The number of people hospitalized from Covid-19 has more than quadrupled in both the Finger Lakes Region (which includes Orleans County) and the Western New York Region since Nov. 1.

On Nov. 1 there were 92 hospitalized from Covid in the Finger Lakes and that increased to 371 on Nov. 28. In Western New York, the number hospitalized from Covid went from 90 on Nov. 1 to 386 on Nov. 28.

That is a greater increase than state-wide, which has seen hospitalizations triple from 1,151 on Nov. 1 to 3,372 reported today by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office.

The state was at a low point in hospitalizations from Covid with 410 on Sept. 5. It crossed 1,000 for the first time in the fall surge with 1,023 on Oct. 22.

That is still way down from the Covid peak of 18,825 Covid hospitalizations on April 12. State-wide the hospitalizations from Covid was at 10,350 on May 1, 3,121 on June 1, and 878 on July 1. The hospitalizations have been rising fast this month from the 1,151 on Nov. 1, to 2,124 on Nov. 16, and then passing 3,000 on Nov. 25 with 3,056.

Western New York has the highest rate of positive Covid tests among the regions of the state. Orleans County is in the Finger Lakes Region, which has the second highest average the past 7 days.

Genesee and Orleans Health Department haven’t updated the local stats since Wednesday. They said they will provide new numbers of cases and hospitalizations on Monday.

Gov. Cuomo has been providing daily updates, even on Thanksgiving. Here are the state-wide numbers the past four days:

• Today: Of the 157,320 tests reported on Saturday, 6,723 were positive (4.27% of total). Total hospitalizations are at 3,372. There were 55 Covid fatalities on Saturday.
• Saturday: Of the 152,355 tests reported on Friday, 6,063 were positive (3.98% of total). Total hospitalizations were at 3,287. There were 42 Covid fatalities on Friday.
• Friday: Of the 219,442 tests reported on Thursday, 8,176 were positive (3.72% of total). The 219,442 tests was a new record for most tests in one day. Total hospitalizations were at 3,103. There were 39 Covid fatalities on Thursday.
• Thursday: Of the 217,721 tests reported on Wednesday, 6,933 were positive (3.18% of total). Total hospitalizations were at 3,056. There were 67 Covid fatalities on Wednesday.

“If you look at New York relative only to New York, you see the numbers going up — not as fast as in other states, but the numbers are going up,” Cuomo said today. “It’s nice that we’re doing better in a national and global context, but it’s irrelevant to one extent because we have to deal with the issues that we have here in New York relative to New York.”

He expects the numbers will continue to go up through the holiday season past Jan. 1.

“This is a new phase for Covid — call it the winter phase or the holiday phase or the surge upon surge phase — and we are spending this weekend talking to health officials and local governments about the plan for that next phase,” Cuomo said. “We’ll be speaking to that tomorrow and this week with more details. In the meantime, everyone needs to stay vigilant: wear your mask, wash your hands, maintain social distance, and above all stay New York Tough.”

Here are some of the recent testing rates for zone clusters in counties near Orleans.

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Press Release, Genesee County Health Department

BATAVIA – The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive Covid-19 test from an individual who was at Kelly’s Holland Inn, 25 Evans St. in Batavia, on the following dates:

• Tuesday, November 17^th, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 18^th, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Thursday, November 19^th, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Friday, November 20th between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress. However, unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case.

We advise all individuals who were at Kelly’s Holland Inn on the stated dates and times to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of Covid-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include but are not limited to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

In past 7 days Genesee has added 212 new cases while Orleans has 49 more

Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 45 new cases combined today.

In Orleans, there are 11 new confirmed cases for a total of 587 positive cases since March. The new positive cases reside in Albion, Clarendon, Gaines, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 40s, 50s and 60s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said this afternoon.

Orleans is reporting four more recoveries and those individuals have been removed from the isolation list.

Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

• Medina Middle Schooler tests positive: Medina Central School was informed that a student at Wise Intermediate Middle School has tested positive for Covid. That student hasn’t been on campus since Nov. 17, and was on mandatory quarantine due to exposure to Covid, district superintendent Mark Kruzynski wrote today in a letter to district families and staff.

“In this situation, the Department of Health has determined that there will not be a need for any further school-related quarantines due to these cases,’ Kruzynski said. “However, any determination of the need for quarantine will come directly from the Health Department.”

In Genesee County, there are 34 new positive cases of Covid for a total of 827 since March.

The new positive cases reside in Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pembroke and Stafford.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Eight of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Genesee reports that 14 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed

from the isolation list.

