Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1364584
T O D AY, T H E W O M E N a n d I n f a nt Services at St. Joseph's Health includes awa rd-winning breast ca re, g ynecol- og y a nd maternit y ser vices desig ned to prov ide t he most comprehensive women's care in one service line. As the only Baby-Friendly hospita l in Centra l New York, St. Joseph's is recognized for gold standard guidelines for breast feed- ing education and support established by the WHO and UNICEF. St. Joseph's NICU was the first in the region when it opened 50 years ago, and is a two-time winner of the Guardian of Excellence awa rd for Neon at a l I nt en sive Ca re Patient Experience by Press Ganey. And St. Joseph's Hea lth wa s awa rded the BlueCross BlueShield Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care. The organiza- tion's highly qua lified, respected a nd dedicated fema le physicians share the same passion as St. Joseph's founders. S u c h i t r a K a v e t y, M D, a b o a r d - certified OB-GYN and Syracuse native, says 2020 was a year unlike any other in her two-decade career. "St. Joseph's is incredibly supportive of women physicians," Dr. Kavety says. "Thanks to support from my fellow physi- cians, staff and patients who trusted us to come in for exams and treatments, we were able to bounce back during the pandemic." Dr. Kavety's practice followed strict cleaning protocols and rearranged rooms for social distancing, but also offered vir- tual options for patients who were unable or unready to visit places in-person. " We could do vir tua l visits with a patient and her family, and it's also helpful for postpartum patients," Dr. Kavety says. "Patients didn't need to leave home for me to walk through medications or other medical needs." A s we emerge from the pa ndemic, Dr. Kavety says women — who seem to have been affected more than anyone else during COVID-19 through increased demands from work and at home — need to focus on themselves. " Women, in general, don't prioritize themselves. But self-care is extremely important because most women put their health behind everyone else's," Dr. Kavety says. "Women tend to prioritize others in their family, at work, and in their com- munity above their own needs. Medical services such as routine gynecological exams are important elements of self-care that should be prioritized." St. Joseph's award-winning Breast Care and Surgery Program is nationally recognized for its exceptional outcomes, making St. Joseph's Health the breast care leader in Central New York. Kara Kort, MD, has performed thou- sands of surgeries in more than 20 years of breast care. "St. Joseph's Hea lth has one of the highest volumes of breast surgeries in our region," she says. "Experience and knowledge are what makes the St. Joseph's A Higher Level of Care that is WOMEN'S HE ALTH IS DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH'S HE ALTH. SAINT MARIANNE COPE, A VISIONARY IN HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT, OPENED THE HOSPITAL IN 1869 AND WELCOMED E VERYONE REGARDLESS OF GENDER, RELIGION, NATIONALIT Y OR FINANCIAL SITUATION. Suchitra Kavety, MD Female by Design 1 0