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.
07/06/2022
Sean Virginia, RN, is the Latest DAISY Award Recipient
By: Crouse News
Congratulations to the latest DAISY Award recipient, Sean Virginia, BSN, RN, from our 6 North Irving Unit. Sean was nominated by Linda Kurz, a Health Unit Coordinator in the NICU, who found herself in Sean’s care after suffering a right frontal lobe cerebrovascular accident in April. Linda has been a Crouse employee for 41 years,…
Read more06/27/2022
Could You Have Post-COVID-19 Syndrome?
By: Crouse News
For many, getting through a COVID-19 infection was hard enough. Now, a number of people are experiencing post-COVID symptoms weeks or even months later. Also known as long-haul COVID, this after-period can be quite debilitating. Head-to-Toe Symptoms While it has its own name, post-COVID is not the first time symptoms linger post-infection. “This can happen…
Read more05/23/2022
Providing Help for Moms in Need
By: Crouse News
Welcoming a new baby into the world “should” be a joyous time. Yet, not every mom has that experience. If you’re feeling down, nervous, or easily angered you’re not alone. Many women wrestle with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Christine Kowaleski, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner certified in family, neonatal and psychiatric care, offers important advice for…
Read more05/16/2022
DAISY Awards for Nursing Team and Nurse Leader
By: Crouse News
Each month, a DAISY Award is given out to a nominated nurse for exceptional care. These nurses represent the patient experience at Crouse and the Carepassion delivered to every patient. Once a year, we also award a DAISY to a nursing leader and team who exemplify the Crouse mission, vision and values and are models…
Read more05/09/2022
Carepassion in Action: Respiratory Therapists Bring Birthday Cheer to a Patient
By: Laurie Clark
No one would want to spend their birthday in a hospital bed. Unfortunately for Mary Gersbacher, a COPD patient, that is how she recently spent her 82nd birthday. Fortunately, Mary’s respiratory therapists Todd Davison and Taylor Iannuzzo took the time to make the day special for her and brought her balloons and a necklace. Mary…
Read more05/05/2022
Treating Hernias
By: Crouse News
Hernias are a common condition in both men and women—and are generally harmless if they are addressed appropriately. Some people actually live with hernias their entire life and they’re nothing more than a bit uncomfortable at times. In some cases, no surgical intervention is needed. However, individuals living with painful hernias that inhibit daily activities…
Read more03/28/2022
Colon Cancer Awareness: Why Screening Saves Lives
By: Crouse News
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the U.S. But, the cancer can be treated successfully—if it’s caught in its early stages. That’s why colorectal cancer screening is so important. While previous guidelines recommended screening begin at age 50 for someone of average risk, that age has now been lowered…
Read more03/16/2022
Spotlight on Nursing: Care Coordination
By: Laurie Clark
We’re putting the spotlight on a few of our nurses in the Crouse Health Care Coordination department – there are 21 of them in total – who work daily with physicians, the healthcare team, families and insurance providers to make sure patients receive the proper care upon leaving the hospital. “Our care coordinators work with…
Read more03/09/2022
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 more