AMSTERDAM, N.Y., August 4, 2025—Retired bank executive Benjamin Ziskin has been elected chairperson of the St. Mary’s Healthcare board of trustees. Since joining the board in 2021, Ziskin has served as treasurer and, most recently, as vice chairperson. His two-year term as chairperson runs from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027.

The board also elected the following officers: David Santos, vice president of D.A. Collins Construction, board vice chairperson; Thomas Cichy, retired CPA, board treasurer; and Dr. Mohammad R. Ghazi, urologist, St. Mary’s Healthcare, board secretary. Michael Pepe, Montgomery County legislator and retired bank executive, is immediate past board chairperson.

New to the board is William T. Winsman, senior vice president of investments at Wells Fargo Advisors. Winsman has been named an Amsterdam Rotary Citizen of the Year, a Distinguished Alumni of Fulton-Montgomery Community College, and a recipient of the Father Joseph F. Girzone Crystal Pillar of the Community Award. In May, he and his wife, Roberta, were honored with the Office for the Aging Foundation’s Rao Family Philanthropic Award.

“Our board members are remarkable for their professional and personal contributions to our region and for their unwavering support of St. Mary’s,” said Jeff Methven, president and CEO, St. Mary’s Healthcare. “They recognize St. Mary’s essential role as a rural community hospital and are committed to helping us continue to grow, thrive and fulfill our promise to those who rely on us for care.”

Other St. Mary’s trustees are Nancy Baghaei-Rad, principal, Greater Amsterdam School District; Joel Bien-Aime, owner, New Process Cleaners; Rev. O. Robert DeMartinis, Albany Catholic Diocese; Dr. Emily Etzkorn, Amsterdam Internal Medicine & Pediatrics; Andrew Heck, president, Alpin Haus; Sr. Mary Anne Heenan, province director, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet; Dr.

Ronald Marsh, general surgeon, St. Mary’s Healthcare; Methven; Richard Vertucci, owner, Rick’s Robo Car Wash and Gabriel Sealcoating; and emeritus member Susan L. Davis, managing partner, Healthcare Strategic Solutions.

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About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

Contact:

Kristin Mosher

Director, Marketing and Communications

St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam

(518) 770-7505 kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., July 29, 2025—Dr. Brian McDermott, an infectious disease expert and physician leader, has joined St. Mary’s Healthcare as vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer.

Dr. McDermott was chosen for his clinical expertise, emphasis on safety and quality, and leadership in helping physicians and organizations adapt to an ever-changing healthcare environment. During his 16 years in the Capital Region, Dr. McDermott has earned a reputation for building consensus and improving coordination of care and patient outcomes. He also played an essential role in shaping regional hospitals’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Dr. McDermott has led some of the region’s most effective infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship initiatives and, as a result, has had a powerful, positive impact on patient care,” said Jeff Methven, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare. “His deep understanding of patient, provider and organizational perspectives and needs, coupled with his collaborative leadership approach, will prove invaluable as St. Mary’s continues to evolve to best serve our community.”

Dr. McDermott comes to St. Mary’s from Saratoga Hospital, where he was the division chief for infectious disease and medical director for infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship. Previously, he was on the medical team at Glens Falls Hospital, where he rose from physician advisor to associate chief medical officer to senior vice president for clinical integration. He also served as an infectious disease physician and medical director at Hudson Headwaters Health Network in Queensbury.

A graduate of Columbia University in New York City, Dr. McDermott earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine on Long Island. He completed a residency in internal medicine and fellowship in infectious disease, both at Winthrop of University Hospital, also on Long Island. In addition, he has a Master of Business Administration in healthcare management from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Dr. McDermott is board certified in internal medicine and infectious disease. He is a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America, American College of Physicians and American College of Healthcare Executives.

Q: Do I need surgery to fix my abdominal wall hernia? 

A: There are several factors that can influence the treatment decision for an abdominal wall hernia. This includes the size, location, symptoms and health of a patient.

A small, asymptomatic hernia may be monitored closely with “watchful waiting”. However, if there is a progression of pain or discomfort, increasing size, or a limiting of activities or quality of life, then surgery is recommended to prevent complications.

These complications may include: incarceration, where the tissue gets stuck in the hernia, or strangulation, where the blood supply to the tissue is cut off). Both of these can be emergencies. Very often surgery to fix a hernia is a same-day procedure, and can be performed with a minimally invasive or robotic approach.

If you think that you have a hernia, it is recommended that you schedule a visit with your health care provider for further evaluation and to discuss treatment options.

To learn more about our General Surgery practice, please click here.

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., June 25, 2025—St. Mary’s Healthcare has awarded $11,000 in Carondelet Community Fund grants to 15 area nonprofit organizations that share St. Mary’s values and mission of caring for the community, especially those who are most vulnerable.

The grants support critical local services, including emergency food assistance, shelter for those who are homeless, STEM education, summer youth programs, vision and hearing screenings, and transportation and meals for seniors.

