Elk Regional Welcomes New Physician Assistant

Matthew D. Stoltz, PA-C

Elk Regional Health Center officials have announced that Matthew D. Stoltz, PA-C, has joined the staff at the Health Center, where he has begun seeing patients in the Emergency Department.

“It is my pleasure to welcome Matt to Elk Regional,” said George Castellano, M.D., the Emergency Department Medical Director. “Matt is a very driven individual, and I think he will be a strong addition to the Emergency Department team.”

“I am very excited about the opportunity to work in the Elk Regional Emergency Department,” Mr. Stoltz said. “The experienced physicians and staff have been exceptional in welcoming me to the team. I look forward to my future at Elk Regional.”

Mr. Stoltz has been a member of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard since 2006. He now serves as a Second Lieutenant in the Medical Squadron and has previously served as a Staff Sergeant in the Logistics Readiness Squadron.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant Studies from the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa. He also earned an Associate degree in Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force in Montgomery, Ala.

Mr. Stoltz has performed clinical rotations in family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, internal medicine, psychiatry, emergency medicine, and general surgery at several different hospitals in Pennsylvania.

Prior to coming to Elk Regional, Mr. Stoltz worked as a care companion at DuBois Village in DuBois, Pa. He has also worked as a Physician Assistant at Laurel Eye Clinic in Brookville, Pa.

Mr. Stoltz is certified in advanced cardiovascular life support, pediatric advanced life support, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

He resides in the DuBois area and is the son of Mark and Sharon Stoltz.

Experienced, Board-Certified Anesthesiologist Joins Elk Regional

Elk Regional Health System officials have announced that Sharon M. Lombard, M.D., has joined the medical staff at Elk Regional Health Center. Dr. Lombard brings to Elk Regional 25 years of experience in her field.

“Elk Regional sets high goals and standards when it comes to physician recruitment. We strive to bring the best physicians, specialists, and surgeons to the area because we feel strongly that our communities deserve it,” said Gregory P. Bauer, the President and CEO of Elk Regional Health System.

“I am very excited to be part of the anesthesia and surgical team at Elk Regional,” Dr. Lombard said.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., Dr. Lombard earned her medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, N.H. In 2005, she received certification in holistic healing from the Barbara Brennan School of Healing in Miami, Fla.

Dr. Lombard performed her internship in Obstetrics and Gynecology and her residency in Anesthesiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Md. She is fellowship-trained in clinical anesthesia and obstetrics anesthesia by the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Before coming to Elk Regional, Dr. Lombard worked at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. She served as the Director of Obstetrical Anesthesia at Geisinger Wyoming Valley in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. for 10 years. Between 1995 and 2000, she was the Vice-Chairman of Anesthesiology there. She has served as the Director of Anesthesia at Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton, Pa. and as the Chief Anesthesiologist at surgery centers in Kingston, Pa., Forty-Fort, Pa., and Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Dr. Lombard is Board Certified by the American Board of Anesthesiologists.

She and her husband, J. Ronald McRipley, M.D., an emergency medicine physician, have two daughters: Veronica, who lives in New York City and Alyson, who is pursuing a degree at the Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa.

Elk Regional Welcomes Award-Winning Family Practitioner

Gregory S. Little, M.D.

Elk Regional Health System officials have announced that Gregory S. Little, M.D., has joined the staff at Elk Regional Health Center.

Dr. Little will begin seeing patients on Monday, September 3 in the office formerly occupied by Christopher Colosimo, M.D. at Elk Regional’s Ridgway campus. Dr. Colosimo has joined Elk Regional’s Hospitalist program and is no longer seeing patients on an outpatient basis.

“It is my pleasure to welcome Dr. Little to the region,” said Gregory P. Bauer, the President and CEO of Elk Regional Health System. “It is our highest priority to remain proactive and ensure that our patients have close-to-home access to the healthcare services they need. While we will miss having Dr. Colosimo in the office setting, I feel confident that Dr. Little will be a good fit for the practice and its patients.”

