SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Hospital is tapping technology to continue to meet patients’ needs during the coronavirus pandemic. The hospital offers telehealth appointments to outpatients who can’t or don’t need to be seen face-to-face, including video urgent care appointments at Malta Med Emergent Care.

“Our patients come first, and we want to make sure they feel safe and cared for,” said Kimberly Leon, director of specialty practices for Saratoga Hospital Medical Group. “Caring for patients doesn’t stop simply because the world is experiencing a crisis.”

Saratoga Hospital Medical Group is the hospital’s multispecialty practice of doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The group has more than 250 providers in over 30 medical specialties. Many whose patients can be served remotely are taking advantage of the telehealth option.

“In some cases, maybe the patient can wait,” Leon said. “But if they’re anxious and would feel better being seen by their healthcare provider, a telehealth visit can provide some much-needed and beneficial reassurance.”

Telehealth technology also appeals to sick patients who are worried they will be exposed to the new coronavirus if they seek treatment at a healthcare facility. For these patients, Malta Med Emergent Care, a joint venture of Saratoga Hospital and Albany Med, offers virtual urgent care appointments from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

To request an appointment, patients can go online, click on“Book a Telehealth Appointment,” and answer a list of questions. If their condition can be diagnosed and treated remotely, patients receive a text notifying them of their appointment. At the scheduled time, depending on the make of their device, patients receive a video call via FaceTime or an email invite from Webex to join their visit. 

“We’re hearing that people are afraid to come in,” said Lisa West, site administrator at Malta Med Emergent Care. “As long as we can see the patient, we should be able to diagnose most urgent care problems. We’d rather see them virtually as soon as possible, so we can begin treatment and prevent them from getting worse.

“We’ve always been here for the community,” she added, “and we don’t want that to change because of the coronavirus.”

Saratoga Hospital also is sensitive to the concerns of family members who cannot visit hospitalized patients during the pandemic. Dr. Kevin Dooley and physician assistant Seana Mosher, of the hospital’s Inpatient Transition Program, provide phone updates to keep families in the loop.

 “We know that our restricted visitation policy, while necessary, places an extra burden on patients and family and friends who cannot visit,” said Dooley, medical director of the program, which helps high-risk hospital patients successfully transition to home. “Seana and I are checking in on inpatients and updating their families.

“We’re letting them know the extra steps we’re taking during this unprecedented time and reassuring them that their loved ones are receiving the best possible care,” he added.

 Family members can request an update from Dooley or Mosher by calling 518-886-5060.

BALSTON SPA — Saratoga County officials – featuring staff from the Department of Public Health, the Office of Mental Health and Office of Emergency Services – hosted a Facebook Live event April 14. Among the information they shared is the following: 

• As of April 14: 229 county patients had tested positive for the coronavirus and 122 of those 229 have recovered at this time.

• Fifteen people were hospitalized, and of those, five people were on ventilators. This number is down from the eight people who were on ventilators one day earlier; the three people who came off the ventilators were in stable condition. All those hospitalized are Saratoga County residents. 

• Approximately 1,000 people had been quarantined under a mandatory quarantine/isolation order. Those 1,000 people had been in contact with the 229 people who had tested positive.  Of those, 539 had since been cleared, released from quarantine and have recovered.

“What the public health department is doing is when someone is positive there is an infectability period and we look at every move that person made during that time frame. They identify to us where they’d been and who they’d been in contact with. We then reach out to each individual who is then at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 and we place them in isolation. That way if they become ill, they will not infect others.” 

Testing sites: Saratoga Hospital has limited capacity; Albany has a drive-thru at the campus of SUNY- Albany campus, and Warren County has a testing site at their municipal site. 

How to take a test: “Warren County requires a prescription from a doctor and an appointment. For Albany, you can go to the New York State Department of Health website where you can fill out a form to receive the test. However, they’re not testing everybody.  There is a priority for someone who is ill and showing symptoms of illness, as well as health care workers.  If you’re asymptomatic and you just want to have a test because you’re worried, then you may not be tested at this time. If you’re asymptomatic – you’ve had no symptoms, but you’ve been in contact with someone who’s tested positive, you’d be higher on the list.” 

