For the last year and half we have been combatting COVID-19 in our community and in our organization. It’s been stressful, overwhelming and exhausting for everyone. We all rejoiced when the first COVID vaccines were rolled out in December of last year, giving us hope for a sense of normalcy again.
 
Now, here we are again. COVID cases are rising in our community and in our hospital thanks, in large part, to the highly transmissible Delta variant. At the same time, our hospitals, like hospitals across the state, are experiencing high volumes of very sick, non-COVID patients. And, of course, this all comes at a time when many healthcare workers are leaving the field – whether from COVID fatigue or the choice to not be vaccinated against the virus.
 
This is a time unlike anything our healthcare system has experienced. It is the most disastrous time in healthcare since the pandemic of 1918. But this is what I know: we will get through this. That’s not to say we aren’t facing significant challenges and that it won’t be hard.
 
We, like other healthcare facilities, are facing workforce shortages and these will be exacerbated by the mandates requiring healthcare workers be vaccinated. In New York, the deadline for healthcare workers to be vaccinated is this Monday, September 27. Beginning Tuesday, September 28, unvaccinated healthcare workers who do not have an approved medical exemption will be unable to work at any hospital, nursing home or other healthcare facilities in New York State. And soon, that will apply to hospitals throughout the country as the federal government is processing rules for a similar mandate.
 
To date, about 82% of the MVHS workforce has been vaccinated. We are strongly encouraging the remaining staff to be vaccinated, and are making it easy and accessible for our employees to do so. There are vaccine PODs this weekend:

• Saturday, September 25, 7 a.m. to noon – St. Luke’s Campus, AC 1&2
• Sunday, September 26, 7 a.m. to noon – St. Elizabeth Campus, Sisters Conference Room 

And, on Monday, September 27 – the last day to be vaccinated before the deadline - PODs will be held at both campuses.

• St. Elizabeth Campus, Sisters Conference Rooms, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• St. Luke’s Campus, AC 1&2, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

If you are struggling with your decision on whether to be vaccinated and would like more information, you can contact: 

• Dr. Kent Hall, MVHS Chief Physician Executive, KHALL3@mvhealthsystem.org, 207-351-5536
• Dr. Eric Yoss, MVHS Chief Quality Officer, EYOSS@mvhealthsystem.org, 315-801-3087 

If you’d like additional support or to share your concerns, please contact Jodi Kapes, jkapes@mvhealthsystem.org, 315-801-8205.
 
It will be a difficult week next week saying goodbye to co-workers who decide against vaccination. We respect your choice but know you’ll be missed.
 
Of course, we will continue to operate and serve our patients to the best of our ability. We are working on a plan to ensure we can still meet local healthcare needs while adjusting for the change in staffing. We won’t have a final plan for this until Tuesday morning as we await the final list of those who are leaving our organization, and the units and services that will be impacted. We’re hoping that more employees will choose vaccination as the deadline to do so looms.
 
Our system and healthcare systems across the state are constrained. We will continue to prioritize care. But, our community should be prepared for delays and longer waits for routine care. As always, we appreciate the support of our community, our employees, and our medical staff members as, together, we navigate these historic and very challenging times.

The virus is still here and this variant is even causing breakthrough infections among the vaccinated (the good news is that people who are vaccinated are less severely ill). That’s why it’s very important that we don’t let down our defenses against COVID and adhere to the safety protocols to prevent transmission of the virus. This includes: 

• Wearing a mask, all the time, everywhere in the hospital. And, wear it appropriately, covering your nose and mouth.
• Maintain a social distance of 6 feet and please make sure you are staying safe while eating. Use the plexiglass in the cafeteria and do not crowd around a table. Be vigilant in small break rooms, making sure that appropriate social distancing can take place.
• Practice good hand hygiene.
• And, of course, another way to protect yourself, our patients, your family and loved ones is to get a COVID-19 vaccine. 

We are also requesting that visitors stay masked at all times. New posters have been distributed about visitors wearing masks, including in patient rooms. Another new poster requests that visitors treat you, our employees, with respect, kindness and compassion – just as you are doing for their loved ones.
 
Let’s stay safe out there!

Today’s daily safety huddle was held in the Quality Department at St. Luke’s. Thanks for your hospitality!

This week, two new general surgeons joined MVHS!
 
Kathryn Fitzgerald, DO. Dr. Fitzgerald is providing general surgical and follow-up care to patients of all ages. She specializes in laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery as well as abdominal wall and inguinal hernia repair. Dr. Fitzgerald earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Davie, Florida, and performed her residency in General Surgery at Carepoint Health, Bayonne Medical Center, in Bayonne, New Jersey.
 