“I am excited to begin practicing in Ridgway,” Dr. Little said. “I look forward to getting to know the many patients served by this office.”

Dr. Little specializes in preventive medicine and focuses on the aggressive treatment of diabetes, high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and heart disease. He also works with patients who would like to stop smoking.

He earned his medical degree from the Michigan State College of Human Medicine in East Lansing, Mich. He conducted an internship at the Saginaw Area Hospital in Saginaw, Mich. and performed a residency at Latrobe Area Hospital in Latrobe, Pa.

For the last eight years, Dr. Little has been in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pa. He has previously worked as a hospitalist at UPMC Braddock Hospital and Forbes Regional Hospital. He has also served as the Medical Director of the Rehabilitation Unit in the Progressive Care Center at UPMC Braddock Hospital in Pittsburgh and as an urgent care physician at Saint Vincent Health System in Erie, Pa.

Dr. Little is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Practice. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Diabetes Program.

In 1996, Dr. Little was presented with a Community Leadership Award. In 2010, he was named one of America’s Top Family Physicians. In 2012, he was named one of America’s Top Doctors in Family Practice for Western Pennsylvania. He has also been recognized by the NCQA diabetes physician recognition program.
   

Elk Regional Announces New Board Members

New members have been added to the Boards of Directors of Elk Regional Health System and ELCO Housing, Inc.

“I am pleased to announce that we have added several civic-minded individuals to our organization,” said Gregory P. Bauer, the President and CEO of Elk Regional Health System. “They are generously volunteering their time to ensure that Elk Regional Health System remains a strong, vibrant community asset. We are grateful for their time and expertise.”

Elk Regional Health System

David A. Nedzinski and John Piccolo were recently added to the Elk Regional Health System Board of Directors. The 18-member Board oversees the operation of the Health System and its affiliates.

Mr. Nedzinski is retired from Elk Regional Health Center, where he worked for 35 years. While at the Health Center, he was the Director of Pharmacy and Professional Services and also served as a member of the senior management team. Mr. Nedzinski is a member of the City of St. Marys Board of Health. He also serves as the secretary of the Alpine Meadows Association Board of Directors and is the chairman of its construction committee. Mr. Nedzinski’s wife, Lois, is a retired elementary school teacher. They have two grown children and two grandsons.

Mr. Nedzinski is a member of the ELCO Housing, Inc. Board of Directors. His term on the Health System Board of Directors expires in 2016.

Mr. Piccolo is the Director of Continuing Education at Penn State University at DuBois, where he manages the campus outreach functions with the primary mission of helping individuals, organizations, and communities obtain a competitive workforce advantage through education and training. Mr. Piccolo also works with organizations to conduct Return on Investment studies to illustrate the value of training and education. In April, he was named an American Council on Education Fellow for academic year 2012-2013. He and his wife, Becky, have three boys.

His term on the Health System Board of Directors expires in 2016.

ELCO Housing, Inc.

Steve Stoltz was added to the ELCO Housing, Inc. Board of Directors. The board oversees the operation of the ELCO Glen housing complex, a 32-unit, multi-tenant, independent living facility for low-income elderly, handicapped or disabled individuals.

Mr. Stoltz is an owner of Stoltz of St. Marys. He is currently a member of the Queen of the World Church Finance Council and is a soccer coach for the soccer league in Fox Township. He and his wife, Billie Jo, have four children: Madison, Peyton, Rhett, and Flynn.

His term expires in 2015.

Elk Regional, Penn Highlands Healthcare Prepare for Next Steps in Linkage Process

Last week, the Elk Regional Health System Board of Directors gave approval for an affiliation agreement between Elk Regional and Penn Highlands Healthcare to be signed, an important milestone in the process to form a partnership between the region’s largest health care providers.

“It is exciting that this important milestone has been achieved,” said Robert W. O’Leary, Chairman of the Elk Regional Health System Board of Directors. “After several months of discussion and negotiation, there is little doubt that the benefits of a partnership between Elk Regional and Penn Highlands are numerous. We believe that coming together will elevate patient care and will be a win-win situation for the residents of this region.”