Grant recipients include:

• Broadalbin Perth Lions Foundation
• Catholic Charities Fulton-Montgomery Counties
• Christ Child Society
• Comfort Zone-Trinity Lutheran Church
• Danielle’s House
• Foundation for the Amsterdam Free Library
• Grow Amsterdam
• Haven of Hope Farm & Residence Inc.
• HFM Prevention Council – Creative Connections Clubhouse
• Mayfield Presbyterian Church
• Montgomery County – Office for Aging
• Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Volunteer Program
• New Dimensions
• Royal Pantry
• Sarah Jane Sanford Home

“With these grants, St. Mary’s supports and shines a spotlight on 15 community partners and their contributions to the long-term health and well-being of the region we all call home,” said Margaret Brodie, vice president, mission advancement and patient experience, at St. Mary’s Healthcare. “Like St. Mary’s, these organizations enhance the quality of life in our community by serving others with dignity and compassion.”

The Carondelet Community Fund was established in 1996 to honor and continue the spirit of St. Mary’s founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. Grants are awarded annually by the St. Mary’s board of trustees to provide modest support to local programs and agencies that further the sisters’ tradition of outreach to the “dear neighbor.”

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About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

Contact:
Kristin Mosher
Director, Marketing and Communications
St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam
(518) 770-7505
kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

AMSTERDAM, N.Y., June 16, 2025—Dr. Garth Garramone, a leading gastroenterologist, has joined St. Mary’s Healthcare as medical director of gastroenterology.

Dr. Garramone has over 20 years of experience in private practice and in overseeing hospital gastroenterology programs in Central New York and eastern North Carolina. He is the latest of more than 30 providers to join St. Mary’s in the past 18 months as part of the local independent hospital’s strategic investments in much-needed services.

“Dr. Garramone will be instrumental in re-energizing and expanding our gastroenterology services at a time of increasing demand for GI care and fierce competition for GI specialists,” said Jeff Methven, St. Mary’s President and CEO.

Methven attributes St. Mary’s recruiting success, in part, to the fulfillment that often comes with working at a smaller, community hospital—and to St. Mary’s emphasis on a positive, supportive work culture. The hospital recently became the first acute care provider in the Capital Region to be named a Top Workplace.

For Dr. Garramone, St. Mary’s location in Upstate New York—a region that he and his family love—also played a role. He attended college at what was then the Utica campus of Syracuse University. After completing his medical education, Dr. Garramone returned to the area as a partner with Digestive Disease Medicine of Central New York and the medical director of Mohawk Valley Endoscopy. More recently, he served as medical director of gastroenterology at CarolinaEast Health System in North Carolina.

Dr. Garramone earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Maine. He went on to complete a residency in internal medicine at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Nassau University Medical Center, which is affiliated with Stony Brook Medical School on Long Island.

Dr. Garramone is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American College of Gastroenterology, American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and American Gastroenterology Association.

His office is located in the St. Mary’s Medical Office Building on the Guy Park Avenue Campus, and he is accepting new patients. For an appointment, call 518-843-1240.

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About St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam: St. Mary’s Healthcare has been providing high-quality, compassionate healthcare to the people of Montgomery and Fulton counties since 1903. At St. Mary’s Hospital, the Rao Outpatient Pavilion and other locations, the local, independent healthcare system offers the comprehensive, critical services its community needs and deserves. For more information: (518) 842-1900, www.smha.org or www.facebook.com/smha.org.

Contact:
Kristin Mosher
Director, Marketing and Communications
St. Mary’s Healthcare, Amsterdam
(518) 770-7505
kristin.mosher@nysmha.org

“Growing Up” and Flourishing at St. Mary’s Healthcare

Melanie Tatlock, LPN, likes to say she’s “literally grown up at St. Mary’s.” Perhaps even more important, she’s still growing. With St. Mary’s support, Melanie is well on her way to realizing her dream of earning her nursing degree and RN license.

The Amsterdam native was born in this hospital and began working here as a part-time dietary aide when she was still a teenager. Then, an Emergency Department experience unconnected to her role at St. Mary’s prompted Melanie to pursue a different calling.

At the time, she had a second job with a human services organization and was accompanying a client to the St. Mary’s Emergency Department. “He couldn’t verbalize and advocate for himself,” Melanie says. “My heart just broke for him.”

It turns out, she needn’t have worried. “The nurses cared for him with such skill, kindness, empathy, and compassion. They all knew what to do, and they did it flawlessly,” Melanie says. “It was amazing to me. I knew I had to learn more.”

She enrolled in a certified nursing assistant (CNA) program, earned her CNA credential, and soon had a new job at St. Mary’s in a patient care unit. Since then, Melanie has worked in the hospital’s Emergency Department, Children’s Behavioral Health Clinic, OB/GYN Health Center, Outpatient Addiction Clinic, and Amsterdam Family Health Center.

