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.

12/30/2020

What to Expect: Delivering at Crouse During a Pandemic

Having a baby is an exciting time, but due to the COVID-19 virus, many parents-to-be are feeling anxious about coming into the hospital. Our Kienzle Family Maternity Center team has not missed a beat, and has been delivering babies throughout the pandemic with the same level of safe, compassionate care families have experienced at Crouse…

12/09/2020

Local Editor Reports on His Stroke Experience

> Heart Attack or Stroke? Seek emergency care immediately: It’s Still Safe During Pandemic The past six months have been the healthiest of my life. I started a regimen of walking three to four miles every day; I nearly eliminated alcohol consumption; and drastically increased eating fruits and vegetables, while reducing red meat. I…

12/03/2020

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…

12/01/2020

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…

11/16/2020

Telehealth is Here to Stay

> TELEMEDICINE AT CROUSE MEDICAL PRACTICE Call it telehealth, telemedicine or virtual visits, one thing is clear: The COVID-19 pandemic has forever altered how we connect, not only with each other, but with patients as well. What’s more, it’s here to stay. A recent survey of 1,300 physicians found that 90% of respondents were using…

09/30/2020

Flu Shot: More Important Than Ever

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu viruses and the virus that causes COVID-19 are likely to spread this fall and winter. Flu vaccines have been shown to reduce the risk of flu illness, hospitalization and death. Further, getting a flu vaccine can also preserve healthcare resources for the care of…

09/24/2020

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,…

09/21/2020

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…

05/28/2020

Crouse Leads the Way to Care for Mothers with Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorder

As the upstate New York leader in OB care, Crouse Health delivers more babies — about 4,000 each year — than any other regional hospital. The number one obstrical complication is Perinatal Mood and Disorder (PMAD), according to Christine Kowaleski, DNP, MHNP-BC, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who has counseled mothers for years. Without treatment, PMADs…

04/22/2020

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…

01/31/2020

Former Teacher: Magic Happens Mentoring Young Volunteers

A 15-year-old volunteer once visited a Crouse Hospital patient who seemed less than eager to chat. The volunteer stuck with it, following the advice of Student Volunteer Program Coordinator Dick Scott: slow down, smile and introduce yourself. When the volunteer mentioned she sang with the Syracuse Children’s Chorus, the patient perked up. She’d always wanted…

12/17/2019

The Dreaded Flu Season

October until April is typically known as flu season. Formally called influenza, the flu is a respiratory illness caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs.

10/17/2019

Addressing Neck and Back Pain

If you’ve ever moaned, “Oh, my aching back,” you’re not alone. Back pain is one of the most common ailments, affecting eight out of 10 people at some point during their lives, according to the National Institutes of Health. Crouse Neuroscience Institute Clinical Director Jameson Crumb, MS, RPA-C, says that those in pain usually wait…

10/15/2019

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…

09/30/2019

Paramedics Receive Advanced Critical Care Transport Training

Patients in small villages, towns and cities across upstate New York often require more intensive specialized care than their local healthcare facilities can provide. That’s why Crouse Health and American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance service are partnering to fill a critical need for the efficient transport of these patients to Crouse, while they are being…

08/27/2019

Breastfeeding: Things They Don’t Tell You

August is World Breastfeeding Month. The team at Crouse Health’s Kienzle Family Maternity Center recognizes a woman’s right to choose whether to breastfeed or not. During this month, in particular, we celebrate mothers who have are attempting to feed their babies human milk. What follows are some insights that may make the breastfeeding experience more…

07/19/2019

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.

05/12/2019

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…

05/01/2019

May is Stroke Awareness Month

Medical providers share an expression about treating stroke patients. “Time is brain,” they say, emphasizing the crucial concept that treating patients quickly minimizes brain damage. Crouse Health’s designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) assures patients and their families that Crouse provides highly trained experts, leading-edge technology and speedy treatment for any kind of stroke…

04/25/2019

Reinventing Spine Care: A Compassionate and Personalized Approach

What is one thing that people in pain usually do? Wait too long to seek relief. Many of us go through life having, from time to time, pain in our neck or lower back. In most cases the pain subsides, and we continue on with everyday life. Other times, our pain persists for longer periods…