Sullivan folks: talk about your health

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — How are you doing, health-wise?
Sullivan County Public Health is conducting a community health survey from now through May, and every county resident aged 18 and up is invited to participate—in English or Español.
Public Health is working with Siena College Research Institute, Garnet Health and the Sullivan County Rural Health Network.
“The data we collect—which is completely anonymous—will help us better understand the health and quality of life for the people and places we serve,” Public Health director Nancy McGraw said. “In fact, we’ll use it to craft a community health improvement plan to guide us for the next three years, so every answer will make an important difference.”
The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and can be done online at www.tinyurl.com/hvscri or over the phone. Siena College researchers will be directly calling a sampling of county residents for the survey.
But if you have not gotten a call from Siena and also do not have access to the internet, you can contact Public Health educator Jill Hubert-Simon at 845/513-2243 to take the survey over the phone.
No identifying information is collected, and individual results will only be seen and used by the researchers and Public Health staff.
Find the department on Facebook at SullivanCountyPublicHealth.

Wayne Memorial services return, Waymart stays open

WAYNE COUNTY, PA — Wayne Memorial Hospital outpatient services have returned to their original Carbondale location after some building issues forced a temporary evacuation of both the hospital and Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC) services.
The Carbondale outpatient testing center has resumed operations at 141 Salem Ave. Blood draws and other laboratory services will be available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.; radiology services such as X-ray and EKG are available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
In addition, Wayne Memorial Hospital outpatient services in Waymart will remain open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The site had been closed due to COVID and staffing issues, but reopened recently as an alternative to Carbondale. Now both sites will remain open.
WMCHC services reopened recently.
The Waymart site at 621 Roosevelt Hwy. (Route 6) offers laboratory services Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and radiology (X-ray, EKG) on Mondays and Fridays from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
X-ray needs on Wednesdays are being directed to Mogerman Orthopaedics on Wayne Woodlands Drive in Waymart.
For a complete list of all hospital and WMCHC sites, visit wmh.org.

Dementia and how it affects families

TARRYTOWN, NY — If you are a person with early-stage dementia or a family caregiver, the Alzheimer’s Association Hudson Valley Chapter has help for you.
The group will host its sixth Meeting of the Minds dementia conference on Wednesday, May 25, at the Sleepy Hollow Conference Center in Tarrytown.
Professional caregivers and health care workers can attend too.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Claire Sexton, director of scientific programs and outreach for
the Alzheimer’s Association. She will speak about the latest research advances into risk
reduction, early diagnosis and treatment for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
You can also learn more about dementia at the discussions afterward. Understand Medicare, Medicaid and long-term care insurance; learn how family roles, emotions and expectations change when someone has dementia; learn to make the difficult decisions that are sometimes needed when dementia is involved; and listen to a discussion on legal and financial issues.
For more details or to register, visit AlzDementiaConference.org.

Odd Fellows donate bench

HONESDALE, PA — There’s a new park bench on the landing outside the main entrance at Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH), thanks to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Freedom Lodge #88 of Honesdale.
The fraternal order collected over 500 pounds of soft plastics in the NexTrex recycling program for the eco-friendly outdoor bench donated to WMH.
The local organization is a member of the nonpolitical, nonsectarian, international IOOF, which promotes personal and social development. Members engage in various fundraisers and collect donations for veterans, scholarships for students and more.
Odd Fellow member and Wayne Memorial CT scan/radiology technologist Doug Buchinski, who helped coordinate the installation, said the bench is a nice place to take a break, enjoy the fresh air and sit while you wait for a ride.

Healthy Community grants available

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — Have you thought about developing walking trails for your community? A play space in the park? Starting a community garden?
The 2022 Sullivan Renaissance Healthy Community grant applications are now available. Community groups, religious institutions, schools and units of local government are eligible to apply for grants of up to $2,500 for projects, programs or events that improve and promote the social, physical and environmental health and wellness of Sullivan County communities.
There is a matching requirement.
Previously funded projects include bikes and equipment for the Catskill Claws bike club, the Town of Fallsburg family yoga in the park, a community ice rink expansion in Neversink and Upper Delaware Council litter-collection kits.
The program closes Saturday, October 1.
If you have an idea for a project, reach out, the group said. For information and to sign up, call Sullivan Renaissance at 845/295-2445.

