Times Union

SPHP in the News

Times Union: Capital Region Hospital ERs Join Pilot to Reduce Opioid Use

October 29, 2018 Courtney Weisberg
The Times Union published a story on a new regional effort to reduce opioid use in hospital emergency departments. The Iroquois Healthcare Association is spearheading the $500,000 Opioid Alternative Project, which involves 17 upstate New York hospitals, including St. Peter’s, Samaritan, and Albany Memorial hospitals. The pilot program is part of wider efforts to curb the state’s opioid epidemic. From the article: In New York, clinicians from participating hospitals met last month to establish their own protocols for alternative treatments, said Jessica Morelli, vice president of the Iroquois Healthcare Alliance. Details are still being finalized, she said, but they broadly agreed to use alternatives to opioids such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, ketamine, lidocaine and even caffeine for diagnoses ranging from urinary stones, back pain, sprains, minor fractures and dislocations, tooth pain, headaches and abdominal pain. To read more about the program, click HERE.
SPHP in the News

Times Union: Workers Put Finishing Touches on $105 Million Troy Hospitals Plan

September 20, 2018 Courtney Weisberg
The Times Union published an article on the final touches being made to the new entrance of Samaritan Hospital ahead of the September 20 celebration of the project’s completion. From the article: Workers were removing construction materials, laying fresh sod and pouring concrete for new sidewalks Wednesday as they put finishing touches on Samaritan Hospital’s expansion plan. The largest piece of the project was a new five-story patient pavilion, named in honor of the late Heinrich Medicus, a retired Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute professor whose $10 million contribution helped drive a successful community fundraising campaign. To read more, click HERE.