As the Wuhan Virus seems to be playing out, with fewer infections, fewer deaths, and fewer hospitalizations in most places, the United States and other nations begin to resume normal operations. There will be fits and starts, and the same governors and government officials who made arbitrary and capricious decisions based on inaccurate or incomplete information to shut down their economies are likely to make arbitrary and capricious decisions in opening them back up. Residents of Pennsylvania can take a perverse kind of pride in knowing that our Governor has been one of the most arbitrary and capricious ones out there, but even he is acknowledging that eventually, business and other activities might resume.
by John Shaffer
As the Wuhan Virus seems to be playing out, with fewer infections, fewer deaths, and fewer hospitalizations in most places, the United States and other nations begin to resume normal operations. There will be fits and starts, and the same governors and government officials who made arbitrary and capricious decisions based on inaccurate or incomplete information to shut down their economies are likely to make arbitrary and capricious decisions in opening them back up. Residents of Pennsylvania can take a perverse kind of pride in knowing that our Governor has been one of the most arbitrary and capricious ones out there, but even he is acknowledging that eventually, business and other activities might resume. A unique opportunity to support the emerging needs of hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic is a click away. Protect the Heroes is a national initiative to raise desperately needed money for critical hospital resources, including hundreds of millions of masks and other materials for the physicians, nurses, and caregivers who are treating coronavirus patients and are at greater risk due to a nationwide shortage of PPE. Applications for those wishing to participate in the 2021 Outstanding Young Woman program are now available from their individual area high school contacts and online at www.bradfordsullivanoyw.com/apply. Applications may also be requested through the organization’s Facebook page, “Bradford-Sullivan Co. OYW.” Young women who are currently in the junior class, are U.S. Citizens, and attend high school or reside in a school district within Bradford or Sullivan Counties, are eligible to participate. Although the timing of the preliminary evaluations is currently uncertain, applicants should make their interest known by submitting the form by mail as soon as possible.
The Outstanding Young Woman program is an experience that aids young women in developing skills and talents that will benefit them in their future, as well as providing cash scholarships totaling over $11,000. The program date remains set for September 26, 2020, with the preliminary evaluation date to be announced. No girl may enter the fall program without first completing the spring preliminary selection process. Preliminaries consist of a five minute interview, one or more performing arts presentations of their choice, and evaluations of a shortened aerobics and fitness routine, and a presence and presentation routine. Scholarship and achievement is based upon GPA and community and school activities. After finalists are chosen, they are invited to attend summer activities and a day-long get together rehearsal to become acquainted. Rehearsals are held on Sunday afternoons in September, culminating with a weekend dress rehearsal and on-stage program. Questions about the program can be directed to Cynthia Young, Board Chairperson, 265-3834, Bonnie Fulkerson, Program Chairperson, 265-6318 and Becky Basse, Spring Co-Chairperson, 265-5866. For more information, visit the Bradford-Sullivan Counties Outstanding Young Woman website at www.bradfordsullivanoyw.com. District Attorney Chad Salsman reported the following recent criminal case resolutions in the Bradford County Court of Common Pleas, Towanda, Pennsylvania:SENTENCED
Lisa Maciejczak, 48, Towanda, was resentenced to incarceration in the Bradford County Correctional Facility for 14 days to five months, plus court costs, restitution of $849, for the offense of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, a misdemeanor of the second degree. This sentence is consecutive to her other sentences. Trooper Andrew Hurchick of the Pennsylvania State Police arrested Maciejczak following investigation of an incident that occurred in Towanda Township on July 9, 2019. Lisa Maciejczak, 48, Towanda, was sentenced to Probation Supervision for a term of 12 months, plus court costs, for the offense of Defiant Trespass, misdemeanor of the third degree. This sentence is consecutive to her other sentences. Trooper Gregory Pimm of the Pennsylvania State Police arrested Maciejczak following investigation of an incident that occurred in Towanda Township on June 10, 2019. April M. Shaw, 34, of Troy, was sentenced to incarceration in the Bradford County Correctional Facility for 59 days to 12 months, plus court costs, for the offense of Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, a misdemeanor of the second degree. Officer Briar Jenkins of the Troy Borough Police Department arrested Shaw for the offense occurring on Oct. 1, 2019. Michael Horton, 38, Towanda, was sentenced to Probation Supervision for six months, plus court costs, for the offense of Attempted Theft by Unlawful Taking, a misdemeanor of the third degree. Trooper Justin Millard of the Pennsylvania State Police arrested Horton following investigation of an incident that occurred in Sheshequin Township on Oct. 14, 2019. James T. Morris, 21, Athens, was sentenced Probation Supervision for a term of 18 months, plus court costs, for the offense of Corruption of Minors, a misdemeanor of the first degree. Officer Timothy Cahill of the Athens Borough Police Department arrested Morris for the offense occurring on Aug. 22, 2019. Tabitha G. Torres, 39, Towanda, was sentenced to Probation Supervision for a term of 18 months, fines of $500, restitution of $18,222.95, plus court costs, for the offense of Theft by Unlawful Taking, a felony of the third degree. Trooper Nate Lewis of the Pennsylvania State Police arrested Torres following investigation of an incident that occurred in Sayre Borough