LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION paying tribute to St. Camillus Health and Reha-
bilitation Center upon the occasion of celebrating its 40th Anniversary

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to recognize and
acknowledge those organizations within our midst which have made signif-
icant contributions to the quality of life within the communities in
which they operate; and
WHEREAS, One such organization is St. Camillus Health and Rehabili-
tation Center located in Syracuse, New York, which is celebrating its
40th Anniversary this year; and
WHEREAS, St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center is a comprehen-
sive health care facility with a total of 290 beds for continuing care,
short term care and inpatient traumatic brain injury; St. Camillus is
dedicated to providing quality health care to residents throughout
Central New York; and
WHEREAS, In addition to providing inpatient services, St. Camillus
provides a multitude of community-based services, including, but not
limited to, extensive outpatient therapy services, audiology, adult day
health programming, medical transportation, Alzheimer services, preven-
tative exercise programming, traumatic brain injury waiver services, and
home care services through certified and licensed agencies; and
WHEREAS, Since its founding in 1969, St. Camillus' mission has been to
provide high-quality services and facilities emphasizing the rehabili-
tation of individuals to their maximum potential; and
WHEREAS, The importance of the human spirit drives all they do at St.
Camillus, and all who work at St. Camillus are dedicated to caring for
life and helping individuals achieve their highest possible level of
independence; and
WHEREAS, St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center was named after
St. Camillus de Lellis, an Italian priest who is the patron saint of the
sick, dying, hospitals and nurses; and
WHEREAS, St. Camillus lived a life of dedication and tireless concern
for the sick; the facility exemplifies the philosophy and practice of
innovative, quality health care that was introduced by this Italian
priest four centuries ago; and
WHEREAS, St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center works to
provide the type of care and caring that St. Camillus taught, and which
is the foundation of the facility today; and
WHEREAS, St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center opened in March
of 1969, as an extended care facility for post-acute rehab patients; it
was the needs of those patients which led St. Camillus to open Outpa-
tient Services, a Day Health Program, and Clinic Services in the 1970s;
and
WHEREAS, A focus on lower levels of care and community-based services
led St. Camillus to open a 120-bed health-related facility in 1983, the
same year St. Camillus started its Home Care Agency; and
WHEREAS, In the 1980s, St. Camillus operated an Enriched Housing
Program in Elbridge, New York, and began to provide specialty Outpatient
Services, such as Cardiac Rehab and an Acute Back Pain Program; and
WHEREAS, During that same time, families in the community approached
St. Camillus about starting an inpatient program for persons with trau-
matic brain injuries; it took several years to achieve Department of
Health approval because these services were traditionally provided only
in the hospital; St. Camillus opened its traumatic brain injury unit in
1990, as one of the first units in a skilled nursing facility in New
York State; and

WHEREAS, In 1991, St. Camillus responded to area hospitals, who were
experiencing a significant back-up of people in need of long-term care,
by opening the KB unit; and during the mid-1990s, St. Camillus started a
home-based program for kids, as well as Integrity Home Care; and
WHEREAS, In this decade, St. Camillus has opened an LPN school, admit-
ted increasingly complex patients, initiated wellness programs, started
to implement electronic medical records, and began the expansion of Day
Health and Outpatient Brain Injury Programs; and
WHEREAS, St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center has a very rich
history of developing programs and services to meet the community's
needs; St. Camillus has plans to expand both its programming and its
physical size as it continues to address the changing health care needs
of the community it serves; and
WHEREAS, It is evident that Central New York is a better place because
of the long-term presence of St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation
Center which has built a remarkable record of helping individuals
achieve their highest possible level of independence; and
WHEREAS, In celebration of its 40th Anniversary, St. Camillus will
host a soiree on Wednesday, June 10, 2009, at the Bellevue Country Club
in Syracuse, New York, to honor its past, applaud its present and cele-
brate the bright future ahead; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to pay
tribute to St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center, upon the occa-
sion of celebrating its 40th Anniversary; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Aileen Balitz, President and CEO of St. Camillus Health and
Rehabilitation Center.