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Thank You COVID-19 Essential Workers

HEALTHY EMPLOYEES ARE CRUCIAL TO YOUR BUSINESS. HERE ARE 10 WAYS TO HELP THEM STAY HEALTHY.

1. Actively encourage sick employees to stay home.
Develop policies that encourage sick employees to stay at home without fear of reprisals, and ensure employees are aware of these policies.

2. Have conversations with employees about their concerns.
Some employees may be at higher risk for severe illness, such as older adults and those with chronic medical conditions.

3. Develop other flexible policies for scheduling and telework
(if feasible) and create leave policies to allow employees to stay home to care for sick family members or care for children if schools and childcare close.

4.Talk with companies that provide your business with contract or temporary employees about their plans. 
Discuss the importance of sick employees staying home and encourage them todevelop non-punitive “emergency sick leave” policies.

5.Promote etiquette for coughing and sneezing and handwashing.
Provide tissues, no-touch trash cans, soap and water, and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

6. Plan to implement practices to minimize face-to-face contact between employees if social distancing is recommended by your state or local health department. Actively encourage flexible work arrangements such as teleworking or staggered shifts.

7. Perform routine environmental cleaning.
Routinely clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces, such as workstations, countertops, handrails, and doorknobs. Discourage sharing of tools and equipment, if feasible.

8. Consider the need for travel and explore alternatives.
Check CDC’s Travelers’ Health for the latest guidance and recommendations. Consider using teleconferencing and video conferencing for meetings, when possible.

9. Provide education and training materials in an easy to understand format and in the appropriate language and literacy level for all employees, like fact sheets and posters.

10. If an employee becomes sick while at work, they should be separated from other employees, customers, and visitors and sent home immediately. Follow CDC guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting areas thesick employee visited.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — This unique hiking adventure challenges the community to partake in a hike, walk or jog with an unusual partner: a roll of toilet paper.

Local David Kelley designed the challenge around the time toilet paper couldn’t be found on shopping shelves. Trying to add humor to the sold-out toilet paper dilemma, Kelley created the toilet paper trio hike, challenging the community to partake in three different hikes with a roll of toilet paper. 

“Every time I went down that aisle, I couldn’t find toilet paper and it was what everyone was talking about. I think everyone needs a little bit of fun and a smile right now and when I went out and did it the first few times, I couldn’t stop laughing,” Kelley said. 

Kelley wanted the challenge to include any local trails, bike paths and nature preserves to discourage distance travelling. He also encourages hiking solo or with immediate household family members to stay socially distant.

“I thought it would be a fun way to get people out and get them staying within those two parameters. To also have some fun,” Kelley said. 

While encouraging social distancing, Kelley designed the challenge to mimic other known challenges, such as the Adirondack 46, fire tower challenge and the Saranac 6. Participants can sign up for the challenge and once completed, Kelley will add their name to the roster and they will receive a patch and a sticker. Registration is $20 and Kelley said 50 percent of the proceeds would be donated to NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund.

“I always wanted to find a way to help the workers on the front line. The challenged was a good way to combine everything,” Kelley said. 

So far, 20 people have completed the challenge. His Facebook group has over 75 members as of early this week, some of who went hiking this past weekend. Although photos are not required to complete the challenge, Kelley encourages them. 

“You’re not required to take photos of you and your toilet paper, but it is fun and the idea is to get a few smiles. The folks that are hiking have fun and so can the people you’re sharing the photos with,” Kelley said. 

Kelley’s feeling to give back started when he was 8-years-old. He would collect “change for the children in need” for Make a Difference Day to benefit the Saratoga Center for the Family. Ten years later, the effort grew to include a multitude of friends who collected over $10,000 for the Center for the Family. 

“It’s great to be back home connecting folks, having a little fun and doing something good for New York,” Kelley said. 

Above all, Kelley hopes participants in the challenge have fun and smile. To find out more about the challenge, visit their Facebook page. 

