PULASKI, NY — Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc. (NOCHSI) recently announced that it has changed its name to ConnextCare.
The healthcare network, which has served Oswego County residents since 1969, adopted the new name, ConnextCare, to better reflect its growth in staff, services and locations, according to Daniel Dey, president and Chief Executive Officer.
ConnextCare, which founded nearly 50 years ago as NOCHSI, currently employs a staff of 235, including a 54-person team of healthcare specialists, in multiple locations across Oswego County – all integrated into one unified system of care.
“We’ve grown quite a bit since we were founded in 1969, in the scope and quality of our services as well as the geographic reach of our care. Our new name, ConnextCare, better communicates the strength of our growing and highly-connected system of care. It signifies that we are more than just one provider, or a single facility. We are an integrated network of care across six locations using the most up-to-date technology to deliver the best local care,” Dey explained.
ConnextCare recently expanded its service delivery reach from primarily northern Oswego County to the entire county, doubling in size through the acquisition of primary care practices from its community partners Oswego County Opportunities and Oswego Health.
ConnextCare currently has six primary care locations and six school-based programs, providing healthcare services within proximity of every Oswego County resident.
The network also recently added several new services, including behavioral health, dental services and diabetes management.
The change to ConnextCare does not signify a change in ownership or leadership, according to Dey.
“Our new name, ConnextCare was developed to better reflect our growth as an organization. Our healthcare network remains a private, federally-funded non-profit organization governed by a local volunteer board of directors. Neither the staff leadership, nor the volunteer board leadership has changed.”
Other than new signage, patients will not experience any operational changes due to the name change, according to Tricia Peter-Clark, vice president of operations.
“Your primary care provider and preferred office location remain the same. We changed our name to better reflect the growth of our connected network of care, and to let you know that you can connect with our care at any one of our six main locations. And, no matter which location you visit, you can count on the fact that we’ll have your up-to-date medical records,” she said.
The roll-out of the new name was celebrated with a special breakfast reception for the entire ConnextCare staff and board of directors on May 16 at the Kallet Theatre in Pulaski.
The event included representatives from the Richard S. Shineman Foundation.
This project was funded in part by a grant from the foundation.
About ConnextCare
Established in 1969 as Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc. (NOCHSI), ConnextCare is a patient-centered network of health care practices providing Oswego County and surrounding county residents with a variety of comprehensive health care and related services. The network is operated by a private, federally funded non-profit organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. ConnextCare operates health centers in Fulton, Mexico, Oswego, Parish, Phoenix and Pulaski. It also operates six school-based health centers located in the APW, Mexico, Pulaski and Sandy Creek school districts. ConnextCare is accredited through the Joint Commission and is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a Level 3 Patient-Centered Medical Home.
