Today's milestone for the community

At 4:48 p.m. today, Dr. John McCabe and I signed the final documents, completing the sale of Community General Hospital to SUNY Upstate Medical University, effective 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.

This is a milestone for health care in Central New York. This allows our hospital to continue its service to the community under the aegis of Upstate. This allows the physicians on the medical staff to continue serving their patients at the Community General campus. This keeps most employees in jobs and brings the significant potential of a larger hospital and the academic world.

This helps our hospital prepare for the many changes coming from health care reform, as well as from the challenging demographics and economy.

Achieving this milestone has taken the hard and conscientious work of many, including and especially Dr. David Smith, University's President, Dr. John McCabe, University Hospital's President, and their highly capable staffs.

Community General's board of directors has consistently kept in mind the best interests of patients and the community-at-large, as well as the hospital's stakeholders.

My thanks to Steve Infanti, our board chair, for the past nine years of his leadership (and for many more years, before that). I thank John Hession, Chet Amond, Jim Getman, and all our board members, including the physicians whose participation has been invaluable.

The State Health Department worked diligently to review Upstate's certificate of need application, including the detailed due diligence that was completed within the Department's otherwise demanding agenda from across the state. In fact, all divisions of government, including the Governor's staff, the State University of New York, the Department of Budget, the Attorney General, and the State Controller worked carefully and in a focused way to approve the complex transaction.

I would like to acknowledge the many elected officials who supported the Upstate-community combination, and I specifically reference State Senator John DeFrancisco, whose work was personal and unflagging on behalf of the acquisition. County Executive Joanie Mahoney also was very helpful.

Excellus, the area's largest health insurer, has worked for this moment for more than a dozen years by sponsoring community studies and by encouraging hospitals such as Community General to work toward a well-planned consolidation. My special thanks goes to David Klein, Chairman of the Lifetime Healthcare Companies (the parent company of Excellus) and to Chris Booth, CEO of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield of CNY.

I salute Community's employees who, despite worry, uncertainty, and distractions, always understood our hospital's unique role in the community and the importance of our continued caring. Finally, Community's management team deserves laurels for staying the course, for working hard in support of the combination, and for keeping the focus on patient services and quality throughout the complex process.

As I wrote recently to the board, there have been many instances of heroism and stamina in bringing the Upstate-Community combination to fruition. Too many, in fact, to recount, and so many, I do not know all of them.

In recent weeks many have expressed appreciation to me for Upstate's support and for the honorable way Upstate has worked with Community General and its employees. Such expressions have meant a lot to me, especially the kind words from individual employees and from patients and families.

To all who made this possible, thank you and congratulations. My best wishes to you, to Upstate, and to the community that is the ultimate beneficiary of this milestone.

From the Board Chairman

This letter from Steven Infanti, Sr., appears today in the Post-Standard.

Much has been written about Upstate Medical University’s planned acquisition of Community General Hospital. This combination will have significant benefits for our community and our region.

Health care is changing — not gradually, but rapidly. Cost pressures, changes in physician practices and progressive changes in Medicare and Medicaid all make it increasingly difficult for smaller, stand-alone hospitals to continue their services.

However, there also exist opportunities for doctors and hospitals to work together in new ways and in new structures to improve health care services and quality.

As part of Upstate, Community General Hospital will be in a larger, better positioned health care system. Upstate has a regional mission, one that becomes more important as health care reforms are realized. Today, Upstate is operating at essentially full capacity, and it needs to expand.

Community General Hospital has available capacity, and it brings to the table a strong reputation, a history of service and a 42-acre health care campus in which our community has already invested.

Upstate’s acquisition of Community General will make the best use of existing health care resources and will provide a cost-effective means for Upstate to grow clinical services and develop its teaching role.

Together the combination will be more than the sum of its parts.

● It solves two problems with one cost-effective stroke. Upstate’s capacity limitations will be solved and increased patient volume at Community General will improve overall financial performance.

● The cost of services at Community General’s campus will be spread over a larger base of operations. This will, over time, achieve efficiencies not possible as a stand-alone hospital.

● Community General’s 1,100 employees will be maintained substantially intact, preserving jobs and providing Upstate with a skilled workforce, already in place.

● Changes in Upstate’s medical staff bylaws accommodate the private medical practices that depend upon, and support, Community General Hospital. And Upstate’s stronger clinical platform will broaden specialty services for patients using the Community General campus.

● The Community General campus will maintain a broad complement of services, including emergency, acute care and outpatient care, continuing access for residents of its primary service area.

● This transaction is right for patients, for doctors and for employees. Most importantly, it is right for residents in and around Central New York.

