SUNY Adirondack announces new campus nurse

QUEENSBURY, New York (Jan. 29, 2024) — SUNY Adirondack is proud to announce Diane Owens as its on-campus nurse.

Owens, a longtime Glens Falls Hospital nurse, brings nearly 30 years of experience to the position, which offers members of the campus community a convenient care option from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and every other Thursday when classes are in session.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Diane, who has an impressive career of caregiving,” said Tobey Gifford, director of Health and Wellness at SUNY Adirondack. 

Owens graduated from St. Mary’s School of Nursing, and has worked in dialysis and pre-admission testing units.

SUNY Adirondack first created an on-campus nurse position in July 2022, when the college expanded its Health & Wellness to include biweekly visits from Hudson Headwaters Health Network and on-campus wellness coordinators, in addition to its professional counseling team. 

“This position is a great thing for students,” Owens said. “I’m going to enjoy conversing with them and getting to the root of what’s going on.”

The addition of a Health and Wellness office enhances other efforts at SUNY Adirondack to help students, faculty and staff achieve health. The college offers an on-campus Counseling Center; Randle’s Veterans Center; support groups; regular wellness programming including mindful meditation; a fitness center; and The Hub. 

In February 2023, SUNY Adirondack joined the JED Campus network, an initiative of The Jed Foundation that helps colleges strengthen mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. In the months since, dozens of SUNY Adirondack faculty and staff members participated in Mental Health First Aid, a National Council for Behavioral Health training.