Category Archives: Health / Community Services

By Carol Ann Conover

When a parent in Warren, Washington or Saratoga counties goes looking for infant care today, the search often ends before it begins. The wait list at the Saratoga Regional YMCA’s Malta Early Learning Center stretches two years. In some cases, families are signing up before they even try to conceive.

That reality is not an anomaly. It is the baseline. Between 2019 and 2022, the number of regulated childcare facilities in Warren County fell 40 percent, from 50 to 30, according to a 2023 needs assessment by the Southern Adirondack Child Care Network. Washington County lost 37 percent of its facilities over the same period. Across New York state, 60 percent of census tracts qualified as childcare deserts in 2023, a designation meaning at least three children under age five exist for every available slot, according to a February 2025 report from the Office of the State Comptroller. Rural upstate communities, the report found, are the most negatively affected.

Into that void, the Saratoga Regional YMCA operates a layered system of childcare programming across its six branches. The association expanded its footprint on Jan. 1, 2025, when the Family YMCA of the Glens Falls Area officially merged to become its sixth branch, deepening the organization’s reach across Warren County. The programming spans a licensed full-day daycare center at its Malta Early Learning Center serving approximately 100 children from infancy through kindergarten, a half-day preschool program at its Saratoga Springs branch serving 45 children ages 2 through 4, Universal Pre-Kindergarten classrooms operated in partnership with the Saratoga Springs and Schuylerville school districts serving roughly 72 children, and a school-age before-and-after-care program operating at 15 locations across seven school districts throughout the three-county region, including Glens Falls, Queensbury, Ballston Spa, and Saratoga Springs.

WSWHE BOCES, working with SUNY Adirondack, has been named a “Champion of Change” by the New York State School Boards Association for its annual Manufacturing and STEAM Day.

The recognition, part of NYSSBA’s Champions of Change program, cites the event as an example of an innovative partnership that connects students to postsecondary options and careers in advanced manufacturing.

“We are honored to receive this recognition for a program that reflects the meaningful opportunities we strive to create for students,” said WSWHE BOCES District Superintendent Turina Parker. “Our partnership with SUNY Adirondack is a powerful example of how collaboration can open doors. Manufacturing and STEAM Day helps students see what’s possible and envision themselves in careers that are critical to our regional economy.”

The Oct. 17 event included a panel of P-TECH graduates who earned Mechatronics degrees from SUNY Adirondack and discussed the transition from school to the workforce. Students also visited regional employers including Adirondack Studios, Creatacor, Fort Miller Group and GlobalFoundries and met with industry professionals and faculty.

By Susan Elise Campbell

WellNow Urgent Care is one of the fastest-growing providers of urgent medical care, telehealth and occupational medicine services in the United States. With a new location that opened April 10 at 920 Lake George Road in Queensbury, medical care and diagnostic services are now available seven days a week to patients in the North Country, said Beth Pagan, WellNow’s director of market operations for eastern New York.

“WellNow provides a wide array of diagnostics, including X-rays, EKGs, complete metabolic panels, and much more,” said Pagan. 

There are nearly 80 WellNow locations in the state and 200 in the country offering urgent, not emergency, care.

“Our centers offer more services than the average primary care physician so that patients can be treated right away without having to go to a traditional emergency room, where they might face long wait times and an expensive bill,” she said. 

Alliance180, a peer-to-peer, purpose-driven program that aims to prevent suicide for veterans, first responders and frontline healthcare workers facing the effects of trauma through a transformative equine experience, has hired its first executive director. Denise Romeo, former executive vice president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, was named to the position. “Denise brings...

By Donna Kirker MS RN NEA-BC

Each year National Nurses Week begins on May 6 and ends on May 12, the day that Florence Nightingale was born. Florence Nightingale is known for her selflessness, dedication and commitment to serving others and for revolutionizing nursing as a profession. 

Her work was remarkably progressive for the time, utilizing her own data to establish credible evidence upon which actionable conclusions could be drawn. Because of her meticulous work, it was demonstrated that simple sanitation techniques such as handwashing could stop the spread of infectious diseases in hospitals. 

Her legacy of compassion and selfless service set the bar high for the nursing profession. Nurses are often recognized for their unwavering commitment and for making sacrifices to serve others during major events and other important health issues. They work extended hours, through the night and often without enough resources to deliver care effectively. 

The national shortage of nurses and other healthcare workers that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic has put incredible strain on the health care system. Many long-tenured nurses left the profession for retirement, while others left the clinical setting choosing less demanding career options. 

Those who remained at the bedside have been commended for their resilience. The American Nurses Association (ANA) reminds us “we must see and celebrate our nurses as whole humans, not as a fictitious image of an all-powerful, all resilient hero.” For the past 3 years, nurses have put aside their own needs and feelings to push forward through the pandemic and its aftermath. We must value them and promote their well-being. 

By Paul Post

A new facility offering day programs for people with traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer’s and dementia is now open, after a three-year delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

 STRIVE, which stands for Supportive Techniques for Rebuilding Independence & Vital Experiences, is a program of nonprofit AIM Services that supports people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, including those with traumatic brain injuries and those looking for nursing home transition or diversion.

 STRIVE is for people in Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties, but participants may also come from the immediate Capital Region along with Fulton and Montgomery counties as well.

AIM is headquartered at 4227 Route 50 in Wilton, near the intersections of Old Gick and Ingersoll roads. Previously, STRIVE was housed at a somewhat remote location in Fort Edward, which presented transportation obstacles for many people.

By Jill Nagy

Sachmarie Crowley, a board certified family nurse practitioner, operates Sasha’s of Saratoga, a practice she said is “a care center, not strictly a business.”

Her aim is to help people “stay well and age well,” she said. 

Sasha’s offers an eclectic range of services including vitamin injections, botox treatments, spider vein removal, intravenous hydration, chronic disease consultations, and certifications for medical marijuana. She does not offer routine medical care.

Crowley was born in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, but has lived in Saratoga Springs since 2008. She spent 15 years in the U.S. Navy as a hospital corpsman, roughly equivalent to a nurse. While in the Navy, she also earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Sage Colleges. Upon her discharge from the Navy in 2016, she practiced part-time before opening a full-time office at 2 Franklin Square in downtown Saratoga Springs. 

Crowley is assisted by two part-time nurses. She collaborates, at times, with local physicians. 

Some of her clients are referred by a primary care physician or medical specialist. Others are word-of-mouth referrals from other clients, and a few find her through Google, she said. 

Among her services is providing consultations  with patients suffering from chronic conditions.