Overcoming Sudden Heart Failure Diagnosis

Patient shares story ahead of Stepping Out for Your Heart Event

A decision to seek out additional insurance may very well have saved Teri Frederick’s life. After learning she has congestive heart failure, the 53-year-old from West Chazy is now hoping to inspire others to listen closely to their heart and body and speak up about worrying symptoms. A whirlwind of events for Frederick began in the spring of 2022, when she was denied an additional life insurance policy following a routine physical exam. Frederick considered herself to be fit and relativ [...]

Read More

Cardiac Rehab Nurse Puts her Heart in Health Care

Shirley Doolen, RN has been with CVPH for more than three decades, including the last 20 years in Cardiac Rehabilitation. She works with patients who have had a cardiac event, ranging from a heart attack to bypass surgery and valve repair or replacement. Each patient typically spends about 12 weeks with Shirley and her team, learning about exercise, diet modifications and medications. “The job here isn’t to make people physically fit,” Shirley explained. “The job here [...]

Read More

Cath Lab Nurse Recognized for Heartfelt Care

Monica Buskey, BSN, RN Makes a Difference With Her Patients

A CVPH Cath Lab nurse has been honored for a second time with a Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) award for the difference she makes every day with her patients. From a young age, Monica Buskey, BSN, RN, CV-BC, CSRN, TNS felt a sense of compassion for others and knew she wanted to help people. Those feelings were solidified while growing up in Churubusco, as she saw the tremendous care provided by nursing staff at the assisted living facility her grandparents stayed at. “I [...]

Read More

Cardiac Sonographer Spots Rare Heart Condition, Helping Save Patient’s Life

What started as chest and back pain for a northern New York man turned into life-saving open heart surgery just hours later thanks to the sharp eye of a Cardiac Sonographer at CVPH and her fast-acting cardiology colleagues across The University of Vermont Health Network. When the patient first arrived at Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone two days before Christmas, he underwent an EKG test that indicated he was suffering a heart attack. He was immediately given blood thinners and rushed to C [...]

Read More

Telemetry Technician's Curiosity Prevents Life-Threatening Heart Issue

Rhythms, waveforms and alarms keep CVPH Telemetry Technician Tonya LaFountain on her toes as she maintains a constant watch on her patients on R3 every day. It was Tonya’s attention to those details, a strong curiosity and a willingness to speak up that may ultimately have saved the life of a patient. On a morning last spring, Tonya was in the midst of the usual hustle and bustle of her work when she noticed something just did not seem right with one of her patients. The woman was being [...]

Read More

10 Minutes is Better Than No Minutes

Exercise… The word itself can spark anxiety for many. It’s easy to come up with excuses to avoid exercise, and even easier to fall into sedentary habits. Dylan Daniels, EP, CCEP, understands. As a Clinical Exercise Physiologist at UVM Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital Daniels’s job is to help patients who have avoided the “E” word and need help to get moving again. “Lots of people think that they just can’t do it,” s [...]

Read More

Broken Heart Syndrome

Ahhh February, the month of love!  And with love, occasionally comes heartbreak. With February being American Heart Month, it’s a perfect time to discuss “Broken Heart Syndrome,” also known as Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (TCM). Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy (also referred to as stress cardiomyopathy and apical ballooning syndrome, in addition to broken heart syndrome), is a temporary condition where the heart’s left ventricle (main pumping chamber) changes shape and gets [...]

Read More

Donations Helping Track Heart Patients

The Difference Donors Make

For CVPH cardiology patients, a relatively small device is having a big impact on the care they receive. And thanks to generous members of the community taking part in The Foundation of CVPH’s annual “Stepping Out for Your Heart” fundraiser, even more patients are able to benefit from those devices. They’re known as Holter monitors, which are a type of portable electrocardiogram (ECG) that records the electrical activity of the heart continuously from 24 to 96 hours. A [...]

Read More

CVPH Meets Retired Nurse's Lofty Expectations

Patient Received Urgent Care She Needed

Plattsburgh resident Barbara Thompson knows a thing or two about providing excellent care. The 96-year-old guided countless patients to better outcomes as a public health nurse in the city for more than a decade. But in the early morning hours of June 1, Thompson suddenly found herself on the receiving end of care. She woke up in the middle of the night with significant pain in the area of her left shoulder and immediately began worrying about a potential heart attack. A short time later, [...]

