October 16, 2002 - According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 17 million people or 6.2% of the population in the United States who have diabetes, a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. While an estimated 11.1 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 5.9 million are not aware that they have the disease. Each day approximately 2,200 people are diagnosed with diabetes. About one million people 20 years of age or older will be diagnosed this year. (More)

Keystone Health Center's Community Outreach Clinic Working
to Decrease the Number of Infected Residents in South-Central Pennsylvania

While the spread of HIV seems to be relentless worldwide, and the virus that causes AIDS now affects men, women and children of every age, ethnic group and class level, concern has been expressed that in this country, certain groups may not be receiving adequate health care due to cultural barriers. (More)

Congressman Bill Shuster paid a visit to Keystone Rural Health Center, a public, non-profit organization providing quality healthcare to individuals and families regardless of ability to pay, on Tuesday August 27 to applaud and commend the physicians, staff and board members on their approach and commitment to quality healthcare.

Touring the family practice facility, Congressman Shuster, who represents Pennsylvania's Ninth Congressional District in the House of Representatives and serves on the Rural Health Care Coalition, saw firsthand the extraordinary work that is being done by the Center's team of compassionate physicians and staff. (More)

Shuster honors Keystone center
Congressman addresses health care issues

Aug. 27 -- The non-profit Keystone Health Center has been working since 1986 to help provide quality medical care to area residents, regardless of their ability to pay.

Co-founder Joanne Cochran and the center staff was lauded today by 9th Congressional District Rep. Bill Shuster for the work they do to solve the growing problem of quality health care for the poor, and the working poor. (More)

Shuster to visit Keystone Health, study operations

U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster was scheduled to visit Keystone Rural Health Center in Chambersburg today to see how the center operates.

Shuster's intention is to see what is working at Keystone and take it to other parts of the 9th Congressional District he represents, said Angelo Terrana, spokesperson for Shuster.

"The 9th district is overwhelmingly rural," Terrana said. (More)

Programs can ease pregnancy

Hadley Christi, Chambersburg, expected to have back pain when she became pregnant seven months ago, but when the pain began to interfere with her daily life, her doctor sent her to a physical therapist.

"Toward the end of the day, it just brings tears to my eyes, it's so achy," Christi said.

The therapist gave her a Mother-To-Be, a brace to help relieve her pain. Christi also enrolled in exercise classes for pregnant women.

"I didn't know that there was so much available, like exercise, water therapy, physical therapy. It's not uncommon for pregnant girls to go to physical therapy," Christi said. (More)

SELINA ZYGMUNT MADE HONORARY MEMBER OF THE PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL HYGIENISTS' ASSOCIATION

Selina Zygmunt, regional manager for Keystone Rural Health Center's Farmworker Programs for Berks, Lancaster and Lehigh Counties, was unanimously voted an honorary member of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists' Association (PDHA) for her commitment to providing access to oral health care for the children of migrant farmworkers and other children in need. (More)

Allergy season is here, and many local residents are clutching Kleenex and inhalers or popping pills to get some relief.

Suzanne Resetar, Carlisle, moved to the area from Western Pennsylvania in October.

She took a job in Chambersburg and began commuting in November.

While driving Intestate 81 around Shippensburg, her eyes began watering and she started to sneeze. The fit always passed by the time she got to Chambersburg, and she never experienced it at home.

"I don't know if there was something stored in the grain silos there," Resetar said. (More)

KEYSTONE HEALTH CENTER OFFERS DISCOUNT PRESCRIPTION DRUG PROGRAM TO PATIENTS

Keystone Health Center is offering a discount prescription drug program to all patients, regardless of income levels, through the federally funded 340B Drug Discount Program. The program enforces the importance of patients having access to not only prescribed drugs, but also comprehensive pharmacy services, at a reasonable price. (More)

Keystone Health Center and Summit Health are working in the Franklin County area to help everyone communicate when it's time for medical care.

A number of people in the Franklin County area primarily speak a language other than English, and a Commonwealth Fund 2001 Health Care Quality Survey found people who are not white have more trouble communicating with doctors and other health professionals.

Summit and Keystone use interpreters, translated materials, bilingual health professionals and even phone services to help communicate with people whose primary language is not English.

Turn to Life Guide, Page 5B, to learn more about the services offered and what local people think of them.

MEDICAL CENTER IS A LIFELINE TO FRANKLIN COUNTY'S POOR

In 1986, Joanne Cochran embarked on a volunteer mission, helping a local doctor care for migrant workers one day each week. Fourteen years later, she heads a health center with a budget of nearly $9 million a year. Cochran is president and CEO of Keystone Health Center, which opened in 1998. (More)

Keystone Health Center Holds a Beacon of Light in a Wave of Uninsured Residents in Central Pennsylvania

According to new figures released by Covering the Uninsured, a new partnership of diverse national organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Medical Association, 2.2 million Americans lost their health care coverage in 2001, the single largest one-year increase in the number of uninsured Americans since the last economic recession in 1992. The jump is a result of the dramatic increase in the unemployment rate, according to the consumer group's data. (More)

THOMAS P. ORNDORF, MD, FACOG, JOINS KEYSTONE HEALTH CENTER AS MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF KEYSTONE WOMEN'S CARE

Keystone Health Center announces the appointment of Thomas P. Orndorf, MD, FACOG, a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, to Keystone Women's Care as the center's Medical Director. In making the announcement, Joanne Cochran, president and CEO of Keystone Health Center, said, "Dr. Orndorf brings a wealth of clinical experience to Keystone Women's Care. (More)