2006
HomeCNYHSA DECEMBER 2006 BOARD MEETING and 30th ANNUAL MEETING featured a presentation by David Smith, M.D., President of Upstate Medical University entitled Engaging Excellence which outlined his plans for the future of the University. The meeting also featured reports and follow-up on State Dialysis CON actions and a summary of Recomendations from the state Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century that affect Central New York. To see a summary of the recomendations for Central New York, click on Annual Meeting Program.
CNYHSA Executive Director, Timothy Bobo, provided testimony at NYS Assembly Health Committee Hearing on the report of the state Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century (also known as the Berger Commission) held in Syracuse on December 11th. Click for copy of testimony.
The State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century issued its final report and recommendations on November 28th. To see the full report and related attachments, click on Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century. To see short summaries of the recomendations for Central New York, see the Executive Summary at the Commission web site or the CNYHSA Annual Meeting program.
CNYHSA announces the Syracuse Area HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Program. The program, funded by a grant from the DHSS Office of Minority Health, is part of a national pilot initiative to support the development of innovative, locally-based methods and models to increase the number of community-based, minority-serving organizations with the administrative and leadership capacity to address HIV/AIDS issues on a sustained basis and/or programmatic capacity to provide appropriate and effective HIV/AIDS services. The grant will enable CNYHSA to provide technical assistance over a three year period. Any community-based, minority-serving organization with interest in HIV/AIDS can be eligible to receive assistance. For more information, see HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Program or call, Gerald Richmond, CNYHSA Deputy Director and Project Coordinator, at (315) 472-8099.
CNYHSA OCTOBER BOARD MEETING featured a special presentation by Dale Johnson, CEO, Hospice & Palliative Care Associates and Frank McLaughlin, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Sociology, SUNY at Potsdam on Trends and Challenges in Hospice and End-of-Life Care. Mr. Johnson observed that clients now have a richer array of options, especially for palliative care, and that hospice is recognized as a unique medical specialty. He also noted that Syracuse providers have sophisticated, technical expectations regarding pain management; that Hospice of CNY is involved in medical training and education, and that there is more competition since hospitals now offer palliative care. Mr. McLaughlin, who has been involved in hospice care since its inception expressed concerns for the future given that hospice has grown from a “charismatic, voluntary social movement" into a "structured, bureaucratized industry." He concluded, however, that "hospice is still the gold standard” that offers the hope that all care will have palliative components. Mr. Bobo updated the board regarding state actions on the dialysis projects reviewed at the June Board meeting indicating that NYS Hospital Review and Planning Council had voted in November to defer action on both proposals and request the applicants to develop a joint proposal.
CNYHSA JUNE BOARD MEETING focused on Certificate of Need (CON) review of two dialysis proposals: Central New York Dialysis Center's proposal to certify a new 16 station clinic at its proposed Liverpool Dialysis Center, 1304 Buckley Road, Syracuse and St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center's proposal to (1) relocate its 10 station dialysis clinic from 8136 Oswego Road, Liverpool to 8136 Oswego Road, Liverpool with 11 additional stations and (2) add 5 stations at its Camillus clinic. During its review, the board considered and adopted the recommendations of the CNYHSA Ad Hoc Committee established at its May meeting to study dialysis need and system impact in greater detail. The Committee recommended a net increase of 11 stations to be accomplished by approving CNYDC's proposal (on the condition that it close 10 stations at its Erie Blvd clinic), disapproving St. Joseph's 11 station Liverpool expansion, and approving St. Joseph's 5 station Camilus expansion. Click on following for CNYHSA's Dialyisis CON Information Packet and June 4th Post Standard Article on the dialysis proposals.
CNYHSA MAY BOARD MEETING featured an educational presentation on Trends in Dialysis and Kidney Disease by Sri Narsipur, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics at Upstate Medical University. The presentation was followed by CON review presentations for competitive dialysis applications submitted by Central New York Dialysis Center and St. Joseph Hospital Health Center. Following the presentations and considerable discussion, the Board deferred action for a month to allow time for more information to be gathered.
CNYHSA PROVIDES TESTIMONY at the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century’s Regional Advisiory Committee (RAC) Hearing held in Syracuse on February 24th. In his remarks, Gerald Richmond, CNYHSA Deputy Director, called for the development of "future oriented" operational, blue prints and models to guide system organization and service delivery, reiterated agency concerns about the State long term care bed need methodogy, urged the Commission provide for continuity by having community-based entities such as health systems agencies address capacity related issues on a on-going basis after the Commission completes its task, emphasized the value and importance of local involvement and participation in the right-sizing decision making process. Click on following for: Copy of CNYHSA Testimony February 25, 2006 Post Standard Article on Hearing
CNYHSA FEBRUARY 16 BOARD MEETING. The meeting entitled "The Shape of Things to Come" focused on the work of the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century and featured a presentaion and community dialogue with David Sandman, PhD, Executive Director, Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century and other invited Commission and Regional Advisory Committee members. The meeting was the third in a series of sessions held by CNYHSA to promote local involvement in the work of the Commission. For more information about the Commission, click on Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century. Click on following for: Febuary 8, 2006 Post Standard Interview with David Sandman Post Standard February 17, 2006 Article on Meeting
SHORTAGE AREA DESIGNATIONS. Since the fall of 2005, CNYHSA has been successful in securing 5 federal Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) redesignations. US Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS) approvals came through for: Primary Care HPSA’s in Aurora, Cato, Alexandria Bay, and Massena low income population; and a Dental HPSA for the low income population in Oswego County. HPSA designations provide incentives for underserved areas in recruiting practitioners and in qualifying for federal and state grants.
New Primary Care HPSA designations were secured by the agency for (1) the Town of Hancock in Delaware County, which helped a community group, the Hancock Health Alliance, establish a primary care clinic operated by Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, NY and (2) East Central Essex County in the Upper Hudson NY area. A dental low income population designation was also secured in that area for a region encompassing Essex, Hamilton, Warren, and Washington Counties plus part of Saratoga County.