Pathways Nursing & Rehabilitation Center

The Easter Bunny spent some time at Pathways yesterday! Thank you to the activities team for putting on a great time for residents and staff!

With great discussion and ensuring that expanding visitations will be done safely, we are happy to report that we will expand visitations starting 4/7, Wednesday! We will no longer be using the Calendly scheduler and have ported over all current scheduled visits. The expanded visitations will allow for up to 12 booked visits a day with each unit allowing 2 visits in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Some guidelines that will continue with visitations: 1. For quickest visit ...process, please get tested before your visit. 2. If you cannot get tested in the community, you must show up 20 minutes early to be tested. 3. Must follow all P.P.E. guidelines we will provide P.P.E. 4. Visits will be done in the room IF resident is in a private room. 5. Residents in a semi-private room will be brought to a designated area. 6. Visits done in the resident’s room; you MUST stay in the room. No wandering around. 7. Visits done in designated area must stay in designated area. No wandering around. 8. Only 2 people per visit anyone under 16 years old must be with an adult. 9. Anyone over 10 minutes late to the visit will be considered canceled. 10. Show up at correct time, all visits are staggered by 5 minutes to avoid everyone at once. Example: visit for 10:05 show up at 9:45 if you need a test. Booking a visit https://pathwaysnursing.as.me/ 1. Click the link above (or in email) 2. Click which unit your visit is on 3. Pick a date 4. Pick a time 5. Fill out the questions 6. Click confirm appointment Please be considerate of other families who want to visit, we do have over 100 families that want to visit. Any excessive overbooking will be canceled. The calendar only goes 30 days into the future to help prevent overbooking and in case we do have a positive test result pop up. Pathways has NOT had a COVID related death and we want to stay that way! We are still offering skype visits as well, please reach out to our activity team to schedule a skype visit. If you have any questions or concerns, please call at 518-374-2212 and talk to social work.

Our new disinfectant machine, BNT3, is used to help combat all types of infections including Covid-19. Whenever a resident is discharged the machine is rolled in and fogs the room with the disinfectant and in 10 minutes provides a safe fully sanitized room for the next resident! The machine is also used in common areas throughout the building as well.

We would like to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Pathways Nursing & Rehabilitation Center made Andrew Cuomo's new book for when he returned the unsolicited ventilators to our facility on April 12th.

We are getting closer to allowing visitations starting NEXT WEEK OCTOBER 7th! Guidelines are as followed, put forth by New York State. 1. No more than 5 families visiting a day, 2 people for each visit (10% of population in the facility) 2. No visitors under the age of 18 3. All must have a COVID-19 test done within 7 days and provide negative results... 4. Must remain socially distant from resident 5. Must follow all infection control guidelines and use P.P.E. To make visitations as easy as possible please follow the link to our calendar to set up a visit. https://calendly.com/pathwaysnursing Instructions are: 1. Click link above (or in email) 2. Click on either Trach or No Trach for resident type 3. Select your date and time 4. Fill out the details (name, email, will have COVID test done) 5. Click schedule Event! Please be considerate of other families who want to visit, we do have over 100 families that want to visit as well. Any excessive overbooking will be canceled. The calendar only goes 21 days into the future to help prevent overbooking and in case we do have a positive test result pop up. We are still offering skype visits as well, please reach out to our activity team to schedule a skype visit. If you have any questions or concerns, please call at 518-374-2212 and talk to social work.

We hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween! We had a spook-tacular time with residents and staff dressing up and carving pumpkins!

We have learned of a new report put out by New York State in regards to positive staff results. The data is misrepresented for Pathways Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

A BIG congratulations to Marvin for graduating high school! Today his teachers came by to give him his own graduation ceremony and celebrate with him safely. Thank you to his teachers for showing support and congratulations again Marvin!!!

Our new COVID-19 testing days and times for employees in compliance with the new executive order from Governor Cuomo. Also some pictures of how we have transformed our education/class room into our COVID testing room!