Genesee has 16 residents hospitalized who have Covid.

• Covid cases rose significantly in past seven days: Since Nov. 18, Genesee has added 212 cases, from 615 to 827. Geneses’s recoveries also are up by 126.

In Orleans, the cases since a week ago increased by 49, from 538 to 587 with 79 recoveries.

• 3-county data: To see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, click here. There are currently 315 active cases in the three counties, with 221 in Genesee, 41 in Orleans and 53 in Wyoming.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• No updates until Monday: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, both Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments will be closed on Thursday and Friday. We will not be updating the websites or the maps on these days and over the weekend.

Our next update will be Monday afternoon to include data from today after 2:00 p.m. until Monday afternoon. Many of our staff will be working to handle investigations and quarantine-related issues. We hope you have a safe, healthy and Happy Thanksgiving.

Over this weekend, we can’t stress enough the importance to limit time with non-household members. Continue to do your best to limit the spread of Covid-19 and the flu by frequently washing/sanitizing your hands, wearing a mask/face-covering over your mouth and nose when out in public and keeping at least 6 feet from non-household members. If you are not feeling well, please stay home and contact your primary care provider for guidance.

Press Release, Oak Orchard Health

ALBION — Due to the rise of Coronavirus cases, there is an increasing demand for tests. Many of our health centers including Albion, Brockport, and Hornell provide testing for people with and without symptoms.

At the Corfu, Batavia, and Alexander locations we are testing people with symptoms who meet the criteria. To keep everyone safe, all testing is by appointment only.

Covid-19 swab tests are available at our health centers outdoors to ensure safety for patients and staff, however, if you have symptoms, please call in advance for arrival instructions. Test results are typically back in 3-5 days but in some cases can take up to seven business days.

“We want the community to know that Oak Orchard Health is here for them should they need a Covid-19 test. We have several testing locations and options including a free LetsGetChecked Self-Collection Kit,” said Dr. Mary Obear, MD, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer, Oak Orchard Health.

Regarding payment, Oak Orchard starts by billing the insurance companies (co-pays may apply), and should it not be covered, we also offer a sliding fee scale discount based on family size and annual income. For questions or more information, please call (585) 637-3905 ext. 221.

The LetsGetChecked Covid-19 Self Collection Kits were purchased by Oak Orchard but are being given out free to our patients 18 years of age or older. They can be used at home but are in limited supply. The kits can be used when appropriate based on current testing guidelines. The test kit comes with a UPS next day air return shipping label to send your sample back to the lab. They aim to deliver your results within 24-72 hours of your sample being received in their laboratory.

Take a moment look at the Covid-19 testing options available at Oak Orchard Health. For more information, click here or call (585) 637-3905.

MEDINA – In spite of not being able to have an in-person fundraising event this year, Orleans Community Health’s Mega Drawing on Tuesday was a huge success, according to Heather Smith, director of the hospital’s Foundation.

“We are so thrilled with how it went,” Smith said, after the drawing took place live on Facebook at noon Tuesday. “It was our first time hosting a live virtual fundraiser and it will not be our last.”

Participating in the live drawing with Smith were hospital CEO Marc Shurtz and Foundation board member Jeanne Crane.

Smith said the Foundation was in the early stages of planning an event when Covid-19 first hit the region in March. They had originally planned for it to take place outside at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in August, but in April the committee decided to put all fundraising plans on hold.

“After thinking things through and doing a little research, we decided we could do this event completely virtual through Facebook,” Smith said. “It was much simpler than I thought it would be. We will definitely do something like this again in the near future. We did sell out all 300 tickets with a net profit of just over $18,000. All our winners live locally and represent hospital employees, the fire department, local business owners and community members.”

Seven cash prizes were awarded, ranging from $10,000 to $100, in addition to a lottery tree, office chair and Buffalo Bills fire pit.

Due to the success of the event, Smith said they are able to finalize fundraising for two special projects they are working on with Orleans Community Health. One is the Recovery Room renovation in memory of Nancy Albanese, where they plan to update the lighting, install secure patient lockers, replace the nurses desk, privacy curtains and flooring and install new storage cabinets.

The second project is at the dialysis units in Medina and Batavia. Both locations will receive a new wheelchair scale and new office chairs for the nursing stations and administrative offices. Lastly, they will soon receive a few new laptops to assist with charting while working chair-side with the patients.

