Category: SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER MD News 2020

Loretto Partners with Clarity Clinical Research to test new COVID-19 drug for seniors

Posted on by admin

Loretto took early action at the start of the pandemic to protect our community’s most vulnerable population — an effort that resulted in less than 1% of residents testing positive for the virus.

Now looking forward to future protection against COVID-19, Clarity Clinical Research is working with Loretto to launch a clinical trial with an investigational treatment for people who were exposed (or potentially exposed) to COVID-19 to test the medication’s ability to reduce the risk of becoming infected for those living in long term care facilities.

The drug is a post-exposure prophylactic and the active ingredient, Nitazoxanide, is already approved by the FDA for acute viral respiratory illnesses.

“Nitazoxanide has been used to treat an estimated 400 million people worldwide. This means we already know the safety performance and side effects of this drug,” says Lisa Sonneborn, MA, LMHC, Site Director for Clarity Clinical Research. Clarity Clinical Research in East Syracuse is one of only two sites statewide leading this study.

“The benefit of this study is that it only requires one person to test positive for COVID-19,because that allows Clarity Clinical Research to open up participation in this trial with all residents at the facility who may have been exposed to the individual who tested positive,” says Julie Sheedy, Chief Marketing & Engagement Officer at Loretto. “Eligibility does not require every participant to test positive for COVID-19.”

The study is being offered exclusively to qualifying Loretto residents at The Bernardine, Sedgwick Heights, Buckley Landing, and The Nottingham.

“Residents at these facilities tend to have the highest levels of independence and can meet the study’s requirements, including making medical decisions and diary keeping,” Sheedy says.

This is one of many studies the clinical research company in East Syracuse offers. Clarity has been a leader in Alzheimer’s and dementia research, focusing on evaluating treatments to slow or stop the progression of memory loss. The research clinic has found new and innovative ways to continue enrolling patients into Alzheimer’s trials despite the challenges caused by COVID-19. Using telehealth and virtual memory screening, Clarity has long supported national trials in the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

In addition to partnering with Clarity Clinical Research to offer innovative trials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Loretto has also partnered with other companies that offer groundbreaking technology to keep its residents safe and healthy.

Loretto has had a long partnership with ImagineMIC, a health-monitoring device that tracks a person’s vital signs and other important health indicators 24/7. The health data is collected and monitored by a team of physicians and medical staff 24 hours a day. Participants of the telehealth device have access to that team of medical professionals around the clock.

In April, Loretto rolled out MonitorMe, a second-generation health-monitoring device also made by ImagineMIC. To date, close to 100 Loretto residents and program participants have enrolled in these two telehealth programs and the results are overwhelmingly positive.

COVID-19 has certainly changed the way healthcare providers care for patients. Loretto is committed to offering new technology and forging new partnerships, while Clarity Clinical Research continues to be on the cutting edge of offering innovative studies that benefit our community. Their individual efforts and their partnership will help keep our most vulnerable population safe and healthy.

Solid Preparation and a Spirit of Innovation: Upstate Medical University’s Response to COVID-19

Posted on by admin

By Jennifer Webster

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Even before the coronavirus arrived in the United States, forward-thinking physicians at Upstate Medical University saw the signs and got ready for action. Their quick response, paired with a culture of institutional preparedness and creativity, helped Upstate respond effectively to the crisis. Today, its hospitals and practices are open for business across all of its clinical areas, as the commitment to addressing COVID-19 continues.

As word of COVID-19 reached the U.S. in January, infectious disease specialists at Upstate, including Stephen Thomas, MD, Division Chief of Infectious Disease and Director of the Institute for Global Health and Translational Sciences, began tracking developments in China. These physicians communicated with Upstate’s leadership, who responded with alacrity. The promptness took some of their colleagues by surprise, but their forethought was soon lauded.

“In early January, Paul Suits, Director of Infection Control, convinced our Logistics Department to purchase a big shipment of N95 masks,” Dr. Thomas says. “Initially, they asked, ‘Why are we doing this?’”

Suits, Dr. Thomas and their colleagues pointed out that when the Ebola virus outbreak took place in West Africa, equipment was difficult to obtain worldwide because only a limited number of sources make medical-grade protective gear. If the coronavirus reached the U.S., it would be problematic.