Read More

Going stir-crazy? Ideas for low-risk outdoor activities

Our bodies, young or old, need to move. It’s tempting during this time of important social isolation and government-issued stay at home orders to sit on the couch and watch a screen. It’s also important to keep our bodies active, even while remaining safely six feet apart. Under the current stay at home orders, you are allowed outside to exercise and do tasks around the house and yard. The National Fitness Activity Guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per w [...]

Read More

4 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy – Beyond Heart Month

It’s American Heart Month! We want to share four ways to keep you heart, mind, and body happy and healthy. The combination of eating right, working out, relieving stress and educating yourself– can help keep your heart pumping for years to come. Make sure to visit the American Heart Association for more tools and facts on heart health. Eat Healthy Does this sound like you? Your day is jam-packed and feeding your body isn’t on the schedule. When life gets busy, we may forg [...]

Read More

Building a Foundation for Less Stress and Good Health

In our society when we think about stress we think of the big stuff—the large, life-altering incidents that turn our lives upside down. But stress can come at us from every angle during even the most routine parts of our daily lives. Of course, a house fire, a car accident or a devastating medical diagnosis for ourselves or a family member are all stressful situations that must be navigated, but trying to get mittens on your toddler, getting milk in your coffee when you ordered cream or hi [...]

Read More

Mediterranean Diet: A Heart-Healthy Eating Plan

The Mediterranean diet was named the Best Diet Overall for 2019 by U.S. News. While this diet has landed at the top of the charts, it certainly isn’t anything new — it’s been around since the 1960s and is best known for its health benefits: longevity, weight loss, and disease prevention. Here’s everything you need to know about the Mediterranean diet. What is the Mediterranean diet? Leading nutrition scientists have studied the eating habits of Mediterranean peop [...]

Read More

Theresa Smith, RN Knew Taking Great Care of Her Patient Meant Caring for His 4-legged Friend

Theresa makes a difference every day.

Expect the unexpected. It’s the unwritten rule of healthcare. Just ask Theresa Smith, RN, a 31 year nursing veteran who began her shift in Cardiac Rehab expecting to supervise patients as they build stronger hearts but ended up taking care of Rachel, a dog whose owner needed to go the Emergency Department. The patient, a Vietnam veteran, had been in Cardiac Rehab for a few sessions so the morning route was familiar to him. “Our patient came in for his rehab and like always we put [...]

Read More

Healthy Fats: Easy Recipe Substitutions for a Delicious and Healthy Diet

Let’s look at how we can use the healthier fats to make delicious food. When it comes to cooking, it is important to know why ingredients are important to the recipe and how we can modify them. This is especially true of fats. Altering the fats in a recipe can drastically change the taste and texture. What Fats Do in Foods • Fats provide flavor and richness • Fats help retain moisture • Fats improve texture and promote flakiness and tenderness in baked goods [...]

Read More

How to Prevent Heart Disease at Any Age

Preventing heart disease means making smart choices now that will pay off for the rest of your life. Lack of exercise, poor diet and smoking habits take a toll on your body over the years. Anyone, no matter your age, can take simple steps to keep their heart healthy during each decade of life. It all starts with one small thing. All Age Groups Eat Heart Healthy Choose a healthy eating plan. The foods you eat may decrease your risk of heart disease and stroke. High blood press [...]

Read More

Seasoned Nurse Still Learning Today

Storm  Treanor, RN, makes her way through  the CVPH Emergency Department (ED) seemingly un-phased by the beeping and buzzing of technology and constant whirlwind of activity.   As a registered nurse with more than 50 years of experience, she currently works rotating shifts (per diem or as needed) in the ED and is in her element. “Currently, my full-time job is EMS Coordinator for Clinton County.  I coordinate education, certifications, supplies and logistics for [...]

Read More

Small Steps Can Offer Big Gains

Adding More Activity Into Your Lifestyle

For those seeking a healthier lifestyle for the New Year – and beyond – an improved diet should not be the only factor to consider. Yes, healthier food choices go a long way in helping people gain a better quality of life, but without some strategy for enhancing daily life activities, weight loss and improved physical fitness will be a daily struggle. “We suggest that people start off with small goals,” said Alissa Benware, a health and wellness specialist for the U [...]

Read More