As a reminder to all, we are still doing visits! Please use the link and information that follows to book. As a reminder for COVID tests, it can take 5 plus days to get your result. The best way to ensure the visit happens without any problems: 1. find out which date you are testing for COVID 2. book the same day of your test just 5 - 7 days later... Please plan accordingly... https://calendly.com/pathwaysnursing Instructions are: 1. Click link above 2. Click on either Trach or No Trach for resident type 3. Select your date and time 4. Fill out the details (name, email, will have COVID test done) 5. Click schedule Event! Please be considerate of other families who want to visit, we do have over 100 families that want to visit as well. Any excessive overbooking will be canceled. The calendar only goes 21 days into the future to help prevent overbooking and in case we do have a positive test result pop up. We are still offering skype visits as well, please reach out to our activity team to schedule a skype visit. If you have any questions or concerns, please call at 518-374-2212 and talk to social work.

The American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) honored Jeffry Ruso, Administrator of Pathways Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Niskayuna, New York with the 2020 Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award. There are over 17,000 Nursing Homes in the country and only 7% (1,180) of facilities nationwide met the initial selection criteria. Of that number initially nominated only seventy-eight (78) administrators were actually awarded the facility leadership. The Eli Pick ...Facility Leadership award looks at the following criteria: No survey (Health, Fire Safety, and Complaint) in the past 3 years with a citation above E Scope and Severity, Occupancy of at least 80% as defined by CMS Survey report, At least two CMS 4-quarter average QM score equal or better than the top 25% for the USA for Quality Measures (QM) and Avoidance of Special Focus Facility status. Congratulations to all staff at Pathways Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as it is a team effort to receive this kind of award!

An update from our administrator.... Pathways has begun testing of all staff for COVID-19 yesterday morning, with results provided in approximately 48 hours. We have the test kits for our patients as well, and the assigned test dates are June 3rd and June 4th. Per my information, the facilities with the greatest COVID-19 issues are the 1st priority for testing, and that related to our dates being later than for others. As of this date, we have had no positive cases. ... There has always been 4 probable means that COVID-19 could get into Pathways. 1. New or Re-admissions from the hospital 2. Visitors bringing it in 3. Vendors or Suppliers bringing it in 4. Staff I'll discuss each of the above: 1.Pathways has NOT admitted a patient who has tested positive for COVID, period. All patients who were sent to the hospital because they had some illness were tested by the hospital and tested again before re-admission, so that avenue has been significantly reduced. 2. As you well know, visitors have been excluded from our building. We decided to take this path on March 10th, which, understandably, was not popular with all of the families. The Governor's office, three days later, mandated no visitors for any Nursing Home in the state. We don't know if our earlier actions helped, 3. Early on we reduced suppliers from "hot-zone" locations, mostly from downstate, from bringing products into Pathways. Further, the drivers unload outside the doors and do not come in. Lastly, we spray down the deliveries with sanitizing solutions. 4. Regarding Staff, this has always been a risk. Still, we screen every employee as they come into the building, taking temperatures, sending home anyone who has any degree of illness. Of course, we are washing our hands, using sanitizers, face-masks and all kinds of PPE. We have managed to keep ahead of the supply issues for PPE, sometimes barely but we have never been without. We remain COVID-19 free, and will take any measure to remain so. Say prayers, cross your fingers, burn a candle, or do whatever you want so that we stay that way. We so much want all of you back here and thank you for your patience.

Endless gratitude for our Philosophy Care Team - you are true heroes.

Happy Mother's day!

Today is national nurses day and the start of nurses week! We thank all nurses in our building and in our community for their dedication and compassion shown everyday. THANK YOU!!!

One of our resident families brought in a very old photo after Governor Andrew Cuomo came to our building. In the photo you see Governor Cuomo’s mother, Matilda, hunched over to one of our resident when they were much younger. Matilda was a big advocate for children when she served as first lady to New York state with former Governor Mario Cuomo.

Big shout out to Amelia's Italian Eatery for donating food to our staff during this crisis. We thank them for their thoughtful donation and feeding our staff.