Obtaining masks represented just one aspect of the preparedness Upstate demonstrated in the early days. Robert Corona, DO, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Upstate University Hospital, knew that Upstate, and the entire Central New York region, could soon be facing some serious needs. When approached by Chris Dunham, Director of Emergency Management at Upstate, Dr. Corona activated the Incident Command structure, which stands ready to respond to crises.

“Even before executive orders or recommendations were issued, we had a team of more than 70 people discussing our response to COVID-19,” Dr. Corona says. “This is the longest-serving Incident Command we have had.”

Formally convening in mid-March, Incident Command met twice daily, discussing needs that included rescheduling elective procedures, freeing hospital beds for potential COVID-19 patients, cleaning and decontaminating, and testing and communicating with the wider community. The meetings were held twice daily — weekends included — with more than 100 people on the Zoom calls to hear and act on the reports. Everyone wanted to play a part and learn as much as they could about how to keep patients safe.


University Hospital staff working with PPE

In early spring, Upstate rapidly transitioned most outpatient visits in the majority of its 19 clinical departments to telemedicine and continues to offer the option for many types of visits. When patients do not need to be physically present, telemedicine provides a convenience and helps both patients and providers maintain social distance.

“Telemedicine has been something we have been readying ourselves to do for years at scale, and the crisis showed that this was viable,” Dr. Corona says.

Nursing Heroism

If science guided Upstate Medical University’s COVID-19 response, nursing care made up the backbone of that response. Nurses managed patients, communicated with families, and continuously donned and doffed protective equipment. Even though their jobs became exponentially harder, nurses found the resilience to do difficult work and even to travel to Long Island in downstate New York to render assistance in hard-hit hospitals.

Nancy Page, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Nursing Officer at Upstate University Hospital, oversaw that effort. One of the most important parts of a nurse’s role, before and especially during the pandemic, is teaching patients to advocate for themselves, she observes. Over and over, Page’s staff helped empower patients to ask providers and family members questions, such as if they’d washed their hands, and in other ways become active participants in their own care.

Observation skills also came into play.

Nancy Page, Chief Nursing Officer at Upstate University Hospital, with the team

“Nurses don’t diagnose, but we’re experts in looking at the whole person,” she says. “In COVID-19, nurses pioneered looking at people in the ICU and proning patients to improve their long-term function. Nurses and respiratory therapists were key to that intervention.”

Caring for patients with COVID-19 can be emotionally and physically stressful. Nurses at Upstate clinical locations that did not have dedicated COVID-19 units proposed a “job swap” with nurses at locations with COVID-19 wards, at University Hospital and Upstate Community Hospital.

“A nurse could come into a non-COVID unit for two weeks and vice versa,” Page says. “Numerous nurses took advantage both ways. Some wanted experience caring for people with COVID-19, while others were glad to have a short break.”

Volunteerism went far beyond the Central New York region, as Upstate’s nurses traveled downstate to help their colleagues working in the most urgent of settings. The nurses traveled in three waves, along with a cadre of respiratory technicians. Each group served for a period of time at Stonybrook University Hospital on Long Island, a SUNY sister university to Upstate. In total, Page recalls, 46 nurses along with 11 other staff members traveled to help their colleagues get through the crisis.

“Each of our departments is focused on safely handing referrals, being in touch with referring physicians and seeing patients within their comfort zones. Every service at Upstate Medical University is open for referral.”
— Robert Corona, DO, MBA Chief Executive Officer of Upstate University Hospital

Resources of an academic medical center

From the start of the pandemic, Upstate took its position as an academic medical center seriously — caring for patients, pursuing research into COVID-19 and possible treatments, analyzing data, and advising the public about the crisis as it developed. In their public-facing role, Upstate leadership drew on data modeling from its own public health experts to predict the spread of the pandemic. Drs. Corona and Thomas, as well as others, became a reliable “voice of the pandemic” for Central New York.

Robert Corona, DO, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Upstate University Hospital, and Stephen Thomas, MD, Division Chief of Infectious Disease and Director of the Institute for Global Health and Translational Sciences, became trusted voices of the pandemic for Central New York. Both doctors gave interviews to local media, including Channel 9 TV.

Some of the communication resulted from information gathered about the virus and the population’s influence on its spread, sharing that information with the public and, in turn, influencing the public’s response. For instance, Upstate public health experts discovered that cell phone data could help predict the virus’ spread. Areas where people were on the road more frequently experienced a surge in cases shortly thereafter.

Dr. Thomas, who was a frequent commentator in the media explains, “The data could be used as a ‘stick’ and ‘carrot.’ Based on what was happening in our community I could tell the public, ‘You’re out too much, and there’s a direct association with infections growing’ or ‘You’re doing a great job staying home, and infections are going down.’”

Upstate’s Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine supplied much of the data and analyses that informed the public, government officials and countless areas within Upstate. As part of the College of Medicine, the department consists of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, data analysts, coordinators, community health and social scientists, who continue to provide ongoing reports and monitoring. Department Chair Christopher P. Morley, PhD, says the team is helping Upstate create a playbook that can be used for future waves of the coronavirus or another pandemic. For real time updates, faculty members Telisa Stewart, MPH, DrPH, public health, and Kathryn Anderson, MD, PhD, medicine and microbiology, immunology, helped to establish systems with a dedicated internal IMT team to collect, analyze and report infection data to Upstate leadership and Central New York.

“Being an academic medical center creates a huge advantage during this time,” Dr. Corona says. “We have experts to talk in public forums, answer media questions and meet with large groups, like manufacturing associations and other entities, to talk about how they can keep people safe. Now as more is known about the effects of COVID-19 on patients, we also have experts to address those varying aspects — from pulmonary to neurological to cardiovascular.”

Ingenuity in a Crisis

Teams at Upstate University Hospital leveraged technological savviness to protect staff and improve communications while keeping patients, providers and families in touch.

  • The chatbot, an AI addition to Upstate’s online presence, triaged COVID-19 questions, answering common ones and routing complex issues to live operators. The chatbot was designed to “speak” both English and Spanish. In five months, the chatbot supported 22,758 users.
  • iPads at the bedside helped patients safely chat with families. Providers, including physicians, nurses and dietitians, also hold consults through the more than 200 iPads now in place throughout the hospital. The tablets also function as a video call bell, saving PPE as some needs can be addressed without entering the patient’s room.
  • In-hall IV pumps and patient monitors allowed nurses to check the vital signs of patients with COVID-19 from outside patient rooms without having to don full protective gear.
  • Telemedicine expanded to include almost every service line, allowing patients to visit providers online from the safety of their homes. Continuing medical education also moved online.
  • In post-COVID recovery groups, patients obtain the support and specialized care they need. Physicians check in daily via telehealth visits, following patients until they are free of symptoms. As providers are discovering, COVID-19 can cause chronic symptoms in some people and Upstate has expertise across the areas patients need.


The coronavirus pandemic has made telehealth an integral part of the care plan.

Recovery and Resilience

After more than two months of constant vigilance, Incident Command wound down and was replaced by a month in Recovery Mode, guiding the safe, full reopening of clinical services in late June. Upstate has now transitioned to a phase dubbed “Resilience” by the C-suite. The aim for Resilience is continue to improve by optimizing operations and rapidly adopting innovations using a Tiger Team model. Amy Tucker, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Upstate University Hospital, led the recovery effort, and is now spearheading its Tiger Teams initiative. She explains that these goal-oriented teams convene for a focused period to rapidly meet emerging needs. The process is tied to the hospital’s strategic pillars, with each member of the C-suite overseeing teams that relate to their areas.

“With our Tiger Teams we aim to streamline operations and to nimbly adopt innovation so that we serve patients and our colleagues even more effectively,” Dr. Tucker commented.

“Today, as we have been all year, we are finely attuned and responsive to the needs of the community,” Dr. Corona says. “We are committed to being a safe place for patients to come. And, we are committed to being a supportive partner to the physicians who refer their patients to us. We want the community to know that we are open and safe.”

Director of Transitional Care Diane Nanno, MS, CNS, RN, NE-BC, CCCTM, with the comfort care kit

As Upstate breathes a sigh of relief and resumes visits and scheduled procedures at every location, Dr. Thomas also notes that the pandemic has enhanced the mutual respect and solidarity between the academic medical center and Central New York’s community practices. It’s a dynamic he hopes will flourish into the future.