on Jan. 13, 2018. A unique opportunity to support the emerging needs of hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic is a click away. Protect the Heroes is a national initiative to raise desperately needed money for critical hospital resources, including hundreds of millions of masks and other materials for the physicians, nurses, and caregivers who are treating coronavirus patients and are at greater risk due to a nationwide shortage of PPE. Individuals can visit www.ProtectTheHeroes.org and, with a single click, be connected to the website of a local hospital of their choosing to contribute to hospital emergency relief funds. Hospitals face severe shortages of all forms of PPE and have multiple financial needs related to COVID-19. Each hospital will determine where funds should be applied to make an important difference during this unprecedented time. Joseph Scopelliti, MD, Guthrie President and CEO said, “The COVID-19 pandemic will have financial consequences for our hospitals. To address the needs of patients and caregivers impacted by COVID-19, and to support emerging areas of greatest need, Guthrie has set up an Emergency Response Fund for those who may be interested in providing immediate resources to be deployed for this and future emergencies. A donation to Guthrie’s Emergency Response Fund, through the Protect the Heroes campaign, ensures all of Guthrie’s facilities have the supplies they need to treat the communities we serve during these unprecedented times.” “We created Protect the Heroes so that if you just have $1 to spare, you can make a difference at this critical time for the hospital that serves you and your family. Donations are going directly to give the hospital workers in your community the support that they desperately need,” said The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk. “The Creative Coalition is honored to launch #ProtectTheHeroes with the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and the American Hospital Association to help our frontline hospital workers win the fight against coronavirus.” Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a twelve-county service area. Guthrie is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and is the first health system based in Pennsylvania and New York to join this network. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., Troy, Pa. and Cortland, N.Y., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers offering 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities in Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at seven convenient Med Supply Depot locations. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves. By Bruce Comereski
and Jacob Williams Mental Health Awareness is a very important but overlooked topic. Mental health is the condition of a person with regard to one’s psychological and emotional well-being (“What Is Mental Health?” 2015). Some people can maintain their mental health, but many people have mental health issues due to genetics and environmental factors. Common problems like depression, anxiety, and stress are all mental issues that can and have been diagnosed and treated. Depression can often co-occur with anxiety and can even cause substance abuse (“Statistics,” 2006-2014). A survey conducted in 2010 showed that nearly twenty percent of all Americans were diagnosed with at least one mental illness, with almost half of these people having more than one (Conley, 2012). Some serious mental disorders include schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Schizophrenia is found in around 2.4 million adults in the United States alone, with men being more commonly diagnosed than women (“Statistics,” 2006-2014). Schizophrenia is an illness not commonly cured, but there are many mental issues that can be maintained. There are many different types of mental illnesses, both minor and severe, and both can be maintained to an extent. Through C&N’s Giving Back, Giving Together program, C&N employees raised over $87,113 for organizations that ensure local military members have access to the care and support they need. In addition to the monetary donations, C&N employees collected 9,526 necessity items and volunteered 415 hours of their time. In 2019, C&N team members chose to focus their efforts on local military servicemembers to help them obtain access to the care and resources they deserve. We partnered with 17 organizations that have made it their mission to take care of our local military servicemembers in need. Throughout the year, our teams organized fundraisers, volunteer outings and collected basic necessity items. On June 25, we held our largest fundraising event of the year, our 4th annual C&N Charity Classic golf tournament, which raised over $20,000. The donations given by C&N will help military veterans in several ways, including providing them with gas cards and paying for rides to those travelling for treatment, paying for any alterations to make homes more accessible and helping them meet the basic needs of military personnel and their families. Military organizations, their C&N partners and total monetary donation: • American Legion Post 246 (Athens, PA) - $3,701.18 • American Legion Post 49 (Troy, PA) - $4,938.10 • Athens, Sayre & Waverly VFW - Post 1536 (Sayre, PA) - $4,419.76 • Canisteo American Legion Post 846 (Hornell & Canisteo, NY) - $5,887.62 • Bath VA (Wellsboro, PA Admin Team) - $14,198.72 • Blue Star Mothers (Lycoming County Team) - $7,417.72 • Delaware Valley Veterans Home (Doylestown & Newtown, PA) - $2,712.30 • Honor Guard (Elkland, PA) - $2,493.15 • Knoxville VFW Post 6750 (Knoxville, PA) - $4,247.36 • Leek Foundation (Coudersport & Wellsboro, PA) - $7,738.58 • Military Share Food Bank (Mansfield & Wellsboro, PA) - $4,091.28 • Liberty VFW Post 6755 (Liberty, PA) - $4,211.76 • Patriots Cove (Monroeton & Towanda, PA) - $4,118.70 • Ride 4 Vets (Emporium, PA) - $2,352.58 • Veterans Association (Port Allegany, PA) - $4,260.79 • Veterans Motorcycle Association (Tioga, PA) - $3,966.08 • Wilkes-Barre VA (Dushore, East Smithfield, Laporte and Wysox, PA) - $6,357.81 We sincerely appreciate the time and effort our teammates have put into this program. The success of GBGT is a direct reflection of the character of our employees