Elk Regional is an Economic Mainstay

Elk Regional Health System is an economic mainstay in this region.

Through its affiliate organizations, the Elk Regional provides residents in a large geographic area with easy access to a broad spectrum of essential health care services. But Elk Regional is also critically important as an economic engine.

We provide stable employment for nearly 1,100 people close to home, including:

•     485 residents of St. Marys
•     143 residents of Ridgway
•     96 who live in Kersey
•     93 residents of Johnsonburg
•     37 who live in Emporium
•     244 who live elsewhere in our region

BY THE NUMBERS
Check out these factoids about our annual economic impact!

•     Our annual economic impact is $141.1 million.
•     Our 885 full-time equivalent employees enjoy an average annual salary of $46,922.
•     Throughout the region, we support the employment of 1,503 people.
•     Elk Regional spends $80 million annually.
•     That annual expenditure supports another $61 million in local and regional spending.

It’s easy to see why a strong, vibrant community health system like Elk Regional is absolutely essential to the economic health of our region!

Elk Regional Gives Back to Juvenile Diabetes

Elk Regional Health System employees recently made a donation to “Melanie’s Hope,” a local team that works to raise awareness of juvenile diabetes. 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 a local charity. From left are Pinecrest Manor employees Linda Frontera, LPN; Courtney Abrahamson, CNA; Melanie Blessel, a CNA and the namesake for “Melanie’s Hope”; Tylie Crum, CNA; and Peggy Hallinen, LPN.

Patient Appreciation Day

Elk Regional Health System will host Patient Appreciation Day at the 2012 Business Expo, sponsored by The River 98.9 FM and the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce. The Expo is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Red Fern.

We'll be featuring blood sugar checks, cholesterol checks, bone density tests, information about mammography and information about the preventative medicine services we offer that could save you money in the long run!

We're still in the process of adding new things to showcase during Patient Appreciation Day, so keep checking back for additional announcements.

We'll see you there!

For Two Local Women, Waterbirth Was The Best Option

Water birth was the best choice for Rachel Chamberlain and Jolene Petrof, two local women who wanted to experience a more natural method of giving birth. Mrs. Chamberlain and Mrs. Petrof  both chose to work with Julie Szymanski, Elk Regional’s Certified Nurse Midwife.  Elk Regional is the only hospital in the region that offers water birth, a natural way of giving birth in which the baby is born into a tub full of warm water.

The Chamberlains
When Mrs. Chamberlain and her husband, Ernie, were preparing to welcome their third child, they both wanted to experience a more natural method of giving birth. The Chamberlains have two other children – five-year-old Ada and three-year-old Phinnegan. Both were born in Elk Regional’s Family Unit before water birth was available.

“We were very interested in water birth right from beginning, but it just wasn’t a possibility in this area until Elk Regional hired Julie,” Mrs. Chamberlain said. “My husband and I are both vegetarians and live a different lifestyle than a lot of people do. When it came time to give birth, I didn’t want to be induced or have any painkillers. I wanted a completely natural birth that would allow me to be present the entire time. Water birth just fit perfectly with our lifestyle.”

On May 5, 2010, the Chamberlains welcomed their son Keller.

“When I got to the birthing room, I eased into a tub full of hot water. The atmosphere was very tranquil and soothing. The lighting was dim and soothing music was playing. It just felt perfect. I could focus and use the breathing techniques I’ve learned through my yoga practice.

“I tell women who are pregnant that I’m a huge advocate for water birth. It allowed me to be the first person to touch Keller. Keller was my heaviest baby but my easiest labor. I attribute that to the water birth. I was so relaxed and my whole experience was wonderful. I can’t say enough about it, except that I very highly recommend it. It’s just great that in our little rural area we have the option of water birth.”

The Petrofs
In July 2010, Mrs. Petrof and her husband, Matt, were preparing to welcome their first child. But because Jolene has a retroverted uterus, or a uterus that is tipped backward instead of forward, she did not want to give birth while lying on her back.

“I couldn’t think of a single reason to lie on my back and give birth,” Mrs. Petrof said. “I knew the pain would be terrible and I didn’t want to have an epidural. After talking with Julie about how laid-back the experience of water birth would be, I wanted to do it.”

On July 27, the Petrofs welcomed their daughter, Breah. Without the water birth, Mrs. Petrof said, the pain would have been unmanageable.

“The pain was pretty significant, but being in the water was so much better,” Mrs. Petrof said. “There was a big difference in my pain tolerance between being in the bed and being in the water. Even the nurses noticed a change. The water was kept very warm, which was so relaxing. Without the water, I’d have given in to the epidural.

“One of the best parts of the water birth experience was how low key it was. I didn’t want to have to go through a birth that felt ‘medical.’ I didn’t want them to take her away from me right away. I wanted to be the first person to touch her – and with water birth, I got that experience. I knew it would be great, but it was so much better than I could have imagined. Water birth gave me the best experience I could have had.”



 

The Way It Used To Be ...

Note: This year, Elk Regional Health System is celebrating 110 years of providing excellent health care to the people in Elk and Cameron counties and the surrounding region. As part of our year-long celebration of our rich heritage, we are taking a look at "The Way It Used To Be" and providing our community with a glimpse into our past.




