Cayuga Health, along with regional Southern Tier hospitals, able to use new Covid-19 facility to increase hospital capacity
In response to an increase in demand for acute bed care capacity in the Southern Tier and across the region, Cayuga Health [CH] and Cayuga Nursing & Rehabilitation Center [CRNC] officials announced today that they have teamed up to offer a 37-bed facility dedicated to COVID-19 patient care. The COVID-19 facility is located in a separate unoccupied building on the Cayuga Nursing & Rehabilitation Center campus and is staffed by a dedicated team. The facility specifically targets stabilized non-infectious COVID-19 patents which are still testing positive, to provide continued care and the required quarantine.
“Last spring, in preparation for the various stages of the pandemic within our community, we reached out to Mr. Braunstein to discuss a potential partnership, and he willingly offered to help,” states Dr. Martin Stallone, President & CEO of Cayuga Health. “This partnership benefits all of our regional hospitals as the demand for acute care related to COVID-19 complications increases. We are thankful to Mr. Braunstein and his team for being a true community partner and acting quickly to open this facility.”
Cayuga Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is a 144-bed skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center located on the west bank of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca. They offer a full continuum of care, from short-term rehabilitation to long-term skilled nursing, Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care on a secure unit to temporary respite stays, as well as a broad array of specialty programs and services.
“Under an executive order, nursing home patients are not permitted to be discharged without a COIVD-19 negative test,” states Shully Braunstein, Owner, Cayuga Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. “After I received the call from Dr. Martin Stallone and Dr. David Evelyn asking if we are still able to help, we acted quickly to get a Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] from the Department of Health. Our separate 37-bed facility will enable patients to finish their quarantine while getting access to our highly skilled nursing and rehabilitation team. We are working closely with New York State Department of Health to ensure that all necessary guidelines are being followed to safely operate the COVID-19 positive facility.”
This facility will be operated separate and apart from the nursing home and their residents and faculty. All patients of the COVID-19 patient facility will be admitted through a separate entrance where multiple barriers have been set up to prevent access from CNRC to the facility. All direct care staff will be dedicated to the COVID patient facility and will not be floated at any time to work on any of the CNRC units on campus.
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About Cayuga Health
Cayuga Health (CH) has two hospitals, Cayuga Medical Center and Schuyler Hospital, as well as a multi-specialty group, Cayuga Medical Associates. Combined employment, including affiliated organizations, is over 2,200 employees. CH is clinically linked to Mayo Medical Laboratories, Rochester Regional Health for cardiac services, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the University of Rochester for neurosciences.
About Cayuga Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Cayuga Nursing & Rehabilitation Center is a 144-bed skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center situated on the west bank of Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, NY. Our highly skilled Rehabilitation Team are dedicated to enhancing each resident’s physical, spiritual, and emotional health. Cayuga Nursing & Rehabilitation Center continues to grow and evolve to stay on the cusp of our community needs.