Littauer announces Tammy Kennedy as Goodwill Award winner Posted on January 24, 2018 by Dakota Pike Littauer fourth-quarter Goodwill Award recipient, Tammy Kennedy, Performance Improvement Coordinator, with Littauer President and CEO Laurence E. Kelly on Tuesday GLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (January 23, 2018) – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home honored Tammy Kennedy, Performance Improvement Coordinator, with the 2017 fourth-quarter Goodwill Award. She was presented the award by Littauer President and CEO, Laurence E. Kelly before a gathering of her peers on Tuesday morning. “Tammy is an outstanding employee, one that we can look up to,” said Kelly. “Her values mirror those that Littauer stand for, and that’s what got her here.” Kennedy is a 30 year Littauer employee, hired in January 1988. She has been promoted twice to her current position. Her perpetual role of accommodation, cheerfulness and kindness, along with her signature smile, were noted in most nominations. Kelly went on to point out many of the accolades that Tammy received as a new hire 30 years ago, are mirrored by what her peers still are saying today. “I am so very surprised,” said Kennedy. “And so very honored.” Recipients for the award are nominated by NLH employees, providers or patients and submitted to the Goodwill Committee. They are selected in a blind format. Kennedy received a plaque and a check along with her special honor.
ALBANY BU. REVIEW: “Littauer has run in the black each of the past 16 years” Posted on November 16, 2017 by Dakota Pike Here’s a story from our media partner, the Albany Business Review: Five questions with Laurence Kelly, president and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital ALBANY BUSINESS REVIEW: SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Nov 10, 2017, 6:00am EST PHILIP SCALIANathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home CEO Laurence E. Kelly In an industry where the big players keep getting bigger, Laurence Kelly says he’s happy with where his hospital is. Nathan Littauer Hospital in Gloversville has been in the black each of the past 16 years. That financial footing lets the hospital make decisions that allow doctors to provide better care, even if it may not help the bottom line. Kelly, president and CEO of the hospital, compares it to baseball players Dustin Pedroia or Jose Altuve who are both small in stature but have been among the best players in the league. They were supposed to be too small to be successful, but they surprised people, Kelly says. Have you been approached about affiliations or mergers with other larger hospitals? You know, everybody wants us. We’ve been in the black 16 years in a row. I don’t think there’s another hospital that can say that. We think there’s no reason we can’t stay independent, and what I tell people who ask me is, “When things change here, we’ll call you.” Patient days declined for hospitals on The List again this year, while outpatient visits were up. What do you see as the driving forces behind that? It’s been going on for a long time. Inpatient revenue is about 20 percent of our total revenue. Look at the average hospital, and it’s closer to 40 percent, and those hospitals aren’t doing as well. Did the Affordable Care Act play a role in that? It could have accelerated it a little bit, but it’s hard to track it. We opened a primary care center in Fonda this year. It hasn’t had health care in years. One patient told us he thought there’d been a doctor there in the ‘80s. Since August, we’ve been getting one or two new patients a day, some who are seeing a doctor for the first time. That was a goal of the ACA, to visit doctors before things get bad and you end up in the ER or get admitted. Health care is a fast-growing sector for hiring. Is it difficult to get people to come to Gloversville? We had Sen. Chuck Schumer here a few weeks ago and he was blown away when I told him we have employees here from 20 different countries. It’s like a mini-United Nations, and we’re proud of that. There are some niche jobs that are difficult to fill, but we have been able to recruit who we need. What’s next for the hospital? We’ve got a bunch of things up our sleeve. One thing we’re seeing are the CVS’s, the Rite Aids, the Price Choppers, drug stores building a little corner for telemedicine. In the next year or two, there’s going to a proliferation of alternatives for going to the doctor’s office for simple things. Any health care organization not doing that now better figure out how to do that.
2017 Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson and Robert A. Ferguson Fund for Education recipients Posted on November 8, 2017November 8, 2017 by Dakota Pike Littauer employees are recipients of the Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson and Robert A. Ferguson Fund for Education Littauer President and CEO Laurence E. Kelly, Scholar Kayla Bellinger, Benefactor Dr. Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson, Scholar Tammy Merendo, and Littauer Foundation Executive Director Geoffrey Peck(Missing in photo: Scholar Krista Sheils) GLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (October 24, 2017) – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home recently revealed the recipients of scholarships from the Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson and Robert A. Ferguson Fund for Education. Kayla Bellinger, RN, BSN, Tammy Merendo, RN, and Krista Sheils RN, BSN received awards during a presentation at Littauer. “The Nathan Littauer Foundation is honored to present these prestigious awards to Littauer employees wishing to continue their healthcare education. This has become an annual tradition made possible by the Ferguson’s generosity” said Geoffrey Peck Vice President / Executive Director Nathan Littauer Foundation. “They have been great benefactors, and we are thankful that they have chosen to support the education of Littauer staff.” Kayla Bellinger works at Littauer’s Johnstown Surgical Center and is pursuing a career as a Family Nurse Practioner. “I am grateful for this award,” said Bellinger. “I can now pursue my dreams and soon give back to my community.” Tammy Merendo, Director of Community Education for Littauer’s HealthLink, is currently finishing a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Upon completion, she plans to pursue her Master’s degree. Merendo expressed gratitude noting; “I am so grateful for this opportunity to grow in my profession while remaining at Littauer.” Krista Sheils, a Littauer maternity department nurse, is currently pursuing her Master’s in Nursing and her licensure as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Priscilla and Robert Ferguson have created a legacy of support for Nathan Littauer Hospital. Scholarships have been awarded annually since 2014, to enhance the careers of Littauer employees. Priscilla and Robert had expressed that helping Littauer and its employees is an excellent way to serve the community. Just as Littauer employees are the heart and soul of the hospital, so too is the hospital as it sustains Gloversville as a vital and desirable place to live.