The Way It Used To Be: Testing for Pregnancy with Frogs 

Kay Mitcheltree has never liked frogs. But in her line of work, handling them was once a necessary evil: hospital laboratory workers across the globe used to use the frog as a pregnancy test.

Mrs. Mitcheltree has worked as a laboratory technician since 1959 – first at the former Elk County General Hospital in Ridgway and later at what is now Elk Regional Health Center in St. Marys. Over the years, she has witnessed first-hand the evolution of pregnancy testing.

“Our hospital had six frogs, which was a major thing back then, and I remember thinking, ‘Why did I get myself into this?’” Mrs. Mitcheltree remembered with a laugh. “Back then, people didn’t wear exam gloves. Doctors did, but nurses and lab workers didn’t. I had to wrap towels around both my hands and put another towel around the frog so I didn’t have to touch it!”
   
The Hogben Test
In 1939, a British biologist named Lancelot Hogben discovered that injecting a female African Clawed Frog with serum from a pregnant woman would cause the frog to lay eggs. If the woman wasn’t pregnant, the serum would have no effect.

Dr. Hogben’s test proved to be a major breakthrough in pregnancy testing for two reasons: it was remarkably accurate and the test could be run repeatedly on an individual frog.

Until the mid-1960s, the Hogben Test was used at hospitals across the globe – including Elk County General Hospital.

Conducting The Test
“At about $70 each, the frogs were very expensive,” Mrs. Mitcheltree said. “That was a lot of money back then, so it was really something that we were able to have six of them. But my goodness, were they ugly.”

Mrs. Mitcheltree said a test tube full of blood would be taken from a woman who thought she was pregnant. The blood would be put into a special machine and spun at high speeds until a layer of clear fluid appeared at the top of the test tube. Lab workers would then draw that clear liquid and mix it with a special reagent.

“Then, it came time to get the frog,” Mrs. Mitcheltree said. “You’d pick up the frog and put it head-first into a special holder so that its rear-end was sticking up. Then you’d inject the serum into a lymph sac near its hind legs, take the frog out of the special holder, isolate it, and wait. If the woman was pregnant, the frog would lay eggs within 8 to 12 hours of being injected with the serum. It was amazingly accurate.”

Caring for the Frogs
Caring for the frogs was a job in and of itself, Mrs. Mitcheltree said.

“We kept the frogs in individual cages that sat in two big tubs of water in the ladies’ restroom,” she said with a laugh. “That sounds terrible now, but it was just this routine thing back then.

“We’d have to go to the market and buy a pound of liver, chop it up into small pieces and freeze it. Every day, you’d put a bit of liver on a stick and hold it down toward the frog. They’d come right up to get their pieces of liver. We had to put fresh water into their tubs every day. You didn’t dare let it run right into the tub, because it would hurt their eardrums. You had to let the water run over your hand and down into the tub.

“It used to be that only women worked in the laboratory. I have to say that the happiest day for all of us was when they finally hired a male laboratory technician. After that, we made him touch the frogs!”

Elk Regional Announces Diabetes Support Groups

Elk Regional Health Center's certified diabetes educators will hold diabetes support groups throughout 2012. The support groups, which are designed to give diabetics and their family members tips on diabetes management, are free-of-charge and open to the public.

This year, meetings will be held on Jan. 25, March 28, May 23, August 22, and Oct. 24.

During these support group meetings, our certified diabetes educators will help attendees set personal goals for 2012, learn about meal planning tips, learn about healthy meals to make during the summer time, discuss the importance of proper monitoring, and learn about exercise options.

Each support group meeting will be held between 4-5 p.m. in the Diabetic Education Conference Room at Elk Regional Health Center's St. Marys campus. To find the conference room, come in the Main Entrance and follow the brown floor tiles toward the main elevators. Continue straight past the elevators and vending machines. The conference room is on the right.

For more information, call the Diabetic Education Department at (814) 788-8660.

Details are also available by visiting Elk Regional on Facebook and clicking the Events tab, or by using the Events calendar located on the Health System's Web site.

CNI's Adult Day Program Brings Mother and Daughter Closer

Three years ago, Kathryn Longhi’s husband Angelo passed away suddenly. For Kathryn, who had begun to show signs of memory loss, coping with the change proved difficult.

“Mom stayed at the house for awhile by herself,” said Carol Longhi, her daughter. “I was always afraid she’d fall. She had Lifeline, but wouldn’t use it. Mom used to be a very hard-working lady who’d do everything. But now she has degenerative joint disease and arthritis, so it’s hard for her to get around. She also has a vascular disease in her brain that is causing dementia.

“Mom called one day and told me that she didn’t like being alone. She said she had been feeling lonely. In November 2008, she moved in with me. With me working full-time, Mom would just sit and watch television all day. It just broke my heart.”

After speaking with someone at the Office of Human Services to find out what her options were, Carol called Deborah Dubler, the former director of the Adult Day program at Community Nurses, Inc.

“I work in health care, so I know the caliber of their work ethic,” she said of Community Nurses. “I trust them, and believe me when I say that I wouldn’t trust my Mom with just anyone.”