Matthew Denson, DO. Dr. Denson is also providing general surgical and follow-up care to patients of all ages. He specializes in laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery, as well as colon pathology and colon cancer surgery. Dr. Denson earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and his Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences, from Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Davie, Florida. He performed his residency in General Surgery at Carepoint Health.
 
Please join me in welcoming them to the MVHS team!

In case you missed this week's Just the Facts, we talked about building our Medical Education Division in conjunction with the construction of The Wynn Hospital. Read on for more information about this exciting new endeavor! 

MVHS has made the bold commitment to strengthen our role as a major medical teaching campus in the region. Through our new Medical Education Division, we’re expanding our footprint in medical education and training and are on track to be a significant clinical campus of physician learners as we move into The Wynn Hospital in 2023.
 
Work is already underway. A number of physician learners, along with the faculty and clinical scholars to educate them, are already on our campuses today. And the number will continue to grow until we reach our peak of 200 physician learners at The Wynn Hospital and other MVHS campuses by 2027!
 
Building on the existing foundation of our family medicine and dental residency programs, along with already being an official clinical campus for medical students at the University of New England College of Medicine, we are growing our medical education programs. MVHS has:

• Established a partnership with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) – the top school for producing primary care physicians in the nation. MVHS will serve as one of the leading clinical campuses for up to 64 third and fourth year medical students each year.
• Expanding our residency programs to include the following:
  • Emergency Medicine (18 residents)
  • General Surgery (24 residents)
  • Podiatry (6 residents)
  • Psychiatry (16 residents)
  • Obstetrics (12 residents)
  • Transitional Year (13 residents).
• Plans for increasing the capacity of our family medicine program with a rural residency track
• Committed to our foundation for family medicine (30 residents) and dentistry (5 residents). 

As a major teaching hospital and clinical campus, MVHS is cultivating a learning environment focused on education, research, community engagement and innovation. 
 
A NEW LEVEL OF CARE
Healthcare cultures that embrace the education of the next generation of physicians bring medical care in a community to a new level. Those new learners add to the culture as they make their rounds and bring fresh perspectives to the delivery of healthcare. Clinical faculty must also meet the stringent requirements of the Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) through their own professional development and adhere to teaching requirements of these approved programs. Residency teaching requires an increase in local board-certified physicians who participate in constant continuing education for themselves. Together, this builds an environment that enhances both education and the practice of medicine.
 
A SIGNIFICANT RECRUITMENT TOOL
This educational environment becomes a major recruitment tool in training and “retaining” physicians who come to love the Mohawk Valley. Approximately 55 percent of all residents choose to practice medicine within the state where they completed their training, and MVHS has a historical rate of 40 percent of our Family Medicine residents staying local. They will stay and grow their practices in our region. 
 
A BOOST TO OUR LOCAL ECONOMY
Our expanded physician training programs also contribute to the health – medical and economic – of our region. More physicians mean better access to care for our community members. Hundreds of students, and more physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals also support regional economic development as they move to our area, rent or buy homes, and raise their families here.
           
A BIG CHANGE
The commitment to make The Wynn Hospital a destination facility as a major teaching hospital is truly a remarkable game changer for healthcare in this region. It elevates our healthcare delivery and is a huge transformational step for healthcare in the Mohawk Valley.
 
PROGRAM DIRECTORS
Many of the program director positions for the Medical Education program have been filled. Below is the list of professionals who have already joined the program:

• Maxime Berube, MD, Program Director for the Emergency Medicine Residency
• Sherine Lazarow, EdD, MBA, Executive Director of Academic Operations
• Robert Madlinger, DO, Program Director for General Surgery and Medical Director of Trauma
• Tayo Obatusin, MD, Program Director for Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services as well as Medical Director of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services 
• Evelyn Salgado, DMD, Program Director for Dental Residency and Director of Dental Services for MVHS
• Robert Scardina, DMP, Director of MVHS Podiatry Residency/Director of Outpatient Podiatry Services
• Eric Schackow, MD, PhD, Program Director at the St. Elizabeth Family Medicine Residency Program

It was a sad week in our organization as we lost a beloved colleague and friend, Linda Taurisano. A long-time staff member in surgical services at St. Elizabeth, she was known as the “sassy” one, the spitfire, but also the one with a big heart who was dedicated to her patients and co-workers. Linda loved life and lived it to the fullest. Her final act was to be a hero and to give the gift of life through organ donation. To honor our MVHS hero, we held an Honor Walk for Linda on Wednesday. Our condolences to her family and her colleagues who will greatly miss her!

A big shout out to Taylor Campbell, a registered nurse at our Women's Health Center, for creating an ovarian cancer awareness board for the office. The board provides general information from the CDC about ovarian cancer including prevention tips and risk factors. Taylor has great positivity and compassion for her patients and peers and we are lucky to have her. Thank you Taylor!