy and PACU. She assisted with the transition of our Ambulatory Surgery Center to the POB building. She was later promoted to Director of PST, Endoscopy and Perioperative Outcomes, leading our Enhanced Recovery After Surgery, Bloodless Medicine and Surgery programs. Peggy can be reached at mlaggner@garnethealth.org.

Michael Lorenzo has been promoted to Network Security Director. Mike joined the organization in January of 2016 as a Principal Network Security Engineer. Over the past six years, Mike has led multiple security initiatives to strengthen the organization’s cybersecurity posture and has worked on countless network and security projects, including the Implementation of Cisco ISE, firewall replacements, DMZ redesign with F5 security appliances, POB design and construction, and our Data Center upgrade. Mike can be reached at mlorenzo@ garnethealth.org.

Bonnie McFarland, BSN, RN, CEN has been promoted to Director of Endoscopy. Bonnie graduated with her BSN from SUNY Brockport with cum laude and a member of Sigma Theta Tau in 1998. She started at Garnet Health in 2002 on the Horton Campus as a Unit Comp. She then became an ED RN and transferred to Endoscopy as an RN before being promoted to Endoscopy Manager. Bonnie can be reached at bmcfarland@ garnethealth.org.

Keri Mele, RN, BSN, RAC-CT has joined Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills as Swing Bed Program Manager at the Callicoon Campus. Keri is responsible for case management functions related to inpatients and will provide direction and leadership to clinical staff as it pertains to Swing Bed patients. In addition, Keri will coordinate the screening process for candidates to the Swing Bed Program, care team meetings and discharge planning activities. Most recently, Keri was the Director of MDS at WMC Health/Bon Secours Charity Schervier Pavilion in Warwick, New York. Keri can be reached at kmele@garnethealth.org.

Dianne Moore has been promoted to Director of Financial Planning. Dianne joined the organization in 1999 as a Payroll Analyst in the Accounting Department. She has been the Manager of Financial Planning for the past six years. Dianne has broad experience in analyzing financial trends and was instrumental in implementing our financial business intelligence system (STRATA). Dianne can be reached at dmoore@garnethealth.org.

Debra Nawrocki has joined Garnet Health as the new Manager of Revenue Integrity/CDM. Deb comes to us from Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital (formerly St. Francis) in Poughkeepsie, where she served as the Financial Coordinator for Imaging Services and has over 20 years of revenue cycle experience in both the hospital and physician areas. She will help lead our processes in Revenue Integrity, CDM and Pricing Transparency. Deb can be reached at dnawrocki@garnethealth.org.

Elyse Valentin has been promoted to Accounts Payable Manager. Elyse joined the Accounts Payable team in 2014 as an Accounts Payable Specialist and became a supervisor in 2016. Elyse has extensive experience working with our Allscripts system. Elyse may be reached at evalentin@garnethealth.org.

Nicole Ventre, BSN, RN, CNOR has been promoted to Director of the Operating Room. Nicole graduated with her BSN from Western Connecticut State University in 2013. She started working in our Wound Care Center in 2014 as a contracted employee before being hired in 2015 as a Float RN. Nicole then graduated from our Periop 101 program in September of 2017 and in January 2021 became the OR Clinical Coordinator. Nicole can be reached at nventre@garnethealth.org.

Lyn Wessels, BSN, RN, ACM has joined Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills as Case Management Director. Lyn has been a nurse for 36 years having started her career at Horton Hospital performing primary care nursing to oncology patients. She also worked for Hospice of Orange and Sullivan providing in-home patient care. Lyn brings great experience in Case Management holding positions as a Case Manager and a Case Management Director over the last 20 years. She can be reached at lwessels@garnethealth.org.

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GHMC Receives Vision of Hope Award

Left to right: Lions Eye Bank Office Manager Justine Mantello, Lions Eye Bank Executive Director Victoria Adler, Garnet Health CEO Al Pilong, Garnet Health Medical Center CNO Debora Snyder, Garnet Health Medical Center ICU Nurse Director and Chair of Organ Donation Kathy Bermo, and Garnet Health Medical Center ICU Nurse Manager and Co-Chair of Organ Donation Linda Curiale

In honor of National Donor Day (February 14), GHMC received the Vision of Hope Award from Lions Eye Bank at Albany/Rochester. The organization honored their Top 10 hospitals for helping to initiate, facilitate and support eye donation.

The River Reporter Best of Readers’ Choice Awards!

A Special Thank-You to Our Residents!

We congratulate Garnet Health Medical Center – Catskills, Callicoon Campus Emergency Department for being voted the Best ED in Sullivan County!

Remember, our patients are also the reason why the Callicoon Campus received the 2021 Press Ganey Pinnacle of Excellence Award and the 2021 Guardian of Excellence Award. Keep rockin’ it, Callicoon Campus!

On February 25, 2022, we had the honor of recognizing some very integral members of our Garnet Health Family during “Thank a Resident Day.” They are the unsung heroes of the medical profession who work tirelessly to improve the outcomes of the patients who come to Garnet Health for their care. These individuals foster scholarship, help to facilitate change, teach and lead and most importantly, serve. Patient care at Garnet Health is better because of them.

