FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 29, 2020
Two Saratoga Hospital Programs Awarded Grants From Mohawk Valley Medical Associates and MVP Healthcare
$35,000 in seed funding recognizes “excellence and innovation
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y., Dec. 29, 2020—Saratoga Hospital recently received $35,000 in grants from Mohawk Valley Medical Associates and MVP Healthcare to support innovative efforts to manage opioid use and help patients transition from hospital to home.
The grants were among the first awarded under MVMA’s new Program Excellence & Innovation initiative. Launched in 2020, the initiative recognizes programs that go above and beyond to address the needs of a specific population. The awards included:
- $25,000 for Saratoga Hospital’s Interdisciplinary Opioid Management Program, which integrates pain management clinical pharmacists and a substance abuse counselor in primary care practices to help monitor, manage and reduce the use of opioids for chronic pain relief.
- $10,000 for the hospital’s Inpatient Transition Program, which seeks to improve outcomes and reduce readmissions by helping patients with chronic or high-risk conditions arrange timely follow-up services after a hospital stay.
“These programs focus on patients who, with a little extra support, could see significant improvement in their health and day-to-day lives,” said Dr. Richard Falivena, vice president and chief medical and physician integration officer at Saratoga Hospital.
Although the programs are fairly new, early results are promising. During the first year of the Interdisciplinary Opioid Management Program, more than half the patients involved were gradually tapered off opioids entirely. Others were able to reduce the medication required to stabilize their pain.
Patients who received follow-up services through the Saratoga Hospital Inpatient Transition Program reported feeling less stress after an Emergency Department visit or hospital stay. In addition, they were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital than patients not in the program.
“The grants will enable us to extend both programs at a time when they are needed more than ever,” Falivena said. “We are extremely grateful for MVMA and MVP Healthcare’s leadership in encouraging innovation and supplying this extra support to healthcare providers and our patients.”
***
About Saratoga Hospital: Saratoga Hospital is the Saratoga region’s leading healthcare provider and the only acute-care facility in Saratoga County. The hospital’s multispecialty practice, Saratoga Hospital Medical Group, provides care at more than 20 locations, ensuring easy access to programs and services that can have the greatest impact on individual and community health. Saratoga Hospital has maintained Magnet designation for nursing excellence since 2004. The hospital is an affiliate of the Albany Med Health System, which also includes Albany Med, Columbia Memorial Health and Glens Falls Hospital. The region’s largest locally governed health system, it has 1,520 beds, more than 800 physicians and 125 outpatient locations. For more information: www.saratogahospital.org or www.facebook.com/SaratogaHospital.
###
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Peter M. Hopper
Director, Marketing and Communications
518-583-8679
phopper@saratogahospital.org