Garnet Health to host no-charge diabetes prevention program

MIDDLETOWN, NY and HARRIS, NY — Garnet Health offers a free 12-month diabetes prevention program for qualified individuals. The program runs for one year, with 16 sessions occurring approximately once a week, plus six to eight sessions that meet once a month. New classes start in July.

This evidence-based and effective lifestyle-enhancement program can help prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes. It is designed to teach individuals how to make better food choices, increase physical activity and cope with stress. 

Qualified participants will work together to achieve their goals under the guidance of certified lifestyle coaches.

“Approximately 96 million American adults have prediabetes—that’s more than one in three people with this very serious health condition,” said Shelly DeHaan, Garnet Health director of diabetes education. “The Diabetes Prevention Program at Garnet Health teaches and encourages modest lifestyle changes that can make big gains in helping prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.”

This program will motivate and support people with prediabetes to make practical, real-life changes that could decrease their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by more than half. 

To be eligible for the program, participants must:

Be at least 18 years old

Be overweight 

Have an A1C between 5.7 percent and 6.4 percent. 

To learn more about the Garnet Health Diabetes Prevention Program, call 845/333-2705 or visit www.garnethealth.org/preventdiabetes. 

Garnet Health Medical Center promotes Sara Sargente

MIDDLETOWN, NY — Sara Sargente, RN, has been promoted to nursing director of the Oncology 2 North/Medical Surgery Unit at Garnet Health Medical Center.

She will plan and coordinate the clinical care and nursing personnel for the oncology/medical surgery floor.

Sargente, a registered oncology nurse, most recently, she served as the Head and Neck/GI Cancer navigator. She also started Garnet Health’s bloodless program, which prepares surgical patients in such a way as to avoid the use of blood transfusions. 

Sargente has earned multiple nursing awards, including the Extraordinary Healer Award, two Employee of the Month awards and the Association of Oncology Nursing Excellence in Navigation Award. She was also a Hudson Valley Excellence in Nursing finalist.

For more information about career opportunities at Garnet Health, visit www.garnethealth.org/careers.  

Honesdale Rotary buys an AED for Little Baseball

HONESDALE, PA — When Adam Cottell of the Honesdale Little Baseball Association reached out to the Honesdale Rotary for help purchasing a life-saving device—an automated external defibrillator (AED)—the club responded swiftly. 

“This was right in line with our mission to serve,” said then-Rotary co-president Sherry Grandinetti.

“We hope they never have to use it,” added current president Dana Scott, “but if someone suffers cardiac arrest—a player or a spectator—the AED is within reach here at the ball field.”

The Honesdale Little Baseball Association counts 160 players, ages four to 12, in its ranks. There are three leagues: T-Ball, Rookie and Senior. 

“I first reached out to Wayne Memorial Hospital,” said Cottell, “and they put me in touch with Honesdale Rotary. We are very grateful. It’s a relief to know we have an AED on hand if needed.”

Sudden cardiac arrest is the number-one cause of death among athletes, and cardiovascular disease remains the number-one killer of both men and women in the United States. 

An AED is an easy-to-use medical device that can, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock—or defibrillation—to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm. 

Honesdale Rotary’s members work to benefit the local community and the world at large, a spokesperson said. In recent years, the club also donated an AED to Honesdale Friends of Soccer and helped build a new batting cage at Honesdale Little Baseball’s Grove Street field. 

New Rotary members are welcome. Visit Honesdale Rotary on Facebook.

Awards for Garnet Health Medical Center and Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills

MIDDLETOWN, NY and HARRIS, NY — The Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Centers at Garnet Health Medical Center and Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills have received RestorixHealth’s highest achievement, the Wound Center of Excellence Award. 

RestorixHealth provides advanced wound healing services, education and supplies across the care continuum. Its Wound Center of Excellence Award recognizes centers that have met or exceeded clinical and operational benchmarks in healing outcomes, and adhered to clinical practice pathways and patient safety. Also required is a patient satisfaction rate of 96 percent or higher.

“This achievement is a true reflection of the empathy, expertise and dedication of our wound care specialists. An honor like this reaffirms our mission to improve the health and quality of life for those in our community,” said Jonathan Schiller, president and CEO of Garnet Health. “We are proud to… be recognized for the outstanding care that our Garnet Health staff provides our patients every day.”

Garnet Health’s Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Centers optimize outcomes and prevent lower-limb loss in patients with non-healing wounds. 

The approach to wound care is aggressive and comprehensive, coordinating traditional and advanced therapies and techniques that are proven to reduce healing time and improve healing rates.

The centers are staffed with clinicians with advanced training in wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Integrating a team of wound care professionals optimizes patient care, while offering the most advanced healing options, a hospital spokesperson said.

For more information about Garnet Health’s Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Centers, visit www.garnethealth.org/woundhealing. 