Smith extended the Orleans Community Health Foundation’s thanks to all who purchased a ticket and to sponsors, which included Lawley Insurance, Lumsden and McCormick, Dr. Joseph Canzoneri of the Wound Care Center at Medina Memorial Hospital, Western New York Energy, the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and Takeform.

Scratch-off donors were Cusimano’s Pizzeria, Zambistro, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and the OCH Foundation board members. In addition, prizes were donated for the drawing from Indoff and Orleans/Niagara BOCES.

“Everyone was so enthusiastic about the drawing and so glad to participate,” Smith said.

Genesee County also reports a death due to Covid-19

The Covid cases continue a rapid rise in Genesee County with 64 more confirmed cases today, following 77 on Monday, which was the first update since Friday.

Genesee County also is reporting a resident under age 65 has passed away due to Covid. That is the county’s sixth death from Covid since March.

“To protect the individual’s privacy we will not be reporting any further information,” a news briefing from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Department stated this afternoon. “Our deepest condolences to this person’s family and friends on their loss during this very difficult time.”

Orleans County is reporting five new cases today. The county has now had 576 people test positive for Covid since March.

The five new positive cases are residents of Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Kendall and Murray. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 40s and 60s.

One of the new cases was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Health Department said.

Orleans also is reporting six more recoveries and those individuals have been removed from the isolation list.

The county has two residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• Albion student tests positive: Albion Central School notified residents this afternoon a middle school has tested positive for Covid-19. That student is a hybrid learner, attending in-person classes twice a week.

The student was last in school on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and started presenting symptoms on Nov. 18. Contact tracing has been completed and the district has assisted the Department of Health by notifying any staff members or parents of any students who were identified as being close contacts. Official notifications will ultimately be made by the Department of Health, the district said.

•3 Medina students, school employee test positive for Covid: Medina Central School in a letter to the community on Monday reported that two high school students, one middle schooler and one district office employee had tested positive for Covid. The three students have not been on campus “for quite some time,” according to the letter from Mark Kruzynski, district superintendent.

“In this situation, the Department of Health has determined that there will not be a need for any further school-related quarantines due to these cases,” Kruzynski said. “However, any determination of the need for quarantine will come directly from the Health Department.”

In Genesee County, the 64 new cases today bring the county’s total to 793 since March.

The new positive cases are residents of Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pavilion, Pembroke and Stafford.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Five of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Genesee also is reporting 30 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee has 13 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Department:

• Business Reminder: It is important to periodically review your Business Safety Plan that was developed earlier on in the pandemic. As part of the plan, businesses were encouraged to develop contact sheets for all patrons to assist with contact tracing in the event of a potential Covid-19 exposure. This will help in investigations and will limit the necessity of press releases which will help limit potential spread.

• Covid-19 Reminders: If people are identified as a contact, they will be notified by the County Health Department, quarantined and if warranted, swabbed if indicated. Limited information is provided to the public in compliance with HIPAA regulations and out of the respect of those impacted by this virus.

• When, and if, there is a situation where potential contact is made in a public location where contact tracing doesn’t have actual names of close contacts, we will send out a media announcement to help seek contacts.
• If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms STAY HOME! Do not go to work, do not go to the store, do not go anywhere to avoid spreading the virus.
• We encourage everyone to remember to be polite and respect individual privacy. If you have a complaint about someone or a business use the appropriate channels provided by the state. Using social media to air your complaints and accusing individuals/businesses of wrongdoing generally does nothing to fix the problem. Be compassionate of other people and spread kindness.

• Faith-based organizations: Consider continuing or reinstating remote worship due to increased numbers of positive Covid-19 cases to protect your more vulnerable population.

For those who are at risk of complications for Covid-19 or the flu, consider to connect with your house of worship remotely to lessen the risk of contracting Covid-19 or the flu.

If you are sick or experiencing new symptoms, stay home and worship remotely. Don’t share your germs with others.

Health Alert from Genesee County Health Department

The Genesee County Health Department is alerting the public to possible Covid-19 exposures at The Le Roy Moose Lodge and the Flying J Travel Center in Pembroke.

Contact tracing is in progress. However, unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.

Le Roy Moose Lodge:

• Monday, November 16^th, between the hours of 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Friday, November 20^th, between the hour of 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Saturday, November 21^st, between the hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Flying J Travel Center:

• Tuesday, November 17^th, between the hours of 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Wednesday, November 18^th, between the hours of 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

• Thursday, November 19^th, between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We advise all individuals who were at the LeRoy Moose Lodge or the Flying J Travel Center on the stated dates and times to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of Covid-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include but are not limited to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

It’s flu season and cases are started to show up, especially in Western New York.