“Even though we are hiking by ourselves, we are all in this together. Share your photos and videos on social media with #ToiletPaperTrio and #HikeLocalHikeSolo,” Kelley said

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, NY-21, has been named to Leader Kevin McCarthy’s China Task Force, aimed at working on policies to hold China accountable for its coverup of the initial spread of COVID-19, which originated in Wuhan, according to a statement issued by Stefanik’s office. Stefanik is one of 15 members of Congress on the Task Force. 

“The Communist Party of China intentionally withheld critical information on the spread of COVID-19 that could have saved thousands of lives,” said Stefanik, in a statement. “To this day, China continues to spread misinformation regarding this health crisis. The Communist Chinese Government must be held accountable. I appreciate Leader McCarthy naming me to the China Task Force and am looking forward to getting
to work.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city may take several cost-cutting actions during its Tuesday, May 19 meeting as it looks for ways to fill an anticipated absence of revenue sources due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

City Finance Commissioner Michele Madigan estimated the city may lose $14 to $16 million in revenue in 2020 – nearly one-third its $48.7 million operating budget. Furloughs, deferred raises, retirements, and layoffs are all on the table. 

“In the face of the absence of federal assistance coupled with revenue losses – all of our revenues pretty much – jurisdictions across the state are moving ahead with layoffs and furloughs,” Madigan said, during the council’s last meeting, earlier this month.  “It is critical that we significantly reduce our spending now.” 

Furloughs are preferable to layoffs, Madigan said, as they would provide immediate expense reductions as well as allowing those furloughed the ability to collect state unemployment funding as well as maintain their city-provided benefits. While 33 city employees are “available” for retirement, however, at retirement they would be due compensatory time, sick time and overtime pay.    

“Many of our employees have reduced duties during our stay-at-home period while the city still pays them as if they were working a 100% schedule,” she said. “The more people we furlough now – and it will be difficult – the fewer we will need to consider laying off later in the year.” 

Through the first quarter of 2020, the city announced it had collected just over $9.1 million (or 57%) in property taxes, but by the March 31 reporting date had not received many larger revenue streams. Those include: sales tax figures (March collections are distributed to the city in April and May), VLT Aid (paid in June), Hotel Occupancy Tax (April), Water and Sewer Revenues (May 15 due date) as well as other sources paid later in the year. The city is annually paid NYRA Admissions Tax for hosting the summer meet, but that funding outcome is not known for 2020 should NYRA decide to run at Saratoga while not admitting ticket-paying fans. 

Every county in every region of the state saw a large drop in local sales tax collections in April, according to a report announced by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli on May 12. Social distancing protocols were established with the “New York State on PAUSE” initiative, which has shuttered non-essential businesses and offices since March 22.

Of all regions in the state, the greater Capital District had the most severe decline – down 28.8 percent and totaling $42.6 million – down from $59.9 million exactly one year earlier. 

Saratoga County was down from $10 million to $7.4 million overall, and tax collections in Saratoga Springs specifically dropped from $900,000 in April 2019 to $700,000 in April 2020, according to the report, which rounds figures in millions of dollars. 

To compensate for a potential $14 million to $16 million revenue shortfall in Saratoga Springs in 2020, the council is contemplating the use of approximately $4.5 million of the city’s unassigned and unrestricted fund balance, Madigan said, as well as “$1 million from the re-assignment of various assignments, $2.4 million in a budget note due to be paid back at the end of 2021, and $4 million in departmental expense reductions.” Those measures total $11.9 million, leaving a projected revenue shortfall of $2.1 to $4.1 million. 

Earlier this month, the City Council approved a series of budget transfer resolutions to fund the last stage of renovations at City Hall, which has been closed since an August 2018 lightning strike caused substantial damage to the 19th century structure. Shortly after the closure of City Hall, the city relocated most of its operations to the Vanderbilt Avenue recreation facility. 

Approximately $567,000 is required to complete the renovation of the building. 

