HTC Blog

Keep this link handy:   http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Champlain&state=NY&site=BTV&lat=44.9873&lon=-73.4446

For those of you looking for the St. Mary's school meeting from July 6, 2012, we are having problems putting it on our website.... so we refer you to the following location for the video:   http://blip.tv/hometowncablenetworkcom/st-mary-s-school-closure-meeting-7-6-12-6242033

My thoughts on the closing are contained in the following: 

We are all “stewards”. Our time here is temporary, and brief. Our communities, our churches, our schools; are here because someone came before us and did what was necessary to create and maintain them.

We have a responsibility to future generations to create, preserve and enhance that which is good and worthy.

St. Mary’s Academy in Champlain is “good and worthy”, and deserves to be kept alive for as long as there is reasonable hope that the school community can continue to support it. The school may be on life-support, but now is not the time to “pull the plug”.

At the meeting held in the Church today (7/6/12) it was eye-opening to see and hear people say that making the decision to send their children to this little Catholic School required a great leap of Faith on their part. Some of them had lost their Faith in God and the Church, and through making this decision and commitment, and seeing what was happening with their children, they were finding a reason to “believe” again. But now, that journey back to Faith has been abruptly de-railed.

Certainly, not all of the speakers were that dramatic, but, with one exception, all spoke in favor of continuing with the efforts to keep the school going … even if it’s just one year at a time for the foreseeable future.

The decision to keep the school open one-year-at-a-time can happen again and again, but the final decision to close the school can happen only once. There will be no going back after the doors are closed. In listening to the people who believe in the future of St. Mary’s Academy, I believe they deserve the opportunity to continue on their journey.

I think closing the school now will result in a great loss to the Parish of St. Mary’s. Not only the loss of the school, but I fear the Parish will lose Parishioners and the overall financial situation will actually be worse than it is now with the school open. In addition to the money, there will also be a great loss to the St. Mary’s community as a whole. The camaraderie that has sustained us for generations will suffer greatly. Many parishioners who have helped sustain this Parish will never return.

Our obligation is to the future, and when the school is closed it should be because there was no other viable alternative. At the present time this little Catholic School should maintain its “Right-to-Life”.

Every paper that I ever turned in during my twelve years at St. Mary’s Academy began with the heading “All for the Glory of God”. Let’s not lose track of that motto today.

Despite ongoing pressures related to health care reform, 2011 was a successful year at CVPH Medical Center according to President and Chief Executive Officer Stephens Mundy.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the CVPH Corporation on Tuesday afternoon, Mundy said that outpatient services continued to grow, the new Cardiac Short Stay Unit introduced in late January served approximately 1,200 people and CVPH is now able to offer private rooms to 70 percent of its inpatients which adds greatly to satisfaction.

Other highlights of the year included opening of a third cardiac catheterization laboratory in January, expansion of the Emergency Care Center in September and recruitment of seven new physicians and six allied health professionals to the CVPH Medical Staff. Applications are pending for an additional six physicians and one allied health provider.

Average daily volumes in 2011 included 3 births, 28 inpatient admissions, 63 surgeries, 136 emergency department visits, and an inpatient census of 272. There were also 60 daily visits to the FitzPatrick Cancer Center, 81 clinic visits, 149 visits to the CVPH Diagnostic Center and 227 therapy treatments.

This resulted in net patient service revenues of $294,824,993 for the year, which exceeded operating expenses by $7,469,569 for an operating margin of 2.5%. Revenues were up more than $17 million from 2010, while the operating margin was down slightly more than $464,000.

A new five-year strategic plan was unveiled at the annual meeting held at Clinton Community College and attended by approximately 150 members of the CVPH Corporation. The plan focuses on creating an exceptional patient experience: employee collaboration, engagement and satisfaction; physician relations; information and knowledge through technology; affiliations and partnerships and creating value through quality and financial health.

Officers of the Board of Directors for 2012 remain unchanged with John Masella, Chairman; Matthew Boire, Vice-Chairman; Alice Recore, Treasurer and Howard Black, M.D., Secretary. Board members include David Anderson, M.D.; Herb Carpenter; Harold Chaskey, M.D.; Alex Edwards; John Ettling, PhD; Virginia Hay; Adore Flynn-Kurtz; Linda Luck, PhD; Drew Sabella; Robert Smith and Curt Snyder, M.D.

CVPH Medical Center

            As a convenience, beginning October 25 patients can now register online for hospital services at CVPH Medical Center.  It’s as simple as going to the CVPH web site at www.cvph.org. 

            “We’re doing this to make it easier for our patients to get through our system,” Kathy Peterson, CVPH Director of Patient Financial Services said. “We’re looking for different ways to reach people and certainly today many people prefer to do their business online.”

            Peterson said that people can register for any hospital service offered at the main campus or satellite locations.  However, this does not apply to physician office visits.

            People will be asked upon arrival if they pre-registered online.  Those that have will be given a printed consent form to sign and will proceed. 

            The online process is safe and secure, according to Peterson, who also said that people will still have the option of doing one-on-one, face-to-face registration or can register by phone.

            The direct link to register online at CVPH Medical Center is

 http.//cvph.healthcareanytime.com/appointment-registration.

Take a look at this great book, and then feel free to share the link:  http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Acsm7Zo2bsWjwQ

CBP Officers Intercept Major Ecstasy Smuggling Attempt

CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Field Operations today announced the seizure of approximately 49 pounds of methylene-dioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), better known as the club-drug “Ecstasy.”  The seizure resulted in the arrest of a Canadian citizen.

On June 3, CBP Officers encountered 34-year-old Tara Haynes, a Canadian citizen from Montreal, Quebec, as she applied for admission into the United States at the Champlain, N.Y. Port of Entry.  Ms. Haynes made a negative declaration and advised CBP that she was traveling to New York City to visit her boyfriend.  Ms. Haynes exhibited nervousness during her primary interview and had difficulty answering additional questions related to her itinerary.  Due to these reasons, Ms. Haynes was referred for a secondary enforcement exam.

In secondary, an inspection was performed on the subject’s vehicle and revealed that the gas tank had been manipulated.  CBP Officers examined the area underneath the backseat and found that bags of pills had been concealed within the gas tank.  The pills field tested positive for properties of MDMA.  The bags were found to contain approximately 70,000 pills with a weight of approximately 49 pounds.

The seized narcotics have an estimated street value of $1.4 million.

“This case is an excellent example of the challenges Customs and Border Protection Officers face as they inspect arriving passengers seeking admission to the United States on a day-to-day basis.” said James Engleman, Director of Field Operations for the Buffalo Field Office.  “The detection and seizure of dangerous narcotics attempting to be smuggled into the United States, is one of the primary missions of CBP and contributes to the safety of our communities both locally and throughout the U.S.”  

Ms. Haynes was arrested on federal charges of importation and possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance and turned over to agents from U.S. Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation and prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.

Members of Woodmen of the World who have property damage as a result of the recent flooding of Lake Champlain and it's tributaries, may be eligible for financial aid from the Woodmen.  Members are urged to contact their local representative or the Home Office in Omaha, Nebraska.