Babies born at Saratoga Hospital can now benefit from advanced cardiac monitoring equipment made possible by a gift from the Nemer family and Nemer Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Saratoga.

Hospital officials said about 10 percent of newborns need help breathing at birth. Getting an accurate measurement of their heart rate is critical but often challenging. The Nemers’ pledge of $26,000 will enable Saratoga Hospital to buy four neonatal cardiac monitors to enhance care for these babies.

 “With this new equipment, we can begin evaluating and monitoring neonates during their first few minutes of life,” said Dr. Jennifer Lefner, chief of newborn medicine at Saratoga Hospital. “We will have critical, immediate information on how strong their heart rate is and how well they are responding to resuscitation measures.”

 Two young members of the Nemer family were born with heart conditions, so the family knows firsthand how important early monitoring can be.

 “Once again the Nemers are drawing on their own experience to improve—and, in some cases, even save—the lives of their neighbors in Saratoga County,” said Mary Solomons, executive director of Saratoga Hospital Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Saratoga Hospital. “Their gift is an extraordinary example of empathy and generosity, and we are most grateful.”

The Albany Med Health System has developed a financial assistance program (FAP) that it says will benefit patients receiving care at any hospital within the system or from any provider employed by any of its facilities, including Albany Medical Center Hospital, Albany Medical College, Columbia Memorial Health, Saratoga Hospital and Glens Falls Hospital.

“The Albany Med Heath System is committed to minimizing the financial barriers to health care that exist for some members of our community and to ensuring that patients do not forgo necessary care due to worry about cost,” said Dr. Dennis McKenna,  president and chief executive officer of the Albany Med Health System. “This program is another example of how the hospitals within our system are working together to make access to high-quality care easier for everyone in our communities.”

FAP helps uninsured and underinsured patients with a gross household income up to 400 percent of the federal income poverty guidelines, which is calculated based on annual income and number of persons in household. Eligibility is based on the federal income poverty guidelines in effect at the time of application. 

Patients seeking access to the FAP will be required to complete a signed application and provide documentation to verify income. Financial assistance will only be applied after all insurance coverage has been exhausted or for uninsured self-pay patients. Once approved, assistance will be available for all services provided at any facility within the system or from any of its providers.

The Financial Assistance Program is one step in the Albany Med Health System’s ongoing efforts to make access to health care easier for patients. In the future, the system will offer coordinated or fully integrated care in a wide variety of specialties. 

With the public health emergency (PHE) set to expire on Jan. 16, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) are asking for an extension of the emergency period.

The groups sent a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra to request an extension of the PHE declaration as long term care providers continue to fight COVID-19. 

The highly contagious Omicron variant is projected to spread at a high rate for weeks to come and continues to cause a surge in cases across the country, leaving vulnerable populations, such as those in long term care facilities, at serious risk, the organizations said.

AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson writes said in the letter, “Due to the ongoing and unpredictable battle long term and post-acute care providers must continue to wage against COVID-19, we strongly encourage you to continue to extend the PHE declaration and maintain the related Section 1135 and Section 1812(f) waivers, enhanced Medicaid FMAP to states, and state Medicaid policy flexibilities, such as the waiver for Medicaid redeterminations.”

The letter further explains the unprecedented challenges the long term care sector is facing, including a historic labor crisis that has resulted in a 15 percent decline in its workforce since the beginning of the pandemic. 

This has caused nursing homes to limit admissions, putting more strain on overwhelmed hospitals that rely on nursing homes to free up beds. Parkinson wrote that extending the PHE would help health care providers respond to this challenge: