REACHING OUT: Representatives of Upstate’s She Matters and You Matter programs took time out on Feb. 4, World Cancer Day, to highlight their activities at the Salt City Market. She Matters is a peer-to-peer outreach and education program aimed at reducing breast cancer disparities and improve health outcomes; You Matter is Upstate’s health care career pathway program for local youth.

PUCK DROP: The Upstate Foundation partnered with the Syracuse Crunch to host Break the Ice… Youth Mental Health Awareness Night Jan. 27. Foundation donor Rob Helfrich participates in the ceremonial puck drop in memory of his son Zach. The Helfrich family established the Zach Helfrich Memorial Fund to support suicide prevention education, research and patient care.

HAPPY 90TH BIRTHDAY! One of Upstate’s longtime volunteers, John Ronan, celebrated his 90th birthday. Jan. 26. Ronan volunteers every week at Upstate Community Hospital greeting visitors with a smile. He’s been a volunteer for almost 25 years with more than 11,000 hours of service.

AWNING IN PLACE: The construction project on the new awning over the Emergency Department is making progress and already providing EMS crews and patients protection from the wet weather.

BACK TO NORMAL: With the decline in RSV cases among children, Upstate Golisano After Hours Care returns to normal hours. Effective Jan. 12, the facility is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. At its busiest, After Hours Care saw a daily high of 64 patients during expanded hours compared to an average of 25 patients during normal hours.

FEDERAL SUPPORT: Upstate’s Dr Robert Gregory, at podium, underscores the importance of federal funding sponsored by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, left, that will support the creation of the Upstate Suicide Prevention Center. Schumer also announced funding to support the Upstate Multidisciplinary Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Treatment Center. Upstate received $2 million to support these projects. Schumer announced the funding for numerous area projects at a press conference at Onondaga Community College.

MEDIA SPOTLIGHT: Melanie Comito, MD, the Paige Yeomans Arnold Endowed Professor in Pediatric Oncology and division chief of the Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders at Upstate, speaks to the media about Paige’s Butterfly Run’s annual year-end donation to support children with cancer and their families.