Is testing for antibodies available in the area? Not yet. Antibody testing is coming along, and there is a ramping up and developing of capabilities to widely disseminate testing, but it hasn’t come to the area yet. There is a trial underway at Albany Med St. Peter’s that gives plasma from people who have recovered from COVID to patients who are actively affected. People who have recovered can also have their antibodies tested as part of being a donor for that program. 

Why has there been no disclosure of specific municipalities within the county where residents have tested positive? “We have cases in every area of our county, cases in every zip code. Giving zip codes at this point could be giving out a false sense of security of people are thinking: ‘oh there’s only one case that lives in my area.’  You have to assume that everyone has (the potential) to be positive at this time.” 

The Department of Public Health encourages all individuals to wear a mask any time they are out in public. Given mask shortages, it directs residents to the CDC website as a helpful resource that outlines how to wear a mask and instructions on how to make a homemade mask. That link can be accessed at:  www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

QUEENSBURY — A drive-up novel coronavirus public testing site opened in Queensbury April 9 providing the availability of COVID-19 tests for residents of Warren, Washington, Saratoga, Hamilton and Essex counties, according to Warren County Public Health Services. 

The mobile site is the second in the region, a new state-run drive-up test site opened on the University at Albany campus on April 6. 

Glens Falls Hospital and Warren County Public Health Services worked together to open the most recent public testing site on the Warren County Municipal Center campus.

According to a statement, the site will be open for drive-up public testing only for those who have obtained medical authorization. Anyone who believes they should be tested should contact their medical provider. Those wishing to have a test performed will need to get an order from their health provider, who will then contact Warren County Public Health Services to arrange a time for the test. The site will be staffed by Glens Falls Hospital personnel in personal protective equipment.

Testing site staff will be able to handle 50 or so tests per day between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Friday. Results through a state laboratory will take 3 to 5 days.

The Municipal Center is located off Route 9 in Queensbury, near Exit 20 of the Northway. Those who have doctors’ orders for a test will follow electronic signs on Route 9 that will direct them to the testing location at the rear of the county complex. They will be asked to enter the Municipal Center through Glen Lake Road.

WILTON — H.O.P.E.’s 17th annual Spring Walk for the Animals has gone “virtual.” 

This April 25, help us continue to save local homeless and abandoned animals by taking a walk at any time of the day with your dogs, family, children or just you while knowing you’re contributing to our life saving work in our community and beyond. 

Your registration donation of ANY amount via our website or by check to our new Wilton Mall address will ensure that you’ll be a part of this new and exciting virtual fundraiser! Be sure to notate that your donation is your “walk registration fee.” 

The first 100 participants will receive a nice gift of a doggie blanket, dog toy, or dog treats, and can pick them up at the Pet Center when we reopen. You can also participate in our traditional contests to win great prizes by sending in your videos and photos to HOPE2994@outlook.com. Notating any of the following contests:

• Best Doggy Smile
• Best Wagging Tail 
• Best Pet/Owner Look Alike
• Best Dressed Pet
• Best Trick

We’d love to see your fun walk videos. Thank you for your continued support of our mission for animals. We would not exist without you and the love we share for pets and all they bring into our lives.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — FLAG Saratoga announced in just one week they have raised more than $22,000 to help feed the front line workers during the Covid-19 pandemic while also keeping Saratoga-area restaurants in business. 

To kick off their efforts, staff members at Saratoga Hospital were treated to a delicious Easter Dinner on Sunday from Panzas Restaurant. To date, there have been more than 500 “FLAG” meals arranged and delivered to the front line workers at Saratoga Hospital, Wilton Medical Arts and Malta Medical Care. 

FLAG Saratoga was organized by four Saratoga residents: Nadine Burke, Becky Kern, Andrea Macy and Lisa Munter. It was inspired by an organization that had started in New Jersey and has grown into a national movement with local chapters in 21 states and growing. 

Working along with the Saratoga Hospital Foundation as well as the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce. So far, more than a dozen restaurants and eateries have signed up including: Panzas, Putnam Market, Saratoga Broadway Deli, the Palette Café and more.

The Saratoga Hospital Foundation will work directly with the restaurants in ordering, delivering and distributing meals based on the needs of the staff. There will also be break-room snacks and grab-and-go boxes also provided.

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that we have received from the entire community,” said co-founder, Nadine Burke. “I knew that Saratoga would be the perfect place to organize a local Flag group. Our area is filled with so many generous and resilient people who are always willing to give back and help each other.” 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Margaret Kuenzel returned to her home Wednesday afternoon after spending her morning at the food pantry where she has worked for the past year. 

“It’s a drive-thru these days,” she explains in this age of essential employees in the era of social distancing. She is one of six at St. Clement’s on Lake Avenue – where Marianne McGhan coordinates the outreach program – bagging produce and canned foods, laundry detergent and toothpaste and leaving them on a table outside of St. Clement’s Chapel for their customers who need them.

Kuenzel had worked as Family And Consumer Science, or FACS, teacher for 36 years prior to her retirement. And even as her earliest roots date to Hyde Park, NY, the great-granddaughter of legendary trainer “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons has lengthy traces to the Spa City. “My mom came to Saratoga every summer, following the horses and it was funny that I ended up here too,” she says. “We started a little racing stable as a hobby and have a few horses that win sometimes. My husband Charlie is a Saratoga native.” 

The couple’s son Matthew grew up in Saratoga Springs and since relocated to North Carolina where he works for a consulting firm. “Matt called me and said he and his coworkers wanted to do something to support the health care workers there in North Carolina.” They heard about a need for masks and Matt and his co-workers set out to create some. “He said to me: ‘ And I’m using the home and career skills  I learned in 8th grade in Maple Avenue in Saratoga Springs.’ That did my heart good to hear that,” Kuenzel says. “I’d been thinking about making masks, so I asked him if he wanted some help.” 

{loadmoduleid 268}

Historians trace the history of respiratory protection back nearly 2,000 year to Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, who had used loose animal bladder skins to filter dust from being inhaled while crushing cinnabar. 

“I had been thinking about the masks as a FACS,” Kuenzel says. “The whole idea of being low in Personal Protective Equipment was astonishing to me.” She enlisted the assistance of three colleagues – two retired FACS teachers and one current teacher at Saratoga Springs High School – to help with the effort.

The group consists of retired Saratoga teachers Kuenzel, Shari Keller, and Dale Walton, as well as Kristin Harrod – a current FACS teacher at Saratoga Springs High School. “So, she is going through all of the Internet classrooms and lesson planning with students, and helping us on the side,” Kuenzel says. 

In addition to working on masks tabbed for North Carolina health workers, Walton is also sewing masks for city workers in Saratoga Springs as well as for Saratoga Hospital. “So, across two states, and with little tentacles that go everywhere,” Kuenzel says. 

“It takes us about a half-hour to make a mask and we try to make between eight and ten masks a day. I just shipped a box of 50 masks yesterday. When we go out I do see a variety of homemade masks and most look very similar to the ones we are producing: a rectangle of fabric, pleated with elastic that will go over the ears and situate in place.” All the fabrics have been washed with hot water and dried on high heat. 

How long will she do it? “Charlotte is a little behind where New York is with the virus. My son was been hearing that they should peak in the next two to three weeks so we – the women I’m working with – we just sent 50 down and I think the four of us can make another 100 masks.”

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Healthcare workers are national heroes right now as they battle this scary thing called COVID-19, but life doesn’t stop for them, not even wedding planning.

Fine Affairs, a wedding and event planning company, has teamed up with several local companies to give one healthcare hero the wedding they deserve through their Wedding Relief Package. 

“Our team was brainstorming about how we can offer our support to local front line healthcare workers and Laura, myself, and Geriann were on a call last Friday just going back and forth about what we could do and what ways we could help. We thought well why not give a package to a bride or groom who is fighting every day and could use a little light. Then we asked a few other vendors what their thoughts were and if they would be interested in contributing in any way and they all jumped in and said yes absolutely,” described Rachel from Fine Affairs.

THE PACKAGE INCLUDES:

• Decor & Rental Items from Fine Affairs
• Floral Credit from Surroundings Floral Studio
• Ceremony and Cocktail Hour Live Acoustic Music by Jay Yager
• Wedding Coordination Services fromWendy Lawrence Weddings & Events 
• Bridal Hair & Makeup by Blush518

  Total value of over $7,500!

This giveaway works on a nomination system: @FineAffairsInc and on Instagram @FineAffairs and tag your hero in the comments. The hero with the most tags is the winner, which will be announced on May 1st. 

