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Distance Care ProgramAt the Center, we have a credo that we tell to all of our patients. Regardless of where you live or how often we see you, you will always be our patient and we will always do our best for you. For patients local to our Center, this is an easy mission to fulfill, but for those from out of town, that mission is more difficult to implement. In fact, we treat so many patients from outside of our area that the nurses on the pediatric unit where many of our patients stay after surgery call VCFS “the out of town syndrome.” Over the past 9 years, the large majority of patients at The Center for the Diagnosis, Treatment, and Study of Velo-Cardio-Facial Syndrome have come from more than 200 miles away from Syracuse. In fact:
We do not believe that our commitment for our patients ends when they leave our offices to return home. As part of our evaluation, we provide both short term and long term recommendations that require follow-up to assure proper implementation. Help Support the Distance Care Program:The distance care program is an integral part of how our Center operates, and the staff at the Center spends many hours each week applying the model. We have been able to do this only with the help of generous donors to our program because these hours cannot be reimbursed in any other way. Please help by clicking on the link below, or by sending a donation to: 
The VCFS Fund Thank you. How Distance Care WorksThe most important component of our distance care program is access to our expert staff. Anne Marie Higgins, R.N., N.P., the full-time Clinical Coordinator for the Center since 1998, is always available by telephone or email to answer questions and triage questions to other staff members. Most questions are answered within a day or two, and patients will get a response from one of the professionals by email or telephone. If records require reviewing, the staff at the Center will also do this and respond to any questions about lab results, test scores, or individualized education plans (IEPs). Working with Local ProfessionalsThe staff at the Center is also available to speak with professionals local to its patients should they be unfamiliar with VCFS, or if coordination of care is required between the Upstate staff and local practitioners. The VCFS Center at Upstate often prescribes specific courses of treatment that have been shown to be effective from our own outcome data. Sharing these approaches with other professionals around the world, assures good care for our own patients, and also helps to educate other professionals about VCFS. The Center frequently reviews video tapes, DVDs, X-rays, and other studies to assure that outcomes are as expected. By working with local professionals through the distance care model, the Center limits the number of times that patients have to be physically present in Syracuse while assuring excellent care. Inquiries: Contact the Center by telephone at 315-464-6597, by fax at 315-464-6598, or by email at vcfs@upstate.edu. |
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