To that point, the City Council unanimously approved moving $167,000 from the building reserve fund, $151,000 that had been targeted for the Saratoga Arts building, and more than $188,000 of the $200,000 it had previously approved for Recreation Department Skate Park improvements at East Side Rec.  Last week, the city announced the cancellation of Recreation Department summer events and camps. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Community Development Department is reopening applications for the 2020 CDBG Program Year. Available funding for this program remains unchanged at $315,491. In addition, the City has been allocated additional funding by HUD through the CARES Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. This CDBG-CV funding totals $181,629, and must be used for COVID-19 related activities benefiting the low-moderate income population.

Applications for these funding sources will be accepted via the city’s website until noon on May 22, 2020. 

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, created in 1974, has as its goal the development of viable urban communities through housing, economic development, elimination of slums and blight, expansion of community services and neighborhood revitalization.

The city of Saratoga Springs receives an annual allocation of federal funds based on a formula that takes into consideration total population, population change, age and condition of housing stock, and poverty.

The primary objective of the CDBG program is to benefit persons of low and moderate income. By federal regulation, the city must allocate at least 70% of its annual CDBG funding on activities that benefit persons of low and moderate income, households, and neighborhoods.

The CDBG program is administered locally by the Saratoga Springs Office of Community Development. 

In light of the developing needs arising from the current pandemic, the city is re-opening applications for the 2020 Entitlement Program Year and has been allocated additional funding (CDBG-CV) through the CARES Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. CDBG-CV funding essentially follows all the same eligibility requirements of traditional CDBG Entitlement funding. However, the CARES Act allows for unlimited COVID-19 related pre-award costs, but reimbursement of eligible costs is only applicable for new CDBG-CV funding and does not apply to 2019 or 2020 funds. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city’s three Land Use Boards – the Planning Board, Design Review Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals have resumed their public meetings, which are currently held virtually via Zoom videoconferencing. They may be viewed by visiting the city of Saratoga Springs website at saratoga-springs.org. 

This week, the DRC is expected to preside over architectural reviews regarding Station Lane Apartments – a new three-building, 39-unit apartment complex on the city’s west side, and Bethesda Episcopal – a mixed-use 4-story building at 26 Washington St. 

Additionally, a popular Stewart’s Shop, which has operated at 402 Lake Avenue since 1990, is seeking an area variance that will redevelop/expand the current shop into a 4,130 square foot convenience store, with two gasoline fueling canopies. The improvements will “bring the building into closer aesthetic alignment with its surroundings,” according to documents filed with the city.   

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Robin Dalton surveyed the all-important region’s chart of metrics. There are seven metrics in all and once all seven are satisfied, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga County and the seven other counties that flank it may begin a phased reopening of their businesses. 

Number of tests that will be conducted on residents: check. Contact tracers: check. Hospital beds and ICU beds available: check, and check. 

“I think we’re getting close,” says the city’s Public Safety Commissioner, who alongside Fire Department Chief Joe Dolan and Chief Aaron Dyer, Police Chief Shane Crooks and Chief John Catone, Deputy Public Safety Commissioner Eileen Finneran, and Risk and Safety Manager Marilyn Rivers comprise the City of Saratoga Springs COVID-19 Task Force. 

The group is, among other things, putting the finishing touches on safety guideline protocols and procedures for businesses in Saratoga Springs. 

“I think it’s really important for businesses to think about a plan of what things will look like when they open,” she says.  “Soup-to-nuts we’re trying to make it as easy as possible for businesses to reopen without having to seek out additional guidelines from anywhere else.” The list of protocols will be made available during the next few days, with copies distributed to city businesses and available for download on the city’s website.    

“Recovery will look different in every business, because you have unique situations. You have to accommodate social distancing, mask-wearing, hand-sanitizers. Every business will look different,” Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, said during a Facebook Live event forum hosted by Saratoga County on May 13.

Before it may start its phased re-opening however, the region as a whole must hit on all its metrics. The tallies change daily, but at this point in mid-May, it has not reached acceptable grades regarding declines in hospitalizations and patient deaths in hospitals. 

The seven-metric standard for reopening were established based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of State, and other public health experts. 

New York State is separated into 10 geographical regions each comprised of a half-dozen or so counties. Saratoga is located in an eight-county “Capital Region” sector which stretches from Columbia County to Warren County. This week, four of the ten regions announced they had met all seven metrics. They include: the Finger Lakes Region, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier and the North Country – which begins north and west of Warren County and stretches to the Canadian border.

