Schuster Visits Facility

Pictured are, from left, medical assistant Ginny Williams, center director Stewart Hickey, and Rep. Bill Shuster. Hickey discussed the operations of the Bedford office of the Hyndman Area Health Center and possible future expansion of services.

Congressman Bill Shuster visited the Bedford office of the Hyndman Area Health Center on Aug. 21 to received information on operations and request for funding for future expanded operations. Shuster toured the facility and discussed options with center director Stewart Hickey on plans to expand services in the county and funding operations.
The availability of healthcare for county residents who might not have insurance is a great resource for Bedford County at the Hyndman Area Health Center, Hickey explained.
The congressman was briefed on increases in capacity and the center’s extended hours to help those who work and can’t take off work for doctors’ appointments. The addition of dental services to the Bedford office would relieve a great need in the area, Hickey said.
Hyndman Area Health Center is a non-profit, federally qualified health center—the only one in Bedford County, Hickey said. The center provides care for patients who have insurance, who have no insurance, and who have Medicare and Medicaid. The center has extended hours at each site until 8 p.m. two days a week.
            To learn more about the Hyndman Area Health Center visit the web site www.hyndmanhealth.org or call the offices at 814-842-3206 or 814-623-8222.

October News and Notes from the Hyndman Area Health Center

This month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  According to the webpage of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault and/or other abusive behavior perpetrated by an intimate partner against another.  Domestic violence is an epidemic affecting individuals in every community, regardless of age, economic status, race, religion, nationality, or educational background.  Violence against women is often accompanied by emotionally abusive and controlling behavior, and thus is part of a systematic pattern of dominance and control.  Domestic violence results in physical injury, psychological trauma, and sometimes death.  The consequences of domestic can cross generations and truly last a lifetime.

One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime.  An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year.  85% of domestic violence victims are women.  Historically, females have been the most often victimized by someone they know.  Females who are 20 – 24 years of age are at the greatest risk of nonfatal intimate partner violence.  Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to the police.
Children who witness violence between their parents or caretakers is the strongest risk factor of transmitting violent behavior from one generation to the next.  Boys who witness domestic violence are twice as likely to abuse their own partners and children as adults.  30% to 60% of perpetrators of intimate violence also abuse children in the household.

One in 6 women and 1 in 33 men has experienced an attempted or completed rape.  Nearly 7.8 million women have been raped by an intimate sexual partner at some point in their lives.  Sexual assault or forced sex occurs in approximately 40 – 45% of battering relationships.  One in 12 women and 1 in 45 men have been stalked in their lifetime.  81% of women stalked by a current or former intimate partner are also physically assaulted by that partner; 31% are also sexually assaulted by that partner.

Almost one-third of female homicide victims that are reported in police records are killed by an intimate partner.  In 70 – 80% of intimate partner homicides, no matter which partner was killed, the man physically abused the woman before the murder.  Less than one-fifth of victims reporting an injury from intimate partner violence sought medical treatment from the injury.  Intimate partner violence results in more than 18.5 million mental health care visits each year.

The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct and mental health services.  Victims of intimate violence lost almost 8 million days of paid work because of the violence perpetrated against them by current or former husbands, boyfriends and dates.  This loss is the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and almost 5.6 million days of household productivity as a result of violence.  There are 16,800 homicides and $2.2 million (medically treated) injuries due to intimate partner violence annually, which costs $37 billion.

Domestic violence is one of the most chronically underreported crimes.  Only approximately one-quarter of all physical assaults, one-fifth of all rapes, and one-half of all stalking perpetrated against females by intimate partners are reported to the police. Approximately 20% of the 1.5 million people who experience intimate partner violence annually obtain civil protection orders.  Approximately one-half of the orders obtained by women against intimate partners who were physically assaulted them were violated.  More than two-thirds of the restraining orders against intimate partners who raped or stalked the victim were violated.

Domestic violence is all about power and control.  Power and control can happen through eight ways singularly or in combination.  These include:

1). Coercion and threats: which includes the making of threats to cause her harm, leave the relationship, commit suicide, report her to welfare, get her to drop charges, or do illegal things;

2). Intimidation: making her feel afraid by looks, actions or gestures, smashing things, destroying her property, abusing pets, or displaying weapons;          

3).  Emotional abuse: “putting her down,“  making her feel bad about herself, calling her names, making her think she’s crazy, playing mind games, humiliating her, or making her feel guilty;

4).  Isolation: controlling what she does, who she sees and talks to, what she reads where she goes, limiting her outside involvement, or using jealously to justify actions;

5).  Minimizing, denying, and blaming:  making light of abuse and not taking her concerns about it seriously, saying the abuse didn’t happen, shifting responsibility  for abusive behavior, and saying she caused it;

6).  Using children:  making her feel guilty about the children, using the children to relay messages, using visitation to harass her, or threatening to take the children away;

7).  Economic abuse:  preventing her from getting or keeping a job, making her ask for money, or not letting her know about or have access to family income;

8).  Male privilege:  treating her like a servant, making all the big decisions, acting like the “master of the castle,” being the one to define men’s and women’s roles.

