When Andrew Cooney, 22, walked through the hallway of a dorm at Susquehanna University, in Selinsgrove, he was surprised to catch a whiff of shampoo. It wasn’t the fact that someone had apparently taken a shower that surprised him; it was the realization that this was the first time he’d sme…
SUNBURY — Recognizing your risk factors for high blood pressure may save your life.
COVID-19 has been an unpredictable virus, with a wide range of symptoms and outcomes. Mitigating it has caused social, educational and financial changes around the world. Small wonder then that people are feeling unsettled and anxious.
A U.S. study seems to verify what local doctors are seeing: a connection between children’s binge eating and an increase in social media use during the pandemic.
LEWISBURG — One Valley mother noted children with autism are often described as “being in their own world.”
LEWISBURG — One Valley mother noted children with autism are often described as “being in their own world.”
Over the past 39 years that Edna Reinard has been involved with the American Red Cross, some tragedies to which she has offered aid have left a lasting impression on her mind and heart.
With new medicines now available, people with multiple sclerosis have better ways of preventing MS attacks, said Stuart Olinsky, MD, neurologist with UPMC in the Susquehanna Region.
COVID-19 affects people with multiple sclerosis just like it does anyone else, said Stuart Olinsky, MD, neurologist with UPMC in the Susquehanna Region, and Megan Esch, MD, neurologist with Geisinger Health System.
March is the national Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness month, making it a good time to learn more about this disease that affects nearly a million people in the United States. One good way to do that is to check out the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s website at www.nationalm…
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis? It’s enough to make the most stoic among us tremble with dread, envisioning a future that leads all too quickly to a life of disability — but that was then. Today’s MS patients have more reasons than ever to be optimistic.
Geisinger surgeons have performed countless joint replacement surgeries over the years. Jeffrey Steele, 61, of Danville, was added to that number when he received a total knee replacement on Feb. 9. But his case stands out from the rest, as he was the very first patient to undergo the proced…
When the hotline at Transitions rings, counselors are ready to help with any number of domestic abuse situations in Union, Snyder and Northumberland Counties. That hotline has been busier as the pandemic adds its own stress to already tense situations.
COVID has affected nearly every part of life, and we continually see not only the virus’s direct impact, but indirect effects as well – not least of all in children’s dental health.
As if the lung damage from COVID-19 wasn’t enough to worry us, doctors have noticed another potential hit from the virus: it could lead to vascular problems.
In the last three decades, cancer mortality rates have continually dropped, a total of 31 percent from 1991 to 2018. That’s equal to an estimated 3.2 million cancer deaths averted, according to a recent American Cancer Society report. Of that number, a 2.4 percent decrease occurred just from…
The Yellow Dot program brings peace of mind to drivers in numerous situations. Kimberly A. Smith, safety press officer for the PA Department of Transportation, Engineering District 3-0, shared the story of a man whose grandson has autism. The grandfather drives his nonverbal grandson to appo…
NEW BERLIN – While Corey Milbrand’s parents were angry at him for not coming home for Thanksgiving dinner in 2014, they had no way of knowing their 38-year-old son lay unconscious and on life support in a hospital bed, listed as a John Doe.
As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, more people are seeking ways to avoid exposure. One way is by reducing the need for in-person medical attention, whenever possible. The best way to do that is by proactively caring for your mind and body. So some local medical professionals offer some helpf…
Of all the procedures performed in hospitals, people might be surprised to learn the one done most frequently.
Lisa Landis, Regional Director of Marketing and Communications for the American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Region, said she can understand and empathize with people hesitating to attend blood drives out of fear of contracting COVID-19, but the Red Cross has taken steps to keep individuals safe.
As the shortages of mental health services and professionals continue to be addressed, if you or a loved one is struggling with a concerning mental health need, the first course of action is to seek help.
For a number of years, Pennsylvania has faced a shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. At a time when the COVID crisis, election turbulence, and racial tensions, have exacerbated mental health issues, it’s certainly a cause for concern.
Technology, telehealth visits and recovering from all of COVID-19’s effects will drive healthcare in this new year as providers continue to focus on patients.
Crises have a way of revealing problems that had been too easy to ignore. COVID-19 has revealed problems with access to behavioral health services, said Kendra Aucker, president and CEO of Evangelical Community Hospital, in Lewisburg,
If COVID has caused added stress for the average family this year, it has had exponential effects on the medical community. Valley hospitals say they are proud of how they have weathered this unprecedented storm, and reflect on some lessons learned and new innovations that they will carry wi…
Convenient food options have historically been the unhealthiest options, from fast food drive-thrus and TV dinners to the often sodium- and butter-saturated meals at a sit-down restaurant. When COVID-19 struck, food ordering, pickup and delivery got even more convenient, with increased usage…
Pandemic or not, people still carry mobile phones wherever they go, and one of the things they can view on those phones is advice on maintaining good health — in a safe, socially distanced way.
