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Community Campus celebrates fifth anniversary in ceremony July 11

Community Campus celebrates fifth anniversary in ceremony July 11

Upstate Medical University will celebrate the fifth anniversary of the acquisition of Community General Hospital Monday, July 11 at 11 a.m. in a brief ceremony, to be held just outside the front entrance of hospital on the Community Campus, 4900 Broad Road.

The celebration will feature brief remarks by Upstate President Danielle Laraque-Arena, MD, and Upstate University Hospital CEO John McCabe, MD, and Community Campus Chief Administrative Officer Nancy Daoust.

A reception immediately following the celebration will be held in the front vestibule. In celebration of the anniversary, Morrison will feature a $5 lunch special on the Community Campus.

Five years ago, members of the nursing staff from both campuses helped raise a flag to herald a new era in health care for Central New York as Upstate acquired Community General Hospital.

The acquisition made Upstate the largest hospital in Central New York, and began a series of enhancements and service line additions.

Highlights of the growth in the last five years include the opening of :

- Gem Care, a specially designed and staffed emergency department caring especially for seniors. This development ushered in a new era in emergency care in Central New York by offering specialized care for older adults. The unit's mission is to care for patients with a team approach. Physicians, pharmacists, social workers and case managers will work to coordinate care with patients? primary caregivers, in addition to outpatient services, such as visiting nurses and home health aides. This comprehensive approach to care will aid GEM Care in its goal to admit only those patients who will benefit from hospital care in an effort to keep older adults in their own homes for as long as possible.

- Golisano After Hours Care, a separate medical suite to provide pediatric urgent care for children, ages birth through 21.

- new on-site offices and clinical space for ENT, bariatric surgery, breast care, midwifery and gynecology, urology and vascular services

- a transitional care unit, a 20-bed space that cares for medically complex senior patients who require on-going physician oversight and specialized services of hospital staff.

- an epilepsy monitoring unit, a four-bed unit that features state-of-the-art digital monitoring equipment.

- introduction of new urologic surgical procedure for treatment of enlarged prostate. The procedure, called holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP), uses a high-power laser to remove the obstructive portion of an enlarged prostate in its entirety.

Included among the technological advances unveiled at the Community Campus was the area’s first RIO Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System, marketed by MAKO Surgical Corp. With the new technology, the campus became the first facility in the area to offer MAKOplasty Partial Knee Resurfacing and MAKOplasty Total Hip Replacement procedures. RIO is a surgeon-controlled robotic arm system that enables accurate alignment and placement of implants.

The Community Campus also has received numerous accolades for its care, including recognition as a Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care by Excellus, for meeting evidence-based practices of care, and designation as Blue Distinction Center Plus for knee and hip replacement programs.

And upcoming projects highlight a bright future. Projects on the to do list include:

- postpartum renovations, which will incorporate greater privacy and a more comfortable setting for newborns and mothers.

- a patient and family health garden. A new outdoor green space will serve as a relaxing area, complete with new plantings and seating.

- the opening of Cord Blood Bank. The bank, slated for opening this fall, will store cord blood donations for use in treatment or research, in addition to serving as a family bank. Funding for the project is made possible by a $15 million grant, secured by New York State Sen. John DeFrancisco.

- launch of a Campus Beautification Project. Due for upgrades will be surface parking lots, entrance to hospital and patient admitting and testing area and the Wellspring Breast Center.

Caption: The opening of GEM (Geriatric Emergency Medicine) in summer of 2013 is one of many key initiatives to have been introduced on the Community Campus since it joined Upstate University Hospital five years ago.

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