UMMC

Press release:

Rochester Regional Health transitioned care back to Emergency Departments and Immediate Cares from evaluation tents at Unity Hospital, United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, and Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic this week.

The drive-thru evaluation tent at Wilson Immediate Care on the Rochester General campus will remain operational for employee testing and respiratory evaluations only.

The pre-operative testing done in these tents will now transition to Patient Service Centers and the Linden Oaks Surgery Center. The locations and hours of these sites are listed below.

Since the pandemic began, nearly 25,000 patients and 21,000 COVID-19 tests were performed in the tents. This is in addition to the more than 800 discharges of patients from the hospital systemwide (more than 750 in Monroe County). 

All Pre-Op Testing

Patient Service Center

Address

Hours

Batavia PSC

106 Main St., Suite 47B 

Batavia, NY  14020

 

Monday - Friday:  8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Saturday:  8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

 

Clifton Hospital PSC

 

2 Coulter Road

Clifton Springs, NY 14432

 

Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Saturday: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Linden Oaks PSC

 

10 Hagen Drive Suite 120 

Rochester NY 14625

 

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

 

Linden Oaks ASC 
(Drive-thru in the parking lot)

 

10 Hagen Drive 

Rochester NY 14625

 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.

 

Newark Union PSC

 

165 Union St.

Newark NY 14513

 

Monday- Saturday: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

 

Park Ridge/Unity POB PSC

 

1561 Long Pond Road, Suite 111 

Greece NY 14626

 

Monday- Friday: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

 

Titus PSC 

 

485 Titus Ave.

Rochester NY 14617

 

Monday- Friday: 8 a.m. -- 4 p.m.

Saturday: 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

 

COVID-19 Evaluations  -- These are NOT walk-in testing sites, patients will be evaluated and tested only if they meet the criteria (we do not test everyone. The MCC state-run tent does.)  

Immediate Care

Address

Hours

Immediate Care – Chili

 

3170 Chili Ave. 

Suite T1A

Rochester, NY 14624

 

Monday -- Friday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. -  8 p.m.

Immediate Care Webster

1065 Ridge Road

Webster, NY 14580

 

Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. -- 9 p.m. 

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. --  8 p.m.

Immediate Care – Penfield

 

2226 Penfield Road

Penfield, NY 14526

 

Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Immediate Care – Irondequoit

 

2701 Culver Road

Rochester, NY 14622

 

Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. -  8 p.m.

Immediate Care – Wilson

 

1425 Portland Ave., Wilson Building 

Rochester, NY 14621

 

Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. -  8 p.m.

Immediate Care – Greece

 

2745 W. Ridge Road

Rochester, NY 14626

 

Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. -  8 p.m.

Immediate Care – Henrietta

 

2685 E. Henrietta Road

Henrietta, NY 14467

 

Monday - Friday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. 

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. -  8 p.m.

Immediate Care – Batavia (The Jerome Center)

 

16 Bank St. 

Batavia, NY  14020

 

Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Press release:

As you all know, visitation began at our Rochester Regional Health hospitals today at noon, including United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia.

Today visitors were welcome from 12 to 1 p.m. and they will again be welcome today from 4 to 7 p.m.

After today, the visiting hours are 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. seven days a week.

There has already been some confusion at some of our facilities about what the visitation rules are. We would like to reiterate the following points:

• Each patient is allowed to designate two visitors for the length of their hospital stay.
• Each patient can have ONE VISITOR at a time for a MAXIMUM of FOUR hours a day.
• Two visitors will NOT be permitted at the facility at the same time (we are having people show up in pairs). If they show up in pairs, one will have to leave the facility and come back when the other has finished visiting and left the building.
• Visitors will have to register at the entrance to the facility and provide an ID.
• Visitors MUST wear a mask and wear it PROPERLY. If they do not have a mask, we will provide one. The proper way to wear a mask or face covering is to COMPLETELY COVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH. If visitors fail to comply, they will not be allowed to visit the patient and be asked to leave.

Please know that we are doing our best to follow the NYS guidelines for visitation. We know people want to see their loved ones and we want to allow them to do that, but we have to continue to make safety the priority and do all we can to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

This is a tough time for everyone and we appreciate your patience and understanding.

For yesterday's press release regarding visitation and the strict policy in place for it, click here.

Submitted photo and press release:

Nicole Hopkins has been awarded the 2020 St. Jerome Guild Health Professional Scholarship.

Hopkins is a registered nurse who has worked at UMMC, dedicating six years to patients in the UMMC Pain Center.

