Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Community Nurses Prepares for Annual Used Book Sale

Community Nurses. Inc. is holding its annual used book sale for Hospice this year at St. Marys Catholic Middle School between June 7 and June 9.

Drop off your used books on the following dates:
  • May 23, 6-8 p.m.
  • May 30, 6-8 p.m.
  • June 1, noon-4 p.m.
  • June 2, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • June 4, all day
  • June 5, all day
Book drop-off is at the St. Marys Catholic Middle School cafeteria on Church Street. Drive behind the school to the large set of double doors on the convent side of the building.

The book sale will be held on:

  • June 7, noon to 7 p.m.
  • June 8, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • June 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
On Saturday, June 9, bring a bag, take what you can, and make a donation of any size to Hospice!

St. Marys Catholic Middle School is located at 325 Church Street in St. Marys. For more information about the book sale, call Community Nurses at (814) 781-1415.

We'll see you there!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Luminaries for "Honoring Those Who Serve" Event On Sale Now!

Have you ordered your luminary for our upcoming service?

We at Elk Regional, along with our friends at Community Nurses, Inc., are honoring those who give of themselves to make our country and our community better places to live, work, and play!

Luminaries are just $5 each and are on sale now! For details and a downloadable order form, click here! Order forms are also available in your local newspaper; in the latest edition of our community newsletter, "We Are Elk Regional;" and in the lobbies of Elk Regional Health Center and Pinecrest Manor!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Sophomore’s "Pay It Forward" Project Benefits Pinecrest Residents

For Nicole Hanes, a sophomore at Elk County Catholic High School, selecting a “Pay It Forward” project was easy.

“I’ve got a soft spot for the elderly,” Miss Hanes said. “I think they’re very caring people. They’ve spent their lives taking care of others. So when I got the assignment from my teacher, I knew my project was going to be something that would benefit the elderly in some way.”

Every year, sophomores at Elk County Catholic High School are required to do a “Pay It Forward” project as part of Jennifer Meyer’s Theology class. Miss Hanes chose to make quilts for the residents at Pinecrest Manor.

“When we got the assignment, it was in January,” Miss Hanes said. “It was colder. And all I could think about was the residents in their wheelchairs trying to stay warm. Our Pay It Forward project is supposed to make a difference in someone else’s life.”

Miss Hanes, who had previously made herself a cut-and-tie quilt, made two other quilts and a pillow with the help of her mother. She purchased another quilt and recently donated all three quilts and the pillow to the residents at Pinecrest Manor.

“I know I speak for everyone at Pinecrest when I say that we’re grateful that Miss Hanes thought of our residents and their comfort,” said David A. Wolfe, NHA, the Administrator of Pinecrest Manor. “I commend her for using her class project as an opportunity to do something selfless for someone else. She has set an example not only for her peers, but for all of us as well.”

Miss Hanes is the daughter of Dean and Mary Hanes of Kersey.

PHOTO: Nicole Hanes, a sophomore at Elk County Catholic High School, made quilts and donated them to the residents of Pinecrest Manor as part of a “Pay It Forward” project she conducted as part of her Theology class. Above, Miss Hanes gives a quilt to Pinecrest resident Yvonne Oertly as Marie Goode, RN, the Director of Nursing at Pinecrest Manor, Judy Wilhelm, the Activities Director at Pinecrest Manor, and Miss Hanes’ mother, Mary, look on.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Elk Regional Gives Back to the Crystal Fire Department

Elk Regional Health System employees recently made a donation to the Crystal Fire Department of St. Marys. The donation was made through the Elk Regional Gives Back program, through which employees pay a small fee to wear jeans to work on some Fridays. Each month, the funds raised are collected and given to non-profit organizations that serve residents of Elk and Cameron counties.

At right, Tom Kerchinski, second from left, Assistant Chief of the Crystal Fire Department, accepts a donation from George Wingard, the Maintenance Supervisor at Elk Regional Health System. With them are, from left, Stephanie Meyer, Melvin Haberberger, Tony Cherry, Bill Newell, Tom Assalone, Rick Ehrensberger, Dan Bush, and Sam Nichols, all of the Health System’s Maintenance Department.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Elk Regional Gives Back to ELCAM

Elk Regional Health System employees recently made a donation to ELCAM. With a grand opening tentatively scheduled for May 20, ELCAM will celebrate the opening of A Step Ahead Child Center on West Creek Road. The Center will provide care for children between the ages of six weeks and 12 years. 

Elk Regional’s donation to ELCAM was made through the Elk Regional Gives Back program, through which employees pay a small fee to wear jeans to work on some Fridays. Each month, the funds raised are collected and given to non-profit organizations that serve residents of Elk and Cameron counties.

From left are Torrie Tegano, RT (R)(M) and Bridget Straub, RT (R)(CT) of Elk Regional’s Radiology Department; Naomi A. Tucker, Director of A Step Ahead Child Center at ELCAM; and Donna Rusnock, Radiology Secretary at Elk Regional Health Center. 