“Everybody who works in the medical environment stepped up to ensure hospitals had space to care for the sickest patients,” he says. “For that to happen, we had to have all hands on deck. Primary care providers and community subspecialists knew they would see people who might have COVID-19. We had multiple meetings with our medical community, and physicians told us, ‘We signed up for this. We understand the risks. If you provide the PPE, the training and the means to take samples, we will see these people in our offices.’ The community really came together, and it went well.”

A Response Undergirded by Science

Scientists and the physicians at Upstate University Medical Center took every opportunity to learn about the pandemic and to use that knowledge to help protect the community. Among the projects is participation in the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project, in which patients with COVID-19 receive blood plasma from survivors of the disease, and both groups are tracked.

Tim Endy, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair of Microbiology and professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health was the lead on that project. Upstate’s Institute for Global Health and Translational Science worked with the Red Cross to get the project up and running.”

Under the direction of Matt Elkins, MD, PhD, Director of Hemapherisis, Director of Transfusion Medicine, Medical Director of Upstate Cord Blood Bank and Associate Professor of Pathology, Upstate created its own plasmapheresis unit in support of the Convalescent Plasma Project. More than 200 people volunteered and dozens have donated, with numerous patients benefitting from those plasma donations.

Other trials investigated the effectiveness of medical treatments, while the most prominent current trial is examining the effectiveness of a new COVID-19 vaccination. In conjunction with Pfizer, Upstate started vaccinating volunteers the last week of July.

“We’ve experienced an outpouring of interest,” says Stephen Thomas, MD, Director of the Institute for Global Health and Translational Sciences and principal investigator. “The investigators are tightly focused on enrolling a diverse group of participants, ages 18–85, especially focusing on people at high risk for infection or of having a bad outcome from an infection.”

He added, “This is why we have an academic medical university, so we can bring together education and care with treatment of patients and research.”

For more information, visit upstate.edu/together.

A New Internal Medicine Practice in Skaneateles: Patsy Iannolo, MD, PhD, PC

Posted on by admin

By Jennifer Webster

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Two generations of Central New York patients have benefitted from the expertise and respect shown to them by internal medicine physician Patsy M. Iannolo, MD, PhD. Now, Dr. Iannolo is expanding his Taft Road practice to open a second office in Skaneateles. The new location will offer a range of amenities, as well as the patient-centered care Dr. Iannolo is known for.

Patsy M. Iannolo, MD, PhD, PC, and Tina L. Finlayson, NP

 

As an Internal medicine physician with a doctorate in pharmacology Dr. Iannolo cares for adult patients who have a range of concerns, including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, rheumatoid conditions and neurologic disorders, among others. Many of these patients have more than one complicated condition, and managing multiple comorbidities is a specialty of Dr. Iannolo’s.

“Internal medicine practices focus on the sickest patients,” he says. “My pharmacology training helps me streamline medicines. I offer consultations on the appropriate medications for each patient’s age and condition. Other physicians also reach out to me as a consultative resource for toxicology and medication improvements.”

In addition to diagnosing illness and prescribing medications, Dr. Iannolo performs in-office excision of skin lesions and other dermatology treatments, as well as joint and tendon injections. He offers psychiatric services and men’s endocrine treatments, as well.

Dr. Iannolo’s colleague, Tina Finlayson, MS, FNP-BC, offers women’s endocrine services, gynecologic exams and geriatric medicine, as well as routine internal medicine services. Together, these two providers have more than 45 years in the medical field, forming a practice where patients can find effective, experienced medical care from young adulthood through advanced age.

 

“My philosophy of care is to be part of the family of the patient. Our practice is family oriented. Everyone knows and respects each other. We are accessible around the clock. It’s essential to be available to patients in times of need.”
— Patsy M. Iannolo, MD, PhD

The Gift of Time

Dr. Iannolo exemplifies the words of the founder of internal medicine, Sir William Osler: “The good physician treats the disease; the great physician treats the patient who has the disease.”


“At our practice, everyone is treated as if they are important and special,” Finlayson says.

This approach is especially evident in the time Dr. Iannolo, Finlayson and their staff spend with patients. While traditional physician visits may allow 15 minutes with a provider, Dr. Iannolo typically schedules 30 minutes or more with each patient and over an hour for physical exams. That allows him to make detailed assessments and give expert guidance, especially in cases of patients on multiple medications or people who require treatment for depression or anxiety.

