SYRACUSE — St. Joseph’s Health announced that its cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs were recently recertified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) through August 2018. 

Programs that are certified by AACVPR participate in its national registry.

“Being part of the national registry allows us to compare our outcomes with other cardiac-pulmonary rehabilitation programs across the country,” Stephen Swierczek, director of respiratory care and cardiac-pulmonary rehabilitation at St. Joseph’s Health, said in a news release. “Our outcomes have been shown to be favorable as compared to those in the registry, and every year, we set goals to surpass our outcomes as part of our commitment to provide a higher level of care.”

St. Joseph’s Health is a nonprofit regional health-care system based in Syracuse, serving patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. It is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is part of the Trinity Health system.

AACVPR, based in Chicago, describes itself as a multidisciplinary professional association comprised of health professionals who work in the field of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation. Members include cardiovascular and pulmonary physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, physical therapists, behavioral scientists, respiratory therapists, dieticians, and nutritionists.

FULTON — Price Chopper recently announced that it would test a live, telemedicine service at its Fulton grocery store, in addition to three other stores across New York state and one in Vermont.

Price Chopper partnered with Computerized Screening Inc. (CSI), a provider of in-store health stations, and Doctor on Demand, a video telemedicine provider, to give its customers access to one-on-one video sessions with board-certified physicians.

The Doctor on Demand physicians can prescribe medications and treat patients with non-emergency medical issues like flu and cold symptoms, sinus infections, and rash issues, according to a news release from Price Chopper.

The five locations with free-standing health stations were chosen from among 20 Price Chopper stores. Price Chopper chose Fulton because the store is busy and the pharmacy team is known to be engaging with the customers, says Kathy Bryant, VP of pharmacy for the Golub Corporation, the Schenectady–based parent company of Price Chopper.

The goal of the telemedicine service is “to provide health and wellness for our customers,” she says. 

The in-store health stations will be equipped with machines for self-testing for blood pressure, heart rate, and weight, among other health indicators. The equipment is leased from Doctor on Demand, says Bryant. 

A pharmacist is available for additional assistance, but does not engage in the session. Patients can also request that the documentation from their visit go to their primary physician. 

After each video visit, patients will be provided a written summary of their visit in order to facilitate a follow-up and additional care from their primary physician, the release stated.

The service is available 24/7, and a 15-minute consultation will cost $40 or less. Doctor on Demand has also partnered with many insurance providers, so customers’ insurance plans may cover some or all of their visit costs. Doctor on Demand is offering the first visit to the health station at no charge until April 14.

Telemedicine is one of the fastest growing areas of health care, Price Chopper says. By 2018, the number of patients using telemedicine globally will increase to 7 million, up from fewer than 350,000 in 2013. A recent study found that nearly 75 percent of all doctor, urgent care, and emergency room visits are either unnecessary or could be handled safely and effectively over the phone or video. That’s according to the study by IHS, Inc., the American Medical Association, and the Wellness Council of America.   

SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) will split the cost with Sit-in Health Care Center in creating a full-time research and teaching position in neuropsychology. 

Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain as they relate to specific psychological processes and behaviors, says Robert Yeh, dean of SUNY Poly’s College of Health Sciences and Management. 

Yeh spoke with CNYBJ on Jan. 28.

A search committee that includes both SUNY Poly and Sitrin representatives will work together to select a candidate for the job, SUNY Poly said in a Jan. 7 news release. 

The faculty member will teach neuropsychology courses at SUNY Poly in Marcy and lead new clinical-research efforts at Sitrin Health Care in New Hartford.

The faculty member will conduct neuropsychological resident assessments at Sitrin, while providing and assisting in the development of new treatments. 

The instructor will leverage the research conducted at Sitrin in teaching neuropsychology courses in SUNY Poly’s community and behavioral-health department. 

The individual will also help lead an expansion of SUNY Poly’s overall educational program in neuropsychology, the school said.

Jerry Gretzinger, VP of strategic communications and public relations at SUNY Poly, says both organizations will pay for the position that will “at least approach the six-figure range.”

“I know they’re [committee members] hoping to have a candidate selected by the end of the current academic semester, so they can have them on board … for the start of the fall semester,” says Gretzinger. 

“By co-funding this cross-institutional position, we provide a critical connection between current health-care practices and challenges, the new frontiers of neuropsychological research, and the training of future healthcare providers,” Robert Geer, senior VP and COO at SUNY Poly, said in the school’s release. 

Both SUNY Poly and Sitrin Health Care Center have been considering a jointly funded position for about a year, says Yeh.

“In addition to trying to find a way to fund this faculty position, we also spent resources and funding to create infrastructure to offer courses in this field,” says Yeh.

SUNY Poly purchased medical tools, research equipment, and data-analysis tools, he added.

Sitrin Health Care Center is “very pleased” to be able to partner and collaborate with SUNY Poly, says Christa Serafin, president and CEO of Sitrin, said.

The school’s students and faculty bring “great experience” to Sitrin’s staff and therapists, she adds.

“We’ve been able to give great quality of life to the patients that we serve and we feel like that is exactly what this new position will do as well,” says Serafin.

Serafin spoke with CNYBJ on Feb. 1.

New program, courses
Sitrin in the spring will open upstate New York’s “first and only” neurodegenerative disease-specialty program.

Sitrin NeuroCare, a 32-bed long-term- care program, will use a “multi-disciplinary” approach to care for residents with Huntington’s disease and ALS, two terminal diseases for which there is no current cure. 

The visiting professor will conduct duties at Sitrin primarily within the NeuroCare program, according to the release. 

“We envision that the person … will be playing a clinical role on our unit, helping to provide counseling services to patients’ families, staff; being a resource for the staff when it comes to any type of care planning for the individuals that’ll be cared for,” says Serafin.

The care planning will likely focus on behaviors because Huntington’s Disease “manifests in usually three different types of conditions,” including movement disorder, cognitive disorder, and behavioral disorder, according to Serafin.

SUNY Poly’s new courses in neuropsychology will be available through its community and behavioral-health program, which focuses on the sociological and psychological factors associated with physical, mental, and social health. 

The degree is designed to meet the needs of students with interests in the health-related fields of medicine, dentistry, nursing, community health, health psychology, medical social work, and rehabilitation counseling. 

The program allows students to customize a program of study from electives in both psychology and sociology to meet their academic and career goals.