Kinney Drugs to host Pfizer bivalent Covid booster and flu vaccination clinic Dec. 16 

Kinney Drugs will host Pfizer bivalent Covid booster and flu vaccination clinics Dec. 16 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Community Room at Upstate Community Hospital. To make an appointment, visit: https://kinneydrugs.as.me/UpstateCommunityClinic. The clinic is open to those with a valid Upstate ID. 

Upstate staff and students are asked to send photo proof of vaccination documents in a secure message via the Employee/Student Health portal to update vaccination records: https://eshportal.upstate.edu. Proof may also be emailed to ESHealth@Upstate.edu. 

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Hockey Fights Cancer Night is Dec. 16

The Syracuse Crunch will host Hockey Fights Cancer Night to benefit Upstate Cancer Center Friday, Dec. 16. Visit the Upstate Cancer Center information table on the concourse for screening information and giveaways. Fans will have the opportunity to display the names of family and friends who have fought cancer on two dasherboard signs at the game. To submit a name by Dec. 7 at noon, visit: https://syracusecrunch.com/sb_output.aspx?form=91

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Nursing Grand Rounds is Dec. 20 

Jessica Dow and Cheryl Waldron will present Pressure Injury: Prevention, Assessment and Treatment Dec. 20 at 1:30 p.m. via WebEx. The presentation will be recorded for later viewing via Brightspace. Registration is not required. 1.0 contact hour will be awarded by ICNE. Meeting number: 2306 584 2126 Password: Jsbjusgc523 https://upstate.webex.com/upstate/j.php?MTID=m6d3c4dfe60c0ce669a3631084b033214. For more information, email Holly Briere at BriereH@Upstate.edu. 

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Department of Spiritual Care plans caroling Dec. 20 and 23

Spiritual care chaplains, staff and volunteers will be caroling throughout Upstate University Hospital Tuesday, Dec. 20 from 3 to 5 p.m. and at Community Friday, Dec. 23 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. To arrange caroling for a special patient or department, call 315-464-4687. 

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T-shirt sale is Dec. 22

Radiology will host a T-shirt sale Dec. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby area at Community. To make other arrangements to pay and pickup, call Deb Dill at 315-492-5185. 

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2023 New York state option transfer period closes Dec. 30 

The New York state option transfer period closes Dec. 30. Updated rates are now available.

Employees participating in the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) will receive a rates and deadlines publication to home addresses from the Department of Civil Service Employee Benefits Division. The rates will be reflected beginning in check dated Jan. 4, 2023.

No action is required for those keeping their current health insurance option, if individuals still qualify for that plan.

To make a change by Dec. 30, submit a signed health insurance transaction form PS-404 to the Upstate HR-Benefits Office, second floor Jacobsen Hall, or fax the completed form to 315-464-4390. For Community, send to Community HR office, first floor, or fax to 315-492-5275.

Selecting a health insurance plan is an important personal decision. Consider family lifestyle, health, budget and benefit preferences. Think about what health care might be required during the next year. The changes for 2023 will be effective Jan. 5, 2023. If changing to a new option, most deduction changes will be effective later in January 2023 and will include retroactive adjustments in a future paycheck. For more information, visit: https://www.upstate.edu/hr/intra/benefits/changing_options_state.php.

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Advocates for Upstate seek donations for year-end campaign

Advocates for Upstate are encouraging donations to their 2022 Year-End campaign to benefit its departmental grants program. All donors will be entered into a drawing to be held Jan. 6 for a package of gift cards worth a minimum of $250. Grant recipients last year included the Children of Adult Patients Program. It helps adult burn patients stay connected with young children in their families through a recorded message placed into a stuffed animal or by providing a book to help them understand and cope with their family members’ injuries. Another grant helps the Spiritual Care department buy Bibles, Qurans, and other religious items that can comfort patients, but can’t be paid for with state funds. 100 percent of your donations will be distributed in grants in support of Upstate patients, staff, and volunteers. See all our current grant recipients. For more information, call Jonathan Adler at 315-464-5610. 

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Easy for You is Jan. 10

Easy for You, Upstate's tobacco treatment program, will be held Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in 7335B Upstate University Hospital. Those with an Upstate ID are welcome to receive help quitting tobacco, chew, and vape. Free nicotine replacement therapy is available. For more information, contact Theresa Hankin or Carolyn Walczyk at 315-464-3519 or Walczykc@upstate.edu.

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Friend in Deed funding applications accepted until Jan. 13

The Upstate Foundation is accepting applications from Upstate employees for Friend in Deed funding for projects that enhance the patient experience at Upstate University Hospital’s Community and Downtown campuses. Friend in Deed is the annual fund for the hospitals and is largely supported through donations from grateful patients and their families, as well as members of the Upstate family and the community. Guidelines and applications are available on the Upstate Foundation website at https://www.upstatefoundation.org/friendindeed or by calling 315-464-4416. New this year, the application process is online and all details can be entered in the electronic format. The deadline to submit applications to the Upstate Foundation office (CAB 326) is Friday, Jan. 13 at noon. 

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Mindful Meditation is each Tuesday 

Mindful Meditation will be held every Tuesday from 11 to 11:15 a.m. via WebEx. Annemarie Cristino, LCSW, CEAP, coordinator of Upstate’s Employee Assistance Program, will offer 15 minutes of mindful meditation instruction and information. Mindfulness centers on fostering connections between the brain, mind, body, and behavior. To join the session, visit: https://upstate.webex.com/meet/cristinA

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OneDrive for Business to replace personal Novell U drive

IMT continues to transition users from Novell U drive for personal storage to OneDrive for Business, a cloud-based storage system for documents and files. With OneDrive for Business, students, faculty, and staff will have access to files from a computer, mobile device or an internet browser through office.com. IMT will notify recipients via email of the planned transition date for their account. Students, faculty and staff may find current training resources including the transition timeline, accessing OneDrive, and sharing files on the OneDrive FAQ page: https://www.upstate.edu/imt/intra/office365/faqs.php. For more information on the transition, contact the IMT Help Desk at 315-464-4115 or helpdesk@update.edu. This change will not affect any other shares, email, EPIC and/or any other clinical applications.

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IMT Offers Virtual and Recorded OneDrive Training

IMT offers students, faculty and staff virtual training for OneDrive, a cloud-based storage system for documents and files, through March 2022. Interested attendees may register at the following page: https://www.upstate.edu/pdl/intra/register/index.php?topicid=165455 or watch a recording at https://upstate.mediaspace.kaltura.com/media/t/1_8numzt8a. Course offerings are made available each month so check back often. 

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Team captains sought for Heart Walk 2023

Team captains are sought for the 2023 Heart Walk, to be held April 16. Upstate has been a Top Team for the past 25 years. For more information and to sign up, visit: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7110174/Heart-Walk-2023

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The Informed Patient podcast 

The Informed Patient features interviews on pulmonary hypertension, cochlear implants and exercising to prevent dementia.

—Explaining pulmonary hypertension and how it’s treated is pulmonologist and critical care specialist Krithika Ramachandran, MBBS.

—How cochlear implants offer an alternative to traditional hearing aids is discussed by audiologist Erin Bagley, AuD.

—Interpreting studies on whether exercise can stave off dementia is the focus of exercise physiologist Carol Sames, PhD.

The Informed Patient podcast and HealthLink on Air radio show are produced by Upstate Marketing and University Communications. The Informed Patient interviews are available through various podcast platforms, and HealthLink on Air is broadcast on WRVO Public Media at 6 a.m. Sundays. Audio and transcripts of the podcasts and the radio shows are also available at www.upstate.edu/informed