Oswego Health Staff Recognized for Going Above and Beyond Throughout Pandemic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                 Contact: Jamie Leszczynski
                                                                                                                                                (315) 349-5601
                                                                                                                                                jleszczynski@oswegohealth.org      

Oswego Health Staff Recognized for Going Above and Beyond Throughout Pandemic

(Oswego, NY – March 17, 2021) With over 1,200 employees, Oswego Health is always looking for ways to recognize their staff for the care they provide and the jobs they do.  The iICare Award was established to allow employees to nominate one another as well as accept nominations from patients directly, to recognize staff for going above and beyond. Each month a new employee or department is spotlighted.

For March, Oswego Health recognized the COVID-19 Mobile Testing Team. Since opening the mobile testing unit a year ago, Oswego Hospital has conducted over 22,000 COVID-19 tests through their mobile testing unit at Oswego Hospital. A total of 21 employees were reassigned from within the healthcare system and assisted to meet the needs of our community. 

Oswego Health would like to recognize, Karen O’Reilly, LPN for Endoscopy, Surgical Services as she has been operating the mobile unit since it was constructed on March 19, 2020. Kate Gentile, Infection control and EVS Administrative Coordinator; Michelle Thompson, Information Coordinator for Surgical Services;  Anna Lobb, Administrative Assistant, Emergency Department;  Sarah DeLapp, Administrative Assistant, Med Surg; and Angela Mosqueda, Patient Care Technician, ICU have also played critical roles in operating the unit as well as Alissa Miceli, Coordinator to the Director of Nursing, Patient Sitter Manager;  Denise Rojek, ED Tech, Administrative Assistant for Respiratory Therapy; Jacquie Gessner, Tech, Women’s Services; Jillian Dowdle; Beth Bivens, RN, Community Health and Sue Callaway, Senior RN, Community Health Education.

“This past year has certainly been unchartered territory for everyone,” shared Director of Nursing, Melissa Purtell, RN, BSN, MSN. “Each of us has had to work harder, smarter, and collaborate in ways like never before. Employees at all levels stepped up to help our community and we are just so proud of our COVID-19 Mobile Testing Team. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, they were out there doing what was necessary to test our community and when we needed assistance, we had employees from across the entire healthcare system volunteer to assist.”

Between November 2020 to the first week of February 2021, when cases were at an all-time high for Oswego County, the mobile testing unit was operational 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and our clinical department directors stepped up to assist. Therefore, Oswego Health would like to recognize Ryan Lorensen, Director of Central Sterile; Ryan French, Director of ICU & Respiratory Therapy; LeRoy Valentine, Director of Emergency Services; Cheryl Stilwell, Director of Med Surg; Jody Wood, Director of Surgical Services; Kelly Montagna, Director of Fulton and Central Square Urgent Care; Kim Spurling, Director of Women’s Services; Theresa Fitzgibbons; Director of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety as well as Melissa Purtell, Director of Nursing.

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About Oswego Health:
The mission of Oswego Health is to provide accessible, quality care and improve the health of residents throughout Oswego County. As a nonprofit healthcare system that was established in 1881, Oswego Health is proud to continue to be one of Oswego County’s largest employers. More than 1,200 employees work for the Oswego Health system, which includes the 164-bed community Oswego Hospital, a 32-bed psychiatric acute-care facility with multiple outpatient behavioral health service locations, The Manor at Seneca Hill, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility that provides complete rehabilitation services and an Adult Day Health Services Program; Springside at Seneca Hill, a 57-unit independent retirement community and Oswego Health Home Care, the only hospital-based certified home health care agency in Oswego County. For more information about Oswego Health, please visit our website  www.oswegohealth.org.