Littauer’s organ donation efforts recognized in 126th annual Tournament of Roses Parade

Littauer’s organ donation efforts recognized in 126th annual Tournament of Roses Parade

GLOVERSVILLE – Nathan Littauer Hospital will be recognized once again with a rose on the Donate Life Float in the 126th annual Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. Nathan Littauer partners with the Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT) to facilitate life-saving organ and tissue donation. The rose also recognizes Littauer’s support for organ donation through the Donate Life Flag Program.  In 2015, a flag will be flown at the hospital following every organ and tissue donation case, which will then be given to the donors’ families in honor of their loved one.

 

This year’s float features “The Never-Ending Story,” a special float developed by the national Donate Life America organization, will appear in the parade to commemorate organ donation. It includes butterflies emerging from storybooks to symbolize the enduring power of organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation. The float and its honored participants are the centerpiece of a national campaign leading up to the 2015 Rose Parade, whose theme this year is “Inspiring Stories.”

 

“Every donation of organs, eyes and tissue begins an inspiring story that lives on forever,” said Bryan Stewart, chairman of the Donate Life Rose Parade Float Committee. “In their passing, deceased donors open up a world of health, sight and mobility to people in need.”

 

Since its debut on New Year’s Day 2004, the Donate Life Rose Parade Float has become the world’s most visible campaign to inspire people to become organ, eye and tissue donors. The campaign began as an idea expressed in a letter by lung recipient Gary Foxen of Orange, Calif., who wanted to show gratitude to donors who make life-saving transplants possible.

 

Now in its 12th year, the float entry is celebrated at hundreds of events nationwide where families put the finishing touches on florograph (a picture of the donor made out of plants/flowers) portraits and donation and transplant professionals present dedicated roses to donor families, living donors and community partners who play a role in making donation possible. The florograph will be on display at the news conference.

 

Donation experts say that one person can save up to eight lives through the donation of vital organs – heart, kidney, liver, lungs, pancreas and small intestine – and help 50 people or more who need corneas to see, skin to heal from burns, and bones and connective tissue for common knee, back and dental surgeries.

 

In addition, approximately 6,000 lives per year are saved by living kidney and liver donors.

 

Anyone can sign up when renewing a driver’s license or state identification, or by visiting www.DonateLifeAmerica.org.

 

The 126th parade will took place on Thursday, Jan. 1, featuring majestic floral floats, high-stepping equestrian units and spirited marching bands.  Following the parade was the 101st Rose Bowl Game.

 

(CBS News website) Organ and tissue recipients and other volunteers began decorating the 12th Donate Life float in Pasadena on New Year's Day. Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home was represented with the float.

(CBS News website)
Organ and tissue recipients and other volunteers began decorating the 12th Donate Life float in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home was represented with the float.

Littauer featured in “State of Health”

State Of Health

New budget well-received by area officials, though some uncertainty remains

April 13, 2014
By BRIAN McELHINEY , The Leader Herald

Most years, when the New York state budget is announced, Nathan Littauer Hospital expects to lose funding. That didn’t happen this year.

“This budget’s different in that there’s usually all this negative, and there isn’t,” Nathan Littauer Hospital CEO Laurence Kelly said.

The state’s 2014-15 budget will reinvest $8 billion from a federal Medicaid waiver announced in February for projects to improve the health care system, according to a release from the state Senate. There also were no cuts in hospital reimbursement for Medicaid patients, Kelly said.

Article Photos

Senior technologist Elishiba Frasier, left, performs a Dexa-Scan to test for bone density on patient Kaytie Compani at Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville on Thursday. Photo by Bill Trojan/The Leader-Herald

“That just means that we can do everything that we usually do and not have to scramble to try to be forced to reduce expenses when we didn’t want to,” Kelly said. “We’re looking to do that all the time anyway, to provide more services. … Most years we’re getting a 1 percent, 2 percent cut, 3 percent cut.”

The budget also includes funding for a number of health care programs, including $4.1 million to the Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program and other senior services; a $1.2 billion capital investment over seven years for restructuring health care facilities; and $163 million for early intervention programs, according to the Senate release. According to the release, along with funding for other health initiatives, including cancer services programs and the Nutritional Information for Women, Infants and Children program, the budget also includes the Safe Patient Handling Act, which requires hospitals to establish a program to prevent injuries to staff and patients during patient transport.

However, at the moment it’s still too early to tell how most of these investments will affect local services, according to local officials.

Fact Box

Budget numbers

Some highlights from the New York state budget pertaining to health care and senior services:

$8 billion in funds from the federal Medicaid waiver for transformative projects to improve the health care system.

$1.2 billion capital investment over seven years for the restructuring of health care facilities.

$95 million to create a statewide electronic medical record system.

$4.1 million in increased funding to the New York’s Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage program. Additionally, eligibility has been expanded, from $35,000 to $75,000 for singles, and from $50,000 to $100,000 for married seniors.

$5 million for the Community Services for the Elderly Program.

$25.3 million for cancer services programs.

$26.3 million for Nutritional Information for Women, Infants and Children.

$2.3 million for the Prenatal Care program.

$4.5 million for maternal and child health.

$550,000 for women’s health services.

$533,300 for the Adelphi Breast Cancer Support program.

$1.8 million for the Prenatal and Postpartum Home Visitation program.

$34,700 for the Safe Motherhood Initiative.

$10.6 million for adolescent pregnancy prevention.

$1.8 million in increased funding for Rape Crisis Centers.