States differ on the type of relationship that qualifies under domestic violence laws.  Most states require the perpetrator and the victim to be current or former spouses, living together, or have children in common.  A significant number of states include current or former dating relationships in domestic violence laws.  Delaware, Montana and South Carolina specifically exclude same-sex relationships in their domestic violence laws. IF YOU NEE HELP OR MORE INGFORMATION:  The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673, or The National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline at 1-866-331-9474.
 
I want to thank the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence for this information which is available on their webpage www.ncadv.org.  Domestic violence is something that affects us all, especially our mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, female friends and coworkers.  It also affects ourselves, our brothers, fathers, sons, uncles, grandfathers, friends, and coworkers.  If you hear or see violence in progress call the police.  Respect women and girls in your family, school, or workplace.  When you are angry with someone, try not to hurt or humiliate them.  Talk with friends, family, classmates, and coworkers when they belittle girls or women, make jokes about violence, or ignore violence against girls or women about how they are encouraging violence against women.  And, learn more about domestic violence and how it impacts your life and what you can do to prevent domestic violence.

Please, examine your own life for violence and hurtful behaviors.  Try to live a VIOLENCE-FREE life. (National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and the National Domestic Violence Awareness Project, June 2000).  Thank you.

Timothy Purdy, CRNP

August News and Notes

Written by Timothy Purdy, CRNP

We hope you are having a safe and healthy summer. August is National Child’s Eye Health and Safety Month.  Eye health and safety is important and national recognition of this is apparent in that eye safety concerns are featured over the last few months.  This month awareness is specific to children, but these issues don’t go away at the end of childhood and we all need to be concerned about eye safety throughout our lives.

In the home, you can promote eye safety by using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, provide lights and handrails to improve safety on the stairs, pad or cushion sharp corners on the edges of furnishing and home fixtures, install cabinet and drawer locks in kitchens and bathrooms, and store personal-use items (cosmetics, toiletry products), kitchen utensils and desk supplies where they are out of the reach of children.  Outdoors, inspect and remove debris from the lawn before mowing, keep paints, pesticides, fertilizers, and similar products properly stored in a secure area, keep tools in good condition, wear safety glasses to protect against flying particles, and chemical goggles to guard against exposure to fertilizers and pesticides.  Additional chemical safety concerns include, read and follow all manufacturer instructions and warning labels, do not mix cleaning agents (for example, bleach and ammonia), and know that eyeglasses don’t always provide enough protection.  For children, avoid toys with sharp or rigid points, shafts, spikes, rods, and dangerous edges, keep toys intended for older children from younger children, avoid flying toys and projectile firing toys which pose a danger to all children, especially those under five years old, be aware of items in playgrounds and play areas that pose potential eye hazards, keep BB guns away from children, and use infant and child safety seats and restraints, booster seats, safety belts and shoulder harnesses in cars.  Don’t we all remember our mother warning us to not run while carrying scissors?

Outdoors, protect you eyes from the sun!  Ultra-violet (UV) rays can damage your eyes.  Evidence is showing that exposure to UV rays could lead to cataracts, macular degeneration, or skin cancer around the eyelids.  Sunglasses should be worn when you are out doors to reduce glare, filter out 99-100% of both UV-A and UV-B rays, protect your eyes, comfortable to wear, and do not distort colors.  For children, choose sunglasses that fit well and are not damaged, that fit your child’s lifestyle – the lenses should be impact resistant and should not pop out of the frames, and lenses should be large enough to shield the eyes from most angles.  Also, find a wide brimmed hat for your child to wear along with the sunglasses.

