News

Medical Staff Foundation Community Grant Winners Announced

Two non-profit health organizations in Armstrong County received grants for their new programs for funding year 2008 through the Medical Staff Fund, an affiliate of the ACMH Hospital Foundation. Each year, the Medical Staff provides grants for new community initiatives that promote community education and awareness of health issues.

VNA Hospice, Western Pennsylvania received funding for the initiative “Train the Trainer: A Program to Facilitate Armstrong County Caregiver Education.” This program sets out to train targeted professionals, in the human services field, to deliver education and emotional assistance to family caregivers in Armstrong County. The caregivers will become aware of the effects of care giving on their own health, will gain access to resources, and will develop an individualized “take charge” plan to help optimize their ability to care for themselves and the care recipient.

Mental Health Association of Armstrong County received funding for the initiative “Warm-line.” The Warm-line will be established to help those suffering from mental illness connect with trained personnel to help intervene before a crisis occurs. The goal is to provide emotional support and understanding.

Congratulations to these human service organizations for providing exemplary programs in Armstrong County. For more information about the Train the Trainer program, please contact the Visiting Nurses Association at 724-282-6806. For more information about the Warm-line, please contact the Mental Health Association in Armstrong County at 724-548-5054.

ACMH Hospital and Partners Take the Lead in Childhood Obesity Initiative

In Armstrong County, overweight and obesity rates are above average for adults and children. One local health clinic estimated that 56% of adult patients served there were overweight or obese. This is 25% higher than the national average of 31%, according to the 1999-2000 National Center for Health Statistics. A 2005 Pennsylvania mandated BMI survey of students aged 5-17 found that overweight Armstrong School District students exceeded 35% of the school district population as compared to a national average of 17%.

In answer to this frightening problem, several community leaders have met for two years in an effort to combat childhood obesity by developing a wellness program entitled HEALTHY Armstrong. HEALTHY stands for Healthy Eating, Active Lifestyles—Together Helping Youth and is a collaboration of Armstrong Center for Medicine and Health (ACMH) Hospital, Children's Community Pediatrics—Armstrong, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health Plan, ACMH Hospital Foundation, and the Armstrong School District.

The program, which uses the National Institutes of Health We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity and Nutrition)CATCH curriculum, began as a pilot effort at Elderton Elementary School and is now being expanded to all seven schools in Armstrong County. It brings increased in-school, after-school and weekend healthy activities, which include physical activities, snack-making advice from a nutritionist, and additional teaching about wellness.

Recently, the county of Armstrong, joined HEALTHY Armstrong and the We Can! movement as the very first We Can! County in the United States. The announcement was made at the HEALTHY Armstrong kick-off event in September 2007 and included a variety of speakers and featured a “spokes-family” from Elderton Elementary who endorsed the benefits of the program. The event also had representatives from all of the HEALTHY Armstrong collaborating partners along with special guest speaker, Melissa McGowan from the National Institutes of Health. The Armstrong County Commissioners received a We Can! County sign that reads, “We Can! CountyUSA—Working with the National Institutes of Health to promote healthy weight, healthy children.” The high-energy event included music and physical activity for the several hundred school-age children who attended

The ACMH Wellness events and the Armstrong School District after-school fitness programs will continue to increase as the HEALTHY Armstrong initiative expands! Keep checking the ACMH Hospital Foundation website for more news and events. www.acmh.org/healthfoundation.

ASD Healthy Foods Grant

The ACMH Hospital Foundation is pleased to announce a grant award in the amount of $2582.25 to the Armstrong School District. The purpose of the grant is to purchase healthy snacks for use during wellness education throughout the school year 2007 – 2008.

The ACMH Hospital Foundation understands the need to provide nutrition information to all children and young adults. By offering samples of healthy snacks during these education segments, the Foundation hopes it will persuade these students to choose healthier foods, once tasted.

This program was funded last year and the results were positive. When the Jr and Sr High School students were polled about their food consumption, it was found that a percentage of these students decided to eat healthier after their nutrition segment!

Congratulations to ASD for stepping up to the plate and initiating healthy programs for our children. After all, our children are our future!

Foundation-Sponsored Wellness Program To Get National Attention

Local doctor to spread the word on HEAL-ing

By Mitch Fryer
LEADER TIMES
Thursday, June 21, 2007

An apple instead of apple pie; sit-ups over sitting on the couch -- children in Armstrong County are starting to make better health choices, thanks to a unique school-based project aimed at reducing and preventing childhood obesity and its related health risks.

Click here for the whole story..

Community Anti Drugs Coalition of America Recognizes Foundation Sponsored Program

Community Educates Parents and Grandparents to Curb Rx Abuse

Like many communities across the country, rural Armstrong County, Penn. was seeing increasingly more cases of teens abusing prescription medications, such as pain relievers. To address this alarming trend, community leaders decided to take their education efforts straight to the parents and grandparents who are prescribed the medications.

Click here for the whole story..

Foundation Sponsors Narcotics Awareness Program

District judge alerts consumers to misuse of drugs

By Mitch Fryer
LEADER TIMES
Thursday, May 24, 2007

It took District Judge Gary DeComo by surprise. Click here for the whole story..

