Crouse Connects
Crouse isn’t just about healthcare. We’re about what we believe sets us apart: Carepassion™ .
We always say we’re not a ‘perfect’ hospital. But our physicians, nurses, providers and staff strive to listen to each patient and family member’s feelings and needs with the respect and dignity you deserve.
Our CrouseConnects blog is designed to talk about some of the ways we connect and do just that. How we work on achieving clinical advances that help us provide the best in patient care for our community and region. And how we try to tend to the “little things” — parking, getting around and dining, for example — to make anyone’s visit or stay at Crouse more welcoming and comfortable.
Category Archives: Carepassion
04/20/2021
A Special Gift for Those Who Give
Serving her community has been a way of life for Syracuse native Susan Klenk. After a long career teaching elementary school in the city, Susan used her retirement to begin a second career as a full-time volunteer. First, she went back into the classroom to work with kindergarteners and their teachers, donating her time and…
Read more02/04/2021
Meet the Latest Recipients of the Carepassion Awards
Each quarter, we honor the recipients of our Carepassion Awards, which are supported by the Paul Kronenberg, MD, Employee Recognition Fund of the Crouse Health Foundation. Recipients are nominated for being ‘defining examples of Carepassion.’ Join us in congratulating each of the most recent recipients! Laura Symonds, RN Intensive Care Unit My 92-yr-old father was…
Read more01/25/2021
Nurse Sisters Spread Inspiration
Ashley Cummings and Amy Brown, sisters who are both registered nurses at Crouse Health, wanted to do something to inspire their colleagues, who have been working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020. They decided to paint motivational rocks and leave them throughout the Crouse parking garage, where employees might find them…
Read more12/03/2020
Remembering Advocate for Brain Conditions
This past August, the Crouse Health family and the Central New York community were deeply saddened by the loss of Mary Rozzano Cook, a tireless advocate for individuals and families whose lives have been impacted by a brain aneurysm or hemorrhagic stroke. After her own successful surgery for a brain aneurysm, Mary established the CNY…
Read more12/01/2020
Beads of Courage String Together NICU Experiences, Memories
Having a newborn in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is challenging and emotional. Renee and Ray Halbritter know first-hand what that experience is like. Their son, Riverstone, came into the world three months early. For the next 105 days, the fragile newborn resided in our Baker Regional NICU, surviving one day at a time…
Read more11/23/2020
Creating a Cheerful Culture of Caring for Nurses
Nurse cheerleader and nurse for the nurses is how Ashley Haugstatter, BSN, RN, CPN, CCRN, describes herself. After pursuing her dream of working in pediatric critical care nursing, she transitioned to a new role: Manager of Nursing Relations and Retention. Advocating for Crouse Nurses Ashley spends her workdays interacting with future nurses, encouraging them to…
Read more11/11/2020
Surviving COVID-19, Giving Thanks
UPDATE NOV. 11, 2020: COVID-19 activity in our community is on the rise. We urge everyone to protect themselves from acquiring the coronavirus by wearing a mask when in public; socially distancing as much as possible; avoiding large gatherings; and practicing hand hygiene. Learn more on our COVID-19 resource page. “You are my heroes and…
Read more10/21/2020
Meet Andrea Hammond, RN: Patient Care is Anywhere It’s Needed
“It’s what I hope someone would do for me.” That’s how Andrea Hammond, RN, described a recent Friday morning. She was running late for her shift in our Witting Surgical Center, but saw a man fall in the middle of the street. “He was an older gentleman, and I pulled over to make sure he…
Read more10/16/2020
Art to Heart for Crouse Healthcare Heroes
Working in both the medical field and the art world, Syracuse native Robin Kasowitz felt the need to give back to both communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. An artist and a psychotherapist, Robin serves on the Everson Museum’s board of trustees. When the pandemic hit Central New York, she said she saw people “being so…
Read more10/07/2020
Carepassion in Action: Carepassion Award Recipients
Each quarter, we honor the recipients of our Carepassion Awards, which are supported by the Paul Kronenberg, MD, Employee Recognition Fund of the Crouse Health Foundation. Recipients are nominated for being ‘defining examples of Carepassion.’ Join us in congratulating each of the most recent recipients! Petronilla Krause 8 Irving – Labor and Delivery Nilla is…
Read more10/01/2020
Crouse Nursing Student Hero: Life Saved by a Nurse in Training
How many nursing students can say they’ve saved a life? At least one who we’re proud to say is one of our own: Vincenzia Diglio, a Syracuse native and Bishop Ludden High School grad who’s a second-year student nurse in the Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital. Vincenzia happened to be caring for a…
Read more09/24/2020
Message to the Community
> JOIN US IN PAYING TRIBUTE TO OUR CROUSE HEROES We keep caring. And so do you. No part of our society has been untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this disruptive and uncertain time, we continue to be humbled by the compassion and generosity of the Central New York community. Throughout this health crisis,…
