Caregivers, Physicians & Public Servants to be Presented Home Care and Hospice Excellence Awards

Albany, May 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HCA is presenting awards this week to eight exceptional individuals and programs, recognizing their excellence in the home care and hospice fields across New York State.

"HCA's award recipients are not only exemplary individuals, but each person has contributed to the home care and hospice fields in distinct ways," said HCA President and CEO Al Cardillo. "They've gone to extraordinary lengths helping a particular patient on a particular day. They've improved a patient’s overall experience of care. And they've influenced broader changes in the very way that home care and hospice are delivered."

HCA's awards will be presented during a special luncheon at HCA's Annual Conference on May 9 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Saratoga Springs, New York. Media are invited to attend (further details are below).  

Below are excerpts of the awards. For more detailed profiles and photos of each award winner, visit the link below:
 
http://hcaannualconference.com/2019-award-winners/

Caring AwardsHCA is presenting three Caring Awards to: Catherine DeSeve, RN at Capital-Region-based Eddy Visiting Nurse and Rehab Association; Geraldine Singleton, Home Health Aide at Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) in New York City; and Jena Yager, LPN at Community Health Center in the Johnstown area.

Ms. DeSeve created a process to transition patients safely out of a controlled setting and back into the community with tools and strong support systems for dealing with mental health conditions, including substance abuse. 

Ms. Singleton has been at her organization for 40 years – the agency's second-longest-serving aide. She's formed deep bonds with clients, including an elderly woman from Barbados whose lack of appetite and increasing frailty prompted Ms. Singleton to learn how to cook Barbadian food, helping the patient gain weight and become healthier.

Ms. Yager lets no barrier prevent her from delivering care to those she serves. From having to spot-repair a flat car tire between patient care visits on New Year’s Day to toughing out a broken nose that occurred after tripping at a patient's home, she puts her patients first and dedicates herself wholeheartedly to her mission.

Ruth F. Wilson AwardHCA’s highest honor, the Ruth F. Wilson Award, is presented to Dr. Penny Feldman, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist/Emeritus Director of VNSNY's Center for Home Care Policy & Research. Dr. Feldman's ground-breaking career contributions include: pioneering the use of data analytics and quality measures in home health care; designing and testing numerous interventions to improve home care delivery and outcomes; and working with government officials at the state and national levels to broaden the scope and improve the quality of home and community-based health care. She is the founder of the first – and still the nation's only – research institute devoted exclusively to home and community-based care. 

Physician Champions

HCA is presenting Physician Champion awards to Dr. Martin Doerfler, M.D., Associate Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Development at Northwell Health, and Dr. Thomas Caprio, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at UR Medicine Home Care (URMHC) in Rochester.

Dr. Doerfler is a pioneer in the development of evidence-based protocols and training programs in the hospital setting to detect and treat sepsis, saving untold lives and suffering throughout Northwell hospitals on Long Island, in New York City and Westchester County. His medical expertise and extensive collaboration with HCA on our Stop Sepsis at Home initiative were critical from inception to completion. 

Dr. Caprio is an expert on quality initiatives and performance improvement. He is also a staunch patient care advocate, recently intervening on behalf of an elderly man with significant wound care needs and a history of prior hospitalizations who was dropped from another physician's practice shortly after it referred him to home care. 

Advocacy AwardNew York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) Director Greg Olsen, HCA's 2019 Advocacy Award recipient, has been a staunch and consistent advocate for home care. He has partnered with HCA on strategies for supporting the home care workforce and responding to the worker shortage. He and his team have adopted a proactive orientation to HCA, inviting our views and concrete input on policies.Triple Aim Innovation Award

People Home Health Care Certified, Inc. of Western New York is recognized as a team for its efforts to integrate telemedicine technology into community-based care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ER visits have subsequently dropped from 120 to 80 per month, with urgent care visits now executed in the home whenever possible.

Attending HCA's Awards Luncheon

Media are invited to hear from awardees and learn about their extraordinary work during our awards ceremony. If wishing to attend, please contact HCA's Communications Director Roger Noyes in advance. 

HCA Annual Awards Ceremony
May 9, 2019
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Saratoga Hilton 
534 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

HCA is a statewide health organization comprised of nearly 400 member providers and organizations delivering home and community-based care to several hundred thousand New Yorkers annually. HCA works to support providers in the delivery of high quality, cost-effective home and community-based care for the state’s citizens. HCA providers include hospitals, nursing homes, free-standing agencies and health systems which operate Certified Home Health Agencies, Licensed Home Care Services Agencies, Managed Long Term Care Plans, Hospices, Long Term Home Health Care Programs, waiver programs, and an array of allied, supportive services entities.