We are proud to support local organizations!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Elk Regional Releases New Construction Photos

We've released new photographs of construction on our new Maternity Unit and our new Third Floor! To see the new pictures, visit us on Facebook and click through the albums.

Construction on our Maternity Unit is nearing completion. We will be hosting a special community open house in early June and will be posting details about the event here on our Blog, on our Web site, on Facebook, on Twitter, and in the local newspapers. You won't want to miss it!

The photo to the right is a picture of the nurse work station on our Maternity Unit! The work station is situated in the middle of the unit, allowing our nurses easy access to each patient room.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Thank A Nurse Today!

It's National Nurses Week!

We at Elk Regional are thankful for our nurses. They selflessly give of themselves every single day to help each one of our patients return to health as soon as possible. Their job is a difficult one, but they still manage to offer a smile and a kind word to our patients. To our nurses from all of us at Elk Regional -- thank you for all you do!!

National Nurses Week is celebrated every year from May 6 through 12. May 6 is National Nurses Day and May 12 is the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Nurses Week allows us to celebrate the many ways that our country’s nurses work to improve the health of our families, friends and neighbors. Their dedication and commitment to combining the art of medicine with the art of caring cannot be measured. This week helps shine the spotlight on these professionals and the amazing things they do every day.

If you know a nurse, or if you see one this week, take a moment to tell say "thank you."

Friday, May 4, 2012

Elk Regional Gives Back!

Today is dress-down day at Elk Regional. If you come in to the Health Center today, you'll see some staff members wearing blue jeans. It's all part of our Elk Regional Gives Back program! Our employees pay a small fee to wear jeans to work on some Fridays. Then, we divide up the money raised and donate it to local non-profit organizations that serve Elk and Cameron counties.

We've recently supported the St. Marys Area Boys & Girls Club, ELCAM, and the Crystal Fire Department. In the coming weeks, we'll be making donations to the Relay For Life of Elk and Cameron counties, the Wilcox Public Library, and the Elk County Historical Society.

It's all part of our efforts to help make our community a better place to live, work, and play!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Fox Township Elementary Students Donate Books to Pediatric Unit at Elk Regional

Second-grade students at Fox Township Elementary School recently donated 100 books to the pediatric unit at Elk Regional Health Center as part of the “Fox Second Grade Care Club,” through which students do good deeds for members of their community. Elk Regional will give the books to hospitalized children.

The club’s donation to Elk Regional was made possible by the Fox Township Parent Teacher Organization. Each month, students in the Care Club perform special activities to benefit members of their community. They have created seasonal placemats for residents of Pinecrest Manor and Elk Haven Nursing Home; created spring-themed greeting cards for residents of Pinecrest Manor; delivered meals to seniors; and performed a Christmas program at the Fox Township Senior Center.

From left are students Anna Mattivi, Lillian Mosier, Lauren Mosier, Tanner Shrefler, and Tyler Gaks. With them are Jessica Wilson, RN, and Jennifer McAllister, RN, BSN of the medical/surgical/pediatric unit at Elk Regional Health Center.

Thank you to the Fox Second Grade Care Club for their generosity!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

As Mother's Day Draws Near, Give Your Loved One The Perfect Gift

It's almost Mother's Day! Why not give your loved one the gift of history? For Emporium resident Marguerite Munsell, 97, the cookbook proved to be a very special glimpse into her past. Click here to read more!

Copies of "What's Cookin' in Elk County," a collection of traditional German recipes that date back to the founding of St. Marys, are now on sale in the Peppermint Stick Gift Shop at Elk Regional Health Center ... and we've only got one box left! Stop in today to get your copy before they're gone!

Our Gift Shop is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hours on Saturday are from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Local Quilters Donate 61 Quilts to Elk Regional

Thanks to the generosity of local quilters, infants and young children who come to Elk Regional for care and need to be transferred to another hospital will be able to take comfort in the warmth of a hand-made quilt.

Tammy Cherry and Emily Snelick, the sisters-in-law who own Tangled Threads on Erie Avenue, presented 61 child-sized quilts to the Emergency Department and The Family Unit at Elk Regional Health Center. Local quilters spent the last three months making the quilts as part of the “Cuddling Kids” project, and exceeded their goal of 50 quilts. Each child who receives a quilt at Elk Regional will be able to keep it.

From left are Tammy Cherry, an owner of Tangled Threads; Sara Myers, RN, The Family Unit nurse manager; Diane Young, a certified lactation consultant in The Family Unit; Emily Snelick, an owner of Tangled Threads; Mrs. Snelick’s granddaughter, Olivia Snelick-Yancey; George Castellano, M.D.; Bill Wittman, CRNP; and Jim Condon, RN, the Emergency Department nurse manager.

We at Elk Regional are often humbled by and amazed at the generosity of our community. Thank you to the quilters who made the "Cuddling Kids" project a success!