“We have all been surrounded by the wedding industry for a long time so we know that it’s super stressful planning a wedding in general. As we were brainstorming, we couldn’t imagine what one of these healthcare heroes is going through while their day to day is what it is right now and the wedding is not only on the back burner, but is still hanging over them in the planning process,” said project manager Laura Simiele from Communicate Differently.

{loadmoduleid 268}

All other partners in this endeavor are happy to provide their services:

“This is such an amazing opportunity to give back to our frontline workers. I am honored to be a part of this project and look forward to helping the couple plan the wedding of their dreams,” said Wendy from Wendy Lawrence Wedding and Events.

“The Surroundings Team would like to express our gratitude to our local health care heroes for putting your lives on the line to save lives in this very challenging time,” said the Surrounding Florals team.

“This is the very least we can do for some people who are always doing the most they can do. I couldn’t be more honored to be part of the project,” Jay Yager stated.

“It’s an honor and privilege to give back to the health care community that has tirelessly cared for the rest of us,” Gwen from Blush518 said.

Since the launch of this campaign, several other local businesses have expressed an interest in providing their services to the lucky Healthcare Hero.

Go to Facebook @FineAffairsInc and on Instagram @FineAffairs and nominate your #HealthcareHero today!

BALLSTON SPA – A special meeting of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors will take place 3 p.m. on Friday, April 17, during which seven resolutions will be considered and potentially voted upon – the creation of a COVID-19 ad hoc committee among them.

The special meeting will be held remotely via videoconferencing and teleconferencing. The public meeting may be heard live via audio signal using the call-in number: 1-844-855-4444 and entering the Participant Passcode: 823993#

The seven resolutions to be consideration and potentially approved are:

1. Suspending Rule #1 of the Rules of the Board of 2020 for the month of April
2. Authorizing the county’s insurance coverages through May 8, 2021
3. Correcting a 2020 tax bill in the Town of Malta and authorizing a tax credit
4. Canceling 2020 taxes in the Town of Saratoga and authorizing the issuance of corrected tax bills

5. Authorizing transfer of funds from the Veterans Trust Fund and amending the 2020 budget in relation thereto

6. Authorizing the creation of a COVID-19 ad hoc committee
7. Approving Collective Bargaining Agreement with Saratoga County Sheriff Officers Association, Inc. (Corrections Unit) for 2019

In addition, the special meeting agenda shall include roll call and ratification of the call of the special meeting at the commencement of the agenda and the Chairman’s announcement of his appointments to the COVID-19 ad hoc committee at the conclusion of the agenda.

ALBANY – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new initiative Monday afternoon that involves a coalition of six mostly neighboring states to share information and address both public health and economy in discussions focused on coming up with a plan to potentially re-open schools, businesses and municipalities.

The six-state coalition will include a head of economic development, a head health official and the governor’s chief of staff from each state. “Six states, 18 people,” Cuomo said, during a special press conference called to announce the initiative Monday afternoon.

There are a variety of available options to a reopening strategy. Cuomo likened it to the careful opening of a valve. That is, enough to begin a return of the economy, but not too much as to cause the infection of a large segment of the population.

“If you want to open business, schools have to be open, to any large degree. You want to turn the valve a lot? Schools have to be open. Why? Because you can’t open businesses if people don’t have child care. Or, you can say: I’m not turning the valve that far, we’re going to ease into it, were going to phase into it. That’s what this group has to discuss.”    

An effective vaccine against COVID-19 is likely 18 months away. Two occurrences that would help the decision-making process – a rapid test for the new coronavirus that would indicate who is infected, as well as antibody tests — which could detect who had previously been infected with the virus and is potentially immune at present – have been slow to roll out from the federal government.   

{loadmoduleid 268}

Talks between the cooperative partnership will commence Tuesday, April 14. “This is about being smart. Follow the data, learn from the other countries,” Cuomo said.  Input will come from both healthcare and economic development experts, the governor added.

“I don’t believe that we come up with a fully common strategy. You have different states in different positions. Within this state you have different areas with different circumstances and the plan has to fit the facts of the circumstance. There may be one situation in New York, a different situation in rural counties, a different situation in suburban counties,” Cuomo said. “I want to make sure that we are smart in the way we are doing this for all the people we represent.”   