NY ON PAUSE

Two months ago, an Executive Order signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s put New York State on PAUSE.  The plan went into effect March 22 and put social distancing measures in place, closed non-essential businesses, and limited public gatherings in an effort to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Those efforts to “flatten the curve” were successful. After peaking in late March and into early April, the charted rate of infections, hospitalizations and number of deaths slowly began to decline. 

The governor’s daily public briefings have showcased the graphs and tracked the trends. 

May 8: “We have the beast on the run. We haven’t killed the beast – but we’re ahead of it. The hospitalization rate is coming down, the death rate is coming down, so that’s all good news and I feel that – for the first time in this engagement – we are actually ahead of the virus. We have the virus on the run because we have been smart, because we have been disciplined.” 

May 10: “We’re right about where we were March 19, when we went into the abyss of the COVID virus…from my point-of-view, we’re on the other side of the mountain. All the arrows are pointed in the right direction.””

May 11: “It’s an exciting new phase. We’re all anxious to get back to work. We want to do it smartly. We want to do it intelligently, but we want to do it. That’s what this week is going to be all about.”

AFTER REOPENING, STAYING OPEN

One key component after reopening is having a keen eye on potential rising infection rates, and a steady hand to slow that rise. 

“Watch for infections,” Cuomo said. “The local region has a Control Room and a Circuit Breaker: If You see those dials going into the red zone – if you closely watch the dials you won’t have to turn the valve off – you would just have to slow the valve a little bit. You can’t overwhelm your hospitals. It depends upon how smart you are with your openings.”

The person in Saratoga charged with having that keen eye and steady hand is County Administrator Spencer Hellwig – who was named to Gov. Cuomo’s Regional Control Room team for the Capital District alongside leaders from other counties in the region.  It is his responsibility to watch the dials and “slow the valve,” before the numbers spike to a point where everything must shut down.   

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“When you hit all seven metrics that doesn’t mean: OK, we’re done. Monitor every day. That’s the regional responsibility. Look at those numbers every day. See what’s happening with those numbers every day and respond to those numbers. That’s the responsibility of every county. That has to be watched every day and you have to calibrate your level of activity every day,” Cuomo said May 13. “If people get cavalier, cocky, if they get arrogant, we’ll be right back in the same situation.”

Striking the perfect balance of “reopening” the economy while maintaining the safety of public health is key.  “That is the struggle, constantly weighing these two things,” Dalton says. “Both have to win. We can’t have a loser. The economy has to do well, and people have to stay alive and healthy.” 

Businesses in each region will re-open in phases. Re-opening refers to non-essential businesses, essential businesses that are open will remain open. The breakdown of industries in each phase: Phase One – Construction, Manufacturing, Retail – Curbside Pickup, Wholesale Trade, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting; Phase Two – Professional Services, Retail. Administrative Support, Real Estate / Rental & Leasing; Phase Three – Restaurants / Food Services; Phase Four – Arts / Entertainment / Recreation and Education. Regions aside, drive-In movies have been deemed able to reopen by the governor. Malta Drive-In, located on Route 9, is slated to open their season Friday, May 22 with new protocols and guidelines.

There is a recommended 14 day wait in between the opening of phases. “Fourteen days is a preliminary estimate,” Cuomo said May 12. “Why 14 days? You got infected, the virus manifests. If you get seriously ill, you end up in a hospital. That takes about 14 days. But, you can watch it all along. If those rates are staying low, can you accelerate the 14 days? Theoretically yes. If you’re testing isn’t moving (in a negative direction), then you could say: we’re in good shape, less accelerate.”

On May 12, Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Preston Allen announced the creation of a reopening advisory group tasked with guiding the county’s reopening efforts. The group will focus on CDC guidelines in a phased-in approach for businesses and necessary health precautions related to the county and coordinate these efforts with the other seven counties that comprise the Capital District region.

