St. Peter's Health Partners

Meet MJ Heroth, MRI Technologist at St. Peter’s Hospital. MJ has been part of the SPHP team since 2023. We are grateful for MJ’s dedication and excited to see where his career takes him! #WhyIWorkatSPHP “My transition from X-ray to MRI happened very early into my career. I was only in X-ray for 9 months when the opportunity to switch modalities came up and my coworkers and supervisors were very supportive of me going for it. I took the leap and started training within a few months. The team had put together a great plan for me, beginning with the basics like starting IVs, scanning outpatients, and going over the settings of the machine. It was a very easy transition. Everybody in MRI is willing to teach and help whenever they can and that is why I was able to become independent so soon. I started doing cases from start to finish and was put onto my shift of 3-day, 13-hour shifts and I love it. Every day is still a learning experience in MRI, but I was given the confidence and support to get through any challenge that I need thanks to my colleagues and supervisors!” Join us at our Open House on January 22 and explore exciting opportunities in Respiratory Therapy, Radiation Therapy, and Medical Imaging! Whether you’re starting your health care journey or looking for a career change, this is your chance to learn more about these rewarding fields and how you can make a real difference in people’s lives. Take the first step toward a fulfilling career in health care. We’re here to guide you every step of the way! RSVP today: https://bit.ly/4ftbc1Q

Please help us welcome Alyssa Ballantyne, FNP-BC, to St. Peter's Internal Medicine and Pediatrics! 🎉 🙌 A board-certified family nurse practitioner, Ballantyne brings a wealth of knowledge and a heartfelt commitment to providing compassionate, patient-centered care to individuals and families of all ages. #Welcome #Healthcare #NewProvider #PrimaryCare #FamilyMedicine

We previously shared that St. Peter’s Health Partners was working hard to reach a fair agreement with Humana. Unfortunately, St. Peter's is no longer included in Humana’s network, as of January 1. This impacts patients who are covered by a Humana Medicare Advantage plan for the 2025 benefit year. For more details and the most recent updates as we continue to work towards a fair agreement, visit https://lnkd.in/eZtQAdNy or call (518) 328-3400.

Lisa Willsey is kicking off 2025 in style, retiring after more than 40 years of service at St. Peter’s Health Partners! Please help us congratulate Lisa for her decades of hard work and dedication. As her supervisor noted: “Lisa is kind, committed, reliable, honest, hilarious and a true gem. We will miss her very, very much!” Lisa started out at Albany Memorial Hospital in 1984 in environmental services, moving into a nurse’s aid/CNA role not long after. She was recruited to the endoscopy unit, where she worked for 28 years filling multiple roles (scheduler, transport, ordering supplies, and scope cleaner, among many others). When the unit closed, she worked as a scheduler in the operating rooms at Albany Memorial and Samaritan Hospital, before closing out her career in pre-admission testing – first at St. Peter’s Hospital, and then at her original home at Albany Memorial when the department moved to that campus in June 2022. Best wishes for a happy, healthy retirement, Lisa!

Meet Kristin Meyers, Radiation Therapist. Kristin has been part of the SPHP team since 2021. We are grateful for Kristin’s dedication and excited to see where her career takes her! #WhyIWorkatSPHP “Being a part of the cure for cancer is the reason I went into Radiation Therapy. Cancer has touched my life in many ways, including seeing close friends and family battle this disease. I have been a radiation therapist going on 12 years. A significant part of my career is being able to work somewhere I would trust to care for my family and friends should they need cancer care services. I currently work in the Radiation Therapy department at St. Peter's Hospital and have for the past 3 years. My initial encounter with SPH was as a therapy student. During my educational time I was pushing myself to meet the standards of the SPH therapists training me. SPH has always been a facility where you strive for excellence, compassion, and perfection, among many other things. This mind set is something I have continued to strive to meet ever since and made into the mantra for my career. Upon graduating I worked briefly at another facility until I was able to secure a position at SPH with the team of professionals I deeply respected and wanted to work with. I spent two years working from a new graduate therapist to becoming a therapist who was meeting the standard of SPH and was able to now provide the level of excellence expected as well as teach this to others. I left SPH after two years for an opportunity closer to home and with growth opportunities for my career. During the 6 years I was working elsewhere, I constantly compared others to the standards I developed from SPH. I came to a point in my career where I needed to feel the facility I was working for was one I could proudly say I would recommend to my loved ones should they need these services. For this reason, I sought out the opportunity to come back to SPH and work with this amazing team of professionals once again. I cannot say enough about the team I have the pleasure of working with at SPH. They are my favorite part of the job. This includes the therapists, nursing staff, physicians, and physics/dosimetry staff. Knowing I work with a team of people who are all striving for the same goal with the same expectations of caring for our patients is exceptional. The mutual respect we have for each other is rare and is part of the reason we can provide such excellent care. Being able to be proud of the work we do and the care we provide is the reason I stay at SPH. I would truly send a loved one to our department should they need our services because I trust and respect my team. I have learned over the past 12 years that each member of the team needs to have the same goals and mindset to provide excellent care. It is not something we can individually do. This is the reason I stay and the reason I chose to come back to SPH. We are the gold standard I will always strive to meet!”

St. Peter's would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year! May 2025 bring us all good health and an abundance of joy!

We are pleased to share Aetna, a CVS Health company, and Trinity Health/St. Peter's Health Partners have reached a multi-year agreement that will allow our valued patients and members to maintain the in-network access to the Trinity Health/St. Peter's Health Partners hospitals, facilities, and health care providers they trust! We are thankful for everyone’s patience and support as we worked together to reach a fair agreement. Visit https://www.sphp.com/aetna for more information.

Dr. Aimalohi Gray of St. Peter’s Primary Care in Ballston Spa recently shared tips on how to “hack” your next primary care visit for maximum benefit during an appearance on WAMC Northeast Public Radio’s Medical Monday. To listen to Dr. Gray’s advice, click here 👉 https://bit.ly/3BDrJTe

Nicholas Farruggio and Donnie Tessitore, nursing director for cardiovascular services at St. Peter’s Hospital, first met when Donnie offered to help Nick with his bags. Nick was entering St. Peter’s for the first of what would be several stays as he received in-patient treatment for cancer. Over the course of many visits, Nick and Donnie developed a friendship. Nick's last day of treatment was December 13 and his wife, Christa, expressed a desire for her husband to ring a bell to acknowledge its completion. Donnie and the 5 Brady Farrell team leaped into action, installing a bell on the unit in time for Nick to provide the inaugural ringing. 🔔💕 To read more about Nick's journey, click here 👉 https://bit.ly/4fE34M0

Have you registered for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Equity Symposium? Trinity Health is hosting its annual, virtual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Health Equity Symposium on January 15, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - Registration is open! 👉 https://bit.ly/4fHfN0P Join us as we reflect on Dr. King’s work and focus on Mission Possible: Advancing Health Equity. Speakers will examine health equity, addressing issues like racial bias, reducing health disparities affecting mothers and babies, and understanding how challenges from past generations impact families today.