Monday afternoon’s presser included the leaders of the collaborating states, including Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, Gov. John Carney of Delaware, and Gov. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island.

Locally, the Saratoga County Department of Public Health announced on Sunday that there are 221 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Saratoga County- with 12 of those individuals hospitalized at this time. The Department also confirmed the county’s sixth death — a Saratoga County resident who had passed away in New Jersey.

Slightly different totals were posted by the New York State Department of Health which indicated 2,640 persons have been tested in Saratoga County, with 201 – or 7.6%, testing positive.

My daughter beat us in Rummikub again. As she ran to increase her tally on our scoreboard, my husband and I exchanged proud, defeated smiles. We all laughed. This new daily reprieve might just be keeping us sane.

Psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl’s 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning said we must find a sense of purpose to navigate hardship. Dr. John Gottman later applied Frankl’s work to relationships, explaining that shared meaning often sustains couples, even when relationships face challenges.

Working both as a therapist and in public service, I have been thinking about how shared meaning and how Frankl’s work may offer guidance in such challenging times.

Dr. Gottman says shared meaning includes four basic elements – rituals of connection, symbols, roles, and goals. The idea is that because each of us is unique, we create small microcultures existing nowhere else when we form relationships. That culture, made up of shared meaning, is what we would lose if the relationship ends. Like an inside joke, it’s just not as funny if the other person who gets it isn’t around.

We also have shared meaning in communities. We walk our kids to school, follow sports teams (rituals of connection) and wear school colors or fly flags (symbols). We work, volunteer, or raise families in ways that contribute to our communities (roles), and plan for our financial futures, hoping for good lives for our children (goals).

For many of us, that normal sense of meaning has been shattered. It is up to us to find a new normal, with a sense of shared meaning that rises to the occasion. As Frankl said, “when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

FDR gave his first fireside chats during the Great Depression, increasing them in frequency after the country went to war. During national uncertainty, that new ritual provided comfort and brought Americans together around their radios. While the term “potluck” existed long before the depression, the tradition of sharing a communal meal with everyone pitching in helped people stay connected and stretched what little they had during times of scarcity.

Rituals of connection during this time of quarantine include people going outside to clap at the same time to honor first responders, and virtual social hours, religious services, and classroom meetings are keeping us connected. In my family, we have started a fierce daily rummikub competition that is part of our new evening routine.

{loadmoduleid 268}

The rainbows coloring our neighborhood’s windows symbolize shared meaning. The candles on our porches symbolize gratitude. During World War II, the “V” for victory hand gesture, made famous by Churchill, was created as a symbol for resistance fighters. Rosie the Riveter appeared on posters as a rallying cry for women to help the war effort.

Rosie the Riveter also represented changing roles during wartime. With soldiers away, many women trained for new jobs. During the depression, many who lost jobs found new roles through WPA projects. According to the New York Times, during the 1918 flu epidemic, even Boy Scouts became enforcers of health protocols, issuing warnings to people who spit in public and violated sanitary codes.

Today, how many of us are learning the new roles of homeschool teacher or remote worker? Healthcare providers serve where the need is greatest. Businesses have become mask, sanitizer, and medical device manufacturers. Essential workers have become our heroes.

The last element of Gottman’s shared meaning is goals. During the energy crisis, President Carter wore a sweater, asking people to conserve. During the depression, banks began to recover when people answered FDR’s call to redeposit their savings. We are truly dependent on each other now, making shared goals more important than ever.

We must develop the shared goals of staying home and practicing social distancing to protect ourselves, loved ones, essential workers and our community. We must embrace supporting our local businesses now when they need it most. We must resist the urge to hoard. We must win at least one rummikub game!

If we absorb these lessons from history, we can see that Frankl was right. Our rituals may have to change, but we can still connect. We may be called to stretch into new roles, but we can adapt. We will find symbols of hope and aspire to be part of the solution.  Frankl said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” If we choose to respond by embracing a shared sense of purpose and meaning, we will get through this together.

Diana Palmer is a therapist in private practice and past president of the New York Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Albany- Hudson Valley Chapter. She is the 3rd Ward Councilwoman for the City of Glens Falls and a Doctoral Candidate in Law And Policy at Northeastern University.