Opens new office in Big Flats that employs 8 people

BIG FLATS — Vestal–based Southern Tier Dermatology & Aesthetics has opened a new medical-practice location at 950 County Road 64 in Big Flats.

“Our move to Big Flats gives us the chance to bring our brand of care, expertise, and individual attention to the residents of the Elmira area,” Dr. Colleen Crandell, who co-owns and operates Southern Tier Dermatology & Aesthetics with Dr. Curt Fenkl, said in a news release announcing the new location.

Crandell and Fenkl began looking for a location in the Elmira area last spring due to a lack of such care in the region and requests from patients who live in that area but were visiting the Vestal office, says Stephen Donnelly, president of Dynamic Innovation Group, and the medical practice’s public-relations spokesman.

“We are so glad we’ve opened our clinic in Big Flats and have been able to make a difference already,” Fenkl said. “There’s a definite need.”

Southern Tier Dermatology & Aesthetics, headquartered at 200 Plaza Drive, Vestal, has a practice diagnosing pre-cancerous moles, particularly in teens and young adults, using dermoscopy. Dermoscopy gives visibility to the skin underneath a mole to help determine whether a biopsy should be performed. The process can help doctors detect melanoma in 65 percent to 80 percent of cases, the release said.

According to the American Cancer Society, about 76,250 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year, and 9,180 people will die from it. Melanoma accounts for fewer than 5 percent of all skin cancers — with skin cancer being the most common of all cancers — but melanoma causes the majority of skin-cancer deaths. The risk of getting melanoma is about 1 in 50 for whites, 1 in 1,000 for African Americans, and 1 in 200 for those of Hispanic descent.

More than 2.2 million cases of basal- and squamous-cell skin cancer are diagnosed each year, according to the Cancer Society. The organization believes fewer than 2,000 people die each year of non-melanoma skin cancer, with that rate declining from year to year.

“In dermatology, you need to evaluate each patient individually and give them systemic and systematic treatment,” Fenkl said. “We at Southern Tier Dermatology & Aesthetics are very aggressive in our treatment to get them better.  It is easy to treat serious concerns in dermatology once patients are properly seen and properly diagnosed.”

Crandell and Fenkl worked with realtor Trisha Ackerman of Pyramid Brokerage to find the 1,600-square-foot office, Fenkl said. The practice spent about $200,000 to renovate the space and acquire equipment. The Big Flats office employs eight people with plans to add staff as the number of patients grows. Southern Tier Dermatology & Aesthetics currently has 25 employees companywide, including several that work at both the Vestal and Big Flats offices.

Along with the new Big Flats office, Crandell and Fenkl have plans to open an office in Utica later this year as well. Southern Tier Dermatology & Aesthetics (www.stdermatology.com) also plans to eventually expand into a new, larger building in Endwell, the release noted.

The goal with all the locations, Donnelly said, is to provide patient care, create jobs, and offer a dermatological resource for primary-care physicians to which they can refer patients.                 

SAYRE, Pa. — Guthrie Health recently launched a mobile-search tool that allows patients to find information on Guthrie physicians from their mobile devices.

To access the search, patients and others need to use the browser in their smart phone to visit www.guthrieproviders.org, where they can launch a mobile-friendly search of Guthrie physicians by name, specialty, or location, the organization says.

The application serves as a companion to eGuthrie, a secure patient portal used by more than 24,000 Guthrie patients to track test results, request prescription refills, and communicate with their health-care provider. Patients may enroll in eGuthrie with an authorization code from their physician’s office, Guthrie Health says.

Guthrie Health includes Guthrie Healthcare System and Guthrie Clinic. Guthrie Healthcare System provides inpatient, outpatient, and home-based services through Corning Hospital, Troy Community Hospital, Robert Packer Hospital, Guthrie Home Care, and Guthrie Hospice. Guthrie Clinic provides primary and specialty physician care at 25 regional clinics. Guthrie Health says it provides care for 200,000 patients annually within an 11-county area of service in northern Pennsylvania and across the Southern Tier.

BINGHAMTON — Entrepreneurs have a chance to win a $5,000 prize as the fourth-annual BLDC-EAP Business Plan Competition is under way.

The city of Binghamton, Binghamton Local Development Corporation (BLDC), and Broome Community College’s Broome Triad Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP) sponsor the program, which awards the prize to the best plan for developing a business in the city of Binghamton.

“The BLDC-EAP Business Plan Competition is another way we’re encouraging entrepreneurs to take a stake in our increasingly dynamic local economy,” Binghamton Mayor Matthew Ryan said in a news release. “This competition helps grow our small business community by providing the winner not only with a cash prize but also helpful training for all those who are starting a company or are interested in doing so.”

The competition seeks to cultivate local business development, highlight BLDC financing programs, and raise awareness about community resources for small-business growth. Participation in the contest gives entrepreneurs access to training, networking, and start-up capital opportunities. New to this year’s competition is the addition of professional consultation with both the law firm of Levene Gouldin & Thompson, LLP and the accounting firm of Piaker & Lyons.

In order to be eligible, entrepreneurs must plan to base their business within the city limits, must have plans to start a business or have an existing business no more than five years old, and must have been a client of the EAP at some point since September 2005 or attend a free one-day workshop on business-plan development. The workshop is March 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in room 201 of the Decker Building at Broome Community College. To register, call (607) 778-5012. Seating is limited to 40 people.

Contest participants must submit their application, and register for the workshop if necessary, by March 15. Contest organizers will announce the finalists on April 11. Finalists must submit a written business plan by May 24 and make oral presentations regarding their plans on June 19 or 20. Contest organizers will announce the winner on June 28.

For more information about the contest and an information packet, visit http://www.cityofbinghamton.com/viewarticle.asp?a=3728.

Contest judges will include three representatives from the BLDC and three from EAP with experience and expertise in entrepreneurship, finance, and business education. The BLDC provides the prize money from its marketing and outreach committee budget.