Category Archives: Health & Fitness

By Christine Graf
According to national data, doctors in the United States logged more than 1 billion virtual telemedicine appointments during 2020. Its usage peaked in April at which time 69 percent of all patient visits were virtual.
Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, a group of more than 250 providers practicing out of 20-plus locations, implemented a telemedicine platform in the spring of 2019.
“We had the capability, but found we weren’t using it,” said Julie Demaree, Saratoga Hospital director of informatics and data integrity. “We didn’t have much interest from our providers and patients.”
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 put the issue in a different light.
In mid-March, all providers in the group were trained on how to use the platform. In the two weeks that followed, 3,500 virtual visits were conducted.
“It was a learning curve for both patients and providers,” said Demaree. “I really give so much credit to our providers because they had to pivot very quickly. Delivering medicine through a camera is very different than doing it in person. They also had to take on a new role of being tech support for patients.”
At Glens Falls Hospital, no telemedicine system was in place when the pandemic began. As a result, administrators had to scramble to get a system in place.
“This was all new to all of us,” said Patti Hammond, vice president for physician practice management. “One of the reasons was that the insurance companies including Medicare were not paying for virtual visits as though it was an in-person visit. Because of COVID, there were some emergency approvals, and the insurance companies said they would pay for that visit just as though the patient was in your office setting.”
In a matter of 48 hours, Glens Falls Hospital had a telemedicine system up and running. The hospital uses the Doxy.me platform and pays a monthly fee for each provider who uses the tool.

Saratoga Hospital recently completed a $5 million expansion of its central sterile processing department to accommodate significant growth in complex surgical procedures at the hospital and its Saratoga Surgery Center in Wilton.
The renovations increased the central sterile processing space by about 80 percent and added the latest disinfection and sterilization equipment, officials said.
The number of surgeries performed at Saratoga Hospital and Saratoga Surgery Center continues to increase each year. Much of the growth is in minimally invasive procedures that involve smaller, more sophisticated instruments that can be more challenging to clean and decontaminate, according to the hospital.
“Each instrument has to be cleaned differently, and each is sterilized and disinfected to meet the highest standards,” said Clay Landry, certified central processing director at Saratoga Hospital.
The department runs 24/7 to clean and decontaminate hundreds of surgical instruments used each day in the hospital’s surgical pavilion and Saratoga Surgery Center, as well as in the endoscopy suites at both locations.

By MAria Savino
Tis’ the season for health and wellness resolutions. While there is no shortage of diet plans and exercise regimes to follow in a New Year, I believe the most important aspect to achieve any health goal is the mindset you have going into it.
Many wellness resolutions are created from a place of lack and restriction.
For example: “I am going to cut out processed foods,” “I’m going to give up soda” or “I am going to stop sitting all day.”
Although these goals have positive intentions, the mindset behind them is not setting anyone up for success.
As a health coach, I instruct clients to set wellness goals from the mindset of positivity and addition, rather than restriction and subtraction. This mindset shift is a key component of their long term success for two reasons.
The first reason pertains to how we are naturally wired. As human beings, it never feels good when things are taken away or restricted, especially if those things have given you a sense of comfort or happiness in the past. For example, overeating can be a form of comfort, binge watching hours of television can provide stress relief, or grabbing that afternoon chocolate bar can promote a sense of joy during an otherwise dull or stressful day.
Understanding that your not-so-healthy habits do in fact have positive intentions, and that restriction doesn’t come naturally, makes it clear that goals like those above are not the most effective.

By Lisa Balschunat
Use of online classes and parking lots kept some clients of local gyms and fitness centers participating in their exercise routines, but the lack of social connection was an important element that was lacking during the shutdown caused by the coronavirus.
The state recently allowed gyms to reopen in late August. They had been closed since March 16.
“We are very excited about our reopening. We’re trying to help people find their new normal,” said Saratoga Regional YMCA Interim CEO Scott Clark. “During the past five months, our Malta location offered a full-based pre-school for 175 kids for parents who were essential workers, and operated our summer Care program for 92 kids per week.“
“The kids had an opportunity to get outside and run around,” he added. “We had to be flexible and fluid to meet state regulations, but we wanted kids to be kids whenever possible.”

By Jennifer Farnsworth
After 19 years of practicing emergency medicine, Dr. Clara Somoza felt the time was right to start her own practice. As a doctor of osteopathic medicine, Somoza offers a patient-focused approach to health care that looks into a patient’s physical, personal and spiritual well being.
Somoza said not only were her emergency room patients wanting her to offer a place to continue care, but her colleagues were hoping she would do so as well.

By Christine Graf

By offering year-round opportunities for athletes in grades 3 through 12 to train and compete, ADK Field Hockey LLC in Round Lake, is growing the sport of field hockey in the Capital Region and beyond.

Owners Phil and Jen Sykes of Round Lake have been involved in the business for more than 10 years. The club started with just 14 players but grew rapidly due to positive word of mouth.

“People started hearing about the club and then it doubled, tripled, and quadrupled. It just kept growing and growing,” said Phil Sykes. “We now have more than 250 players.”

Dr. Josenia Tan has been named medical director of pathology and laboratory medicine at Saratoga Hospital. She was also elected chair of the department at the hospital by the Saratoga Hospital medical staff. Dr. Joy Tan

Tan came to Saratoga Hospital in 2018 as assistant medical director of pathology and laboratory medicine. Previously, she was an assistant professor and associate chief of laboratory medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center.

She heads a team of three anatomic and clinical pathologists. All are members of the faculty in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Albany Med. All also are on the Saratoga Hospital medical staff, assigned full time—and exclusively—to Saratoga Hospital.

By Christine Graf

Saratoga Spring’s newest yoga studio, enLiven, is now offering a full schedule of yoga and movement classes.

The studio, located at 120 South Broadway, had a Memorial Day soft opening. Since that time, owner Carrie Winograd Kaufman has been busy hiring teachers and planning class offerings.

Regular classes at enLiven will be taught by one of the studio’s five teachers. Guest teachers will also be conducting special classes and workshops.

Kaufman has been teaching yoga locally for more than 12 years. Five years ago, she quit her job to found enLiven Retreats. After working exclusively on her business for several years, she resumed her career as an internet executive. She continues to operate enLiven Retreats in addition to operating her new studio.

Kaufman’s retreat business has evolved over time to meet the demands of her customers. Part of that evolution included opening a Saratoga Springs studio.

By Andrea Palmer

Michael Lapolla and Nicholas Galuardi are celebrating 10 years in business with Saratoga Health & Wellness at 538 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs.

“Nick and I previously worked for a cardiology group in town, and they went through some changes and challenges. At that point, we ended up going off on our own. We officially opened in November 2009,” said Lapolla.

The center provides a variety of fitness programs, including some specialized for golfers.

Good nutrition is also important.

Rebecca Mahoney, a certified and registered dietitian, provides nutrition services to all members.  She specializes in behavioral nutrition and can provide very specific advice regarding various medical problems, including diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension and eating disorders.