Elk Regional Auxiliary to Hold "Gold Rush" Event

The Elk Regional Health System Auxiliary is sponsoring "Gold Rush," a chance for you to bring in your unwanted gold, silver, and platinum and leave with cash!

On March 11 and 12 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., come to the Education Center at Elk Regional's St. Marys Campus with your unwanted items. Gold Rush employees will sort, test, and weigh your items in front of you and give you a fair price for your items!

They will accept:

• necklaces
• bracelets
• class rings
• rings
• earrings 
• gold watches
• gold coins
• white gold, rose gold, and platinum
• sterling silver jewelry
• sterling silver coins
• sterling flatware and serving sets

Come out and support our Auxiliary, which made a $250,000 pledge to The Elk Regional Capital Campaign in support of our building project!

Elk Regional Lifts Visitation Restrictions

Updated 2/27/13, 8:50 a.m.

Elk Regional has lifted visitation restrictions that were put into place as a result of the flu outbreak! Visitation is now unrestricted for patients in the Health Center's Medical/Surgical Unit, for the Health Center's Maternity Unit, and for residents of Pinecrest Manor. 

Thank you for your support and for helping us keep our patients and residents safe and healthy during this flu season!

To read about Elk Regional's visitation policy, click here.

CNI to Screen Documentary on End-of-Life Issues

Join our colleagues at Community Nurses, Inc. this Sunday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Social Hall at St. Leo's in Ridgway for a screening of "Consider the Conversation," a thought-provoking film that looks at the many issues we all face at the end-of-life. This film will raise profound questions about how we both hope and plan to spend our final days. You won't want to miss this!

Elk Regional Gives Back to the Salvation Army

Our employees recently made a donation to the Salvation Army of Elk County through the Elk Regional Gives Back program!

As part of the program, employees pay a small fee to wear jeans to work on some Fridays. Each month, the funds raised are collected and given to local non-profit organizations that serve residents of Elk and Cameron counties.

Presenting the check to Lieutenant Esther Wilson is Paul Dandoy of the Health Center’s Laboratory. With them are, from left, Arlene DeCarli of the Pharmacy and Curt Oberholtzer, the Health Center’s Chief Human Resources Officer.

Elk Regional to Hold Patient Appreciation Day at 2013 Business Expo

Elk Regional Health System will hold its annual Patient Appreciation Day celebration during the 2013 Business Expo on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Red Fern. Patient Appreciation Day will be held in the back room.

“It’s important to us to offer easy access to free health screenings and information about the services available in our community,” said Charlotte Floravit, the Director of Public Relations at Elk Regional. “The Business Expo is the perfect place to do it. We had a great turn out last year and we’re looking forward to another great event this year.”

At Patient Appreciation Day, Elk Regional will offer a variety of free health screenings, including blood sugar, blood pressure, pulse ox, and heel bone density scans.

Shanti Raju, M.D., Elk Regional’s Pain Management Specialist, will be available between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to answer questions about the Health Center’s Pain Management Clinic and the services she provides.

Paulette Schreiber, a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner, will be available throughout the day to answer questions about women’s health and services offered by Elk Regional Health Center.

Free information about a variety of programs and services will also be available. Participants can learn about Elk Regional’s Auxiliary and how they can get involved in supporting the Health Center and its mission. Representatives will be available to teach nutrition, healthy eating tips, and diabetic education.

Tracy Wildnauer, Elk Regional’s Physician Referral Specialist and Preventive Medicine Coordinator, will be available to answer questions. Ms. Wildnauer can help patients find a family physician or specialist and can also schedule patients for physician-ordered preventive health exams such as mammograms and colonoscopies.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about:

• home health nursing, hospice, support services, adult day care and Lifeline services offered by Community Nurses, Inc., the region’s premier home health agency and an affiliate of the Elk Regional Health System;
• the Generations Unit at Elk Regional Health Center, an inpatient behavioral health unit for patients age 55 and older;
• Pinecrest Manor, the long-term care facility at Elk Regional Health Center, will be available to answer questions;
• Rehabilitation services provided by Elk Regional, which are offered on an outpatient basis in five locations throughout the region and on an inpatient basis at Pinecrest Manor and at the Health Center; and
• the Sleep Lab, where Elk Regional conducts overnight sleep tests designed to assist in the diagnosis of sleeping disorders.