New resources for families of long-term-care residents

NATIONWIDE — Jenine Ferrari’s father is a veteran, and he’s been living in a nursing home since before the pandemic.
“For months, because of visitation restrictions, I couldn’t see him,” she wrote in a recent release from the Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC). “I felt left out, isolated and starved for information, without meaningful communication efforts from the nursing home. Because of his dementia, my dad couldn’t understand why I couldn’t visit and hearing the disappointment in his voice just killed me.”
Ferrari is now the nursing home family council liaison with the LTCCC, and she wanted to talk about the organization’s new Family Council Resource Center.
The LTCCC advocates for improved care for residents in long-term care facilities.
The group offers a free Family Council Zoom room, allowing families to “discuss the challenges facing our loved ones, vent about our shared frustrations in lockdown, and work together on ways to improve care and conditions for our residents,” Ferrari said.
She calls the experience empowering.
“We’re communicating more effectively with staff and administration, leading to better resident care. We’re breaking down barriers to visitation so that we can see and care for our loved ones.”
To learn more, visit the LTCCC at the Long Term Care Community Coalition/ or email families@ltccc.org.

Toothache? New dental services in PA

HAWLEY, PA — A new dental clinic is opening at the Wright Center for Community Health primary care practice in the borough.
It will offer oral care including exams, X-rays and cleanings.
The clinics are being held on the second Monday of each month at the Hawley Practice, 103 Spruce St.
Children or adults can get care. Initially, basic exams, cleanings and fluoride treatments will be offered, but in the future, fillings, sealants and advanced procedures will likely be available. Honesdale-area resident and public health dental hygienist Gay Polt will provide the treatment.
The clinic will treat both people who just need a six-month checkup and those who have not received dental care for a while.
The Wright Center accepts most dental insurances, including Delta Dental, Guardian, United Concordia and Medical Assistance (Medicaid), and offers a sliding-fee discount program to individuals who qualify based on income-eligibility guidelines.
To make an appointment for the Monday-only clinics in Hawley, call the Hawley practice at 570/576-8081.

Understand Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

ONLINE — Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease and is the most common form of dementia.
To help the community understand these conditions, Patricia Avery, program coordinator for the Caregiver Resource Center at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County, will host an educational program through Zoom on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The program will take place on Thursday, May 26, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The presentation will compare Alzheimer’s and dementia, the brain changes that can occur, risk factors, stages, treatments available, the latest advanced research and available resources from the Alzheimer’s Association.
Handouts will be provided and a question-and-answer session will follow the presentation.
There is no fee, but preregistration is required to participate.
To register, call Avery at 845/292-6180 ext. 122, register online at Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County, or at www.alz.org.
You can join the program by phone, too.
For more information, visit sullivancce.org/events. If you have a related question, email sullivan@cornell.edu or call 845/292-6180, ext. 100.

New clinical director at Garnet Health–Catskills

HARRIS, NY — Nancy Karas has been promoted to clinical director of the emergency department at Garnet Health–Catskills.
She joined Garnet Health in 2016 as an emergency department clinical supervisor at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown. In 2019, Karas was promoted to emergency department nurse manager and oversaw care delivery in the main emergency department, the children’s emergency department and the behavioral health access center.
Karas graduated from Orange County Community College with an Associate Degree in Applied Science and earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain University.
For more information about career opportunities at Garnet Health Medical Center, visit garnethealth.org/careers.

Bridge Back to Life director to be honored at Angel Ball

HUNTINGTON, NY — Calling himself “humbled and honored,” Bridge Back to Life executive director Gary Butchen recently announced that he would be given the 2022 Humanitarian Award by the Long Island Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD).
The ceremony will take place at the LICADD Angel Ball on Monday, June 27 at the Oheka Castle in Huntington, Long Island.
Bridge Back to Life has recently begun serving the Sullivan County population, providing mobile treatment to people with substance use disorder.
LICADD works with people struggling with addiction and mental health issues on Long Island.
For information about the event, visit Angel Ball.

Local doctor publishes multiple research papers

NORTHEAST PA — Dr. Ayushi Jain, an internal medicine resident physician at the Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education, has co-authored six scholarly research papers that were accepted for publication in academic journals:
“Acute Brain Activation Patterns of High- vs. Low-Frequency Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus During Deep Brain Stimulation for Epilepsy” in Oxford Academic’s Neurosurgery Journal.
“Directed Stimulation of the Dentato-Rubro-Thalamic Tract for Deep Brain Stimulation in Essential Tremor: A B lined Clinical Trail,” in the Neuroradiology Journal.
“Edge-Enhancing Gradient Echo with Multi-Image Co-Registration and Averaging for Targeting Thalamic Centromedian and Parafascicular Nuclei,” in the Neuroradiology Journal.
“Temporal Pole Blurring in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Revealed by 3D Edge-Enhancing Gradient Echo MRI,” in the Neuroradiology Journal.
“Brain Structural Differences in Temporal Lobe and Frontal Lobe Epilepsy Patients: A Voxel-Based Morphometry and Vertex-Based Surface Analysis,” in the Neuroradiology Journal.
“Connectivity Correlates to Predict Essential Tremor Deep Brain Stimulation Outcome: Evidence for a Common Treatment Pathway,” in the NeuroImage.