"Drugs Kill Dreams" Billboard Placedd

The ACMH Hospital Foundation erected a billboard on Rte 28 North near the Pittsburgh Mills Mall to advertise the Drugs Kill Dreams slogan on May 17, 2007. The toll free ARC Manor phone number is publicized on it for those who need help with treatment.

Cinco de Mayo Wellness Walk

Manor Township Family to Walk for Wellness

By Renatta Signorini
Leader Times
Thursday, May 3, 2007

Tammy Cacurak is used to a big family; she is the youngest of 14 children. Now, with five of her own, the Ford City woman likes to round up the gang, double-knot the shoelaces and enjoy some quality time with her family. Click here to read the rest of this article.e.

ASD Healthy Foods

The ACMH Hospital Foundation is pleased to announce a grant award in the amount of $1471.25 to the Armstrong School District. The purpose of the grant is to purchase healthy snacks for use during wellness education throughout the 2^nd semester of the 2006-2007 school year.

Congratulations to ASD for stepping up to the plate and initiating healthy programs for our children. After all, our children are our future!

ACMH Hospital Foundation Announces Medical Staff Fund Community Grant Winners

VNA Hospice and ARC Manor representatives accept grant award checks to implement their community health programs from the Medical Staff Fund, an affiliate of the ACMH Hospital Foundation. From left to right - John Lewis, Pres & CEO- ACMH Hospital, Connie Dunn and Jolene Formaini-VNA Hospice, Kay Detrick Owen - ARC Manor, and Dr. Frederick Doerfler Jr.- ACMH Hospital Medical Staff President.

Two non-profit health organizations in Armstrong County received grants for their new programs for funding year 2007 through the Medical Staff Fund, an affiliate of the ACMH Hospital Foundation. Each year, the Medical Staff provides grants for new community initiatives that promote community education and awareness of health issues.

VNA Hospice, Western Pennsylvania received funding for “Taking Charge: A Program to Empower Family Caregivers.” This program will deliver education and emotional assistance to family caregivers in Armstrong County. These caregivers will become aware of the effects of care giving on their own health, will gain access to resources, and will develop an individualized “take charge” plan to help optimize their ability to care for themselves and the care recipient. The program will be located at the Armstrong County Health Center in 11 monthly sessions and will accommodate 12 caregivers each month. Physician offices, community agencies and organizations will be used to target the population as well as newspaper advertisement. Nurses with graduate degrees with counseling experience will facilitate the program.

ARC Manor received funding for “Drugs 101: What Parents Need to Know.” This program will bring professionals from the Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center from York Pa to Armstrong County to educate the target audience about drugs in an unusual manner. A “Mock Teen Bedroom” will be used to make parents, grandparents, guardians, educators, and social service workers cognizant of current symptoms of drug use by teens. It will display drugs and illustrate how teens might use everyday items in their bedroom to conceal their use of drugs. This program has a goal of educating 200 individuals in 2 sessions in 1 day. ARC Manor will distribute program flyers throughout the county to encourage participation.

Cribs to Stop SIDS Program Receives Funding

On October 19, 2006, the ACMH Hospital Foundation received funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to provide portable Graco Pack N Play cribs to new parents unable to provide one for their child.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2002 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set (2002), the U.S. infant mortality rate increased from 6.8 deaths per 1,000 births in 2001 to 7.0 in 2002. The American Academy of Pediatrics published a 1996 study entitled Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, Bedsharing, Parental Weight, and Age at Death demonstrated that “among an urban population at high risk for SIDS, bedsharing is strongly associated with a younger age at death, independent of any other factors.” This study providesevidence of a relationship between some SIDS-like deaths and parent-infantbedsharing, particularly if the parent is large. These accidental deaths may occur when an adult lies over the infant. If the infant is lying on soft sleep surfaces, entrapment and the likelihood of rolling to the prone position may occur such as when sleeping on a sofa or sharing a family bed.

By providing cribs to prevent co-sleeping with adults or siblings, the ACMH Hospital Foundation hopes to decrease SIDS deaths in Armstrong County and surrounding area.

The program involves our Family Practice physicians, Obstetricians, Pediatricians, ACMH Hospital Obstetrics staff, Concordia Visiting Nurses and Visiting Nurses Association.

Reality Tour Funded by ACMH Hospital Foundation

In June 2006, Scott Andreassi, District Attorney for Armstrong County, accepted a check from the ACMH Hospital Foundation for $5000 to help support the Drug Reality Tour. The funding is a significant portion of the program’s costs.

The ACMH Hospital Foundation applauds the efforts of the entire organization to address drug awareness and prevention. The Drug Reality Tour takes the audience into the life of a teen addicted to heroin.

Productions are on the second Tuesday of the month from 6:00pm –9:00pm at the Armstrong County Jail in Kittanning. Reservations are accepted at 724-548-7607. There is a $5.00 per person fee.

Nebulizers Donated to ASD

Left: John Lewis, ACMH Hospital President & CEO, Middle: Dr. Harold Altman, ACMH Hospital Medical Director & Vice President of Medical Affairs and Right: Alyssa Miller, KAMS School Nurse

Students in the Armstrong School District with severe asthma get the treatment they need in school because of a recent donation from the ACMH Foundation and ArmsCare. 13 nebulizers were donated to dispense asthma medication to these students. With this donation, not only will these children breathe easier, so will their loved ones.