Nathan Littauer Hospital’s summer day camp celebrates 30 years Posted on July 27, 2009 by Dakota PikeCampers remember their pastCamp SuperStarrs still going strong after 30 yearsCamp SuperStarrs 30th. Nathan Littauer Hospital’s summer day camp celebrates 30 years.By SHAWN M. TOMLINSON, The Leader-HeraldFirst published in print, Sunday July 26, 2009BLEECKER – It was 30 years ago this summer that Wayne McNeil and Dr. David Clough got the idea of creating a summer day camp for children with asthma.With the help of the American Lung Association, the two formed Camp Super Kids in 1979. That changed to Camp SuperStarrs when they added children with other health problems such as diabetes.“We have 45 to 50 kids per year,” said Susan McNeil, assistant director of the camp. “We have about 30 per week” of the two-week camp.Part of the focus of the camp is to teach children how to deal with their conditions.“Being a day camp was on purpose,” McNeil said. “That’s so the kids can share what they’ve learned with their parents.”The camp has approximately 30 volunteers, along with hospital staff members. Many of the camp counselors were campers themselves when they were younger and have returned to help.“I like watching the kids grow up and how they change,” said Courtney Kwiatkowski, a counselor and former camper. “I try to tell them to never give up,” the 19-year-old said Thursday at the camp.“I tell them ‘you need to get out of that wheelchair and keep your strength up,'” she said. Kwiatkowski herself walks with crutches and recently spent time at Nathan Littauer Hospital.“We give hospital staff [members] the ‘heads up’ when Camp SuperStarrs kids are in the hospital,” McNeil said. “The camp has a lasting effect beyond the two weeks.”Barb DeLuca, a registered respiratory therapist and supervisor at Littauer, said she’s been involved with the camp the last four years.“The best thing about it is that kids help other kids,” DeLuca said. “It’s also good to get the kids who aren’t very sick together with kids who are because it gives them some perspective.”DeLuca recalled a little girl in a wheelchair who the counselors gave her first boat ride.“Her smile was ear to ear,” DeLuca said. “This place is well worth the effort.”Camp SuperStarrs teaches children how to handle their conditions, such as asthma and diabetes through intruction and games.The staff members at Littauer give the campers breakfast at the hospital when camp starts at 8 a.m. The hospital then provides transportation to Woodworth Lake, a Boy Scout camp in Bleecker via buses from the Gloversville Enlarged School District, NcNeil said. She said the hospital also brings lunch to the campers and transports them home at 4 p.m.This week, on Thursday – the optional sleep-over night – local historian Don Williams will be at the camp to tell Adirondack stories and there will be a large cake to celebrate the 30th year of Camp SuperStarrs. For more information about the camp, call the hospital at 725-8621 or go to www.nlh.org.
Littauer plans more growth Posted on May 29, 2009 by Dakota PikeNathan Littauer plans $3.1M ER renovation; fed funding possibleBy Barbara Pinckney, special for for the Business Review (Albany)First published in print Friday, May 29, 2009Nathan Littauer Hospital is moving forward with plans to upgrade and expand its 26-year-old emergency department—possibly with federal help. The Gloversville hospital filed a certificate of need application with the state Health Department earlier this month seeking approval for the $3.1 million plan.At about the same time, U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko and Sen. Charles Schumer introduced appropriations bills in their respective houses seeking $1 million to help finance the project. Laurence Kelly, CEO of Nathan Littauer, said the project does not hinge on the federal funding—the hospital recently completed a $4 million capital campaign—but “it would be nice.”The plan calls for the ER to be renovated and enlarged, from 5,000 square feet to about 10,000 square feet. Kelly said the department sees about 25,000 people a year, and was built in 1983 “for probably half that.” The department has 13 patient rooms. This will be increased to 17, but some of the rooms will be large enough to accommodate two patients if necessary. Kelly said this should allow all patients to move to a room immediately after being triaged.The patient rooms will be equipped with televisions to ease the wait. The project also includes a new nurses’ station with four times the space as the current, “really congested,” station. The computer system already has been upgraded and medical records are electronic.Nathan Littauer, which has about $50 million in assets, had net income of about $2.1 million on revenue of $78 million in 2008. That represents an operating margin of 2.8 percent.
Nathan Littauer’s Green Efforts Appluaded Posted on April 16, 2009August 16, 2012 by Dakota PikeLittauer strives to care for mother earth, too.Dyana Perez reportingCapital News 9First aired April 16, 2009GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. — “We’re constantly thinking green all the time. Every time we change a process, every time we evaluate a new piece of equipment” said David Bruhns, Director of Engineering.Here at Nathan Litteaur Hospital, it’s all about being ecofriendly. Over the years, the facility has come up with simple and creative ways to stay green.“One of the initiatives is actually in the cafeteria. We’ve started actually selling the cups from the register rather than allowing our customers to take them. That’s reduced our usage per week from eight cases of foam cups per week, which is equal to 8,000 cups and reduced it almost in half,” said Timothy Forte.And hospital officials say switching from old-fashioned cord mops to micro-fiber mops has saved thousands of gallons of water. “You are not re-dipping your mop. Like the old mops, we had to re dip them and the water got dirty .We have saved by switching 24,000 gallons a year. Three pool sizes,” said Debrah Fountain.The hospital also uses a chemical free floor stripper, which is non-toxic and odor free. And in nutritional services, the facility has replaced equipment that uses less chemicals, energy and water.“One of the biggest highlights, I think, for energy savings, is our pot scrubber was using a full load of 95 amps with a booster heater and now the replacement we are using 29 amps with the new unit we put in place.” Forte said.Hospital engineers are also giving out tips on things you can do at home that can help cut your energy bill significantly.“Periodically do a cleaning of the condenser coil behind or under the refrigerator or freezer because. So have done some measurements and studies that if you clean three or four times a year, that we use six to eight percent less electricity,” Bruhns said.Hospital officials say these simple techniques can make a big difference in helping keep a safe environment.
