CHEERS to CVPH Medical Center in Plattsburgh for recent success on a Joint Commission survey. The Joint Commission, headquartered in Chicago, is a nonprofit organization that accredits medical access nationally and internationally and is the accepted standard for such evaluations. During the last week of February, evaluators from the commission spent time in Plattsburgh looking at how CVPH delivers services, and hospital President Stephens Mundy was so moved by the enthusiastic report he received that he went on about it at some length at a Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce Legislative Breakfast March 5. The commission surveys a number of areas in a hospital's health-care delivery and rates each one. The evaluators declared CVPH exceptional in six areas — meaning the level of care in those areas matches the best anywhere. Best practices will be shared with other hospitals across the nation. Among the positive comments was that the CVPH staff was especially dedicated and proud of what it does. Mundy was justifiably proud of the hospital and its staff, and so are we.
CHEERS to the Plattsburgh Common Council for broadening the city's smoking ban to include parks and the City Beach. As several people pointed out to us, smoking is not only unhealthy for everyone, but should kids at the parks be seeing adults smoking on the athletic fields where so many habits are formed?
CHEERS to Woodmen of the World Lodge 462 of Chazy for its many good works, including its recent contribution of seven large boxes of food and $375 cash in support of the food shelf operated out of the Wesleyan Church in Mooers with assistance from Mooers Methodist and St. Joseph's churches there. That donation was presented at Lodge 462's annual dinner and awards banquet March 5, when the organization also presented its Community Partner Award to Rouses Point-Champlain Kiwanis and named Chris Trombley of Champlain its Citizen of the Year. Trombley is a vibrant force in fire and rescue services in the Northern Tier and was instrumental in the creation of the Champlain Fire District, Champlain EMS and the merger of Champlain EMS with the ambulance service in Mooers. Trombley, who joined Champlain Fire Department in 1987, has held every office including, twice, that of chief. He has been a deputy coordinator for Clinton County Emergency Services since 2003 and plays a large role in the annual North Country International Fire School that trains firefighters from both sides of the U.S./Quebec border. Also highly praised at the banquet was his wife, Tammy Trombley, who is EMS captain and has devoted much of her life, too, to serving the community, so CHEERS go to both of them. And also deserving of a CHEER are Jean and Mike Bushey, who were given the Woodmen Field Fraternal Excellence Award. Whenever anything needs to be done, Woodmen President Todd Castine said, whether setting up tables, making phone calls or any other duty, the Busheys' collective reply is: "I can do that."