The State Health Department reported there were 197 cases of the flu from Nov. 8-14, and 102 of those were in Western New York.

Erie County had the most with 79. Orleans County didn’t have any confirmed cases that week, but its neighbors had some. Genesee County had two cases, while Niagara reported six cases, and Monroe had 9.

So far this flu season there are 648 cases. The 197 from Nov. 8-14 are up 17 percent from the 162 the previous week.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Department encourage people to get their flu shots to build up their immunity.

Hospitalizations from Covid up to 17 in the 2 counties

Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 106 new cases of Covid-19 since Friday, and also 73 recoveries of people who had Covid and have been released from mandatory isolation.

Orleans has 29 new confirmed cases since Friday,  bringing the county’s total to 571 since March.

The new positive cases are residents of Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Gaines, Murray, Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Nine individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Department reported this afternoon.

Orleans also has 36 more recoveries of people who tested positive for Covid and have been removed from the isolation list.

The county has two people hospitalized due to Covid.

(The Health Department also reported that four of the 29 new totals being reported today were not included in the mandatory isolation count as their positive test results were received after their isolation period was completed. The local health officials encourage anyone who has been tested to self-isolate and limit contact with others while waiting on the test results, especially if there are symptoms.)

• Inmate at Albion Correctional tests positive: An inmate has a confirmed case of Covid at the Albion Correctional Facility. This is the tenth inmate to test positive at the women’s prison.

• Albion Middle Schooler tests positive for Covid: The Albion school district also reported this afternoon that a Middle School student tested positive for Covid on Saturday, Nov. 21. The student is a hybrid learner in the middle school.

Since the student was last in school on Friday, Nov. 13, the Health Department determined there is no need to do further contact tracing due to the 48-hour look-back period, school officials said on the district website.

In Genesee County, there are 77 new confirmed cases since Friday, bringing the county’s total to 729 since March.

The new positive cases reside in Batavia, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pavilion and Pembroke.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Two of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The Health Department reports that 37 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.

In Genesee, there are 15 people hospitalized due to Covid, which is up from eight on Friday.

• 3-county data: Click here to see the confirmed cases in genes, Orleans and Wyoming counties. There are currently 254 active cases in the three counties, with 168 in Genesee, 36 in Orleans and 50 in Wyoming.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – This sign was in the front yard of a residence on Ohio Street, across from Medina Memorial Hospital, showing appreciation for nurses who are on the front lines of providing healthcare in the community.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health and the hospital, spoke at a news conference on Thursday outside Medina Memorial with U.S. Sen. Charles Schemer. The senator said he is pushing for federal funding for a free Covid testing site in Orleans County.

Shurtz praised the local healthcare workers for stepping up during the Covid pandemic to serve residents, many who are critically ill.

“Our health workers are on the front lines of this pandemic every day,” Shurtz said at the conference.

In past week Genesee had 150 new cases, while Orleans added 48

Orleans County has one new confirmed case of Covid-19 to report today, which is the fewest in the past two weeks.

Genesee, however, has 17 new confirmed cases today, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments said in a news briefing this afternoon.

Orleans has 48 more cases in the past week since Nov. 13, while Genesee has 150 new cases during those seven days. Orleans has now had 542 positive cases since March while Genesee is up to 652 cases.

The new positive case in Orleans is a Barre resident in the age group of 0 to 19. The individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans also has 29 more recoveries and those people have been released from mandatory isolation. Orleans has now had 328 recoveries among people who contracted Covid, not counting resident sin nursing homes and other state-regulated facilities.

Orleans has three residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.

Genesee County received 17 new positive cases of Covid-19 today and now has had 652 test positive since March.

The new positive cases are residents of Alabama, Batavia, Darien, Elba and LeRoy. One of the new positive individuals is a resident at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. One of the individuals was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Genesee also is reporting 19 more recoveries, bringing that total to 453 community residents.

Genesee has eight residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• 3-county data: To see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, click here. In the past month the local cases have really jumped in the three counties. Orleans was at 356 on Oct. 20, and now has had 542 test positive. Genesee was at 345 cases on Oct. 20, and now is at 652. Wyoming has nearly doubled its total cases, going from 175 on Oct. 20 to 343 today.

The number of active cases in the three counties is declining after a high of 268 on Wednesday. It was at 256 on Thursday and 216 today, with 128 in Genesee, 44 in Orleans and 44 in Wyoming.

Press Release, Genesee County Health Department

BATAVIA – The Genesee County Health Department has received 7 positive Covid-19 tests from individuals who attended funeral service arrangements on the following dates and locations:

• November 11^th, Gilmartin Funeral Home (333 W. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• November 12^th, Resurrection Roman Catholic Church (303 E. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
• November 12^th, Saint Joseph’s Mausoleum (Ellicott Street, Batavia) between 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• November 12^th, Polish Falcons of America (123 S. Swan Street, Batavia) between the hours of noon and 6 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress. However, unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.

We advise all individuals who were at the locations listed to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of Covid-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include but are not limited to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

Orleans also has 3 new confirmed Covid cases, while Genesee has 20 more today

Orleans County today is reporting a death from someone who had Covid-19. This is the second death this month in county from someone who contracted the coronavirus.

The death reported today is a person over age 65 who lives in the community. The county has now had 57 Covid-related deaths during the pandemic, with 54 of those at two nursing homes in the county.

“Due to privacy issues, we are not releasing further details about this individual,” the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments said in a news briefing today. “We would like to express our sincerest sympathy for this individual’s family and friends.”

Orleans also has three new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the total to 541 cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in Albion and Barre with the individuals in the age groups of 0-19, 40s and 50s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The county is reporting 4 more recoveries and have been removed from the isolation list.

Three from the county are currently hospitalized due to Covid-19.

• An Albion elementary student tests positive for Covid: The Albion school district also notified the community this afternoon that a hybrid learner in the elementary school has tested positive for Covid. The student is in school twice a week.

Since the student was last in school on Friday, Nov. 13, the Health Department determined there is no need to do further contact tracing due to the 48-hour look-back period, the school district said.

Genesee County received 20 new positive cases of Covid-19 today and has now had 635 test positive for Covid since March.

The new positive cases reside in Alexander, Batavia, Elba, LeRoy, Pembroke and Stafford. Four of the new positive individuals are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The Health Departments are reporting that 26 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee also has 8 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• 3-county data: Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The number of active cases in the three counties is down today with more recoveries than new cases. There were 268 active cases in the three counties on Wednesday. Today there are 256 with 131 in Genesee, 72 in Orleans and 53 in Wyoming.

Supportive Care of Orleans also unveiled a new logo.

ALBION – Hospice of Orleans has announced a name change, designed to better reflect the services offered by the organization.

Hospice will now be known as Supportive Care of Orleans, according to a press release issued today by Kellie Spychalski, CEO.

The organization had planned an event for the public to make the announcement, but due to the pandemic and concerns about increased cases of Covid-19 in Orleans County, the new name was launched with a virtual presentation today through Facebook Live.

The organization, which provides expert medical care, symptom management and emotional and spiritual support tailored to the needs of the patient and their families, made the change in order to increase awareness of its various services.

The new name better reflects the broad range of supportive services, which go beyond what traditional hospice care encompasses, and includes supportive care for a variety of illnesses, not only those that are terminal, Spychalski said.

‘We support people throughout their illness. We provide care at every turn. No matter the illness. No matter the need. Supportive Care of Orleans is here to help those who are struggling with serious, chronic or life limiting illnesses, and we’re here for their loved ones, too.’ – Kellie Spychalski, CEO for Supportive Care of Orleans

Hospice of Orleans has a long history of providing supportive care to the community, and the name change to Supportive Care of Orleans is the next step in building on a legacy of compassionate care, she added.

Kellie Spychalski

“We’ve grown as an organization and we want to build on the tremendous bond we have built with our community,” Spychalski said. “We’ve responded to the growing needs of the community, and it made sense for us to align our identity with our evolved mission and expanded reach.”

The name change is also timely, Spychalski said, as November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a month-long opportunity for engagement, outreach and education. It is the organization’s hope that the event will raise awareness of the important role hospice and palliative care have in increasing quality of life.

The new name and logo highlight the patient-centered care that is the hallmark of palliative and hospice programs, as well as how the organization is strongly rooted in the Orleans community. It will also help begin conversations about the comprehensive services and program the organization provides and the benefits to patients and families, such as the Martin-Linsin Residence, caregiver and bereavement support, complementary therapies and advanced care planning.

“We support people throughout their illness,” Spychalski said. “We provide care at every turn. No matter the illness. No matter the need. Supportive Care of Orleans is here to help those who are struggling with serious, chronic or life limiting illnesses, and we’re here for their loved ones, too.”

While the name has changed, patients and families can still count on the same level of service and quality of care, according to Supportive Care of Orleans’ leadership.

“Our mission is not changing,” Spychalski added. “We’re making life easier for patients and families facing serious illness and end of life, by providing choice, dignity and compassionate care with our umbrella of comprehensive services.”

More can be learned about Supportive Care of Orleans by visiting their website at www.supportivecareorleans.org.

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks outside the Medina Memorial Hospital this morning, saying he supports releasing $9 billion in federal aid for more Covid testing sites. Schumer said Orleans County, which doesn’t have a site offering free Covid testing, is hampered in quickly identifying cases. Paul Pettit, public health director of Genesee and Orleans counties, is in back. Schumer wore mask except when he was speaking at the podium.

MEDINA – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer was in Medina this morning for a news conference outside Medina Memorial Hospital, highlighting the need for more Covid testing, including free options.

Right now, Orleans County residents have to travel outside the county for a free testing site in either Rochester, Buffalo or Niagara Community College in Sanborn.

That hampers the county’s ability to quickly identify a Covid outbreak, and is an inconvenience to residents who have to travel for the testing.

Schumer said there is $9 billion in federal funding already designated for Covid testing and contact tracing that hasn’t been released.

Schumer said he is pressing the Department of Health and Human Services to stop sitting on the money. A second wave of Covid is hitting the country hard, including in Orleans County and rural New York where more Covid testing is needed, Schumer said.

“Increasing Covid testing capacity is vital to keep our community safe and avoid other restrictive measures that can disrupt our businesses, in-school instruction and families,” said County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson. “I applaud Sen. Schumer’s efforts to free up existing federal testing funding now so that communities like Orleans County can have more access to testing.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks to reporters at a news conference this morning outside Medina Memorial Hospital. He said Covid has been “awful” for families, businesses and school children. Increased Covid testing is critical to help the country slow the spread of the coronavirus, he said.

Paul Pettit, the public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties, said a lack of adequate Covid testing has been an issue in the rural counties since the pandemic hit in March.

There is testing available at Orleans Community Health’s Albion site and at Oak Orchard Health in Albion. But Pettit said there aren’t free testing sites in Orleans. Residents need to travel at least 45 minutes to Rochester, Buffalo or NCCC.

A free testing site would be helpful for asymptomatic people who are required by the state to be tested because they work at nursing homes, as barbers or hair stylists. People need to get Covid tests if they face a surgery or if they want to visit a loved one in a nursing home.

If Orleans is designated as a yellow micro-cluster, local school districts would have to test 20 percent of students and staff a week.

“If the state is going to have testing requirements they should make sure there is testing in place,” Pettit said.

At a minimum, Pettit would support a mobile testing site that could rotate different days in be in a different rural county each day of the week.

With the demands for more testing, Pettit said the local healthcare providers also should be given funding to hire staff to administer the tests.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health, said the community needs more testing right now, and could see a big increase in demand if the county is designated a yellow micro-cluster, where 20 percent of students and school staff would need to be tested weekly. Shurtz thanked Schumer for supporting the CARES Act, which provided $3.8 million for the hospital in Medina.

Orleans County is currently testing about 300 residents each day. Schumer noted the positivity rate has jumped from less than 1 percent in early October to about 6 percent now.

More testing would likely identify more people who are Covid positive and then have then be isolated where they aren’t spreading Covid.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health, said the two local testing sites in Albion are busy. He anticipates a greater demand, especially if the county is designated as a yellow micro-cluster.

He backed Pettit’s statement that more staff will be needed to administer the tests.

“We not only need more testing, but free testing,” Shurtz said. “That is the ultimate goal here today (with Schumer’s news conference.)”

Schumer said the $9 billion funding through HHS could be used for rapid testing machines and test kits. Right now there are two rapid testing machines in the county. Schumer would like to see seven or eight for Orleans, and thousands of the rapid testing kits.

Shurtz said more rapid tests would make a difference “in heading off Covid in the community.” Quickly identifying cases would also likely result in fewer Covid-related hospitalizations, Shurtz said.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer expresses his condolences to Diane Krenning on the death of her husband Bruce Krenning. He was 76 when he passed away on Aug. 24. Krenning was the chairman of the board of directors for Orleans Community Health. Krenning also was a fruit grower in Knowlesville who worked with Schumer to develop crop insurance for specialty fruit growers. Mrs. Krenning thanked Schumer at the news conference for that crop insurance program, saying it has saved hundreds of farms.