Communications & Marketing

Media Requests

The office of Communications & Marketing welcomes media requests. Reporters seeking comment from Albany Medical Center, the Albany Med Health System, or any of our member hospitals, or those seeking interviews with our physicians, should email the Communications and Marketing staff (see below) or call 518-262-3421.

Communications and Marketing Staff

Matt Markham
Vice President, Communications and Marketing
[email protected]

Beth Engeler
Assistant Vice President, Communications
[email protected]

Sue Ford
Director of Communications
[email protected]
Media contact for Albany Medical College, cardiology,
surgery, vascular surgery, neurology

Cassie Nelson
Manager of Communications
[email protected]
Media contact for biomedical research, urology,
plastic surgery, infectious disease, Covid-19,
pulmonology

Leanne DeRosa
Senior Content Specialist
[email protected]
Media contact for the Children's Hospital, OB/GYN,
radiology, ENT

Melissa Mansfield
Senior Content Specialist
[email protected]
Media contact for emergency medicine and orthopedics

Mary McQuade
Administrative Coordinator
[email protected]

 

Member Hospitals

 

Ray Agnew
Glens Falls Hospital
Vice President of Hospital and Community Engagement
518-926-5900
[email protected]

Kristen Bielefeldt
Columbia Memorial Health
Marketing Manager
518-697-5288
[email protected]

Darlene Olivieri Alvarado
Saratoga Hospital
Director of Marketing and Communications
518-583-8459
[email protected]

Liza Rucinski
Glens Falls Hospital
Director of Communications and Marketing
518-926-5901
[email protected]

Madison Mendel
Saratoga Hospital
Marketing and Communications Specialist
518-583-8699
[email protected]

Marketing and Graphics

Eli Fanning
Director of Marketing
[email protected]

Robert Sager
Senior Marketing Specialist
[email protected]

Lori Hansen
Graphic Services Manager
[email protected]

Terese Garcia
Graphic Design Specialist
[email protected]

Internal, Web, and Digital Communications

David Gardinier
Director of Digital Media
[email protected]

Jill Spadaro
Director of Internal Communications
[email protected]

Emily Drew
Senior Internal Communications Specialist
[email protected]

Daniel Fitzsimmons
Senior Content Specialist
[email protected]

David Nicklaw
Senior Digital Media Specialist
[email protected]

Michael Adamec
Multimedia Specialist
[email protected]

Media Policies

Reporters and editors can call Public Relations at 518-262-3421 Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 518-262-3111 nights and weekends.

  • Because the care of patients is our primary responsibility, we require reporters to coordinate interview and photograph requests with Public Relations, who will accompany reporters on our campuses
  • No photos or video of patients may be taken without PR first securing written permission from the patient
  • We follow the American Hospital Association's guidelines regarding patient privacy issues contained in the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Public Record Patient Conditions

  • Reporters must have the patient's full name
  • We provide a one-word description: "fair," "serious" or "critical." If there is no information available, the condition is "no information."
  • In the event of a large-scale disaster, we will attempt to provide non-specific information about patients brought to Albany Medical Center or other System member hospitals

Under HIPAA regulations, we cannot provide a one-word condition (fair, serious, critical) if one of the following circumstances apply, even in cases of public record:

  • The patient has opted out of being listed in the hospital directory. In this case, no information can be shared, including whether the person is even a patient at the hospital
  • No information will be given to the media before family knows that a patient is in the hospital
  • The reporter does not supply the full name of the patient. For example, a reporter calling and requesting the names and conditions of "those injured in the Thruway accident earlier tonight" cannot receive information

HIPAA does not permit the release of the following information:

  • Age/date of birth
  • Home address
  • Nature and description of injuries