Crouse Connects
Crouse isn’t just about healthcare. We’re about what we believe sets us apart: Carepassion™ .
We always say we’re not a ‘perfect’ hospital. But our physicians, nurses, providers and staff strive to listen to each patient and family member’s feelings and needs with the respect and dignity you deserve.
Our CrouseConnects blog is designed to talk about some of the ways we connect and do just that. How we work on achieving clinical advances that help us provide the best in patient care for our community and region. And how we try to tend to the “little things” — parking, getting around and dining, for example — to make anyone’s visit or stay at Crouse more welcoming and comfortable.
03/09/2022
Interventional Cardiology: Ensuring Optimal Outcomes for Heart Patients
By: Crouse News
Cardiology, the field of heart medicine, has evolved significantly over the last few decades. What were once fatal scenarios can now be mitigated with minimally invasive treatments pre-, mid-, and post-cardiac events. A subspecialty of cardiology encompasses interventional cardiologists, who perform various minimally invasive procedures. “Traditionally, our field involves stent placement, catheter-based procedures. Nowadays it’s…
Read more12/07/2021
Flu Shot: More Important Than Ever
By: Crouse News
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 are likely to continue to spread this winter. In fact, according to Crouse Health Chief Operating Officer/Chief Medical Officer, Seth Kronenberg, MD, we’re already seeing more community and hospital flu activity than all of last year. “Getting…
Read more11/23/2021
Don’t Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle: Coping with Holiday Stress
By: Laurie Clark
The holidays are a time of giving, joy and merriment, but for many, they can also be a big source of stress. In fact, according to a study by the American Psychological Association, 38 percent of people feel their stress levels increase during the holidays. Crouse experts Christine Kowaleski, DNP, MHNP-BC and Tolani Ajagbe, MD,…
Read more11/15/2021
Newfield Family Supports Baker NICU
By: Joshua Newfield
Race Update: Great New York State Marathon (“Loop the Lake”), Oct. 17 Josh completed his series of races with the Loop the Lake marathon in mid-October. Here is his update: “I was very excited to be running the first Great New York State Marathon. Moving towards this race I was feeling fantastic and looking forward…
Read more09/29/2021
Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Patient Transporter Melissa Duran
By: Crouse News
National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 to honor and celebrate the history, culture, influence, achievements and contributions of U.S. Latino and Hispanic communities. To help commemorate this wonderful month, meet Patient Transporter Melissa Duran. Melissa is a native Ecuadorian born and raised in “Quito,” the capital of Ecuador. She…
Read more09/28/2021
Celebrating Deaf Awareness Month
By: Crouse News
September is Deaf Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the rich cultural history of the deaf community and continue the work of advocating for the rights of deaf people everywhere. Meet Brian Brothers, Aide/Attendant in Environmental Services. Q: How long have you worked at Crouse Hospital? A: 21 years Q: What do you like about…
Read more08/23/2021
DAISY Nursing Excellence Award Presented to Samantha McNitt
By: Crouse News
Our most recent DAISY nursing excellence award recipient is Samantha McNitt, RN, from our Intensive Care Unit. The former Student Nurse Assistant and graduate of the Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital was nomiated by fellow Crouse nurse Mary Ellen Agosh from our Recovery Care Center. Mary Ellen wrote this in her nomination of…
Read more08/05/2021
Meg’s Books for Friends Preserves Memory, Encourages Reading
By: Crouse News
With their family, Fran and Larry Paige (below) started “Meg’s Books for Friends” in memory of their daughter (above), who was a kindergarten teacher. A graduate of LaFayette High School and Herkimer Community College, Meg was given the opportunity to spend a semester working at Walt Disney World in Orlando. She then graduated from Cortland…
Read more07/26/2021
Crouse Stroke Survivor Spreads Message of Hope and Love
By: Cheryl Abrams
On Feb. 24, 2020, Derrick Tennant was loving life. The stand-up comedian and motivational speaker had a great gig at Atlantis, a premier hotel and casino in the Bahamas. On a beautiful Monday, he soaked up the sun and surveyed the oceanside scenery without a care in the world. Then came the cell phone text…
Read more07/23/2021
Opioid Deaths in Syracuse On the Rise
>> NEWS CHANNEL 9: WHY IS OPIOID USE & OVERDOES INCREASING: Tolani Ajagbe, MD, and Monika Taylor, MBA, LCSW, CASAC, Director Addiction Treatment Services >> POST-STANDARD: OVERDOSE DEATHS IN SYRACUSE RISE BY 15% >> YOUR CARE: SPECIAL EDITION ABOUT ADDICTION TREATMENT SERVICES The COVID-19 pandemic has been the greatest public health crisis in the United States, with…
Read more07/11/2021
Memories from the Pandemic: An Interview with Viren Kaul, MD
By: Crouse News
MaryJo Kravec from Advance Media NY interviewed Crouse Health pulonary and critical care medicine physician Viren Kaul, MD, about his experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. We thank Advance Media for allowing us to share his story here, which appeared in the Sunday, July 11, 2021 “Healthcare Heroes” supplement to The Post-Standard. Responsibilities: I provide care…
Read more07/07/2021
Crouse Pride for our June 2021 DAISY Nursing Excellence Award Recipients
By: Crouse News
The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary compassionate and skillful care given by nurses every day. Crouse Health is proud to be a DAISY Award Partner, recognizing our deserving nurses with this special honor. These nurses consistently demonstrate excellence through their clinical expertise and extraordinary compassionate care, and are…
Read more06/22/2021
Delivering Spirtual Care with Carepassion
By: Cheryl Abrams
When you or a family member are in the hospital, you may want an individual just like Chaplain Tom Anderson at your bedside. “Tom has a gift from God. He approaches each individual to learn their story and to share a piece of their heart,” wrote Palliative Care Medical Director Melinda McMinn, MD, in her…
Read more06/15/2021
Even in Death, Spiritual Care Volunteer Touches Lives
By: Crouse News
Thomas Schlueter (1944 – 2021) was an active Spiritual Care volunteer for five years until we had to pause our volunteer program due to COVID-19. As a Crouse Health volunteer, Tom provided comfort to fellow cancer patients while in remission himself from the leukemia that eventually caused his death. An active member of St. Elizabeth Ann…
Read more05/06/2021
What is a Nurse?