The advisory group is made up of supervisors Jack Lawler, Ed Kinowski, Eric Connolly, Tom Richardson, Kevin Tollisen, Dan Pemrick, and Matt Veitch; Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo; County Public Health Services Director Cathi Duncan, Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake, county Chamber President Todd Shimkus, and Charles V. Wait, President and CEO, Adirondack Trust Co.

“The County has selected this diverse group to navigate the complicated reopening process, Supervisor Preston Allen said in a statement. “While we all recognize that the economy must open back up soon, we cannot do this hastily or without regard for the serious public health concerns. This group will be thoughtful and pragmatic, with the best interests of county residents serving as a guiding principle.”

On May 12, Saratoga Springs extended its State of Emergency for another 30 days, until June 12. The order allows the city the ability of its emergency management committee to make decisions regarding how it responds to the virus in the city and is a critical component of following ICS (Incident Command Systems) forms, as well as ensuring  FEMA guidelines are being followed. 

“We’re doing this in a way so that we’re documenting every single thing we’re doing in the hope that we’re getting reimbursed after the fact, but it also gives us the freedom to react as a city, as opposed to whatever the state’s doing, if for some reason our numbers suddenly go up,“ Dalton said. 

“I would implore people to follow the rules, because if we have a group of businesses that just open up out of their own self-interests, it is going to have a dramatically negative effect on our area,” Dalton says. “We all need to be working for the collective good.” 

TESTING

There are two different types of tests; a nasal swab test determines whether a person currently has the COVID-19 virus. An antibody test – which is a blood test – seeks to identify whether a person previously had the virus.

Currently, just two venues located in Saratoga County where testing is conducted – there are additional resources in Warren and Albany counties – and the criteria for testing in either case is for persons symptomatic or who have had exposure to a positive case.

Saratoga Hospital conducts the swab test at a tent located at the Alfred Z. Solomon Emergency Center on Myrtle Street. Appointment and referral from physician or local health department is required. Contact your doctor for assessment. Providers may call to set up appointment. Go to: www.saratogahospital.org/covid19.

Well Now Urgent Care on Route 9 in Clifton Park offers both tests. No appointment is needed. Testing is covered in full for patients that carry insurance as part of the CARES Act. For self-pay patients, testing costs $150 for the molecular (PCR) test and $100 for the antibody test, in addition to a charge for the base visit. Go to: wellnow.com/covid-19.

Laura Snyder’s wardrobe does NOT include any t-shirts imprinted with the words “I help bodies – and spirits – grow stronger in broken places.”

But perhaps it should!

from debilitating accidents and/or orthopedic surgeries — Snyder has assisted during her 26 years as a Physical Therapist (PT). The array of braces, canes, crutches, walkers and wheelchairs she has seen supporting new arrivals at LaMarco Physical Therapy, PC in Saratoga Springs could easily fill a prop room for a major motion picture about Lourdes. But one needn’t rely upon faith to believe healings are taking place as painstakingly achieved restorative progress can typically be seen in improved flexibility and mobility. Sometimes it can also be measured (quite literally by degrees) and/or documented via medical imaging devices. 

On the other hand, are those who seek out Snyder’s services as a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner (HTCP). Although the “breaks” and “blockages” that lead such souls to her private practice are rarely the kind that show up on x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans or MRIs, the suffering linked to them is very real indeed. Whether mourning a personal loss or battling post-operative pains, Snyder can genuinely empathize as she strives to holistically restore balance and harmony in the human energy system, placing the client in a position to self-heal.

The therapeutic scents and sounds that fill the sanctuary where Healing Touch sessions unfold contrast sharply with the sweat and tears that occasionally accompany PT sessions during which temporary pain must be endured in the interest of long-term fitness and function. Those who protest PT regimens with arguments like ‘It’s easy for you … you don’t know what I’m going through’ would, in fact, be hard-pressed to find another health care provider whose medical history includes a broken jaw, a knee that required an orthopedic surgery and several abdominal operations.

