2006
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.
2005
CNYHSA NOVEMBER 17 ANNUAL MEETING. This year′s program theme, entitled "Getting it Right" focused on the NYS Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century and featured a panel of community and health system leaders who commented on priorities, recommendations, and positions that should be conveyed to the Commission. The panel members included: Gregory Eastword, M.D. (Upstate Medical University), Tom Carman (Samaritan Health), Keith Fenstemacher (Mohawk Valley Network), Arthur Vercillo, M.D. (Excellus, Central New York Region), James Introne (Loretto), and Jeff Brown (Member, NYS Assembly The meeting also provided an opportunity for attendees to make suggestions regarding actions that are needed to strengthen the future health care delivery in Central New York. Observations and suggestions made at the meeting were shared with the Commission as part of CNYHSA's preparation for its February 2006 Board Meeting. For a copy of the annual meeting report, click on the following link: Annual Meeting Report
CNYHSA OCTOBER 20 BOARD MEETING. Gary Fitzgerald, President, Iroquois Health Alliance and Mary Ellen Bloodgood and Janet Dauley Atlwarg, President and Director, respectively, of the Long Term Executive Council of Central New York provided their assessment of the status and outlook for health care facilities in Central New York, touching on issues including utilization and access to services; capital replacement needs; financial stability and viability; urban vs. rural concerns; health personnel; and state demonstration programs to re-structure services. This special educational presentation which was entitled "Sizing up the Prospects for 2006 and Beyond" was intended to be a prelude to the CNYHSA's Annual Meeting in November which will be a community dialogue on on the New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century.
CNYHSA MAY 19 BOARD MEETING. Maryann Roefaro, Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York
provided an overview on the impact of Mediare Reform on Cancer Care and the abilty of patients and providers to cover the cost care related medications The board also expressed concern about the availabitiy of pyschiatric beds for children in Onondaga and surrounding counties and extended congratulations to Board Vice President Christoper Rogers who will retire this year after 23 years as Auburn Memorial Hospital CEO and to Board Member Richard Kazel for the Syracuse Veterans Administration Medical Center’s recent #3 ranking for overall patient satisfaction (and #1 for courtesy) in a national survey of VA facilities.
CNYHSA FEBRUARY 17 BOARD MEETING. James Kennedy, Executive Director, Cayuga Community Health Network and member of the State Hospital Review and Planning Committee (HRPC) provided an overview of the Rockefeller Institute Report on the state CON program and the Governor's Working Group Report on Health Care Reform which calls for a Commission to be established on hospital "rightsizing" and closure. Mr. Kennedy also reported that there are now 2 designated seats on the HRPC for rural members and that the rejected rate for CON applications has been declining. The Board als acted on the nomination of Catherine Hanover from St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica and heard a report from Dr. Welch on the status of Upstate's Children's Hospital.
CNYHSA PURSUES ROLE IN COMMISSION. CNYHSA President Bill Conole presented a strong case for CNYHSA participation in the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century appointed by Governor Pataki earlier this year to right-size the health care system in New York State. In a letter to Mark Kissinger, Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Health & Human Services and a Commission member, President Conole noted that:
CNYHSA prepared a position paper in March which argued that utilizing CNYHSA as the regional framework for commission activities in Central New York will ensure local health care decision-making, take advantage of a planning and assessment mechanism already in place, ensure a neutral setting and community participation in deliberations and dialogue, and reduce the possibility of arbitrary actions which may result if the statewide approach is not sensitive to local and regional resources. The paper also suggests the need for a sustained community health planning mechanism, facilitated by CNYHSA. The agency has also solicited support for its position from Senate and Assembly members representing Central New York. Central NY representatives named to the Commission thus far are Darlene Kerr of Syracuse, former President/CEO of Niagara Mohawk, appointed as one of 18 permanent Commission members and Susan Crosset, Vice-President, Public Affairs for Niagara Mohawk, appointed to one of six seats on the Commission’s Central Regional Advisory Committees. The Central region includes Central New York and the Rochester/Finger Lakes area.“CNYHSA has been involved in nearly every aspect of health care planning, systems development, and priority-setting in Central New York. Our track record in health systems development projects, including facility restructuring and collaboration, project review and evaluation, program development, and access to care represents a valuable asset for the Commission and its Central regional advisory committee.”
SHORTAGE AREA DESIGNATIONS. CNYHSA has been successful in securing 7 federal Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) in 2005. Official notice of designations was received recently from the US Depart. of Health and Human Services (HHS) for: low income populations in Watertown, Utica, and Lowville (Primary Care), St. Lawrence and Oswego Counties (Mental Health), St. Lawrence County and the low income population in Jefferson County (Dental).
2004
CNYHSA's 28th ANNUAL MEETING (November 18, 2004). Pauline Frazier, Associate Regional Director, NYS Dept of Health was the guest speaker. Her topic was "Priorities to Protect and Promote Health" She discussed the varied roles the CNY DOH Regional Office plays in implementing state programs and regulatory and surveilence functions. The topics covered included: prescription fraud, obesity, provider credentialling, quality improvement, the Clean Indoor Air Act, and state operated information-sharing/access systems. The meeting was held at Jivoff Education Center at the Hospice Center in Liverpool, New York.