When patients have an urgent need or question, they can reach out any time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to speak to the provider on call. Same and next-day appointments are often available. Additionally, Dr. Iannolo and Finlayson make house calls under select circumstances.

“We maintain a comfortable pace,” Dr. Iannolo says. “There’s no rushing during appointments. That way, we’re able to offer comprehensive physical exams and follow-ups. At the same time, our around-the-clock availability allows us to provide a level of responsiveness and sense of urgency about patients’ needs that is rare in medicine today.”

Exam Room

Convenient Care in a New Location

Dr. Iannolo’s new practice contains many of the lab and imaging services frequently offered separately from medical practices, including pulmonary function testing, ankle brachial testing, EKG, and endocrine and laboratory services. The Skaneateles location also has an X-ray machine.

“Patients will be able to avoid trips to Syracuse or Auburn,” Finlayson says. “They’ll be able to access internal medicine close to home. We’re opening in September, and we’ll be available for walk-in care for our patients as well as anyone in the community.”

Known for cordial relations with his colleagues (especially for his willingness to consult over complex pharmacological issues), Dr. Iannolo welcomes referrals to his Skaneateles location. He keeps in close contact with referring providers, maintaining those relationships that have made him a reliable colleague and trusted physician across decades of practice.

Patsy Iannolo, MD, PhD, PC

5180 W. Taft Road
North Syracuse, NY 13212
315-458-4622
driannoloandassociates.com

1551 US Route 20
Skaneateles, NY 13152
315-291-7069
driannoloandassociates.com

Patsy Iannolo, MD, PhD, PC

Tina Finlayson, MS, FNP-BC

Meet the Providers

Patsy Iannolo, MD, PhD, PC, a native of Syracuse, attended Cornell University, and then obtained his medical degree and a doctorate in pharmacology at Upstate Medical Center, where he completed a residency in internal medicine. Also trained in emergency medicine, Dr. Iannolo has been practicing in local hospitals and in private practice since 1984. In addition to his practice on Taft Road in North Syracuse, Dr. Iannolo is Director of the Emergency Department at Auburn Community Hospital and on the medical faculty at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where he teaches pharmacology. Dr. Iannolo is board-certified in emergency and internal medicine.

Dr. Iannolo has been recognized for excellence numerous times by his colleagues. In 2009, the Central New York Regional Emergency Medical Services Council named him a Physician of Excellence for the CNY region. In 2019, Dr. Iannolo received the President’s Award for Outstanding Voluntary Faculty from SUNY Upstate Medical University.

Tina Finlayson, MS, FNP-BC, worked in industry for 18 years before attending nursing school. After beginning her career as a nurse, she obtained a master’s degree in nursing and became a family nurse practitioner in order to diversify her scope of practice. Her scope of practice includes internal medicine, urgent care, women’s health, as well as geriatric and emergency medicine.

For more information, call 315-458-4622. Visit the Skaneateles location online at driannoloandassociates.com.

Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists Offers Full-Spectrum Spine Surgery

Posted on by admin

By Thomas Crocker

Thursday, September 3, 2020

At Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (SOS), a four-physician team of orthopedic surgeons specializing in spine surgery performs the gamut of procedures for neck and back pain, including a variety of outpatient operations at the practice’s ambulatory surgery center.

In most cases, nonoperative treatments provide sufficient relief from neck or back pain to allow patients to carry out daily functions and enjoy favorite activities. Options include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, chiropractic care, acupuncture, nerve-blocking cortisone injections and physical therapy (PT), which is available from the orthopedics and sports therapy team at SOS. Nonoperative care is also available from one of SOS’ partners in care, New York Spine & Wellness Center.

“PT is a mainstay of spine care and is quite effective at treating most back problems,” says Richard DiStefano, MD, orthopedic surgeon at SOS. “It’s an advantage to have PT in our practice because it’s easy for physicians and therapists to collaborate to tailor therapy for patients.”

Surgical Solutions

When conservative therapies prove ineffective, surgery may be appropriate. Large operations, such as cervical laminectomy, cervical fusion, cervical laminoplasty, and lumbar laminectomy and fusion, typically require hospitalizations of two or more days, and SOS spine surgeons perform these procedures at St. Joseph’s Health and Crouse Health.

