Living the Lab Life During a Pandemic

Since the pandemic arrived in our region in March 2020, one of the questions that has dominated just about every aspect of our daily lives is: “Am I positive or negative for COVID-19?” The answer to that question can be life changing for our patients, our people and our community as a whole. The CVPH Laboratory team dedicates itself to providing answers to that question and a long list of others 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Lab Manager for Microbiology and Qu [...]

What are you waiting for?

The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and easy to get

If you are waiting to get vaccinated, what specifically will end the waiting? If you are vaccinated but still masking, when will you decide it is safe enough? We don’t typically wait forever for anything. There is usually an “until.” What is your until? If you are waiting until there is more information about the COVID-19 vaccines, here are a few facts that may ease your concerns: As of June 11, 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported more t [...]

Comforting Contributions

Donated teddy bears help CVPH maternity patients cope during difficult times

No matter what you may be going through, it’s hard not to feel at least a little bit better when you are holding a soft teddy bear in your arms. That’s the idea behind the donation of 18 “Comfort Cubs” to the Alice T. Miner Women and Children’s Center at CVPH. The bears were dropped off at the hospital by North Country residents Beverly King and Tiffani Light, who are ambassadors with The Comfort Cub, a non-profit organization that provides the therapeutic b [...]

Emergency Department Nurse Honored With DAISY Award

Heather Cartee, RN nominated for life-changing care

It is not often that Tiffany Bombard, NRP, MD gets to work with Heather Cartee, RN in the Emergency Department at CVPH. When she does, however, she is thoroughly impressed. “Heather leads from the front,” Dr. Bombard noted in an email nominating Heather for the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. “She ultrasounds impossible IVs, stocks linen and thinks on her feet about medications and situations. She is happy. She works hard. She is a fantastic team player who encourages [...]

Paying it Forward for Patients

Why Janet Mann Gives

You do not need to be at the bedside to realize the difference that donations make in the lives of our patients. Janet Mann, Supervisor of Patient Centered Care Management – Medical Home, has witnessed the need in our community first hand over the past decade. During her time at Medical Home, the team has helped countless patients secure everything from medications, blood pressure cuffs and scales to durable medical equipment, all while ensuring that patients are educated about their tr [...]

Giving Back to The Foundation Supports Employee Growth

As a mother of two young children, Maria Latinville, MS sees growth in some form just about every day. Growth is also a big part of what drives her and the work she does at CVPH. “So when we think about the three things that we focus on here every day, our patients, our people and our community, my job has a huge impact on the people who take care of the patients,” Maria explained. “And that work feels really good to me. I love when I help someone grow within their current r [...]

Reflecting on a Year of COVID-19

We have reached a sad moment in our ongoing fight against COVID-19: it has been one year since our first inpatient death from the virus at CVPH. Since April 10, 2020, we have lost 28 souls at the hospital to this unprecedented public health crisis. They were mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, adult children, grandparents, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, and cousins. They were friends, colleagues and neighbors - our patients. Each profound loss represents what could have been, if [...]

This is Our Shot

How COVID-19 vaccinations can open doors

If we all want to get back to the things we’ve missed most since the beginning of the pandemic, it’s time to shift our thinking about what getting vaccinated means. As COVID-19 spread across the globe, those of us in medicine believed that a vaccine would even-tually be our way out – a return to normalcy. As it turned out, three have been developed and approved for use. They work tremendously well in preventing the worst outcomes from this virus: hospitalization and death [...]

Caring for the Community Beyond These Walls

Nurse Practitioner Speaks About Giving Back

It’s been nearly 30 years since Jacqueline Riley, NP-C came to SUNY Plattsburgh from Long Island, New York for nursing school. In that time, she has become very familiar with the community that she cares for on a daily basis. “We’re a pretty tight knit community here,” Jacqueline, a Senior Nurse Practitioner at The University of Vermont Health Network-Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital’s (CVPH) Skilled Nursing Facility and Adult Mental Health unit, recalled. &l [...]

A Gift for the Heart

Why Nancy Houth Gives

Nancy Houth, an exercise specialist, has seen a lot in her three decades at CVPH. She has worked with pulmonary rehab patients, helped diabetes patients achieve their weight goals and guided cardiology patients down a path back to better health. Regardless of her role, Nancy said one of the most rewarding aspects for her is seeing patients she works with get better throughout the process. “I’ll see a patient in a stress test, and they have a bad test. So I send them to the cath la [...]