First aid for eye emergencies: be prepared  and wear eye protection for all hazardous activities and sports – at home school and on the job.  Do not assume that any eye injury is harmless.  When in doubt, seek medical care immediately.  For chemical burns, immediately flush the eye with water or any drinkable liquid.  Hold the eye under a faucet or shower, or pour water into the eye using a clean container.  Keep the eye open and as wide as possible while flushing.  Continue flushing for at least 15 minutes.  DO NOT use an eye cup.  If a contact lens is in the eye, begin flushing over the lens immediately.  This may wash away the lens.  DO NOT bandage the eye.  Seek immediate medical treatment after flushing.  For specks in the eye, DO NOT rub the eye.  Try to let tears wash the speck out or use eyewash.  Try lifting the upper eyelid outward and down over the lower lid.  If the speck does not wash out, keep the eye closed, bandage it lightly, and seek medical attention.  If you or anyone has sustained a blow to the eye, apply a cold compress, without putting pressure on the eye.  Crushed ice in a plastic bag can be taped to the forehead to rest gently on the injured eye.  In case of pain, reduced vision, or discoloration (black eye), seek emergency medical care.  Any of these symptoms could mean internal eye damage.  For cuts and punctures of the eye or eyelid, DO NOT wash out the eye with water or any other liquid.  DO NOT try to remove an object that is stuck in the eye.  Cover the eye with a rigid shield without applying pressure.  The bottom half of a paper cup can be used.  Seek emergency medical care at once.

Please be careful and have a safe and happy rest of the summer, your friends at the Hyndman Area Health Center.

Health Center Welcomes Elizabeth A. Claar, PA-C.

The Hyndman Area Health Center (HAHC) is pleased to announce the newest addition to its health care family. Elizabeth A. Claar, PA-C will be seeing patients at both of the health center’s locations—144 Fifth Avenue, Hyndman and 112 North Richard Street, Bedford

Elizabeth Claar, a board certified Physician Assistant, was born and raised in East Freedom, PA, and knew from a young age that she wanted to work in medicine. Elizabeth graduated Magna Cum Laude from Saint Francis University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Health Science. She then completed her Master of Physician Assistant Science at SFU in 2009. Elizabeth has clinical experience in a variety of settings from internships in family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, emergency medicine, general surgery, internal medicine, and behavioral medicine. Elizabeth has also spent time working in a bariatric program, dialysis clinic, and long-term care facilities.She is looking forward to starting her medical career with Hyndman Health Center, and her goal is to provide quality health care and lifelong health education to patients and their families.

Hyndman Area Health Center, is a non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center dedicated to providing primary and preventive health and dental care services to the entire family. HAHC has two convenient locations: 144 Fifth Avenue, Hyndman and 112 North Richard Street, Bedford. HAHC offers a sliding fee discount program for medical and dental, and a medication assistance program for patients without prescription coverage. These programs are available to anyone who qualifies. To learn more about these programs or to schedule an appointment call 814-842-3206 Hyndman or 814-623-8222 Bedford.

July News and Notes

Written by Timothy Purdy, CRNP

We hope you are having a safe and healthy summer. August is National Child’s Eye Health and Safety Month. Eye health and safety is important and national recognition of this is apparent in that eye safety concerns are featured over the last few months. This month awareness is specific to children, but these issues don’t go away at the end of childhood and we all need to be concerned about eye safety throughout our lives.

In the home, you can promote eye safety by using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs, provide lights and handrails to improve safety on the stairs, pad or cushion sharp corners on the edges of furnishing and home fixtures, install cabinet and drawer locks in kitchens and bathrooms, and store personal-use items (cosmetics, toiletry products), kitchen utensils and desk supplies where they are out of the reach of children.  Outdoors, inspect and remove debris from the lawn before mowing, keep paints, pesticides, fertilizers, and similar products properly stored in a secure area, keep tools in good condition, wear safety glasses to protect against flying particles, and chemical goggles to guard against exposure to fertilizers and pesticides.  Additional chemical safety concerns include, read and follow all manufacturer instructions and warning labels, do not mix cleaning agents (for example, bleach and ammonia), and know that eyeglasses don’t always provide enough protection.  For children, avoid toys with sharp or rigid points, shafts, spikes, rods, and dangerous edges, keep toys intended for older children from younger children, avoid flying toys and projectile firing toys which pose a danger to all children, especially those under five years old, be aware of items in playgrounds and play areas that pose potential eye hazards, keep BB guns away from children, and use infant and child safety seats and restraints, booster seats, safety belts and shoulder harnesses in cars.  Don’t we all remember our mother warning us to not run while carrying scissors?