When Bill Pepperman, 62, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and after Cindy Pepperman, 60, suffered a heart attack two years ago and was diagnosed as pre-diabetic, the Linden couple realized they needed help to transition to a healthier lifestyle. Geisinger’s Diabetes Prevention Program did…
Because of online and telephonic education, Bill and Cindy Pepperman, of Linden, have been able to learn ways of managing diabetes even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — something not all people with diabetes are able to do. Geisinger’s own research shows many people are unaware of the…
On already weary hearts and minds, a new wave of COVID restrictions issued just in time for the holidays could be a tipping point. Doctors and mental health professionals suggest committing to principles and practices that can help deal with the prolonged day-to-day stress in mentally healthy ways.
Dr. Daria Keyser grew up in the rural town of Wellsboro, where her dad was what she calls a “small-time family doctor”. One of four children, she was the only one to express interest in medicine. She spent many of her early years watching her father work, which included delivering babies.
In a bit of irony, the coronavirus pandemic actually resulted in less traffic in Evangelical Community Hospital’s Emergency Department. Anxious about catching the virus, people chose urgent care facilities for minor cuts and sprains, saving the ED for truly emergent care—exactly what it’s for.
Phlebotomists and clerical workers helped in the Emergency Department. Maintenance workers and IT specialists concentrated on setting up testing sites. Nurses asked to be sent wherever needed. When the COVID-19 pandemic spread through the Susquehanna Valley, area hospital staffers worked tog…
As empty as our streets were during the earlier days of the pandemic shutdowns, Detra Dodge, LPN, found Geisinger’s corridors to be the same way.
When two local women faced breast cancer and reconstruction surgery, one dug in deep with determination, the other laughed off the inconvenience, but both hoped their experiences can help others.
This year, Muncy resident Tiffany Delp turned 40 — the age when medical professionals say a woman should start having yearly mammograms. During a routine physical appointment, Delp’s nurse practitioner brought it up, and Delp scheduled one.
Noreen “Reenie” Malaney has always been conscientious about taking care of her body. That included doing regular breast self-examinations, one of which revealed a suspicious lump last winter. A subsequent mammogram set off a series of testing that included another mammogram, an ultrasound, a…
Nine years ago, Selinsgrove resident Gail Rohland was serving in Egypt with a missions organization, when she put out her hand for a taxi and it began to shake uncontrollably. She and her husband Ray had been serving in the country for 24 years and had haled plenty of taxis. So it wasn’t bec…
Though only nine years old, Kaylyn Heimbach, of Winfield, knows why hand washing is so important.
When Ann Dzwonchyk, Wellness Educator with Evangelical Community Health and Wellness, demonstrates hand hygiene to young kids, she asks how many sides their hands have.
Working with Meals on Wheels volunteers in Lewisburg brings a certain, intangible satisfaction to Cindy Walker.
Local nursing home administrators are well aware of the COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes across the country and are taking precautions to keep the virus at bay.
SELINSGROVE — A mask can be inconvenient. It can be itchy, hot and — for some — even make it hard to breathe. For people with weak immune systems or underlying medical conditions, a mask is one of the things standing in the way of a trip to the emergency room.
Months deep into the global pandemic that has shaken almost every aspect of American life, medical personnel at Geisinger Medical Center and Evangelical Community Hospital have been pulling together to give the best possible care to COVID-19 patients — and to each other.
Going forward in fighting the pandemic, Geisinger plans to use funding from the state’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to continue partnering with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the northeast and northcentral regions of Pennsylvania, especially focusing on f…
COVID-19 created needs in skilled nursing facilities, or SNFs, that included education, training and the sharing of personal protective equipment. Dr. Greg Burke, Medical Director of the Skilled Nursing Facilities Program at Geisinger, pointed out another, more human and heart wrenching need…
John Mulka was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2008. He later learned that the cancer had metastasized to his lungs and brain. The 76-year-old Bloomsburg resident said doctors told him it was treatable, but not curable. His continued care includes a yearly CAT scan and MRI.
When the weather warmed up this spring, Dr. Amy Howell Harte, Community Medicine of Geisinger, headed to the Montour Preserve for a multi-generational walk with her kids and her mother.
Milton resident Craig Wheeland hit a mental and emotional breaking point after four weeks of being stuck in his house, and particularly when the COVID-19 restrictions kept him from worshiping at church and spending time with his family on Easter.