Mrs. Dubler urged Carol to bring Kathryn in and see if the program would be a good fit for her. In the spring of 2009, Mrs. Longhi began attending Adult Day during the morning hours. Six months later, she began attending on a full-time basis.

The rest, Carol says, is history.

“Adult Day has been a godsend for her,” Carol said. “There is consistency, which is important for Mom. They engage her and stimulate her mind. She participates in activities of all kinds and has people with whom she can talk and interact. I am absolutely convinced that her disease has not progressed as rapidly as it would have without Adult Day because she’s active. On the weekends, she doesn’t know what to do with all of her time. But when she’s at Adult Day, she’s happy.”

Adult Day is a program for adults who have a physical or mental impairment. Through the Adult Day Services program, clients are offered therapeutic activities, socialization, exercises, personal care, health monitoring and proper nutrition. The program also provides relief for caregivers such as Carol and her brother, Richard, who must work or attend to other responsibilities or who may need a break from the demands of providing daily care.

“The caregivers here at Adult Day treat each person as individuals and bring out their best attributes,” Carol said. “They help me with the day-to-day responsibilities, and that means that the quality time Mom and I spend together at home has more of an emphasis on ‘quality.’ That means a lot to both of us. I feel very fortunate to have Adult Day.”

“Before I came [to Adult Day], it was awful,” Kathryn said. “I was lonely. I know that I was scared. But my daughter was sure that it would be good for me and I love my daughter. I don’t know what I would do without this place. I think I would watch a lot of television. This place is wonderful. My friends are here and we do everything together. I love everyone here.”

Clients can take part in Adult Day Services between 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Adult Day Services center is located at 625 Maurus Street across from Elk County Catholic High School.

For more information, click here. If you would like to visit the Adult Day Services center, call them at (814) 781-8253.

Elk Regional Announces Day-Long Parking Change

 On Wednesday, Jan. 11, two small sections of Elk Regional's front parking lot will be closed as work continues on our building project. The Main Entrance will remain open and accessible. Patients and their visitors will still be able to park in the front parking lot, which is expected to be open in its entirety on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Elk Regional Giving Away Six Gas Cards

Elk Regional Health System has introduced the first in a series of online surveys designed to gather feedback and improve upon the programs and services offered by the Health System.

The survey will gather feedback about Health System’s free, public educational seminars. Held regularly throughout the year at several different locations, the seminars focus upon a variety of health-related topics and information about the Health System and its affiliates. During the seminars, attendees enjoy one-on-one interaction with a health provider or Health System official during a question-and-answer period.

“Public education is a very important part of what we do,” said Gregory P. Bauer, the President and CEO of Elk Regional Health System. “It is our goal to provide information that is accurate, timely, useful and presented in a location and at a time that is most convenient for people. This survey will help us do that.”

As a token of appreciation for those who take the time to fill out the survey, Elk Regional and Community Nurses are giving away six $20 Sheetz gas cards. To enter the drawing, those filling out the survey have the option of leaving their name, telephone number and email address. Surveys can be submitted without entering the drawing.

Gas card winners will be notified via email or telephone on or about March 1, 2012.

To take the survey, click here!

Elk Regional Welcomes Its First Baby of 2012

On Jan. 1, Elk Regional Health Center welcomed the first baby born in its Family Unit in 2012.

Rebecca Jean Coffman is the daughter of Antoinette Nichols and Jamie Coffman of Emporium. Dr. Steven Koch delivered Rebecca at 5:37 p.m. on New Year’s Day. She weighed eight pounds, one ounce, and was 22 inches long.

Rebecca was welcomed home by her sister, Sabreia, 7, and brothers Isaac, 5, and Ivon, 4.

The family received a savings bond and a teddy bear from the Elk Regional Health System Auxiliary, two cases of diapers and a case of baby wipes from Elk Regional Health Center, and gifts from the employees of The Family Unit and the staff at Dr. Koch’s office.

Pictured are Miss Nichols and Mr. Coffman with Rebecca. In the back row are, from left, Anita Wendel, the president of Elk Regional’s Auxiliary; Sara Pistner, RN; Laura Lorenzo, RN, the lead charge nurse of The Family Unit; Sara Myers, CLC RN, nurse manager of The Family Unit; Rachael Mackey, LPN; and Dr. Koch.

Elk Regional Offers Path To Healthy Living

 It's a brand new year, and Elk Regional is here to help you take it on! Your community hospital is the place to make your New Year resolutions come true. We offer classes in weight loss, stress management, healthy eating, exercise, and smoking cessation ... and that's not all!

Registration is now open for our Drop 10 in 10 program, a 10-week guided weight management and healthy lifestyle program designed to help participants lose 10 percent of their body weight, or 10 pounds, in 10 weeks. Classes will be held every Monday for 10 weeks, beginning Jan. 9. The class will run from 5-6 p.m. in the Education Center at Elk Regional. Cost is $18 for those who have Highmark health insurance, and $103 for those who do not have Highmark insurance. To register, call us at (814) 788-8833.

Let us help you take those first steps toward a more healthy lifestyle!