Category Archives: Insurance / Medical Services

By Susan Elise Campbell

A new program by RISE Housing and Support Services is the first residential rehabilitation facility in Saratoga County that enables those recovering from substance abuse to extend care for an additional three to six months. 

Called RISE Above, people who have come out of a standard 28-day rehabilitation program can enter RISE Above voluntarily to continue getting the help they need to reintegrate into life and gain independence, according to Sybil Newell, RISE executive director.

“Saratoga County has had no residential treatment facility for people struggling with sobriety until now,” said Newell. “I’ve looked forward to this program for forever.”

Alcohol abuse is the most common addiction RISE treats, but Newell said opioid addiction is the biggest issue in the county. She said that a growing number of people with addiction are dependent on multiple substances.

“Addiction is such a multi-faceted disorder,” she said. “And it can affect anyone. It is not limited to socio-economic or mental health conditions.” 

Whether starting a journey of recovery or continuing one, Newell and her associates at RISE say a continuum of the care is “life saving” because of the “alarming rate of relapse” following rehabilitation.

By Ann Donnelly 

In the complex world of medical legal cases, having an expert who understands the nuances of both the medical and legal fields is invaluable. Dr. Carrie Barber, founder and principal medical legal consultant of Barber Medical Legal Nurse Consulting, LLC, brings a unique and powerful perspective to this specialized area. With 25 years of nursing experience and a wealth of qualifications, including a Doctorate of Nursing Practice and certification as a nurse midwife, which she passionately still practices, Barber has carved out a niche that blends her extensive clinical knowledge with risk management expertise.

Barber’s journey began with a deep commitment to women’s healthcare, working in labor and delivery and serving as a nursing professor. However, her move into independent consulting in September 2021 allowed her to leverage her varied experience. “My previous work roles have been the milestones that have taken me to this point in my career where I have been able to develop an independent and dependent medical legal consulting practice,” Barber explains.

Her ability to view cases from multiple angles—medical, nursing, and hospital administration—makes her an exceptionally valuable asset to her clients. This comprehensive understanding allows her to provide in-depth analysis and support in complex cases, particularly those involving maternal, neonatal, and fetal birth injuries and wrongful death.

Transitioning from hospital administration and academia to entrepreneurship presented its challenges. Barber candidly admits, “I was naive to the ongoing marketing and networking and the need for just constant efforts to connect with potential clients.” However, she quickly learned the importance of persistence and networking, dedicating specific days to marketing and networking. LinkedIn has also proven to be a valuable platform for her, connecting her with clients nationwide.

By Rod Bacon

On April 21, Saratoga Spine became part of Saratoga Hospital and by extension part of the Albany Med Health System.

The practice sold its building at 31 Myrtle Street in Saratoga Springs to the hospital in March, 2024, but has continued to provide services there since the sale. It has been renamed Saratoga Spine Care and the same level of quality care will still be available, according to Allie Curran, director of marketing & communications at Saratoga Hospital. 

“The acquisition will greatly benefit the services we are able to offer our patients throughout the region,” she said. “Furthermore, it strengthens Saratoga Hospital’s commitment to serve the people of the Saratoga region by providing them access to excellence in healthcare in a supportive and caring environment.”

In addition to its Myrtle Street location Saratoga Spine has offices at 7 Murray Street in Glens Falls and 16 Degrandpre Way in Plattsburgh. The Plattsburgh location will remain the same but the Glens Falls office has been moved to 161 Carey Road in Queensbury, Hudson Headwaters Health Network’s location.

By Jill Nagy

Dr. Michael Holland heads a medical team headquartered at Saratoga Hospital that looks after the medical needs of companies and their employees. From modest beginnings as company doctors, occupational medicine, Dr. Holland’s specialty, has developed into a board-certified field of medicine.

Dr. Holland began his medical career as an emergency room physician but, during off hours, the emergency room also served as the hospital’s occupational health office. After 18 years in the emergency room, and with a young family, he no longer wanted to work nights and weekends. Therefore, he undertook another residency and, since 1994, has been an occupational medicine specialist.

His field aims to meet the health and safety needs of business customers. Services include pre-employment examinations to make sure a candidate can do the job safely. He checks for illicit drug use, but also for such things as the ability to use a respirator mask for a job that requires one. For bus drivers, Dr. Holland assures that they can meet federal and New York State requirements. Basically, Dr. Holland explained, he tries to assure that  a prospective employee will not be a danger to himself or others. 

When a work site is experiencing large numbers of injuries, an occupational health specialist can come to the workplace, look at the job and the people who perform it, try to determine the causes of the excess of injuries, and prescribe possible remedies.