A big shoutout also goes to Garnet Health Doctors’ David Morcos, DO, who also won Best Family Medicine Doctor from the River Reporter readers! Dr. Morcos is a primary care physician who sees patients in our Monticello location. Thank you, Dr. Morcos, for making such a big impact on our community!

A huge thank-you to our current, future and past residents. It is our privilege to serve you by fostering your innate curiosity and passion for medicine as you develop into exceptional physicians. Your support in helping Garnet Health improve the health of our community by providing exceptional healthcare is greatly appreciated.

For more information about the Graduate Medical Program, visit garnethealth.org/medical-education.

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Thank You from the Garnet Health Foundation!

CHAIN OF

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M I D D L ETOWN H I G H S C H O O L ARTWO R K O N D I S P L AY Students at Middletown High School’s Graphic Design class and Foundations of Media Arts class created original artwork to show appreciation for our hardworking and dedicated staff. Students are in grades 9 to 12 and taught by Ms. Ruth Wetzel.

The amazing 40-piece “Gratitude Chain of Artwork” will be displayed through March 30 on the ground floor of the GHMC campus, in the hallway leading to the cafeteria.

Thank you for showing us the love, Middletown High School! Your artwork is incredible!

The Garnet Health Foundation is grateful for all the employees who have already donated to the “Every Minute Counts Capital Campaign,” which is raising money for the Garnet Health Medical Center Emergency Room expansion. We will officially launch our Employee Campaign by March 31, 2022, and look forward to visiting with employees on their units or in their departments. But no need to wait for us to come to you! If you’d like to make a gift now (large or small), please visit garnethealth.org/ everyminutecounts or call the Foundation at (845) 333-2333 to learn more ways to give.

Thank you for your support!

Joseph Anesi Rose Baczewski Scott Batulis Debbie Beakes Kimberli Beam Diane Boland Patricia Bracken-Borchert Robin Brennan Seibel Jacqui Budakowski Annette Burke Deirdre Burns, RN Susan Cannock Chris Canzoneri MaryAnne Clay Fred Conklin Chris Costello Mary Ellen Crittenden William Dauster Darrigan DeMattos Tina DeSmedt-Wells Maureen Donnelly Jerry Dunlavey Charlotte Durma Jill Embler Peggy Ensslin Kathy Fayol Craig Filippini Kathleen Flessa, MSN, RN, CNOR Leroy Floyd, MD Gerard Galarneau, MD Garnet Health Medical Staff Evelyn Gennodie James Grigg Shantie Harkisoon Janine Harris Katie Haun Amy Jacobs Nora Killeen Peggy Laggner Linda M. Lanfear, RN Sionnie LeBlanc

Marcy Manheim Phillip Massengill, MD Trevor McGinley, MD Matthew Meigh, DO Moira Mencher Patricia Metzger Carol Mills Dianne and Kevin Moore Laura Moos Mary Murphy Pamela Murphy, MD Izabela Nowosielski, MD Bridget Osofsky James Oxley, DO, FACEP Theresa Partyka Louis Petcu, MD Steven Piriano, MD Beth Post, R.N. Alicia Remey Rosie Roantree, DO Robert Rubinstein Maria Russo Nambi Salgunan, MD Will Scheuermann Jr. Lisa Schneider Theresa Scotto Heather Smernaos David Smith Debora Snyder Christian Spano, MD Tracee Strout Joanne Sturans Deborah Szulewski Nancy Tienken Joyce Timko Jennifer Trujillo Marianne Walker Alice Walsh Toni Ann Whitehead, RN Pamela Yosh Debra Zaccagnino-Slater 11

COVID-19 Update As COVID-19 cases decrease, Garnet Health has relaxed the in-person meetings/ training policy. Effective February 21, in-person meetings were able to resume; however, meetings should be at 50% of room capacity and a WebEx option should always be available. Additionally, all employees should continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and maintain frequent hand hygiene.

February Employee Booster Clinics Several Orange and Sullivan County Employee Booster Clinics were held in February to make it convenient for staff to get boosted. While the NYS Governor postponed the February 21, 2022 deadline mandating that all hospital employees receive a COVID-19 booster, we would still like to recognize Garnet Health Doctors for working hard to host these clinics.

We appreciate it!

FYI: New GHMC Vendor Parking Lot Garnet Health Medical Center has a new, designated 38-space vendor parking lot located between Ring Road and the East side of the new employee garage. Tell your reps!

Save the Dates Spring Forward!

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 13 at 2:00 a.m.!

While we may lose an hour of sleep, we gain more daylight in the weeks to come!

Donate Your Blood and Be the Difference Donate your blood in GHMC conference rooms 1, 2 and 3, on Wednesday, March 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm. To sign up, call New York Blood Center at (800) 933-2566 or visit nybc.org/garnethealth.

Doctors’ Day 2022 Thank a doctor every day, but give special thanks on March 30!

Gems Newsletter Produced by Garnet Health Marketing & Corporate Communications.

For more information, email mmanheim@garnethealth.org or call (845) 333-2391.

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