Community’s board of directors has carefully planned this strategic affiliation. We have used independent consultants, and we have spent countless hours in study and consideration, including the examination of different scenarios about how best to serve the community.

Having analyzed the facts, we feel, unanimously, that the combination of Community General Hospital with Upstate Medical University is the right decision for Syracuse and Central New York.

-- Steven J. Infanti Sr. is chair of Community General Hospital’s board of directors.

A remarkable man

In about two hours, there will be a funeral in Williamsville, NY for an 88-year old Italian immigrant who came to America during the Great Depression, who was a decorated World War II fighter pilot, and who became a noted test pilot.

Nello Infanti was the father of Steven Infanti, who is Chairman of the Board at Community General Hospital. I never met Mr. Infanti, but I feel I know him from stories Steve has told over the years. He was a remarkable man.

▪ During World War II, Nello Infanti flew 63 combat missions in a P-38 over Africa, Europe, and Russia.

He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Seven Oak Leaf Clusters.

▪ He earned an Aeronautical Engineering Degree from Rennsselaer Polytecnic Institute, plus many hours of post graduate studies at the University of Buffalo and Edwards Air Force Base.

▪ He worked for 40 years at the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory and became its Chief Test Pilot in 1963. Mr. Infanti flew over 100 types of aircraft, many highly classified.

▪ He trained over over 800 test pilots, more than 40 of whom became astronauts. He flew with Neil Armstrong and Buz Aldrin. He also flew all the X-15 pilots, shuttle, B-1, B-2 and F-17 pilots.

▪ Mr. Infanti was a Fellow in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.

There is a report about this remarkable man in the Buffalo News, along with his obituary.

I extend my condolences to Steve Infanti, to his mother Louise, and to the entire family.

Dr. Joe Smith & the Center for Orthopedics

There were many poignant moments at Thursday's ribbon cutting for the new Center for Orthopedics as dignitaries recognized the work of Dr. Joseph Smith, a retired member of the medical staff who was severely injured in an accident in 2008.

Dr. Smith served as chairman of the orthopedics department at Community General Hospital for many years. He helped lay the foundation for the service that was recognized last week for its high quality.

That's Dr. Smith in the operating room photo, taken about 2004. He is second from the left.

Praise for Dr. Smith began with Board chair Steve Infanti, who was at the podium to receive awards recognizing the quality of Community's orthopedics program.

The first award was presented by Dr. Marybeth McCall, regional chief medical officer for Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. Excellus' BlueDistinction designation recognizes the quality of Community's spine surgery, as well as its hip and knee replacement surgery.

Allison Leavey of HealthGrades presented Steve with the overall orthopedics excellence award, earned by Community for the fourth straight year. Ms. Leavey also acknowledged HealthGrades' honors for Community's spine surgery, hip and knee replacements, and hip fracture repair.

In accepting the awards, Steve paid tribute to Dr. Smith for the quality of orthopedics, as well as for the growth of the orthopedics service.

Dr. Rick Zogby, chair of orthopedics, in the photo at left, followed Steve with his own spontaneous and heartfelt tribute to his colleague and friend, Dr. Smith.

This was echoed by another speaker, State Senator John DeFrancisco, in the photo below, who told the audience of his lifelong friendship with Dr. Smith. The Senator and the doctor were students together at Christian Brothers Academy years ago.

Following the ribbon cutting by Chief Nursing Officer Christine Stryker, orthopedic nurse manager Wendy Osgood, and area dignitaries, guests and colleagues toured the 25,000 square-foot Center for Orthopedics, which features 36 private rooms and a spacious gym overlooking downtown Syracuse and Onondaga Lake.

The Center features many improvements, among them:

- A silent nurse call system to reduce noise for patients.

- Decentralized nursing stations so professional staff is close to patients.

- Ergonomic flooring for the nurses who spend so much time on their feet.

- A physical therapy gym to help patients recover faster and more comfortably.

- Wi-fi Internet access for all patients.

- Tempur-Pedic mattresses on beds that can help prevent falls and even weigh patients.

- PVC-free wall covering and vinyl-free flooring.

- LED down lights and other features to conserve power.

- Plumbing that reduces water consumption.

The Center for Orthopedics was funded by $7.6 million from a grant awarded under New York State's Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law (HEAL). The HEAL grant was given to Community for its compliance with the decisions of the Commission on Healthcare Facilities for the 21st Century ("Berger Commission").

My thanks, especially to Ken Redmore, Community's Director of Facilities and Construction, who managed the project from start to finish, through design, bidding, build-out, including all state approvals and coordination. He brought the project to completion on time and within budget.

