Meet Performance Improvement Specialist, Wes McFee Posted on November 30, 2017 by Dakota PikeNathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home Performance Improvement Specialist, Wes McFeeGLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (November 30, 2017) – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home Performance Improvement Specialist, Wes McFee, has brought his skill set to Littauer.Performance improvement specialists are employed primarily in the healthcare field to improve patient care in a variety of ways. At Littauer, McFee serves as a consultant to staff and administration, evaluating, planning, and implementing improvements in healthcare. Other aspects of his job include team building and group facilitation, compiling and tracking data, and preparing training materials.In has set up a task force to address sepsis and to lead the nation in sepsis education. McFee is working as the project lead for sepsis education at Littauer. Sepsis is the result of a massive immune response to bacterial infection that gets into the blood. It often leads to organ failure or injuryIt is McFee’s goal to bring awareness and education to the forefront of all Littauer staff. He also works closely with individual departments supplying them with information and tools to improve patient outcomes.McFee works closely with Littauer’s Vice President, Medical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer Dr. Frederick Goldberg.“In the brief time that Wes has been working here, he has been quick to add value by using his strong problem-solving, analytical, communication and teamwork skills. We are delighted to have him on our team,” said Goldberg.“As a numbers guy, using data and statistics for practical insight is what I enjoy, and I’m right at home at Littauer’s Performance Improvement department,” adds McFee. “My background is largely in project management and I’m fortunate to share that with my colleagues, as well.”Interestingly, June 2017 was not McFee’s first interaction with Littauer. In 2000, while at Littauer, he was diagnosed with a severe mitral valve prolapse at age 33. Mitral valve prolapse is a condition in which the two valve flaps of the heart do not close smoothly or evenly, but instead bulge (prolapse) upward into the left atrium.Dr. Michael Holmes of Schenectady Cardiology Associates gave McFee a prognosis of two weeks during surgical consult. McFee claims he would not be alive today without the condition being correctly diagnosed at Littauer.McFee had open-heart surgery immediately thereafter, was found to have an extremely rare bleeding disorder known as Glanzmann’s Thrombasthenia, which caused post-op complications while at Albany Medical Center. He was later seen at Johns Hopkins University Hospital by Dr. Harry Dietz, the world’s leading expert in connective tissue disorders and after whom Loeys-Dietz Disorder is named. McFee was soon diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder not yet identified by medical science, and his DNA remains as a research specimen at Hopkins.Fast-forward to 2017, McFee together with his wife Tabatha, a Special Education Teacher at Mayfield Elementary School, Co-Advisor of Mayfield Elementary School Running Club, created a 12-person team of locals to run the Reebok Ragnar Adirondacks Relay Race where each runner completed three different legs of the 196.2 mile course through the Adirondack Mountains over two days and one night; each runner totaled 11-24 miles during the event depending on which legs they ran.Open-heart surgery survivor Wes McFee was the Team Captain of the team appropriately named “Heart & Sole,” who finished with flying colors and an amazing sense of accomplishment.“Littauer was thrilled for Wes when he was able to compete in Ragnar” said Littauer VP of Marketing/Communications Cheryl McGrattan. “We were stunned when he finished so strongly. Undoubtedly his professional and personal experience will benefit our patients.”Littauer welcomes the education and experience McFee brings to this community hospital.
ALBANY BU. REVIEW: “Littauer has run in the black each of the past 16 years” Posted on November 16, 2017 by Dakota PikeHere’s a story from our media partner, the Albany Business Review:Five questions with Laurence Kelly, president and CEO of Nathan Littauer HospitalALBANY BUSINESS REVIEW:SUBSCRIBER CONTENT: Nov 10, 2017, 6:00am ESTPHILIP SCALIANathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home CEO Laurence E. KellyIn 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.
Friends of the Gloversville Public Library celebrate with Littauer’s Birthing Center Posted on November 14, 2017 by Dakota Pike– Meagan Fleaszar and Austin Syzdek with newborn daughter Sophia Syzdek, and Jean LaPorta, President, Friends of the Gloversville Public LibraryGLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (October 30, 2017) – In celebration of National Friends of Libraries Week in October, the Friends of the Gloversville Public Library presented the first baby born that week at The Birthing Center at Nathan Littauer Hospital with a basket of books and gifts.Sophia Syzdek was born on Wednesday, Oct.18, making her the gift recipient. She is the daughter of Meagan Fleaszar and Austin Syzdek of Gloversville.Presenter Jean LaPorta, President, Friends of the Gloversville Public Library, said the organization does this activity annually for the first baby born at Littauer during National Friends of Libraries Week.“We really enjoy doing this” LaPorta said. “We hope these books will encourage a love of reading in the child and they will choose to visit our library,” she added.This gift from the Friends of the Gloversville Public Library is made available through library donations.
