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CDC visiting to recognize UHS fall prevention

March 05, 2018

A fall-prevention program piloted by UHS and Broome County is being recognized during a two-day site visit by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC representatives are visiting the Southern Tier March 5 and 6 to meet with internal medicine specialist Frank Floyd, MD, and other members of the UHS team that implemented the fall-prevention program for elderly primary care patients starting in 2012.

Developed by the CDC, “Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI)” was pioneered by UHS Primary Care, the Broome County Health Department and the Broome County Office for Aging.

Since that time, the program has received widespread national attention.  It was featured during a 2015 presentation associated with the White House Conference on Aging and in the pages of the national news magazine U.S. News & World Report.

During the current visit, group discussions with CDC representatives are being held at UHS offices on the Vestal Parkway, as well as at the county Health Department and Binghamton University. 

UHS representatives participating include John Carrigg, president and chief executive officer, as well as Dr. Floyd, other providers and department leaders.  They are joined by representatives of the county Health Department and other local healthcare leaders.

The CDC’s recognition of the program will be featured at a physician gathering at Binghamton University and at a dinner at Number 5 Restaurant, both on March 5.

Dr. Floyd and his staff at UHS Primary Care Endwell piloted the national effort to prevent falls among the elderly using an evidence-based approach.  Their program encourages primary care providers to conduct regular screenings with patients age 65 and older to determine their risk of falling.
UHS became the alpha test site in part because of its fully established electronic medical record system, which facilitated data collection and reporting to county and state health officials and the CDC.