She is striving for her BSN advanced degree in Leadership Management, carrying a 4.0 average at Roberts Wesleyan College. The recipient received a $500 scholarship in memory of Dorothy Baker, a dedicated Honorary Guild volunteer.

The St. Jerome Guild Inc., offers the annual scholarship to applicants who are currently employed at UMMC/Rochester Regional Health and are pursuing advanced degrees in healthcare fields.

The Guild’s Gift Shop operates entirely by volunteers, and is coined “The County’s Best Kept Secret” located in the Jerome Center and hopes to reopen in the near future. Proceeds from the Gift Shop continues to purchase equipment for UMMC.

In the photo, Hopkins holds a plaque representing the Guild’s current initiative, “Home Town Heroes, 2020 Wall of Warriors.”

The GLOW community is welcome to support this initiative by donating $10 per star representing one of the 1,000 UMMC employees located at the North Street and Bank Street campuses.

All proceeds from this initiative will be donated to UMMC to purchase vital equipment.

Checks can be made payable to: St. Jerome Guild Inc., 16 Bank St., Batavia, NY 14020.

Photo by Jim Burns.

Batavia employees of Rochester Regional Health / United Memorial Medical Center take a knee at the War Memorial at Jerome Center at 8:46 this morning.

The time of 8:46 signifies the length of time a white police officer in Minneapolis, Derek Chauvin, knelt on the neck of George Floyd May 25, killing him. The police were called after a store clerk suspected Floyd of using a counterfeit $20 bill at the store. Three other officers at the scene are also charged in the case: J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao.

A message from Rochester Regional Health President and CEO Eric Bieber, M.D.:

"Today, we as healers at Rochester Regional Health stand with you for healing. The events we have witnessed in our nation and community these past few days are almost unbearable to describe. Already frayed by fighting COVID-19, we witnessed the brutal death of George Floyd — a horrific repeat of too many deaths gone before. Then in our own Rochester community, a peaceful protest devolved into violence.

"Each member of our Rochester Regional Health team is touched by these tragedies—more than 17,000 souls, along with our friends, loved ones, neighbors, and families. And of course, you, our patients. Many of you were born and raised in Rochester. Others hail from every continent on earth. We are diverse in every possible way — race, ethnicity, job description, cultural background, and religion.

"While diversity is our strength, there is more work to be done to bridge the divide. Today we are united in our grief and our resolve. All throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we have been telling you that we will get through this together. Those words mean more now than ever. Together is the way we will get through this to mend our hearts and community.

"Thank you, each of you, for your precious differences and united spirit."

Interview with UMMC infection preventionist Tricia Woodward about wearing masks.

"Operation Flight From Above" flew over Batavia’s VA home and UMMC to thank healthcare providers for their effort during the COVID-19 crisis.

The flyover consisted of two World War II era planes. Geneseo’s National Warplane Museum’s  C-47 "Whiskey 7," which saw service over Normandy, France, and a locally owned P51 Mustang called "Mad Max."

After a rough start because of bad weather in the Southern Tier, the formation flew over only about 15 minutes late at 1,300 feet and 180 mph.  

The parking lots and sidewalks around UMCC were full of viewers who got a glimpse of the planes as they flew over during their salute. 

Next two photos below submitted by Frank Capuano.

Photo below by Bob Aiken.

Press release:

The National Warplane Museum (NWM) in Geneseo is honoring WNY healthcare workers and first responders with two flyovers in Genesee County on Saturday, May 16.

At the Batavia VA Medical Center, the flyover will occur at 11:20 a.m. (give or take 10 minutes).

At United Memorial Medical Center, the flyover will occur at 11:24 a.m. (give or take 10 minutes).

"Operation Thanks From Above" will feature NWM's very own Douglas C-47, affectionately named "Whiskey 7," and it will take to the skies accompanied by one other aircraft, a P-51 Mustang named "Mad Max."

The flight will salute the local first responders, medical and essential workers who have served and conitue to serve the WNY region during the coronavirus pandemic.

We hope you can attend and view a flyover. VA medical and UMMC staff members working on Saturday have been notified. 

• Batavia viewing – in front of Building 1, near Outpatient Entrance, 222 Richmond Ave., Batavia.
• UMMC viewing is at 330 Summit St., Batavia.

Parking is plentiful and free.

#ROCTheSky

#ThanksFromAbove

On three different dates this week, employees of UMMC are being treated to meals from Over the Border Taco Truck, courtesy of Casella Waste.

