News for Your Health
The winning Nurse is....Julie Ragozzino
Julie Ragozzino: Albany ENT & Allergy Services
WAMC's Host Alan Chartock welcomes Dr. Gavin Setzen.
Let's discuss Losing by a nose is part of skiing
Gavin Setzen, MD, Named Chair of AAO-HNS/F Board of Governors
Gavin Setzen, MD, FACS was elected 2008-2009 Chair- Elect of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Albany Regional Sleep Disorders Center accredited by AASM
CT Imaging Center at Albany ENT & Allergy accredited by ICACTL
The winning Nurse is....
Julie Ragozzino from Albany ENT and Allergy Services. Congratulations Julie!
Julie, nominated by Margaret Kandoian, will receive a $100 American Express Gift Card. She also will be featured in a video showing her in action, a story published in the Times Union Classified section and on my blog this Sunday.
Thank you all for the wonderful stories about the best nurses the Capital Region has to offer. It was a tough task for me, Senior Editor Tracy Ormsbee and Dr. Sara Scheid of Capital Region Neurosurgery in Slingerlands to winnow the nearly 100 heartfelt entries to just one winner.
We were so impressed with the region’s caregivers; we decided to also recognize three honorable mentions and two nurses that were nominated multiple times. Their stories also will be posted. And, from all the others, we will publish a few through the end of the week.
If you also think Julie is great, or want to offer kudos to the Albany ENT and Allergy Services, post your comment. And, don’t forget, you can add to any individually posted story or the “Enter our Contest” post. (see video here & article here )
Julie Ragozzino: Albany ENT & Allergy Services
Everyone has been touched by a nurse, if not literally, then through an experience with a family member, friend or someone you work with.
To celebrate Nurse Appreciation Week, May 6-12, we asked for your stories of nurses who are heroes.The winning nurse would receive a $100 American Express gift card, a video of them in action and their story posted on the HealthyLife blog for all to see.
The Nurse Appreciation Week winner is RN Julie Ragozzino of Albany ENT and Allergy Services in Albany. Julie was nominated by Margaret Kandoian for her dedication and determination to help solve Margaret’s health issue. Here is Julie’s nomination:
“I appreciate Julie Ragozzino, a registered nurse at Albany ENT and Allergy Services. As a young woman several years ago, I experienced swelling in my ankles and legs. My primary care physician could not determine the reason or cause; he prescribed diuretics. Dietary constraints and diuretics did not work; the swelling persisted. During one of my visits to my allergy office for injections, Julie noticed my ballooning legs and compromised mobility and offered to review my prescriptions. On my next visit, Julie told me she suspected one of my medications might be the cause for the fluid retention. She researched and found a study that in rare cases implicated this medication as a cause for swelling of extremities after six months’ use. I had been taking this medication for seven months as mandated by my HMO as a cost-saving measure. With my permission and the allergy office director’s concurrence, she offered to coordinate a course of action with my primary care physician – - to stop the diuretic and use a previously prescribed antihistamine. Within a week the swelling started to subside and within a month was completely gone. Julie then took the initiative to make several phone calls on my behalf to my HMO to convince them that the “mandated” medication which caused fluid retention was not in my best interest. The HMO agreed and allowed me to use a previously proven medication not in their formulary. I appreciate Julie for her personal involvement in my case and taking the time to look into a seemingly unrelated medical problem. She followed through with all concerned parties until a favorable resolution was found on my behalf. At that time, Julie was one of several nurses administering allergy injections. She currently manages the Allergy Department at Albany ENT and Allergy Services. She is a compassionate individual who deserves to be recognized for her dedication and supportive demeanor with patients. Although not in her “official” nursing role, I’d like to mention another example of Julie’s compassionate nature outside the office. For years on her day off, Julie and her therapy dog, Gretchen, visited residents at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center in Guilderland, NY. They looked forward to interactions with the residents bringing them cheer and friendship. However, Gretchen is now becoming a senior herself and is entering retirement. Julie hopes to adopt another German shepherd and will train her new puppy to become a therapy dog for future visits.”
Thank you all for the wonderful stories. We were so impressed with the region’s caregivers; we decided to also recognize three honorable mentions and two nurses who were nominated multiple times. The contest may be over but you can still post stories of your hero nurse anytime. Check out Julie’s video as she reveals why she became a nurse and what’s she plans to do with the gift card!
(see article here)
WAMC's
Host Alan Chartock welcomes Dr. Gavin Setzen. 02/04/08 and 11/10/08
Losing by a nose is part of skiing
When I was in the fifth grade, my nose started to run.
It never stopped.
Thirty years later, I go out into the cold prepared. I carry Kleenex packets in my jacket
and keep a box at my desk at work and by my bed at home.
But the joys of the postnasal drip really come into their own while pursuing outdoor
sports. There are worse afflictions, for sure. But that doesn't make the flow any easier
to deal with while riding the slopes.
It took me years to learn that there's an actual scientific name for this malady —
vasomotor rhinitis, aka "skier's nose." ( Read More)
Gavin Setzen, MD, Named Chair of AAO-HNS/F Board of Governors
San Diego, CA – Gavin Setzen, MD, has been named chair of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery. He took over the office at the 2009 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego, CA, from October 4 – 7, 2009 which attracted more than 8,000 attendees. (Read More)
Gavin Setzen, MD, FACS was elected 2008-2009 Chair-
Elect of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
CHICAGO, IL. – Gavin Setzen, MD, FACS was elected 2008-2009 Chair-
Elect of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of
Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) at the 2008 AAO-HNSF
Annual Meeting & Oto Expo in Chicago, an event that drew more than 8,000
otolaryngology professionals from around the world. He was also elected
Chair of the ENT PAC Board of Advisors for the AAO-HNS. Dr. Setzen
received the Honor Award from the AAO-HNS in 2007.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, one of
the oldest medical associations in the nation, represents more than 12,000
physicians and allied health professionals who specialize in the treatment of
the ears, nose, throat and related structures of the head and neck.
Dr. Setzen is a Board-Certified Otolaryngologist who has practiced at Albany
ENT & Allergy Services in Albany, New York, since 1997. He is a Clinical
Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Albany
Medical College. He has a history of leadership in organized medicine and is
currently President of the New York State Society of Otolaryngology-Head
and Neck Surgery. He is Secretary of the Intersocietal Commission for
Accreditation CT Laboratories (ICACTL), a national accreditation body for
CAT scan laboratories. He also serves on the Medical Advisory
Committee for the New York State Department of Health. Dr. Setzen
currently serves on the boards of several not-for-profit organizations in the
Capital Region.
Albany Regional Sleep Disorders Center
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has accredited the Albany Regional Sleep Disorders Center, together with other AASM-Accredited Centers, which provide the highest quality of patient care. Like the AASM, Albany Regional Sleep Disorders Center is committed to ensuring that those in the field of Sleep Medicine provide excellent healthcare and enhanced awareness of sleep as an important element for health, public safety, and quality of life.CT Imaging
The CT Imaging Center at Albany ENT & Allergy was recently accredited by The Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Computed Tomography Laboratories (ICACTL), which sets the quality standards for the provision of CT Services nationwide. Albany ENT & Allergy Services is proud of this certification and dedicated to ensuring quality of care for our patients in accordance with the highest established medical and radiological standards.For more information on the ICACTL, please visit their website at http://www.icactl.org/icactl/.
© 2010 Albany ENT & Allergy Services PC