The 2013 Business Expo is sponsored by the St. Marys Area Chamber of Commerce and The River, 98.9 FM. For more information, visit the Chamber's Web site.

Elk Regional Issues Flu Update

Updated 2/14/13 at 10 a.m.

The number of new flu cases we're seeing each week has dropped significantly! However, in the interests of caution, our visitation restrictions remain in place at the Health Center, in our Maternity Unit, and at Pinecrest Manor. Our Infection Control team continues to carefully monitor the flu situation.

Current Visitation Restrictions:

• Only immediate adult family members may visit patients at the Health Center or residents at Pinecrest Manor. No children under the age of 18 should be brought to the facility.
• Visitation to the Health Center's Maternity Unit is restricted to parents and grandparents ONLY. This means that no other family members, including children, regardless of their relationship to the patient, may visit.

If you have any questions about these restrictions, please call the Public Relations Department at (814) 788-8532 or (814) 788-8832.

Elk Regional Gives Back to the St. Marys Public Library

Our employees recently made a donation to the St. Marys Public Library through our Elk Regional Gives Back program!

As part of the program, employees pay a small fee to wear jeans to work on some Fridays. Each month, the funds raised are collected and given to local non-profit organizations that serve residents of Elk and Cameron counties.

Presenting the check to Scarlette Corbin Zimmer, the Library Director, is Renee Caruso of the Health Center’s Radiology Department. With them from left are Kristen Kolash; Susan Huff; Jennifer Grotzinger, and Cheryl Reinsburrow.

Elk Regional Welcomes a Ridgway Native

Elk Regional Rehabilitation Employees Support Local Food Bank

Employees of the Outpatient Rehabilitation Department at Elk Regional Health Center recently made a $310 donation to the Christian Food Bank.

The initiative was begun at the start of 2012, when employees Jody Smith and Kathleen Harris each began putting aside $2 per week. Later in the year, the women invited other employees in the department to take part.

Pictured in the front row, from left, are Mark Hoffman, the Director of Rehabilitation Services; Kathy Harris; Mary Hayes; Shawna Meyer; Kim Stauffer; Denny Hansen; and Becky Piccolo. In the back row, from left, are Lynnette Rupprecht; Kate Brem; Merri Shrefler; Kristen Cobaugh; Gette Bardo; Michelle Gerber; and Ken Dorman. Other employees, not pictured, also took part in the initiative.

Generations Unit Patients Now in New Rooms

We are pleased to announce that our Generations Unit patients are all snug in their new private rooms!

If you come to visit a Generations Unit patient, come in the Main Entrance and turn right past the Registration desk. Continue straight down the hall and the elevator will be on your left. Take it to the second floor, and turn left. Pick up the telephone outside the double doors, and a nurse will assist you.

The new floor at Elk Regional Health Center is now in full swing and boasts the most modern patient care units in the entire region! We are SO proud of our new units. Thank you again for your support!

Elk Regional Requests No Visitors as Patients Move to New Generations Unit

On Wednesday, Feb. 6, Elk Regional Health Center’s clinical care team will be relocating all of the patients on the Health Center’s Generations Unit to the newly constructed unit.

During the transition, which will take place on Wednesday morning and afternoon, Health Center officials have asked that family members and friends refrain from visiting Generations Unit patients in order to ensure a smooth transition to the new unit.

Visitors will be welcomed to the new unit beginning Thursday morning, Feb. 7. Questions about a patient’s new room number can be answered by Health Center personnel at the Registration desk or by nursing staff on the new unit.

To access the new Generations Unit on Thursday morning, Feb. 7, visitors should come in the main entrance, turn left past Registration, follow the hallway to the end and take the elevator to the second floor. 

For more information about the transition, please call the Health Center’s Public Relations Department at (814) 788-8532 or (814) 788-8832.

About The New Generations Unit
The Health Center’s new Generations Unit is a secure, 10-bed unit that provides inpatient care to patients over the age of 55 who suffer from behavioral or emotional health conditions. The new unit features private rooms with private bathrooms, plentiful exterior windows, hardwood floors, and group activity areas.