Casella General Manager Jeff Pero said the company wanted to provide meals to all shifts at the hospital so they served lunch yesterday and today and are set up on Bank Street on Saturday.

From St. Jerome Guild Inc.:

The St. Jerome Guild Inc. is announcing a new initiative to show gratitude for the COVID-19 healthcare workers of the Rochester Regional Health/UMMC and the Jerome Center in Batavia.

As a special tribute to these employees during this pandemic, those serving on the front lines as well as supporting personnel, the Guild would like to honor each one with a gold-embroidered star.  

For the Wall of Warriors 2020, the Guild asks Genesee Livingston Orleans Wyoming (GLOW) community to support this intiative by donating $10 per star, representing each UMMC employee.

We hope to sell 1,000 "gold stars" to honor a thousand UMMC workers.

A star can represent an employee who may be a family member or friend, or just serve as a thank you for health-care providers’ tireless dedication and courage.

It acknowleges the outstanding care they give to patients suffering through these unsettling and disconcerting times.

There is no limit to donors wishing to honor more than one employee!

The star donations will be accepted by check, made payable to:

St. Jerome Guild, with notation "star" and mailed to:  St. Jerome Gift Shop at 16 Bank St., Batavia, NY 14020.

The final project will incorporate all the stars to be embedded into frames that will be on display at the North Street and the Bank Street campuses entitled, UMMC “Home Town Heroes -- Wall of Warriors 2020.”

All proceeds from this initiative will be donated to UMMC to purchase vital equipment needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Guild’s mission is to continually support our local hospital, and especially, now, during these extraordinary times.

Photos courtesy of Rochester Regional Health/UMMC.

Mary Sage, a longtime nurse at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia with two “retirement” dates on her resume, said she didn’t blink an eye when hospital officials summoned her back into duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“They called me out of the blue. I didn’t expect it but I never hesitated. I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll come back; not a problem,’ ” Sage said today during a Zoom videoconference set up by the Rochester Regional Health public information department.

Sage has been assigned to the medical surgery floor, located on the second floor’s new wing, and is taking care of a variety of patients, including those infected with the coronavirus.

She said she is tapping into her vast experience and knowledge gained over 30 years in the profession to provide just what is needed during what she calls a “very frightening” time.

“I am a better nurse today and a better person today because I’m older (she’s 72) and as you age, you certainly get wiser,” Sage said. “I’ve had to take care of a sick husband, I’ve been a patient myself, and I do believe that makes me a better nurse …”

She said that she has dealt with all kinds of illness, but nothing like the coronavirus that has swept through the world.

“I had a patient last week who they all of a sudden put her on COVID restrictions. It’s very frightening for them. I didn’t hesitate. I garbed up and did what I do,” she said. “But I realized very quickly that the patients are very frightened because they don’t understand what’s happening. You have to go through a lot of explanation – there’s a lot of testing, a lot of this and a lot of that. We have to garb, they have to put the mask on – and it’s just very frightening. But I think with a lot of reassurance, they get through it.”

Sage, who has held several positions at UMMC including supervisory roles, said she recalled the time many years ago when an infection control specialist came to the hospital and taught the nursing staff about pandemics.

“We kind of laughed, but I’m not laughing today … this is the real deal. It’s scary for everybody,” she said, adding that the woman patient with the virus was retested and fortunately the results came back negative.

Since coming back for another stint at UMMC, Sage said that learning the computer has been a “big-time change but it has been fun.”

“I understand that we’re in the information age, however I am a bedside nurse,” she said proudly. “You come into this facility and I’m going to take care of you. So, for me, the computer is secondary but it’s still important. Nursing at the bedside and taking care of your every need is more important to me.”

Sage, who also has volunteered in the surgical waiting area at UMMC since 2011 – racking up 728 volunteer hours through 2019, said she is currently working on a per diem basis. She retired as a full-time nurse for the first time in 2010 and then again in 2016.

“I have been working a couple days since I came back trying to gear up – orientation, learning the computer, getting back in gear,” she said. “It just depends … if we have another surge in the fall, I may work sporadically through the summer and come back in the fall – and I’m perfectly willing to do that.”

Her willingness to jump back into the fray exemplifies the caring nature of nurses and casts a bright light on the profession, which is celebrating National Nurses Week through May 12^th, which happens to be the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

“I remember that when I was very young, this was something I always wanted to do,” said Sage, who grew up in Wyoming County and now lives in Clarence. “Unfortunately, … my parents didn’t see education as very important in those days. But I was still determined. I worked for a year, I saved my money and came to Catherine McAuley School of Practical Nursing here in Batavia that was associated with St. Jerome Hospital. That’s where I got my initial training – in 1967.”

A graduate of Genesee Community College and Daemen College in Buffalo, Sage explained just how far nursing has progressed.

“We carried our meds on a little tray, we gave enemas and passed a few aspirin. The doctors did everything else. When the physicians came into the nurses’ station, you stood up and gave them your chair,” she said. “The information age has certainly enhanced nursing, but once you’re a bedside nurse, you’re always a bedside nurse."

Sage said as she matured she “changed her MO” as far as taking care of patients – shedding a task-oriented approach – and finding satisfaction in knowing she is helping another person.

“I probably would have come back here for nothing because I like doing what I’m doing,” she said. “… that’s what I love the most, that I can go into a patient’s room, I need some basic information and pick up right away. That’s what I care about the most.”

Her children have followed her into the medical field.

Daughter, Barbara, an Elba resident, is a registered nurse at UMMC in charge of the surgical associates’ office, and her son, Jeff, whose home in Akron is not far from his mom’s house, is an athletic trainer at Daemen College in Buffalo.

Asked if it was a good thing that her son is nearby, Sage said it usually is but not at the moment because of the social distancing mandates.

“I can’t see the grandkids right now, so on my way home I’m going to stop and do a dance outside their window,” she said, noting she also enjoys gardening. “You gotta keep moving.”

Photos at top: Mary Sage, taken while speaking via Zoom videoconferencing service earlier today with Stacey Pastuszynski of Rochester Regional Health public information office in background; Sage, second from left, on the UMMC medical surgical floor; Sage and her nursing colleagues.

It didn’t take Gail Tenney long to decide who she wanted to help when the coronavirus pandemic hit.

She works for her family’s businesses, McNickel’s Bottle and Can Redemption and adjoining RJ’s Washroom on Ellicott Street in the City of Batavia.

Given her family’s work at the Redemption Center, and because she knows that for most people “bottles and cans are a nuisance,” an empties drive was the perfect choice for an event to benefit hardworking medical providers at United Memorial Medical Center.

Thus was born "Community Strong with Cans." Tenney visited neighbors on Redfield Parkway, Bogue Avenue and Woodrow Road. They were happy to help!

She collected empties with a $200 redemption value initially, $120 with the next round, and then added $100 from her family. This $420 was used to purchase 55 meals for hospital workers at UMMC.

The meals were from local eatery Commit to Well (inside Eli Fish Brewing Co.) and delivered on April 13; the recipients were more than grateful.

“The ongoing support of our community is such an important piece in our fight against COVID-19," said UMMC President Dan Ireland. "As we all learn how to cope during these extraordinary times and rise to the challenge, our team members are working long hours away from their family—many accomplishing tasks they’ve never done before.

"Our community’s acts of kindness, large or small, keep us going. This outpouring of gratitude reminds us why we’re here, and that the community we care so deeply about, also cares for us. There are not enough words to express our sincere appreciation. We are all so thankful for the heartwarming generosity.”

Now Tenney would like to expand the scope of the project and share the benefits with the people who support their businesses as well, while increasing collection efforts throughout the community.

"Let’s support them, they support us," Tenney said. "…My heart breaks for them" because they are truly the people in need during these difficult times.

Along with the hospital staff, Tenney has selected Care-A-Van Ministries and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee to be recipients in the future.

Paul Ohlson of Care-A-Van said that contributions they receive are distributed according to needs, so it is most helpful to provide them with the funds directly.

Similarly, Lisa Wittmeyer of Community Action is anticipating that any money raised will help in upcoming months when many local residents need to catch up on unpaid rents from the early days of the pandemic.

The Tenney family hopes their efforts will bring a bit of much needed relief to those who need it, without overburdening the people they are asking to contribute. They intend to continue matching funds for money raised.

To donate your empties to "Community Strong with Cans," to arrange a pick up, or to help, please contact Tenney at:  getenney@comcast.net or call/text (585) 993-2060.

Visit Tenney’s Blog here.

Top photo, courtesy of UMMC.

Inset photo right, courtesy of Gail Tenney.

Press release:

Effective Monday, April 27, United Memorial Medical Center will resume outpatient lab services at the Jerome Center.

Jerome Center, 16 Bank St., Batavia

Monday - Friday:   6 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Saturday: 6 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Sunday: Closed

With the latest universal masking order, don’t leave home without yours! Please wear a mask or face covering -- in addition to social distancing -- as we continue to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work to keep our community safe, and thank you for entrusting us with your care.

For more information on COVID-19, visit online here or call 922-INFO.

Note: Lab locations in the Batavia City Center, Le Roy, and Pembroke remain temporarily closed until further notice.

Statement from UMMC:

Following the Governor’s elective outpatient treatment announcement, United Memorial Medical Center is carefully evaluating regional data and COVID-19 preparedness plans to ensure patients can have elective surgeries as soon as safely possible.

We will, in accordance with the State Department of Health guidelines, make every effort to resume elective surgeries for patients meeting criteria as the COVID-19 curve flattens in our community.

Submitted photos and press release:

Registered Nurse Natasha Smith (photo above) joined the United Memorial Medical Center nursing team as a traveling nurse in the Emergency Department, but quickly became part of the family. Smith has been busy making special headbands for her colleagues to alleviate some of the discomforts of regularly wearing masks.

“I came up with the headbands one night when I noticed I was getting raw behind my ears from the surgical masks. I am an avid headband wearer and thought adding buttons might help. I didn’t have anything like buttons that night, so I decided to poke holes in medicine caps and suture them to my headbands. It worked and the idea was born.”

Simply adding buttons to the headbands keeps surgical mask straps from continually rubbing health care worker's tender ears during long shifts.

A coworker posted a photo of her new headband to the "COVID-19: Real talk from Health Care Workers around the Globe" Facebook page and the idea was well received with 150 comments, 3.5K likes, and more than 30,000 shares.

This simple, yet genius, design will also be beneficial to health care workers required to mask during flu season – not just during the pandemic.

The headbands and Smith’s opportunity to help others have been a bright spot for her as a nurse in this coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s been a rough time for me. I haven’t seen my own children since the pandemic began and it makes me happy to know my silly little idea has helped others."

Video provided by Rochester Regional Health.

Norma Longrod is from Orleans County. She was brought into the emergency room at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia following a fall. Doctors found she was running a high fever and was presenting other symptoms of COVID-19 so she was immediately placed in isolation.

While not attributing her recovery specifically to hydroxychloroquine, a doctor in the video does say she was treated with the drug, which Gov. Andrew Cuomo said more than a week ago said would be used on a trial basis in New York to treat patients with COVID-19.

Staff at UMMC received a free lunch paid for by community donations organized by Ben Macdonald to thank them for "strength, courage, and service" during this difficult time.

Macdonald started a GoFundMe campaign last week with the goal of reading $2,000. The community contributed $3,325.

Workers were served lunches from food trucks for Center Street Smoke House and Public Coffee Hub.

Social distancing was maintained throughout the food service.

Information from Rochester Regional Health:

Rochester Regional Health added tents at three locations this week, including the ones at United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia, as an extension of primary care services.

The other tent sites are at Unity Hospital in Greece and Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic.

The sites are designed to keep patients and individuals safe while decreasing the potential of exposure to COVID-19. They are for general patient evaluation of medical issues and evaluation of potential COVID-19 patients, not just for COVID-19 testing.

Contact Primary Care Provider First

Patients, especially those who are sick or experiencing symptoms of illness, are still urged to call their primary care physicians first -- before coming to the locations. The UMMC tents are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.

This is a multi-tent “drive-thru” system set up to support primary care, urgent care and the hospital system in a manner that allows for social distancing. It is designed to further protect patients, employees, and the community by decreasing the chance of exposure, therefore reducing the risk of further community spread. 

The multi-tent “drive-thru” system does not guarantee patients will be tested for COVID-19. Patients will receive an evaluation and then it will be determined if they need to be tested based on clinical criteria.

For more general information regarding COVID-19, visit rochesterregional.org/COVID19 or call 922-INFO.

When patients complete treatments at the Lipson Cancer Institute, there is a bell the patient rings inside the institute. But with social distancing restrictions, there are few people around to hear it. This morning, when Jody Breslin, who is also radiologic technology at UMMC, completed her treatments, staff lined Summit Street to ring handbells to celebrate the end of her treatment.

As a precautionary measure, UMMC has erected tents outside its Emergency Department to help triage patients if it becomes necessary to deal with an overflow of people during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a previous interview, CEO Dan Ireland emphasized this is an act of preparedness and not a signal that they're already needed.