Auxiliary works hard, raises $150k

HONESDALE, PA — The Wayne Memorial Hospital Auxiliary presented a check for $150,000, the fruits of their labor over the past year, to Wayne Memorial Health System. 

The monies will be divided between the hospital ($135,000) and the system’s skilled nursing facility, Wayne Woodlands Manor ($15,000) in Waymart. 

“To say that our Auxilians are hardworking is truly an understatement,” said hospital CEO James Pettinato. “This donation represents thousands of hours of their time, given freely and without complaint. We are extremely grateful.” 

Pettinato and Wayne Memorial Hospital/Health System board chairman Hugh Rechner accepted the funds as part of the auxiliary’s $600,000 pledge to the hospital’s Second Century Fund. 

“The auxiliary is our top fundraiser for the Second Century Fund,” said Rechner. “It is a testament to their dedication to the future of health care in the community we all share.” 

The auxiliary, which has about 200 members, raises funds through its Other Shops One and Two in Honesdale and Hawley and the gift shop in the hospital. It also holds events such as purse bingo and the fall tribute concerts.

“We are closing in on 90 percent of our pledge,” said auxiliary president Diane Popovich, who noted that the auxiliary remained strong right through the height of COVID. “Our members were very creative, tireless and committed to supporting the hospital. I am proud to lead the auxiliary at this time.” 

The Wayne Memorial Hospital Auxiliary welcomes new members. Email Joan at joaneb@ptd.net for an application and more information.

First baby of Dairy Month meets dairy princess 

HONESDALE, PA — Wayne County Dairy Princess Sydney Roberts appeared at Wayne Memorial’s New Beginnings Birthing Suites on June 2 to present a basket full of dairy goodness to newborn Hadley Jo Owen. 

Hadley Jo was born on June 1, the first day of Dairy Month, at 5:36 a.m. 

She weighed in at 6 pounds 3.8 ounces. 

Her parents, Lindsey and Gaston Owen of Callicoon, NY, were thrilled to receive the basket and to meet Sydney, a hospital spokesperson said. 

The basket was packed with fresh dairy products, such as cheese from Calkins Creamery.

The U.S. has celebrated National Dairy Month since 1939. In its 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services promote the consumption of dairy foods such as milk, yogurt and cheese. These products help provide three key nutrients: calcium, potassium and vitamin D. 

Hadley Jo is the Owen couple’s first child. 

Wayne Memorial welcomes nurse midwife

HONESDALE, PA — Certified nurse midwife Amy Borove has joined the staff at Wayne Memorial Community Health Centers (WMCHC). 

As a midwife with the Women’s Health Center (WHC), Borove facilitates births at Wayne Memorial Hospital’s New Beginnings Birthing Suites. 

She will begin holding outpatient office hours in Carbondale at WMCHC’s new office complex at 150 Brooklyn St. this month.

Borove earned a master’s degree in midwifery from Frontier Nursing University. Her undergraduate education includes a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Chamberlain University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from East Stroudsburg University. She graduated with honors from all four institutions.

Borove was most recently employed as an RN at Geisinger Community Medical Center in Scranton, where she worked for seven years. She spent close to two years as an RN at Moses Taylor Hospital’s Labor and Delivery shortly after nursing school.

“I loved being a labor and delivery nurse,” she said. “I knew I wanted to continue doing more to help women and their families during so many important moments in their lives.”

The WHC accepts most private insurance, Medicare and medical assistance. A sliding-fee scale is offered for those who qualify. 

Visit www.wmh.org or www.wmchc.net for more information on all services.

Donors make a difference

Honorees Bob and Eileen Ernst , on the left, are pictured with Maureen DeStephano and Miriam Bacigalupi.

MONTGOMERY, NY — Now in its 25th year, the Garnet Health Foundation’s annual gratitude reception at City Winery Hudson Valley recognized the generosity and continued support of Garnet Health’s donors.

“The power of giving has driven the growth of patient care by supporting programs, services and equipment needs, as well as helping to provide compassionate care to all our patients and families,” said William Dauster, president/chief philanthropy officer of Garnet Health Foundation. 

During the reception, the following honorees were recognized:

Leadership in Philanthropy Award

Eileen & Robert Ernst, longtime Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills volunteers

Volunteer in Philanthropy Award

Miriam Bacigalupi—Garnet Health employee

Community in Philanthropy Award

Garnet Health Auxiliary—Middletown campus

Ronald Sherman, M.D. Nursing Scholarships Donor Advised Fund Awards

Melissa Guadalupe Diaz—Middletown High School student

Alessaundra Mantione—Middletown High School student

Matthew O’Brien Memorial Scholarships Donor-advised Fund Awards

Kailani Martinez—Washingtonville High School student

Lana Tate—Port Jervis High School student

Donations are needed to continue Garnet Health’s mission, a spokesperson said. To help, visit www.garnethealth.org/foundation.