Read more09/21/2020
Return to CNY: From Crouse Junior Volunteer to Primary Care Doctor
The appointment of Christina Walton, DO, to the primary care provider team at Crouse Medical Practice is a homecoming of sorts for the young physician, who is welcoming new patients at our Manlius office. The Central New York native was a member of Crouse’s Choices program and Junior Volunteer corps during her years as a…
Read more06/05/2020
Treating All with Compassion, Empathy and Respect
We have been shocked by the story out of Minneapolis regarding the killing of an unarmed black man. Today, everyone knows his name: George Floyd. His tragic death — and the resulting unrest across the country and here in Syracuse — once again renews the call to end racial injustice and unequal treatment of people…
Read more04/22/2020
Delivering During the Pandemic: Safety First for Babies, Moms, Families
At 38 weeks pregnant, Jenn Scott is excited to welcome a new baby into her current family of three. Yet with a due date rapidly approaching, Jenn is more concerned with her health and that of her husband as she prepares to give birth during the coronavirus pandemic. Concerns During COVID-19 She already knows what…
Read more03/28/2020
Crouse Cardiac and Stroke Emergencies
You’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “Take me to Crouse.” When it comes to stroke and heart issues, the doors of our Pomeroy Emergency Services Department are open around the clock, seven days a week, to serve the needs of our community. If you or someone else are experiencing symptoms of either of these conditions,…
Read more03/25/2020
Five Tips to Face a Health Crisis with Calm and Preparedness
As more information is received about the number of COVID-19 cases becoming more widespread, it’s normal to experience some fear and increased stress during this healthcare challenge. Our HelpPeople Employee Assistance Program team, led by Clinical Manager Elizabeth McCarthy, NCC, LMHC, suggests the following tips to help you and your family stay strong. Try to…
Read more01/17/2020
Crouse Carepassion: It’s the Right Thing to Do
At Crouse Health, we listen more closely, treat more skillfully, trust more completely and care more deeply — with the respect and dignity each individual deserves. We call it Carepassion®. As we look to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. this Monday, Jan. 20, we affirm the natural link between Carepassion…
Read more10/15/2019
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
When we think about pregnancy and motherhood, we think about the joy of welcoming a new baby into our lives. We don’t typically think about loss and grief. Crouse delivers 4,000 babies each year, and we can’t forget those mothers — about 120 annually — whose experiences aren’t what they expected and leave the hospital…
Read more09/27/2019
Carepassion in Action: Crouse Finance Team Serve the Community
If you think those who work in finance and accounting are only concerned about the bottom line, then you haven’t met our Crouse Health team. Interim Chief Financial Officer Kevin Randall, with Allyson Rossi, affiliate manager of finance, and 10 of their departmental colleagues, spent a morning recently volunteering at the Samaritan Center, an interfaith…
Read more07/19/2019
The Opioid Crisis: An Unprecedented Battle
The current opioid crisis is the most profound and devastating public health crisis ever encountered in the United States. With approximately 140 opioid overdose-related deaths in the nation daily, it is shaping up to be the most consequential health crisis of our generation.
Read more05/12/2019
Preemies, Parenthood and the NICU Journey
Every day is Happy Mother’s Day for Kasey Mathews and her family, including husband, Lee, son Tucker, and daughter, Andie, who was born prematurely, arriving at just 25 weeks. Weighing a mere one pound, 11 ounces, she survived and happily will turn 19 this fall. A 1985 graduate of Jamesville-Dewitt High School, Kasey was the…
Read more02/05/2019
Providing Diapers to Families in Need
How many times a month does a baby’s diaper have to be changed? Any new parent can do the math: six to ten changes each day, times 30 days, equals about 300 diapers needed for a newborn each month. By any count, that’s a lot of diapers. But when parents are financially challenged, the cost…
Read more01/29/2019
2018: A Year of Accomplishments
Last year was a busy one for Crouse Health, marked by new partnerships, including affiliations with three North Country hospitals: Carthage Area Hospital, Claxton-Hepburn Hospital and River Hospital. As part of the Crouse Health System, Crouse Medical Practice continued its growth this year, increasing access to clinical services with the addition of 16 new providers…
Read more06/20/2018
Helping CNY’s Refugees Navigate Healthcare

Imagine resettling in a new country, having to navigate an unfamiliar culture trying to use a language you don’t speak or understand. Further envision needing medical care, particularly in an emergency, not knowing how to access treatment — or even realizing it’s available.That’s the plight of 3,000 to 5,000 refugees who come to New York…
Read more05/24/2018
Carepassion Defines the Crouse Health Culture
Healthcare isn’t just about illness and injury — or even medicine. It’s much more than that…it’s about connecting on an emotional level with a deep sense of caring and a passion for helping others.
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