Stafford New Life Center at AMC Earns Distinction

SARANAC LAKE - The Stafford New Life Center at Adirondack Medical Center was presented with a Certificate of Excellence for achieving 100 percent compliance in detecting and preventing a serious infection threat to newborn infants.

The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in a pregnant woman poses a serious risk to her infant at birth.  Without the proper treatment roughly 40 percent of infants born to HBV-infected mothers in the country will develop a chronic HBV infection.  Of those 40 percent, about one-quarter will need a liver transplant or die from chronic liver disease.

The good news is that HBV transmission is preventable when the virus is detected in the mother and the infant is provided with a Hepatitis vaccine and Hepatitis B immune globulin to prevent the development of the virus.

To ensure detection and to prevent infection, the New Life Center at AMC is actively involved in a program to monitor and control Hepatitis B.  The program, which requires a team effort by the nursing staff, achieved a 100 percent compliance level with testing, reporting, recording and documentation of HBV.  More importantly, these efforts prevented the development of HBV in infants born at the Stafford New Life Center at AMC.

AMC is the only hospital in Franklin County to have received this distinction from the Public Health Department.

CAPTION:  Patricia McGillicuddy, a nurse with the Communicable Disease Division of Franklin County Public Health, presents a
"Certificate of Excellence" to Marilyn Leitsch (center row-right), the Director of the Stafford New Life Center at AMC. 
AMC's New Life Center was chosen for the honor by achieving 100 percent compliance with testing, reporting, recording
and documentation of the Hepatitis B virus in pregnant women.  Also on hand for the award presentation were Margaret Sorensen, Chief Nursing Officer for AMC (back row),
and New Life Center staff members Jessica Kulzer, RN, (front row-left) and Debbi Marshall, RN.

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	AMC is accredited by the Joint Commission. Click here to view the Joint Commission Public Notice.
	AMC is accredited by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program.
	Adirondack Medical Center's Bariatric Program and Dr. Michael Hill have been designated as a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery.