FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Natalie Burnham Foundation & Marketing Director (315) 493-0114 nburnham@cahny.

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Experience a Shorter ER Wait-Time at Carthage Area Hospital (April 16, 2013) Carthage, NY Carthage Area Hospitals Emergency Room has made a determined effort to shorten the length of time a patient waits to be seen for emergent & non-emergent care. Improving the overall patient experience is essential, Sue Kennedy, CAH ER Nurse Manager said. We are dedicated in making sure people arent waiting for an extended amount of time. Our staff regularly checks on patients in the waiting area until they are seen by a provider. Theres also been implementation of a Fast-Track, system within the hospitals Emergency Room. Fast-Tracks purpose is to treat patients with minor ailments and expedite care. This alleviates the patient load of the physicians. For a patient to qualify for Fast-Track, a RN triage nurse will assess the patient to determine whether or not they present symptoms that require emergent or non-emergent care. A Physicians Assistant (PA) is staffed to assist with this system. The PAs include 3 Fort Drum Active Duty Soldiers (Sabrina Lambert, PA, James Brumley, PA, and Martin Stewart, PA) and 2 Retired Fort Drum Soldiers (George DeVita, PA and Wade Swatsworth, PA). The Carthage Area Hospital ER is a Level III Emergency Department and provides care to approximately 15,000 people of all ages each year, 24/7. The Emergency Department stabilizes emergency medical conditions by providing emergent and nonemergent treatments to patients of all ages. Emergent medical conditions are evaluated, treated, and stabilized prior to admission, transfer, or discharge. There are on-call providers available to treat patients that require specialty care. Referrals to community services and specialty services are based on patients need and completed prior to discharge. For fast & efficient Emergency Care, visit the Carthage Area Hospital ER at 1001 West St. Carthage, NY.

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Carthage Area Hospital was founded as a 501-(c)-3 federal tax exempt and not-for-profit organization in 1965. Located in Carthage, NY, the 78-bed hospital provides services to a rural population residing in Eastern Jefferson, Southern St. Lawrence, and Northern Lewis Counties of Northern New York. In addition to the main campus in Carthage, the hospital includes 22 outlying clinics and 1 assisted-living facility. For more information, please visit www.carthagehospital.com.