Now that an affiliation agreement has been signed by officials at both organizations, the regulatory approval process can move forward. The partnership between Elk Regional and Penn Highlands is expected to win regulatory approval by the end of 2012.

The affiliation process has been ongoing since late 2011. In early April 2012, the Boards of Directors for each organization ratified a letter of intent that allowed the organizations to move forward with the creation of a partnership.

The letter of intent was an important milestone in the affiliation process because it allowed Elk Regional and Penn Highlands to begin discussing a partnership. In addition, the letter of intent began the “due diligence” process, a formality that requires that each organization fully disclose its financial, operational, and contractual activities and obligations to the other.

“On behalf of the Board of Penn Highlands, I welcome the addition of Elk Regional to the group,” said Dennis L. Merrey, Chairman of the Penn Highlands Board of Directors. “We believe that the combined strength of our organizations will provide many benefits to the communities we serve. We look forward to working together with our colleagues following the regulatory approval process.”

Penn Highlands Healthcare is a parent corporation that includes DuBois Regional Medical Center; Brookville Hospital, a subsidiary of DRMC; and Clearfield Hospital.

The Penn Highlands Board of Directors is made up of representatives, including physicians, from each of the member hospitals. Each member hospital retains its name, community base, medical staff, and Board of Directors. Past and future community donations designated for each hospital remain in the control of that organization and are used according to the donor’s wishes.

As a parent corporation, Penn Highlands oversees joint efforts in areas such as the expansion of services, the acquisition of resources, and operational efficiencies.


Elk Regional Health System includes a fully-accredited, not-for-profit, 80-bed general acute care institution; an extended care facility; an independent living facility; a home health agency, an ambulatory surgery center; and an employed physician group that serves Elk and Cameron counties. With campuses in St. Marys and Ridgway and physician offices in a number of locations throughout the region, Elk Regional proudly serves the residents of Elk and Cameron counties. It is Elk Regional’s ongoing mission to provide premier healthcare services to our patients through our commitments to service, quality, people, finance and growth, while maintaining economic viability and keeping an eye on the future. For more information, visit us online or visit our Facebook page.

Penn Highlands Healthcare is a parent corporation that includes DuBois Regional Medical Center; Brookville Hospital, a subsidiary of DRMC; and Clearfield Hospital. It is the ongoing mission of Penn Highlands Healthcare to provide exceptional quality, safety and service through an integrated health care delivery system that provides premier care with a personal touch. For more information, visit them online.

Medicine Drop Off Day Helps You Dispose of Old Medications Safely

If you've got old prescription medications you don't know how to dispose of properly, you won't want to miss the Medicine Drop Off Day we're holding on Sept. 29!

On that day, bring your old medications to the Education Center at Elk Regional Health Center between 8 a.m. and noon. Our pharmacists, working with the Elk County Recycling Center, will take your old medications and ensure that they are safely and properly disposed of ... free of charge!

We will accept and dispose of: prescription medications, including controlled substances; over-the-counter medications; vitamins and nutritional supplements; veterinary medications; and epi-pens and inhalers.

Please follow these guidelines when you bring your medication in:

• all medicines should be in their original container;
• the name of the medication must be visible on the label; and 
• you must use a permanent marker to black out your personal information, such as your name, address, or account number.

Elk Regional Announces Prostate Screening

Did you know that men over the age of 40 should have an annual prostate exam to screen for prostate cancer? To make this important screening convenient for our patients, we are offering $15 blood draws and FREE follow-up appointments with Donald Rudick, M.D., one of our urologic specialists!

To set up your appointments, call us at 1 (800) 370-9640, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Blood draw appointments are available on Sept. 25, 26, and 27, and FREE follow-up appointments are available on Oct. 2 and 3.

It's easy to put off preventive health screenings, but they're important. Don't put this one off ... call us today!