The Hospital has been unwavering in its support—encouraging Melanie to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN), celebrating her Clinical Ladder achievements, and helping advance her career through “Work Earn Learn.” Under this program, St. Mary’s associates receive their salary and benefits while continuing their education. Eligible employees, like Melanie, receive funds for tuition, fees, and books, plus paid time off to attend school during the workday.

St. Mary’s support also includes a culture that embraces work-life balance and colleagues who are an unending source of inspiration. “We have so many exceptional nurses and nurse managers here. I have so much respect for them, and I learn from them every day,” Melanie says.

She also is quick to sing their praises, and those of St. Mary’s, to fellow nursing students at Fulton-Montgomery Community College. “I always recommend St. Mary’s to my classmates,” she says. “We are growing, and there are so many opportunities here.”

Melanie is on track to earn her associate degree and RN license next year and has no doubt about where she’ll be working after graduation—and for years to come.

“I’ve done clinical time at other hospitals, and they’re just not the same as St. Mary’s. For me, St. Mary’s feels like family,” she says. “I know I can count on my St. Mary’s family to get through anything.”

To learn more about nursing at St. Mary’s Healthcare, visit our Nursing Careers page.

Q: HELP!!! Why is heel hurting for so long?

A: Heel pain can be caused by many conditions that affect the feet and your general health. Here is a short list of the
most common conditions responsible for heel pain in both children and adults:

• Plantar Fasciitis
• Achilles Tendinitis
• Haglund Deformity (“pump bump”)
• Sever’s Apophysitis (in children only)
• Baxter’s Neuritis
• Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome

At St. Mary’s Podiatry Health Center, we take a systematic approach in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating each of the above conditions. We strongly caution the public to be very careful with implementing treatment recommendations to address heel pain that are obtained from quick online searches. Our office is always accepting new patients seeking expert advice for heel pain.

Learn more about our Podiatry practice here.

Will Valentine Came to Visit and Decided to Make a Home at St. Mary’s.

Beginning as an agency nurse and then quickly rising to the position of nurse manager in our Med/Surg units, Will Valentine, BSN, RN has had a surprising and impressive journey here at St. Mary’s Healthcare.

But really, Will’s whole career has been a bit like this.

Originally from Long Island, Will attended SUNY Oneonta, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology, with no thought at all of becoming a nurse. But after working at Stony Brook University in the pathology lab, getting this insider’s view, he decided to enter the accelerated nursing program at Adelphi University. This would eventually lead to a position at Northwell Health.

Because his wife was from this region, Will found himself living in Galway and working in travel nurse positions at Saratoga Hospital, Albany Med, and then St. Mary’s. That’s when everything changed. After two years here, he got approached about the manager’s position. The hospital’s leadership had seen that this agency nurse was someone they wanted to keep. And Will had found by then that St. Mary’s was a place he wanted to call home.

“I never would have imagined as a kid being a nurse,” Will says. “But it’s given me back more than I ever could have imagined. At St. Mary’s, the place felt small but mighty. Everybody knew each other’s names, across all disciplines. I felt genuinely part of team, even though I was an agency nurse. And they saw something in me. When I was approached about the leadership position, I embraced that.”

Will feels like this position has provided him the best of both worlds: “I manage the team, but I still jump in at the bedside at times. And I really do enjoy being at the bedside and helping out.”

His own experience, he believes, says a lot about how St. Mary’s views its employees. “There’s room to grow here,” he says. “Hard work is noticed. And they allow for an excellent work-life balance, aware that everyone is human. When things come up in life that you wouldn’t expect, they’re willing to work with you.”

“I’ve never been in another hospital where I would have taken a management job,” Will adds. “At St. Mary’s there’s a support system. Here, it’s not the machine. It’s tailored to the individual and the needs that we have.”

In other words, he’s right where he wants to be.

To learn more about nursing at St. Mary’s Healthcare, visit our Nursing Careers page.

Q: How do seasonal and environmental changes like pollen and wildfire smoke affect people with chronic lung disease, and what precautions should they take?

A:  As a pulmonologist practicing in upstate New York, I’ve seen firsthand how seasonal and environmental changes can significantly impact lung health. This time of year, we’re facing a double challenge: rising pollen counts and smoke drifting from Canadian wildfires. For individuals with lung disease, these airborne irritants can trigger coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and flare-ups that sometimes require emergency care.

Pollen—especially tree and grass pollen—is at its peak in late spring and early summer, and it can penetrate deep into the lungs. Meanwhile, wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter which can worsen inflammation in already sensitive airways. Together, these factors can make it particularly difficult for people with chronic lung diseases to breathe.

It’s important to monitor local air quality reports and take precautions, such as staying indoors on high-risk days, using air purifiers, and making sure medications are up to date. If you or a loved one has lung disease, speak with your healthcare provider about creating an action plan during this time of heightened exposure.

Learn more about our Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine practice here.