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.
The pandemic experience creates new stressors in daily life that many people are not prepared to cope with. Here are some helpful tips from health care professionals.
Summer is here, which means it’s a great time to increase our activity levels and truly enjoy all that the warm weather has to offer. Whether you are heading out for a walk, hike, or other activity, it’s important to consider a gradual approach when transitioning from the winter couch potato…
Geisinger plans to open its a health center for patients 65 and older this fall in Shamokin Dam. It will be the first clinic in the Valley. The system has already or is about to open similar facilities in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.
Warm weather and sunshine are here, and soon enough many of us will be spending more time grilling, picnicking, or attending outdoor gatherings. These warm-weather events also present opportunities for foodborne bacteria to thrive. As food heats up in summer temperatures, bacteria multiply r…
The $72 million building addition under construction at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg is 80 percent complete and, barring any setbacks, could be operational by early October, according to a hospital administrator.
DANVILLE — Geisinger Medical Center is trying to create a more positive experience for children needing emergency treatment.
When Steven Barrows, MD, Family Medicine at UPMC, decided to do some home landscaping, he hopped in his pickup and drove to a local Lowe’s for a load of stone. Workers there shook their heads and told him he’d have to make two trips; the weight of the stone was more than his truck could bear.
Beginning in February, Middleburg resident Renee Swineford sought dental care for the placement of two crowns. In mid-March, as the technician was putting in the second one, it broke.
In many cases, booking a regular checkup or teeth cleaning in a normal world would have to be done months in advance. Local dentists say those routine appointments will likely be further delayed due to the shutdowns and continued safety protocol. And that means people need to be even more de…
Stay-at-home orders during this pandemic have led to many long hours sitting in front of a computer at an unfamiliar desk or your kitchen table as you work from home or homeschool your kids. Then, you retreat to the couch to hide from the news only to binge-watch an entire Netflix series wit…
Moving forward amid hopes that the initial pandemic is tapering off, hospitals are opening to wider services while keeping a close watch on the unpredictable virus. In the coming days, patients and other people planning to enter hospital facilities can expect precautions that could include:
As the Valley moves from the red phase to the yellow phase in Gov. Tom Wolf’s color-coded reopening plan, local hospitals have prepared to widen their services as safely as possible.
Although it may not feel like summer, warmer weather and hot sunny days are right around the corner. May 4 is also known as Melanoma Monday, and kicks off Skin Cancer Awareness Month, the perfect time for a reminder of the long-term effects of unprotected sun exposure and skin cancer.
Those bottles of expired prescription drugs sitting on the shelves of residential medicine cabinets were supposed to be disposed of at the Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2020 Spring Take Back Day on April 25. Coronavirus restrictions caused the DEA to postpone that event, but local medica…
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of our lives, including the way we receive health care. People in communities across the nation are forgoing medically necessary care leading to unnecessary suffering and worsening health conditions. It’s normal to feel anxious about returning…
For the past 10 years, the YMCA has been a major part of life for one Valley family. Nicole Spontarelli said her children — Preston, 14, and Olivia, 13, — have participated in football and field hockey clinics, respectively. Olivia recently began attending group fitness classes with her moth…
For those who suffer from seasonal allergies, you know that this time of year can be a challenge. Flowers, trees, and grasses are in bloom and growing which means pollen and other allergens are in the air. In the U.S., an estimated 18 million adults have hay fever or allergic rhinitis, cause…
Moving around and speaking to others may seem like simple tasks, but if you live with Parkinson’s disease, you don’t take either of those things for granted. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with the disease, and approximately 60,000 A…
Spring is the season of renewal and growth. This year, it will also be the season we remember being stuck at home while we social distanced ourselves so we could stay healthy and virus free. We can use the extra time we have from not running between activities and commitments to improve ours…
While we impatiently allow social distancing restrictions to help flatten the curve of the number of coronavirus patients flooding our healthcare systems, researchers are racing to find a vaccine that will destroy COVID-19 just as effectively as other vaccines have done for polio, diphtheria…
We are all still home from the “stay home, stay safe” order due to the coronavirus.
Several years ago, Deborah Reichard, of Mifflinburg, began experiencing numbness and pain in her fingers and palms of her hands, common symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
With the state mandate to stop all non-life-sustaining businesses in an effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases, many elective surgeries had to be postponed. While patients and physicians understand the need for limiting unnecessary social interaction at this time, many people wonder h…
More and more people are working from home nowadays due to the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions. That might mean makeshift work stations that aren’t ideal when it comes to instituting proper ergonomics and avoiding carpal tunnel problems.
Sometime this week should have been Chris Nagy’s follow-up visit after gastric bypass surgery, but like with so many other plans, the surgery has been interrupted by the coronavirus.
Candace Mosteller’s husband, Josh, is among the Valley’s contingencies of essential workers on the frontlines of the coronavirus situation.
Ten years ago, Cheri Hoffman, 42, of Herndon, experienced extreme pain and diarrhea almost immediately after eating.
LEWISBURG — Staying healthy should always be a priority, but as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States, it’s becoming increasingly important to maintain a clean, sanitary environment not just when you’re out and about, but at home, too.
LEWISBURG — UPMC has acquired Albright Footcare Centers in both Lewisburg and Berwick.
LEWISBURG — Amber Gardner has spent the past several months working out five to six days a week and watching her diet. In that time, she has dropped 50 pounds and said she’s become “obsessed” with staying fit and healthy. So when word came that area fitness centers would be shutting down tem…
A degree of pain interrupts everyone's daily life at one time or another. How one treats that pain can vary depending on the severity and frequency.
LPN Center names student of the month
LEWISBURG — At 73 years old, you might think it was time someone like Albert Cook slowed his pace a little.
DANVILLE — Geisinger will host a free information session on Mako joint replacement surgery on Wednesday, March 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Danville Area Community Center, 1 Liberty St., Danville.
Putting off your colonoscopy until next year… again? There’s nothing to be afraid of! Here’s exactly what you can expect and how the procedure has changed — for the better.
WILLIAMSPORT — UPMC WorkCenter now offers telehealth workers compensation evaluations to employers in the Susquehanna region. Through a connected device, occupational health specialists can interview and evaluate the employee and determine treatment options for minor injuries or refer them t…
A heart attack happens when blood flow to your heart muscle is blocked for long enough to damage the muscle. If blood flow isn’t restored quickly, the heart muscle begins to die from a lack of oxygen, and non-functioning scar tissue forms in its place. If enough muscle function is lost, “hea…