Many spine surgeries do not require a hospital stay, and for these, SOS has a dedicated home: Specialists’ One-Day Surgery Center, located at 5801 East Taft Road in North Syracuse. There, surgeons perform anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, lumbar discectomy, and one-level laminectomy. Another outpatient procedure, sacroiliac joint fusion, may provide relief for individuals with sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Requiring just two small incisions in the buttocks, the procedure allows a spine surgeon to solidify the joint with a cage-like implant.

One of the most common procedures that Dr. DiStefano performs at the Specialists’ One-Day Surgery Center is spinal cord stimulator implantation. Spinal cord stimulation uses implanted electrodes and a small generator to deliver mild, pain-relieving electrical impulses to the cervical or lumbar spine.  Candidates include individuals for whom back surgery did not provide relief or who have chronic back or leg pain, degenerative spine changes, reflex dystrophy in the foot or knee, or painful neuropathies in the feet or hands, according to Dr. DiStefano.

Telemedicine Appointments Available

Video visits played a crucial role in allowing Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists to continue caring for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine appointments through the SOS Virtual Visit App remains an option for initial and follow-up appointments, as appropriate, for patients who wish to see their orthopedic surgeon from the comfort of home.

“Patients undergo a one-week trial using electrodes placed percutaneously and an external battery pack,” Dr. DiStefano says. “If that’s successful, we permanently implant the electrodes in the spine through a small incision in the upper or lower back. The wires are connected to a generator in the buttocks. Patients can adjust the strength of the electrical signal with a remote.”

The variety of outpatient spine procedures available at the Specialists’ One-Day Surgery Center is indicative of the sweeping nature of spine care at SOS.

“Ours is a comprehensive spine program,” Dr. DiStefano says. “We perform procedures on all parts of the spine in inpatient and outpatient settings, and we also offer a wide range of nonsurgical treatments. Patients get all-encompassing care at SOS.”

For more information, visit sosbones.com or call 315-703-3442.

How the Coronavirus Will Impact Your Hiring Process

Posted on by admin

By Kathryn Ruscitto

Thursday, September 3, 2020

As we return to work, we will see a dramatic impact in openings and hiring to fill those jobs.

In “How the Coronavirus Is Changing Hiring and Recruiting Going Forward,” Robin Ryan at Forbes states, “The fallout will fundamentally change recruiting and hiring practices long after the pandemic has passed.”

Locally we have seen the emergence of more remote work as teams are finding unique ways to use technology in healthcare delivery — from telemedicine to scheduling remotely, transportation, utilization of accessing records and messages through portals.

Susan Crossett, CEO at CPS Recruitment, notes many practices and healthcare organizations have reached out to utilize CPS’s remote expertise in leveraging technology to source quality candidates. The challenges she has observed in this environment include:

  • Long-term care facilities facing recruitment challenges as employees become increasingly concerned about safety and exposure to the coronavirus.
  • Hospital challenges with personal protective equipment are impacting their ability to recruit.
  • Nurses and clinicians are asking to see safety protocols in health environments before they will consider interviewing for a position.


Kathryn Ruscitto

The advantages Crossett sees developing are clear increases in productivity from remote work as employees see less challenges with transportation and child care. She also says employers will need to consider how to keep the team connected and support each other while working remotely from social opportunities to communications.

Employees are looking for work experiences that allow flexibility and safety and, in exchange, are providing unique approaches to filling back room needs.

Mike Humphrey, CEO at SOS , a multifaceted orthopedic practice with multiple locations, states, “We have now found that remote work offers new opportunities for efficiencies and for workforce satisfaction. At the same time it has required new workflows and processes.”

An Indeed survey reports the top five benefits of remote work for employees are related to personal satisfaction:

  1. Better work life balance
  2. Reduced stress
  3. Reduced absences
  4. Improved morale
  5. Fewer sick days

For further information, visit:

I chair the board of an arts organization that put more classes, exhibits, and performances online, which was done by employees working remotely. The result: an explosion of new visitors to the website and a realization that moving forward we need to offer both online and in-person opportunities. It has been a way to expand our market and, we hope, bring in new visitors as we reopen.

Kathryn Ruscitto, Advisor, can be reached on LinkedIn at Kathrynruscitto or at krusct@gmail.com.