The Saratoga Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program, a collaboration with Albany Medical Center and Hudson Headwaters Health Network, has successfully “matched” its second class of six medical residents who will begin their three-year residency training on July 1. Six inaugural residents launched the program in 2023, and six are added to the residency each year, with a goal of 18 total residents by 2025.

 Match results were announced by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) on March 15. The Class of 2027 family medicine residents are:

• Marie Chin Day, MD – Dr. Francisco Q. Duque Medical Foundation College of Medicine, Philippines.

• Meghan Pentak, MD – American University of Antigua College of Medicine.

• Farhan Rana, MD – Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland – Medical University of Bahrain.

• Marina Rozik, MD – St. Matthew’s University School of Medicine, Cayman Islands.

• Troy Selvaratnam, MD – St. George’s University School of Medicine.

• Ankit Singh, MD – College of Medical Sciences, Bharatpur, Nepal.

“We are pleased to welcome our next class of talented family medicine residents to our communities,” said Ephraim Back, MD, Saratoga Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program director and chief of clinical initiatives at Hudson Headwaters Health Network. “Since arriving last summer, our inaugural residents have cared for a wide range of patients while working closely with our exceptional faculty. Together, we’ve built an enriching 21st-century family medicine training program that has fully filled with residents in its first two years. This is a testament to the quality of the program and faculty and the unique and rewarding opportunities to practice medicine in our region.”

By Christine Graf

With cyberattacks against small businesses on the rise in recent years, it is more important than ever for companies to have cyber liability insurance policies. 

According to Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report, 46 percent of all cyber breaches impact businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees. In 2020, there were over 700,000 attacks against small businesses, resulting in $2.8 billion in damages.

“We’ve been dealing with cyber liability insurance for about 10 years, but it hasn’t been until the last five years that it has become more mainstream. Every business should have a general liability policy as well as a cyber liability policy,” said Jeremy Deason, a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) and account executive at Associates of Glens Falls Insurance, an independently-owned insurance agency that writes policies throughout the United States. 

When cyber liability was in its infancy, policies were purchased primarily by companies that accepted credit cards or other digital forms of payment. These policies cover credit card breaches as well as the costs associated with providing data monitoring to customers.

By Jill Nagy

Jenelle Nemeth’s new business, Breastfeeding Savvy, aims to ease the frustration and isolation felt by many new mothers trying to breastfeed their babies.

Nemeth and her colleagues offer individual consultations both before and after a baby’s birth and host weekly meetings of a lactating mothers’ support group.

The business, also called The Lactation Lounge, is located at 58 Clifton Country Road, Suite 106 in Clifton Park.

Nemeth said that she dreamed for a decade of providing a lactation support service but was motivated to actually do it when the hospital she worked at discontinued outpatient services during COVID  and still is very limited by shortages of staff in what it can offer.

As a hospital nurse, Nemeth did home visits for a couple of years and, during that time, she saw a lot of new mothers self-isolating, cut off from outpatient services and support groups. 

“My heart could not see another isolated mom and that was the real drive behind launching: to gather these moms together to see that they were not alone in transitioning into parenthood,” she said.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Sean Finnegan once researched stocks and bonds for his clients, but now he is finding the best Medicare Advantage plans for their specific needs as an independent Medicare broker.

Over the decade he was a financial advisor his clients often asked him questions about Medicare. He decided to look into how health insurance supplements worked.

“I literally thought: I can make a living helping people make this decision,” he said. For three years he worked as an independent Medicare Advantage broker on the side of his financial advisory role. Then he gave up his securities licenses and founded Saratoga Medicare Group, LLC at 125 High Rock Ave. in Saratoga. 

Then COVID happened.

“It was hard for me at first to help clients over the phone because I’m a hands-on kind of guy,” Finnegan said. “That is how I build my client’s trust and how they know I am looking out for their best interests.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

With Grace Mental Health Counseling PLLC has been growing and operating at capacity at their Saratoga Springs and Clifton Park locations since 2018. The business recently opened a third location in Queensbury, increasing access to quality mental health care in the North Country. 

“We consistently heard feedback that the community in and around Queensbury would benefit from more providers to support the expansion of the area,” said Nicole Edwards, LMHC, who is co-founder and co-owner with Diane Webb, LMHC.

Edwards specializes in couples and family counseling and Webb in trauma, “which is why we are well-matched. We do different things and have a well-rounded staff of therapists,” she said.

All three locations are purposefully located close to clinics, and the Queensbury location at Fowler Square is across the street from Adirondack Community College.

“We are easy to find at 719 Bay Road,” she said. “Students can walk over to Suite 2101 and receive services.”