“The first real test of how tough I was came at age 21 when I broke my jaw in two places while playing soccer during my senior year at Springfield College in Massachusetts,” recalls Snyder. “It took six months for my jaw to fully recover, starting with having my mouth wired shut for eight weeks with hardware that resembled a horseshoe with hooks and wires as well as 30 or so rubber bands that pulled the jaw in the direction necessary to realign it at the front and sides. All nourishment came via a liquid diet.” Although she had been an athlete her whole life and suffered her share of sports injuries, the broken jaw was different. “I often say it was far more painful to repair the broken jaw than to break it,” muses Snyder, who succeeded in earning degrees in Health Fitness/Athletic Training from Springfield in 1986 before receiving her Physical Therapy degree from Russell Sage in 1993.

It was while recovering from her broken jaw that Snyder first resolved to test a theory she had, about self-directed pain control and healing. “They couldn’t put me under anesthesia while wiring my mouth shut and so 30-something injections were administered during the process. Now THAT was torture! When the time came to cut the wires and remove the braces, I resolved to use the power of my own mind to get through the procedure without any numbing injections. I put myself into a meditative state and visualized a positive outcome.”

Memories of that experience ultimately catapulted Snyder to her current two-pronged career path. “Being a Physical Therapist and a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner may seem worlds apart, but both involve helping people heal,” muses Snyder, who has long modeled the truth of adages like “Doing a good deed is a good feeling.”

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“I feel fortunate both in my work at LaMarco, PC (on Geyser Road in Ballston Spa) and in my private practice (in the former Benedict Memorial Hospital on nearby Rowland Street) to feel as if I’m doing good deeds all day long,” she beams. 

And while she’d never wish to endure “the second test of how tough I was” a second time, Snyder believes the anguish she endured just prior to and following the births of her now college-aged sons, Garrett and Kason, strengthened her own powers of self-healing and the empathy she has for others. 

 “Although I’m a very private person, I’m also intuitive by nature and I do occasionally share lessons learned from my own personal health challenges with clients when I feel they may be helped by the experience,” reflects Snyder. This includes not only the broken jaw, but also a series of abdominal surgeries she endured and the resulting sometimes debilitating “Phantom Pains” that lingered during the years when her sons were preschoolers. (One needn’t suffer the amputation of a limb to experience such suffering, as nerves severed during accidents and/or during surgical procedures, often continue to perceive the pain and send related messages to the brain.)

“It was during the 1990s that I learned to appreciate with certainty that no two individuals experience pain in precisely the same way and that no two patients can ever be treated in precisely the same way. Perhaps most important, I also discovered through my own wellness journey that if a pain is real to a patient, then it is real enough to require the attention of a health care practitioner, even if the source of the pain isn’t visible. The most important thing is to listen, really listen.”

Snyder awards credit to schoolteacher husband Rick (with whom she tied the knot three decades ago) and her parents Jeanne and Vic Ferrante (both now retired educators), with being the wind beneath her wings. The support of these family members also proved to be a blessing following an orthopedic surgery in 2008. By this time, Snyder had added the initials HTCP to her credentials.

Both vocational paths served Snyder well while preparing her body, mind and spirit for – and following – the orthopedic surgery, which entailed weeks of long and arduous PT sessions, to repair and restore function of her right knee. “It was a very complicated procedure that involved significant reconstruction –including the need for needing two new ligaments. It definitely helped that I was able to apply what I’d learned in Healing Touch to help open up the energy flow in my knee to foster acceptance of the new ligaments. Healing Touch also helped me cope with surgical swelling and pain. Even so, it sometimes seemed like I’d been walking on crutches forever. And nothing but PT would ensure total restoration of function. This was when I sometimes had to remind myself: ‘Just because you’re in pain doesn’t mean you have to be a pain.’ I really had to practice what I’d been preaching!”

To learn more, please email Laura at bspa.healingtouch@gmail.com.

How meeting Sister Rita Jean DuBrey changed Laura’s life…

It was a desire to spend as much time as possible with sons Garrett and Kason during their pre-school years that led devoted mom Laura Snyder to limit her hours as a Physical Therapist to part-time. But after both lads became full-time students, Snyder decided to respond to a newspaper ad seeking Healing Touch Buddies for breast cancer survivors to be trained by Sister Rita Jean DuBrey, RN, MSN, HTCP/I at St. Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam.