Outdoors, protect you eyes from the sun!  Ultra-violet (UV) rays can damage your eyes.  Evidence is showing that exposure to UV rays could lead to cataracts, macular degeneration, or skin cancer around the eyelids.  Sunglasses should be worn when you are out doors to reduce glare, filter out 99-100% of both UV-A and UV-B rays, protect your eyes, comfortable to wear, and do not distort colors.  For children, choose sunglasses that fit well and are not damaged, that fit your child’s lifestyle – the lenses should be impact resistant and should not pop out of the frames, and lenses should be large enough to shield the eyes from most angles.  Also, find a wide brimmed hat for your child to wear along with the sunglasses.

First aid for eye emergencies: be prepared  and wear eye protection for all hazardous activities and sports – at home school and on the job.  Do not assume that any eye injury is harmless.  When in doubt, seek medical care immediately.  For chemical burns, immediately flush the eye with water or any drinkable liquid.  Hold the eye under a faucet or shower, or pour water into the eye using a clean container.  Keep the eye open and as wide as possible while flushing.  Continue flushing for at least 15 minutes.  DO NOT use an eye cup.  If a contact lens is in the eye, begin flushing over the lens immediately.  This may wash away the lens.  DO NOT bandage the eye.  Seek immediate medical treatment after flushing.  For specks in the eye, DO NOT rub the eye.  Try to let tears wash the speck out or use eyewash.  Try lifting the upper eyelid outward and down over the lower lid.  If the speck does not wash out, keep the eye closed, bandage it lightly, and seek medical attention.  If you or anyone has sustained a blow to the eye, apply a cold compress, without putting pressure on the eye.  Crushed ice in a plastic bag can be taped to the forehead to rest gently on the injured eye.  In case of pain, reduced vision, or discoloration (black eye), seek emergency medical care.  Any of these symptoms could mean internal eye damage.  For cuts and punctures of the eye or eyelid, DO NOT wash out the eye with water or any other liquid.  DO NOT try to remove an object that is stuck in the eye.  Cover the eye with a rigid shield without applying pressure.  The bottom half of a paper cup can be used.  Seek emergency medical care at once.

Please be careful and have a safe and happy rest of the summer, your friends at the Hyndman Area Health Center

2009 Hyndman Health Center 5K a great success!

The Hyndman Area Health Center’s Seventh Annual 5K Walk/Run/Bike-a-thon for Affordable Health Care on Saturday, May 9, 2009 was a great success.  The 5K featured participants from all over the tri-state area coming to Hyndman to help support the health center. The threat of rain did not dampen the spirits of the participants competing on a course that traveled through the town of Hyndman.

Trophies were awarded in three categories: Walk winners were Sherry Obert and William Obert; Run winners were Diann Cosgrove and Shane May and the Bike winner was Don Orr. Medals were also awarded in various age brackets in the Run category. Winners were Paul Harrison, Brook Puffenberger, Adam Rossi, Spencer Growden, Justin Taylor, Jennah Durney, Brad Eshelman, Michele Walters, Rob Smith, Valerie Henderson, Jeanie McLaughlin, Jim Jordan, Mary Moran, and Steve Smith.

Many businesses sponsored the event, supplying financial donations or prizes for the health center to reward the participants. HAHC would like to thank these contributors for supporting the Hyndman Area Health Center and its 5K. The list of contributors include: B & B Market, Bedford Gazette, Bedford Giant Eagle, Bedford Springs Resort, Bedford Valley Petroleum, Best Way Pizza, Cannondale, Elaine’s Wearable Art, Jean Bonnett Tavern, LaVale Pharmacy, Martins Food Market, Pittsburg Pirates, Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Potomac Valley Pharmacy, Queen City Fruit & Produce, REI, Reed, Wertz & Roadman, Inc., Roaring Springs Water/Frank’s Coffee, Shroyer & Shroyer Inc., Standard Bank, UPMC Bedford Memorial, Wal-Mart #1684, Weis Market #140, Western Maryland Health System, H.A.H.C. Board Members, employees and patients. Additionally HAHC would like to thank the Bedford County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans for their additional supplemental funds provided to the health center. Proceeds from the 5K go towards the purchasing of needed medical and dental equipment and supplies to help the health center continue to provide services for the uninsured and underinsured patient.

Hyndman Area Health Center, is a non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center dedicated to providing primary and preventive health and dental care services to the entire family. Hyndman Area Health Center offers a sliding fee discount program, for medical and dental, and a medication assistance program.  These programs are available to anyone who qualifies.  Hyndman Area Health Center has two convenient locations: 144 Fifth Avenue, Hyndman and 112 North Richard Street, Bedford. For more information about Hyndman Area Health Center, call 814-842-3206 or 814-623-8222.

Accepting New Patients:
Most Insurances Accepted