CNYHSA MAY 20 BOARD MEETING. CNYHSA recommended approval of Community General Hospital's 2.6 million dollar proposal to establish an adult cardiac catheterization laboratory (For more information, click here). The Board also adopted a working budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2004 and heard reports from Executive Director Tim Bobo on the status of the HSA's Community Health Planning in Central New York: the Future is Now proposal to establish a new health planning model for Central New York and from Associate Director Steve Waldron on several CNY HIV Care Network activities including the International AIDS Candlelight Memorial on May 16th at Clinton Square and National HIV Testing Day on June 28, 2004.
CNYHSA FEBRUARY 26 BOARD MEETING. Michael F. Roizen, M.D., was the guest speaker. His topic was: "Lowering Healthcare Costs And Improving Quality: Is there a Role for Coordination?" Dr. Roizen discussed the importance of understanding physician behavior and indicated that the absence of rationality in medical markets is a key factor why planning and coodination is needed. Dr. Roizen served as a member of a blue-ribbon "Healthcare Issues Discussion Group" which developed a paper adopted by the Business Council of New York State in the fall of 2003 which cites the lack of community involvement in regional healthcare policy and calls for creation of Regional Healthcare Advisory Groups. Dr. Roizen is Professor of Anesthesiology at Upstate Medical University and is best known as author of the book: Real Age: Are You As Young As You Can Be?.
SYRACUSE POST-STANDARD RECOGNIZES CNYHSA IN LEAD EDITORIAL. The newspaper’s January 31,2004 editorial entitled "Smart Medicine," highlighted the value and expertise of CNYHSA in regional health care planning. The editorial cited the high cost of health care and duplication of services in urging that the Metropolitan Development Association (MDA) involve CNYHSA in its health care task force deliberations: "The MDA panel would be wise to include the agency more fully in its efforts."… "It has much to contribute." The need for health care planning was noted in the editorial, along with a brief history of HSAs’ planning and review roles and consequences of deregulation.
In a letter to the editor expressing support for the Post-Standard’s recommendations, CNYHSA President Bill Conole emphasized that: "CNYHSA has a proven track record in carrying out community health planning functions, maintains state statutory responsibility for these functions, and provides a neutral setting for tackling some of the difficult health care cost and delivery challenges spoken to in the editorial." To view a complete copy of the editorial and Mr. Conole's response, click here.
2003
CNYHSA 27th ANNUAL MEETING (DECEMBER 28, 2003). The featured speaker was David Sutkowy, Onondaga County Commissioner of Social Services, who spoke on: "Medicaid: Local Impact, Growth, and Reform." In his presentation, the Commissioner outlined the growth of Medicaid in Onondaga County, noting that 1 out of every 8 residents is a Medicaid recipient, that costs have essentially doubled every ten years and now represent 45% of the county's tax levy. He also noted that the per capita cost of New York State's Medicaid program is over twice that of the national average and is the only state where counties share a significant financial burden. Efforts by local government are now underway to cap county costs at 2001 levels.
Pauline Frazier joins CNYHSA Board - Welcomed at the Annual Meeting, Ms. Frazier, Associate Director of the NY Department of Health, Central NY Region, will serve as an ex-officio/liaison member of the Board. She replaces long-time HSA Board member Norm Andrzejewski, who retired from the Dept. of Health in 2003. Ms. Frazier is a resident of Baldwinsville, NY and before her appointment as Associate Director, she headed up the state's Office of Professional Medical Conduct.
CNYHSA recommended Approval with contingency on the proposal of the Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca (CMC) to establish a theurapeutic radiotherapy program. The action came following the CNYHSA October, 2003 meeting at which time the Board heard presentations from CMC representatives as well as spokesmen for Radiation Therapy Associates of Upstate New York, who spoke in opposition to the hospital's proposal. Radiation Therapy Associates operates a satellite radiotherapy service on the hospital's campus which has been out of service from January to November, 2003 due to contractor and equipment replacement problems. The HSA action called for approval with the contingency that CMC develop a plan for comprehensive community cancer care which describes the local system of care and outlines roles for all community providers, including Radiation Therapy Associates.
The Children's Hospital at Upstate Medical University is a go with receipt of state CON Approval by the State Hospital Review and Planning Council in November, 2003. The 50 bed project will create a "center of excellence" to improve the care of hospitalized children, by replacing outdated and inadequate facilities. CNYHSA held a public hearing on the project last year and had recommended conditional approval to the state, to provide an opportunity for an assessment of the region-wide impact of the addition of 20 new beds called for in the proposal.
HPSA DESIGNATIONS. CNYHSA has been notified by US Department of Health and Human Services of the approval of Health Professional Shortage Area Designation requests in 2003 for Syracuse (Dental), Jefferson County (Mental Health), Lewis County (Dental and Mental Health), the Star Lake (Dental) and Gouverneur (Primary Care and Dental) areas in St. Lawrence County, and the Rome area (Primary Care) in Oneida County. CNYHSA had been retained by these areas to prepare their requests. HPSA Designations help underserved areas obtain grants and recruit practitioners.
CNYHSA Executive Director presented the 2003 Strategic Plan at the Annual Meeting of the New York State Association for Rural Health held in Lake Placid, NY in September, 2003. CNYHSA has played an active role in supporting this new organization and was retained to facilitate the organization's strategic planning Board retreat process in March 2003.
Syracuse Community Health Center announced that it recently received a grant from the New York State Health Department's Office of Minority Health to establish a Diabetes self management program for the Syracuse Inner-city area. The grant will fund a cooperative venture involving the Health Center, Social Service Organizations, Churches, and CNYHSA. CNYHSA helped prepare the grant application for the Health Center.