Cutting-edge Technology Meets Compassionate Care
Published Apr 15, 2004
Robert J. Bylancik, president of Sunnyview Rehabilitation
For residents of New York’s Tech Valley, having access to some of the country’s top research centers and medical facilities maximizes outcomes.
Albany Medical Center, the region’s only academic health sciences center, offers an excellent case in point. With a proven track record in patient care, biomedical research and medical education, the 651-bed hospital has garnered national attention for its work in several fields.
“It’s one very elegant package of health-care services for the people of the community,” says Jim Barba, AMC president and CEO.
Barba says AMC has created centers of excellence in several areas including the neurosciences, cardiac medicine, vascular care and pediatrics.
“We do more vascular procedures here at Albany Medical Center than anywhere else in the United States,” Barba says, noting that AMC’s relatively new heart transplant program has quickly risen to national prominence both in outcomes and by volume.
“In April 2000, we did our first heart transplant. As of September 2003, we have done 88 heart transplants.”
The Neurosciences Institute works with patients with neurodegenerative diseases or afflictions such as Alzheimer’s and stroke.
For stroke patients, there is a very short window when damage can be minimized.
“We not only have state-of-the-art technology but also extraordinary expertise among our physicians and staff in dealing with stroke,” Barba says proudly.
Another source of pride is the collaboration with GE Global Research to look for interventional techniques to halt Alzheimer’s progression.
“I look forward to the day in the not-too-distant future when there will be significant breakthroughs in Alzheimer’s … and it’s all happening right here,” Barba says.
When longer-term specialty care is needed, AMC often turns to colleagues at Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital in Schenectady.
Sunnyview celebrated its 75th anniversary in August 2003. Built to serve children with developmental disabilities, the hospital was well-established by the time of the polio epidemic. As the field of rehabilitation developed more fully in the ’50s, the hospital began serving adult patients.
“The hospital has always responded to the rehabilitation needs of the time,” says Robert J. Bylancik, Sunnyview president.
“We began cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation in the last decade. We started the vent-weaning program in April 2002.
In the first year, we admitted 34 patients and 80 percent were successfully weaned and returned home,” he says, noting that outcomes are slightly above national averages.
In addition to inpatient care covering all rehabilitation disciplines, Sunnyview offers a full range of outpatient therapies and has a wellness center on site.
Whether it’s to regain functional outcomes or simply maintain a healthy lifestyle, Bylancik says Sunnyview is there to care for the community and respond to its needs.
Of course, such quality care is in no way limited to the region’s metropolitan areas. In fact, a number of programs are available to serve rural residents.
For example, the Columbia County Community Healthcare Consortium has helped thousands of local residents access quality care since it was established six years ago.
Every year since its inception, the consortium has added programs to provide health screenings, seminars and transportation to medical appointments.
“The whole idea is to break down any barriers to getting health care,” says Diane Franzman, healthcare consortium executive director.
The rural health network consists of representatives from the health, business and consumer sectors and is one of 34 such networks throughout the state. The program receives funding from the New York State Health Department, the Office of Rural Health, and from private and public resources and donations.
The consortium works with other community groups to identify needs and develop programs to address those needs. For example, a lack of public transportation in this very rural area was deemed to be a big reason why many people didn’t receive proper health care. In 1999, the organization began offering transportation to and from medical appointments for residents of all ages.
“We have a lot of elderly people in our community who had trouble getting to doctor’s appointments before this service started,” Franzman says. “Many of these people are somewhat isolated and look forward to having the driver come to get them. It’s become more than just transportation – it’s a way to socialize.”
Story by Cindy Sanders
Photo by Antony Boshier
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