NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (Friday, December 10, 2010) –( release ) Kaleida Health today announced that the primary care geriatrics program located at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital is moving to DeGraff Memorial Hospital.
With a very large senior population in North Tonawanda and the surrounding communities, the move is aimed at creating a niche at DeGraff as a geriatric center of excellence.
“Seniors have unique needs that require special expertise,” said Tony Zito, the president of DeGraff Memorial Hospital. “Whether you are experiencing the natural changes of aging or medical problems that require more care, the program uses a multi-disciplinary approach to address all aspects of the aging process. We are proud to relocate this program here in North Tonawanda.”
The Geriatric Center of Western New York, led by Kenneth Garbarino, MD, specializes in the care of patients over the age of 70, with an emphasis on those dealing with complex medical issues and/or memory loss.
“I am very excited about our move to DeGraff Memorial Hospital,” said Dr. Garbarino, medical director of geriatric ambulatory care. “I believe it's a perfect fit for all. DeGraff Hospital has a great reputation in the community and the surrounding area has many seniors. We see the geriatric ambulatory center as another piece to compliment the adult day care, long term care, sub acute care, hospital inpatient acute, rehabilitation, and an emergency department with a short wait time. The potential to coordinate all these services together and help deliver seamless care to the elderly are the ingredients for an outstanding comprehensive geriatric center of excellence.”
The Geriatric Center of Western New York also serves as the Western New York site for the Alzheimer’s Disease Assistance Center, offering comprehensive evaluation and treatment of people with memory loss.
For patients requiring hospitalization, a special inpatient geriatric unit dedicated to the care of elderly patients will also be created at the hospital. This acute geriatric unit will provide a specialized environment to achieve good health after an illness or injury while keeping the sensitive needs of the older patient in mind.
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DEGRAFF/GERIATRICS PROGRAM
Friday, December 10, 2010
The service line move to DeGraff Memorial Hospital is a part of the relocation of all of the signature programs from Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital, as the facility will close in 2012.
The Geriatric Center of Western New York will continue to see patients at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 2012.
There will be no interruption of service or impact on the 16 members of the staff. The following physicians are also affiliated with the geriatrics program: Donna Desmone, MD; Elizabeth Fray, MD; Calagero Ippolito, MD; Bruce Naughton, MD; and Arunan Thurairajah, MD.
The group oversees a patient population of 1,800.
For information on services provided through the Geriatric Center of Western New York call 690-2410.
The move will take effect December 13, 2010.
In 2009, Kaleida Health’s retina program made a similar move. The Western New York Retinal Surgical Services moved from Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital to DeGraff Memorial Hospital.
Eleven board certified ophthalmologists specializing in retina-vitreous surgery are now performing these intricate procedures at DeGraff. They include Mark Comaratta, MD; Christopher Jermak, MD; Mehdi Khan, DO; Faruk Koreishi, MD; Henry Lee, MD; Paul Lee, MD; Joseph Murphy, MD; Saralyn Notaro, MD; and Dilip Patel, MD; Ramakrishna Ratnakaram, MD; and Pradeepa Yoganathan, MD.
In 2007, DeGraff Memorial Hospital announced the opening of a new outpatient clinic specializing in the diagnosis, management and treatment of diabetes.
DeGraff Memorial Hospital is one of five hospitals in the Kaleida Health network, which also includes Buffalo General Hospital, Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital and the Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.
DeGraff Memorial Hospital has proudly served the northern communities of Western New York for over 90 years and boasts a full array of medical services, including critical care, orthopedics, retina, rehabilitation and more.