“Even as a child, I’d known I wanted to go into some kind of medical healing profession, but in hindsight I think I was too busy caring for my kids to really think about how I might pursue a related vocation. After meeting Sister Rita Jean and learning everything I could about how to become a Healing Touch Certified Practitioner (HTCP), I resolved to do just that. Once I started the program in 2005, it felt like I’d been doing it my whole life.” 

After three years of attending classes, studying and mentorship experiences in addition to her part-time PT position at LaMarco Physical Therapy, Snyder was ready to open a private practice. A major beneficiary of some of her earliest Healing Touch treatments was her beloved brother James Ferrante, who passed away at age 49 in January 2012. 

“Jim’s prolonged and valiant battle with kidney disease ultimately involved dialysis and multiple surgeries, including two valve replacements and a partial artificial heart. Although there were many times when I felt helpless to medically assist him, I could always provide comfort and relief through energy healing. Jim’s wellness journey was a tremendous inspiration for me to earn my Healing Touch certification; you might say I take him with me in every treatment because our experiences together left an indelible impression on my mind and spirit,” reflects Snyder. “I’ve since worked with many patients who are struggling with major health challenges and it warms my heart when they tell me that Healing Touch can give them what medicine alone cannot.”

Those too infirm to travel to the peaceful Rowland Street practice Snyder now shares with Christina Slade, PT, HTCP, CCA, may book house calls. In addition, many a Healing Touch treatment has taken place in Saratoga County hospitals and Hospice/palliative settings. 

Stress is a huge factor in having health problems and chronic sleep issues.  It’s easy to get stuck in the quicksand of every-day life and become unconsciously in the habit of constant worry.  This type of thought pattern releases adrenaline into your body and causes you to live in a state of chronic anxiety. 

The key to developing healthier thought patterns is to engage in what I call easy energy shifters all day long.  These exercises will begin to train your mind to be in a place of rest and ease, allowing you more joy in every- day life.

An energy shifter exercise is a short out-loud set of affirmations you can do anytime and anywhere.  They are meant to help you enhance your self-esteem, peace of mind and overall well-being.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Stair Affirmations:

Whenever you go up the stairs in your home, an office building or anywhere, say a positive adjective on each step.  For instance, “I am strong, I am healthy, I am full of joy, I am full of peace, I am blessed.”  This exercise makes you stop and think of positive words which immediately reduces stress in the body. 

Dishwasher Blessings:

Unloading the dishwasher used to be a chore I really did not like.  I would find ways to avoid doing it and would pray if I waited long enough my husband would beat me to the punch.  One day I realized I was creating lots of emotional drama around a very simple task.  The amount of time I spent resisting the task was a waste of time and a build-up of negative emotion.

I now use this time to say (out-loud!) things I am thankful for.  This helps keep my perspective balanced and reminds me of how blessed I am in every-day life.  Dare I say I now look forward to emptying the dishwasher?  That may be a stretch, but I’m no longer participating in energy draining drama over this task.

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Folding Laundry:

Again, this chore can make us feel overwhelmed and immediately drain our energy when we spend time thinking about all the laundry we fold.  Don’t let this task be a burden, use this time to do your affirmations and gratitude blessings! This will immediately give you a skip in your step and help shift your attitude. 

Stop Sign/Red Light – Present to be Present:

Every time you come to a stop sign or a red light, take a deep breath and focus on that breath.  This will turn the volume down on the noisy thoughts that shout at you all day.  Just taking short breaks each day to be present can help lower your blood pressure and

increase feelings of peace overall.  Use these every-day symbols as a reminder to slow down and take a breath.

Deodorant Affirmations:

A friend of mine swears the best time to do daily positive affirmations and intentions is when you put your deodorant on.  This is a task you do daily (hopefully!) so why not use it to enhance the good mojo within you? 

Affirmations and gratitude blessings don’t have to be daunting tasks.  Use these simple energy shifters daily and watch how your energy increases and your stress level starts to diminish!

You are worth it!