There were many colleagues and friends at the opening ceremonies, and I appreciated the presence, among them, of Dr. Paul Kronenberg, president and CEO of Crouse Hospital -- Community General's prospective merger partner.

As lovely as the new Center is, we all know that facilities alone do not assure excellence. Only people do that. Community's orthopedics service relies upon its excellent people: from the orthopedic surgeons, to the operating room and nursing staff, as supported by physical therapists, other ancillary staff, and the entire support team.

It is great to see our staff recognized and our patients the beneficiaries of an excellent facility. They begin to use the new Center this week.

It will be fun

There are two things that distinguish the annual fund raiser to be held by the Community General Foundation next Friday, October 24, at the Hotel Syracuse. They are: it is a casual dress affair, and it is a darn good party.

That means you can wear jeans (the theme, after all, is “jeans and jewels”). It also means that any formalities will be short and sweet, allowing the evening to be enjoyed as a great party by all who attend.

There will be fine dining – the meals are catered by Pascale – and fine music, as provided by two Syracuse musical institutions: jazz vocalist Ronnie Leigh, along with R&B masters, the Blacklites. With talent like that, you know it will be fun! The photo shows the Blacklites at the 2007 gala - they will be back by popular demand.

The fun, of course, is for a very good cause. Proceeds from this year’s gala will help support Community General’s investment in state-of-the-art medical tools, such as the daVinci® System for robot-assisted surgeries, digital mammography at the Wellspring Breast Center, and the new pharmacy robot for virtually error-free medication dispensing.

The Foundation will take a moment to honor its three special guests:

▪ Steve Infanti will be honored for his years of service service to Community General Hospital. A member of the Hospital Board of Directors since 1999, Steve has served as its Chair since 2002. Before joining the hospital, he was a director of the Community General Foundation, where he also served as Chair.

▪ Being honored for service to community will be the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). ESF is the nation’s oldest (and largest) college dedicated to the study of the environment, developing renewable technology and building a sustainable future. Under the leadership of Dr. Neil Murphy, ESF has been consistently ranked among the top American universities by US News & World Report.

▪ For medical excellence, the Foundation will honor Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (SOS), a group of 21 orthopedic surgeons who are leaders bone and joint care in Central New York. With seven locations throughout the Syracuse area, SOS surgeons are known for responsive, high quality medical care. At Community General, the Orthopedic Department has 100% SOS members – because of their quality and leadership, Community's orthopedic services are ranked among the best in the state.

The gala is close to sold-out, but there are some tickets remaining. If you want to support a great cause (and enjoy a great party), contact the Community General Foundation at 492-5079.

Brahm's lullaby announces each birth

What a wonderful event! On December 14 Congressman Jim Walsh and his wife, DeDe, helped cut the ribbon to dedicate the new Family Birth Center that is named after them. The Walshes were joined by the Snyders. Wendy Snyder gave birth to each of her three children at CGH, and she is expecting her fourth in February.

At the ribbon-cutting were, from left, Dr. Howard Weinstein, Chair, Department of OB/GYN; Christine O’Connell More, Chair, Community General Foundation; Congressman Jim and DeDe Walsh; Rob Snyder with son Joshua and daughter Katherine; Wendy Snyder with daughter Anna; myself; and Steve Infanti, Chair, Community General Hospital.

The new center is filled with special touches, from wood trim to frosted glass side panels, each with a decorative rose. The bathrooms have tile floors and whirlpool baths. Linen shelves may be stocked from outside each room, and each laboring mom will have a soft bathrobe. There are three triage rooms, six LDR rooms (labor-delivery-recovery), and two rooms for C-Sections.

Another special feature of the new center is a recording that announces the birth of a baby to the entire hospital. At the dedication ceremonies Laura Smith, LPN, demonstrated the chime recording of Brahms' Lullaby. Mrs. Smith, who with Dr. Weinstein unceremoniously raised a hammer last spring to start the demolition of the old unit, has been a CGH employee in Labor & Delivery since December 26, 1962 – five days before the first baby was born at Community Hospital.

Our thanks to the US Government for the $1 million grant secured by Congressman Walsh, and to the donors of some $338,000 in additional funds that have been contributed to the birth center. The total cost is $1.9 million, and donations are being accepted by the Community General Foundation’s “Pay it Forward” capital campaign.

Thank you, all!

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This text was originally sent to the employees of Community General Hospital, Syracuse, NY, as one of a series of letters from the CEO. The text was subsequently posted on the CEO's blog, More than Medicine, started in June 2007.