Littauer announces latest Goodwill Award; Erin Schreckenberger Posted on November 8, 2017 by Dakota Pike Littauer 2017 third-quarter Goodwill Award recipient, Erin Schreckenberger, with Littauer President and CEO Laurence E. Kelly GLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (October 23, 2017) – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home honored Certified Nurse Assistant, Erin Schreckenberger with the 2017 third-quarter Goodwill Award. Schreckenberger is an office coordinator at Littauer’s Easterly Primary Care Center. She was presented the award by Littauer President and CEO, Laurence E. Kelly before a gathering of Littauer staff. “It takes all 1000 employees to make Littauer what we are,” said Mr. Kelly. “Erin exemplifies Littauer’s values and is the perfect fit for this honor.” Many examples of Erin’s fine character were produced, justifying her honor as the Goodwill recipient. Schreckenberger humbly accepted the award. Recipients for the award are nominated by NLH employees, providers or patients and submitted to the Goodwill Committee. They are selected in a blind format. Schreckenberger received a plaque and a check along with her special honor.
Sen. Schumer visits Littauer and learns about The Baby Box Posted on October 18, 2017 by Dakota Pike Sen. Schumer visits Littauer and learns about The Baby Box Here’s what our media partner The Leader Herald had to share: Sen. Charles E. Schumer visits Littauer’s Birthing Center and speaks to Darcie Knapp, LPN at Littauer and expecting mother Baby Box program at Nathan Littauer continues to be popular with parents Sen. Charles Schumer talks with new parents, Jessica and Derek Hermann and baby Amelia, as he learns about the Nathan Littauer Baby Box program. Amelia was born Oct. 4. (Littauer photo) GLOVERSVILLE — Oct. 17, 2017 – Nathan Littauer Hospital’s Baby Box program is still going strong, with new parents taking home a bundle of baby products and a safe space for their new arrival to rest. The hospital began the program earlier this year and has seen new parents take home a box containing diapers, coupons, a sleep sack, booties, bibs and books among the many items tucked inside. The boxes also double as a bed for babies up to eight months. Baby boxes have been given out in Finland to all new parents since the late 1930s. To get their baby box at NLH, parents-to-be watch a short series of videos made by the medical specialists at Nathan Littauer that cover a range of topics including breastfeeding, tobacco and alcohol use and safe sleep. They can watch the videos on their own computers or use tablets that were given to NLH by The Baby Box Co. Littauer is believed to be the first hospital in New York state to send new parents home with a baby box. The hospital worked with The Baby Box Company of Los Angeles, which does both direct-to-consumer sales and wholesaling of the baby boxes. The educational component is offered through The Baby Box University. Parents then take a one question yes/no quiz relating to the videos they watched. Maureen Mosher, RN and Manager of Maternal Child Health at the hospital said the boxes have proven very successful, with parents being very excited to take the items home. She said community support for the program has been strong as well, including fundraisers to help the program. Fundraisers included Gloversville High School student Kristen Farley, who raised $1,250 for the program. Darcie Knapp of Northville who is expecting her third child later this week said she was thrilled to be getting one of the boxes. Knapp, who works at Littauer at a Licensed Practical Nurse in the operating room, said that one of the biggest challenges she found with her other two children was finding somewhere they would sleep. She said she tried a variety of different item, some of which he was find with, other he refused to drift off in. In addition, Knapp said having one of these boxes means less items taking up space in the house. She said with new babies parents often have to buy a crib, bassinet, pack-n-play, swing and bounce seat. She said having the baby box will mean she can cut down on the amount of items being bought. She said with a toddler at home, having something she can set the new baby in as she moves from room to room with her son will be helpful. “This stuff can take up so much room. But with this, you can bring it with you from room to room,” Knapp said. Knapp was on hand Friday to meet with Sen. Charles E. Schumer. Schumer was visiting the hospital for a press conference on two recently expired health care initiatives. During his visit however, Schumer wanted to see the program. During his visit, Schumer got to see the box in action thanks to nine-day-old Amelia Hermann. Hermann, and her parents Jessica and Derek, were on hand to meet the Senator Herman turned out to be an excellent model for the box, sleeping through his visit and large amount media present in the small room being used for the baby box distribution. Kerry Minor can be reached at kminor@leaderherald.com.