$5 million in additional funding for the Spinal Cord Injury Research Board.

$2.5 million in additional funding for the Doctors Across New York program.

$2.45 million for addiction services, prevention and treatment.

$500,000 for Lyme and tick-borne disease initiatives.

$163 million for early intervention programs.

Kelly said the state will need to come up with criteria for distributing the $1.2 billion for health care facilities as grants.

“We don’t really know what they’re looking for yet,” he said. “Restructuring, on a global term, that kind of means what’s been happening for a long time now. There’s less of a need for people to be admitted to a hospital, and in place of that we take care of them as an outpatient, or they just come for a treatment, they come for a test or they come for therapy, or you go to their home versus them coming to a hospital.”

Littauer already has a head start on the Safe Patient Handling Act. The hospital formed a safe patient handling committee about three years ago, and has invested “thousands and thousands of dollars” on lift systems to move overweight and obese patients, Kelly said. Some rooms in the hospital are equipped with stationary lifts, while other lifts are portable.

“We all know that there are more people that weigh more than they did in the past,” Kelly said. “It’s so much more of a risk for our staff when you’re trying to move somebody who’s 400, 500 pounds, so we have to have this stuff to do it safely.”

Representatives from New York Oncology-Hematology, which has an office in Amsterdam, were not sure how much of the $25.3 million set aside for cancer services in the budget would be coming directly to them.

“We are pleased that this year’s state budget includes funding for cancer services,” Edwin T. Graham, Northeast regional senior vice president of the U.S. Oncology Network, said in an emailed statement. “It signals New York’s continued commitment to expanding access to vital screenings for early detection as well as continued cancer research.”

“Typically the state will use some of that money to expand access for people not eligible [for cancer care],” said Sarah Bilofsky, NYOH’s marketing director. “Obviously, any money set aside for research benefits everybody as well.”

According to Bilofsky, in late January NYOH announced a $3 million investment of its own money for the Amsterdam office to upgrade its radiation line.

The budget also includes $26.3 million for the WIC program. However, Fulton County WIC Director Stella Zanella did not have information about the funding and would not comment.

“I really haven’t heard anything about that,” she said.

Dave Jordan, executive director of the Montgomery County Office for Aging, said he was pleased with the funding allocated to EPIC and other senior services, in particular the $5 million alloted for the Community Services for the Elderly program.

“That’s a catch-all state program,” Jordan said. “That’s used for things like outreach.”

He estimated that his office would receive anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000.

“I think often senior issues don’t get on the front page, so they don’t get enough coverage, especially the EPIC program, where people don’t realize how much of someone’s income goes [to medication],” Jordan said.

The Office for Aging in Fulton County did not return phone calls seeking comment on the EPIC and senior services funding. St. Mary’s Healthcare also did not return phone calls seeking comment.

NATHAN LITTAUER HOSPITAL HONORED IN 2013 TOURNAMENT OF ROSES PARADE

Nathan Littauer played a role in The Donate Life Rose Bowl Parade Float

Nathan Littauer Hospital was recognized with a rose on the Donate Life Float in the 124th annual Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day. Nathan Littauer  partners with the Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT) to facilitate life-saving organ and tissue donation.  CDT is sponsoring a rose on the Donate Life float in honor of the donors from Nathan Littauer Hospital.  The rose also recognizes Littauer’s for its support of donors and their families through the Donate Life Flag Program.  In 2013, a flag will be flown at the hospital following every organ and tissue donation case, which will then be given to the donors’ families in honor of their loved one.
Today, over 117,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant; this statistic includes just over 10,000 New Yorkers. Over 28,000 organ transplants were performed in 2011; however, the demand is still much greater than the supply, with an average of 17 Americans dying every day due to the shortage of donor organs.
New Yorkers can register to be an organ and tissue donor by joining the New York State Donate Life Registry available online at

Littauer honors organ donation. When a donation is made we raise a “Donate Life Flag”

www.donatelifecdt.org.

The Center for Donation & Transplant is the federally designated non-profit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation at 43 hospitals throughout western Vermont and northeastern New York State.

Littauer raises awareness during “Donate Life” Month

Flag raised to salute donors

Littauer honors organ donation

Gloversville, NY…In recognition of National Donate Life Month and the life-saving benefits of organ and tissue donation, Nathan Littauer Hospital will fly the Donate Life Flag during the month of April. Nathan Littauer Hospital is currently partnering with the Center for Donation & Transplant (CDT) in the Donate Life Flag Remembrance Program, which honors patients and their families that choose to give the gift of life. In addition to flying the flag during Donate Life Month, a flag is flown following every organ and tissue donation case at the hospital and given to the donor’s family in honor of their loved one.

Today, over 106,000 men, women and children are waiting for a life-saving organ transplant including over 9,500 New Yorkers. Over 28,000 organ transplants were performed in 2009. However, the need is still much greater than the number of organs available for transplant, with an average of 18 Americans dying every day due to the shortage of donor organs. Many people do not realize that one organ and tissue donor can help save or enhance up to 50 lives.

“The most important step in deciding to become a donor is to share your wishes with your family” stated Cheryl McGrattan, spokesperson for the hospital. New Yorkers can document their decision to be an organ and tissue donor by joining the New York State Donate Life Registry available online at www.donatelifecdt.com.

Organ donation is encouraged at Littauer

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The Center for Donation & Transplant is the federally designated non-profit organization that coordinates the retrieval of donated organs and tissues at 43 hospitals throughout western Vermont and northeastern New York State.