Nursing is the glue that holds a patient’s healthcare journey together. Across the entire patient experience, and wherever there is someone in need of care, nurses work tirelessly to identify and protect the needs of the individual. Beyond the time-honored reputation for compassion and dedication lies a highly specialized profession that is constantly evolving…
Read more05/05/2021
World Hand Hygiene Day
By: Crouse News
Each year on May 5, the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World Hand Hygiene Day, aiming to maintain global promotion, visibility and sustainability of hand hygiene in healthcare. In 2021, WHO asks healthcare providers and staff to achieve hand hygiene at the point of care. Hand Hygiene in Healthcare “Cleaning your hands is one of…
Read more05/04/2021
Maternal Mental Health: How COVID-19 Has Isolated New and Expecting Moms
By: Laurie Clark
The COVID-19 pandemic has been very isolating for many people, especially those who have mental health conditions. In fact, in a May 2020 article for the Washington Post, William Wan wrote that the pandemic is “pushing America into a mental health crisis.” A June 2020 study from the CDC reported that “symptoms of anxiety disorder…
Read more04/27/2021
Managing Stress in Unprecedented Times
By: Crouse News
As much of our nation moves toward resuming some degree of normalcy, stress will inevitably still be a factor each of us will continue to face. The challenges we have experienced reinforce the need to consider how we think about managing stress to protect and promote our well-being. Effective stress management has long been associated…
Read more04/20/2021
A Special Gift for Those Who Give
By: Crouse News
Serving her community has been a way of life for Syracuse native Susan Klenk. After a long career teaching elementary school in the city, Susan used her retirement to begin a second career as a full-time volunteer. First, she went back into the classroom to work with kindergarteners and their teachers, donating her time and…
Read more03/09/2021
Alpha Delta Nu Inducts New Members
By: Crouse News
Nursing is a highly regarded profession, especially as we’ve witnessed over the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re proud of all of our graduates and current students, and recently celebrated the achievements of 30 new members inducted recently into the Pomeroy College of Nursing’s Delta Zeta chapter of Alpha Delta Nu, the National Honor…
Read more03/04/2021
Pomeroy College of Nursing Student Receives Spirit of Nursing Award
By: Crouse News
In early 2016, Pomeroy College of Nursing alumnus Karl Schindler ’15 worked with the Crouse Health Foundation and Pomeroy College of Nursing leadership to establish the “Spirit of Nursing Award.” The inaugural award was funded through Karl’s first paycheck as a Registered Nurse. He wanted the award to be given to a female student during…
Read more02/04/2021
Meet the Latest Recipients of the Carepassion Awards
By: Crouse News
Each quarter, we honor the recipients of our Carepassion Awards, which are supported by the Paul Kronenberg, MD, Employee Recognition Fund of the Crouse Health Foundation. Recipients are nominated for being ‘defining examples of Carepassion.’ Join us in congratulating each of the most recent recipients! Laura Symonds, RN Intensive Care Unit My 92-yr-old father was…
Read more02/01/2021
Covid-19 Vaccination: Safe and the Right Thing to Do For Our Loved Ones and Our Nation
“This may be the generational moment of our lifetime that requires we all come together, trust one another and do the right thing.” As a minority person at Crouse Health, I have been inspired by the efforts of hospital leadership to advance issues related to diversity and inclusion. I’ve been particularly encouraged by efforts made…
Read more01/25/2021
Nurse Sisters Spread Inspiration
By: Crouse News
Ashley Cummings and Amy Brown, sisters who are both registered nurses at Crouse Health, wanted to do something to inspire their colleagues, who have been working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. They decided to paint motivational rocks and leave them throughout the Crouse parking garage, where employees might find them…
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