Pictured (L-R): Karen Foster, president of the Saratoga Springs Lions Club; John McDonald, Saratoga Springs Lions Club member, past chairman and current board member of the Lions Eye Institute at Albany; Dr. Yasmin Mali, ophthalmology resident at the Lions Eye Institute at Albany; Dr. Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, medical director for the Saratoga Community Health Center; Kevin Ronayne, Saratoga Springs Lions Club member and treasurer, board member of the Lions Eye Institute at Albany, and Vice President, Operations and Facilities, Saratoga Hospital; Jim Flynn, Saratoga Springs Lions Club past president and current Lions Club Sight Chairman.
It all began when Terri Lee of the Saratoga Springs Hospital Foundation made a presentation at one of our club’s lunch meetings in 2012. In December of 2012, the Saratoga Springs Lions Club donated $30,000, over a 3 year period, to help set up the new Saratoga Hospital Community Health Center. This support falls in line with our club’s mission of Sight & Hearing Conservation, Diabetes Awareness, Youth Programs and Community.
But that was not enough for our club. We saw an opportunity to help develop a program specific to two of our missions, SIGHT & DIABETES. Led by our Sight Chairman, Lion Jim Flynn, who worked in conjunction with club members Lion Kevin Ronayne (Saratoga Hospital) and Lion John McDonald (Past Chairman & Board member of the Lions Eye Institute at Albany), they worked to fill a room at the new Saratoga Community Health Center with vital vision diagnostic tools.
“People with diabetes are at risk of losing their sight,” said Dr. Renee Rodriguez-Goodemote, medical director for the Saratoga Community Health Center. “The value of this type of specialized eye exam is quite literally the opportunity to preserve a patient’s eyesight. “The exam detects changes in the eye that, when diagnosed, can lead to treatment and reduce the chance for loss of sight,” she added. “It is an understatement to say this program would only be possible because of the extraordinary generosity and support by all those involved in our community!”
The first step was to find the equipment necessary to provide this service. Lion Jim Flynn connected with Dr. Peter Martin, a retired ophthalmologist from Hoosick Falls, NY. Dr. Peter Martin and his wife donated all of the equipment to the vision center and the Lions provided funding to transport, install, calibrate and repair a few minor equipment items.
Then came the delicate process of staffing the vision center. Working with Dr. Robert Schultze, Ophthalmology Residency Program Director, Director of Medical Student Education in Ophthalmology, and Director of the Cornea Fellowship Program at the Lions Eye Institute at Albany, we were able to connect an ophthalmology resident and local practicing ophthalmologist to provide the screenings. Residents will rotate into the program and will be supervised by the different participating opthalmologist’s. The first resident volunteering her time is Dr. Yasmin Mali (see above) supervised by Dr. Edwin Davison Jr. of Saratoga Springs. We are pleased that other local ophthalmologists Dr. Robert Brass, Dr. Amjad Hammad, Dr. Jeffrey Paul and Dr. Gregory Pinto have agreed to be future supervisors.
“Our Saratoga Springs Lions Club has a rich history of supporting the Lions Eye Institute at Albany,” said John McDonald, a member of the Saratoga Springs Lions Club, and immediate past chairman and current board member of the Institute. The Saratoga club currently has three members serving on the board of the Institute, which is one of only eight regional eye care centers in the United States. A prominent Saratoga Lions Club member, Dave Carr Sr., was one of the founders of the Lions Eye Institute at Albany. “Dave would be proud of the ongoing work we do with the Institute, and the many ways we bring that work back to the Saratoga community, extending the vision he and others had 25 years ago,” McDonald said.
Appointments for a diabetic eye exam are required and can be made by calling the Saratoga Community Health Center at 518-886-5600. The health center is located at 24 Hamilton Street, Saratoga Springs, New York 12866.
Saratoga Community Health Center, a service of Saratoga Hospital, provides high-quality affordable primary care, dental care, and behavioral health services for patients of all ages, regardless of income.
NABA (Northeastern Association for the Blind at Albany) will also be joining forces with the Saratoga Lions and the Community Health Center in the near future to provide screenings for children.
Much more info on this project and updates to the vision center project can be found at SS Lions Sight Page.