2017 Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson and Robert A. Ferguson Fund for Education recipients Posted on November 8, 2017November 8, 2017 by Dakota PikeLittauer employees are recipients of the Priscilla Parkhurst Ferguson and Robert A. Ferguson Fund for EducationLittauer 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.
“Only the best and brightest choose Littauer” Posted on November 1, 2017 by Dakota Pike– The best and brightest now at Littauer – meet; Nicholas J. Fusella, D.O., left, Michael Parslow, D.O., Jerome “Jerry” Rosenstein, M.D., and Shri Kris, Verma, M.D., seated.GLOVERSVILLE, NEW YORK (October 24, 2017) – Recently, Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home held a reception welcoming their newest healthcare providers.“The best and brightest medical providers seem to choose Littauer,” said Cheryl McGrattan, Littauer VP of Marketing/Communications. “And this excellence in healthcare benefits our community.”In September, Gastroenterologist Shri Kris, Verma, M.D., joined Nathan Littauer’s at Kingsboro Gastroenterology Primary/Specialty Care Center. He has come to Littauer after a successful solo practice at a Yale-affiliated hospital in New London, Connecticut.Dr. Verma completed his fellowship in Gastroenterology at the LSU Health Sciences Center-University Hospital Shreveport, LA. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, New York, and received his Medical Education through The Government Medical College of Rohtak Haryana, India. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine/Gastroenterology.“I am very happy at Littauer,” said Dr. Verma. “I am enjoying the tremendous support of Littauer and my colleagues. “Dr. Verma is now living locally with his family and has said to be enjoying the 44 Lakes Region. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Verma, please call 518-752-5275.This month, Littauer welcomed the addition of Jerome “Jerry” Rosenstein, M.D., as a women’s health provider in the Gloversville Primary Care Center on the hospital campus. Dr. Rosenstein has come to Littauer from a successful practice in Binghamton, New York.Dr. Rosenstein completed his residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and John Hopkins University, in Baltimore, Maryland. He attended Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology.“I am thrilled to be practicing and seeing new patients at Littauer,” said Dr. Rosenstein.Dr. Rosenstein comes to Littauer with extensive experience with women’s health and obstetrics. He takes great pride in providing patients with the latest in women’s health care. Dr. Rosenstein is living locally, joined by his family. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Rosenstein, please call Littauer’s Gloversville Primary Care Center at 518-775-4360.In August, Littauer added Nicholas J. Fusella, D.O., to the , 99 E. State St., in Gloversville. Dr. Fusella is coming to Littauer from Ellis Family Medicine in Schenectady.Dr. Fusella completed his residency at Ellis Family Medicine, Schenectady. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, his Post-Baccalaureate from Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and his Bachelor of Science from Siena College.“Dr. Fusella is an asset to our primary care practice,” said Littauer Vice President, Primary/Specialty Care Services Patrice McMahon.“I’m happy to practice in a community I am familiar with,” said Dr. Fusella. “I am looking forward to getting to know each of my patients at the Gloversville Family Practice.”Dr. Fusella was born and raised in the Capital District. When not practicing medicine, he enjoys spending time with his wife and infant son. To set up an appointment or consultation with Dr. Fusella, please call Gloversville Family Practice at 518-775-4201.In July, Littauer welcomed Michael Parslow, D.O., to the Mayfield Primary/Specialty Care Center, 2497 State Highway 30, in Mayfield, New York. Dr. Parslow was previously employed at St. Elizabeth’s Family Medicine in Utica.“We pleased Dr. Parslow has joined our Primary Care team at the Mayfield Center,” stated Littauer Vice President of Primary/Specialty Care Services, Patrice McMahon. “He has proven to be the perfect fit for the patients in our community”Dr. Parslow completed his residency at St. Elizabeth’s Family Medicine, Utica. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, and is a Cum Laude graduate from Utica College of Syracuse University, Utica, New York.“I’m happy to be back in the Adirondacks,” said Dr. Parslow. “It’s a pleasure to practice where my medical skills are needed, while living in an environment I am so comfortable in.”Dr. Parslow was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains and enjoys the outdoors. When not practicing medicine, he can be found skiing, fishing, hiking and camping with his wife and two young sons. To set up an appointment with Dr. Parslow, call Mayfield Primary/Specialty Care at 518-661-5441, or Speculator Primary/Specialty Care at 518-548-8155.
