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Caption: Donald Shaw, DO, Medical Director for the ED at Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital gives a demonstration on the glidescope, a device used to guide intubation in difficult, unpredictable airways.
WELLSBORO, PA—On Thursday, October 25, Friends of Laurel Health members gathered for their annual reception, enjoying hors d'oeuvres and presentations on the equipment the campaign seeks to purchase. The evening began with an introduction and affiliation update regarding the partnership between Susquehanna Health and Laurel Health by Ron Butler, Chief Business Development Officer and EVP for Susquehanna Health.
Jan Fisher, Chief Operating Officer and EVP for Susquehanna Health, provided additional details on the integration and upcoming healthcare projects in the Tioga County community, including the completion of the surgical services project on the second floor of Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital’s expansion, the rehabilitation and aquatic therapy center on Route 6, and the SSMH obstetrics unit renovations. Fisher also highlighted the upcoming relocation of the Wellsboro Laurel Health Center to the Water Street location, the expansion of Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital’s pharmacy, and plans for opening a new cancer treatment center offering oncology services at SSMH next summer.
Following the update, Enrico Doganiero, DO and his wife Karen described their journey to the Wellsboro community thirteen years ago and their experience as honorary chairs for the 2012 campaign season. “While we were leaving our family and friends in New Jersey, we gained a new, extended family—the community embraced us immediately, and we quickly learned that you cannot separate the hospital from the community because they are one in the same,” commented Dr. Doganiero. “Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital was founded and guided by the community—and its vision of providing the very best healthcare to community members has never wavered.”
This year’s FOLH funds are being utilized to purchase a glidescope for the emergency department (ED), a blanket warmer for medical/surgical services, and an MRI Safescan to be utilized in conjunction with current screening protocols. Presentation of the glidescope, a device used to guide intubation in difficult, unpredictable airways, was given by Donald Shaw, DO, Medical Director for the ED at Soldiers + Sailors Memorial Hospital.
“Anyone who has taken CPR has learned their ABCs—airway, breathing, circulation—beginning with the airway because without it, you have nothing,” explained Dr. Shaw. “The glidescope takes the lifesaving intervention of intubation to state-of-the-art.”
Craig Osborn, Director of Radiology for SSMH, took to the podium to explain the mechanics of getting an MRI scan, how ferrous metal reacts to the strong magnetic field, and the vital importance of ensuring no ferrous metal enters the MRI field. “The MRI Safescan provides another layer of detection on top of our already vigorous screening processes,” added Osborn. “Its detection is nuanced as it only detects metal in motion, meaning it won’t pick up on architectural metal used in the hospital hallway.”
For more information on Friends of Laurel Health or other ways to give, call Melissa Coolidge at (570) 723-0506 or visit laurelhs.org.