and their commitment to their communities. We also thank our customers, community members and business partners for sharing in our passion to give back to the communities we serve. In 2020, C&N employees and community members voted to support local food banks and backpack programs. This cause has become especially important with the COVID-19 pandemic. There are millions of people out of work who are now relying on food banks for their next meal. To compound this issue, food banks are receiving fewer donations due to consumer demand in stores and supply chain constraints. Because many of the volunteers who help at food banks are senior citizens who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, food banks are also seeing a decline in volunteers to help pack and distribute food items. A few weeks ago, the Central PA Food Bank reach out to C&N to ask for help to meet the increase in demand. C&N’s board of directors approved a $25,000 donation to help with immediate needs, but we also started exploring other options to help our food banks and community members while remaining compliant with the stay at home order. C&N began collecting monetary donations through a variety of online platforms. “We shared the need and posted the link and the response was immediate. We had donations come in, not only from our remote employees who couldn’t give onsite, but from community members, as well. It was truly moving to see how quickly people came together to support their community members who are struggling,” said Caitlin Hilliard, C&N Marketing Specialist. If you would like to join us in supporting this cause: • Donate now by visiting cnbankpa.com/GBGT • Share & Like C&N’s #GivingBackGivingTogether Facebook posts. We donate $1 for every like & share to our libraries. • Spread the word! C&N’s Giving Back, Giving Together program was formed by employees in 2015 as a way to do more to support their local communities. In the 5 years since Giving Back, Giving Together started, our employees have raised $336,051 in monetary donations, collected 27,229 item donations and volunteered 415 hours for 20 local food banks (2015), 52 local emergency services organizations (2016) 16 local organizations that support children in need (2017), 23 local public libraries and 17 military organizations (2019). by Kenneth E. Thorpe
I n times of emergency, misperceptions can prove deadly. That’s certainly the case today, amid widespread belief that COVID-19 mainly threatens older Americans. In reality, those of any age suffering from an underlying health condition are at significant risk of complications from COVID-19. And when these patients fail to take proper precautions, they put their own lives -- and the health of millions of people -- in jeopardy. By and large, younger Americans have been the slowest to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many in this group continue to frequent bars, attend parties, travel, and eat in restaurants, especially outside major cities where most establishments are now closed. This response is partly the result of a misunderstanding. The Centers for Disease Control specifically highlighted the threat COVID-19 posed to older individuals and those with preexisting chronic conditions. Many Americans felt they didn’t fall under this warning. For them, it conjured distant images of 90-year-olds on ventilators. But the health conditions that can complicate COVID-19 aren’t unique to the elderly. Heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, lung disease, and asthma all impact younger and middle-aged people, too. For instance, nearly four in five Americans with heart disease are younger than 65. More than a one in three in their 40s or 50s have high blood pressure. And roughly one in six of those aged 45 to 64 have some form of diabetes. This means that many Americans who appear perfectly healthy actually fall within the high-risk group. The failure to internalize this fact has already led to avoidable tragedy. As of March 16, one in five people hospitalized due to COVID-19 were aged 20 to 44, and well over half were under the age of 65. It’s time Americans came to grips with the unsettling truth about this pandemic. If chronically ill patients of all ages don’t take proper precautions, many will see their health deteriorate quickly. Imagine a 34-year-old woman with Type 1 diabetes. Given that she’s lived with her illness for years, she might not consider herself particularly high-risk. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, she might exercise fewer precautions than recommended. But the fact is, any fluctuations in glucose levels can weaken her immune system. If she acquires COVID-19, the disease could progress at an accelerated pace At first, she might experience a fever and shortness of breath. Within a few days, her breathing could become so labored that she requires hospitalization. Soon, she may need a ventilator. And if her case is severe, these measures may not be enough to save her life. This risk isn’t hypothetical. One recent analysis of 44,672 confirmed COVID-19 cases in China -- published in the Journal of the American Medical Association -- put the death rate for patients with diabetes at 7.3 percent. That’s more than three-times the overall case fatality rate. This warning also applies to the 45-year-old with high blood pressure and the 50-year-old with heart disease. The same JAMA study found that the death rate for patients with cardiovascular disease was 10.5 percent. According to a separate report, 40 percent of those hospitalized from COVID-19 had some form of heart or vascular condition. It’s time all patients with underlying conditions adequately protected themselves -- and others -- from this deadly pandemic. Here’s how: • Regularly wash your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds -- especially after sneezing or coughing. If running water and soap isn’t available, use hand sanitizer containing at least 60 percent alcohol. • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. • Stay at home as much as possible. And work from home if you can. • If someone in your home is sick or has been in contact with a sick person, avoid them. • Disinfect frequently touched surfaces in your home every day. • If you must leave your home, remain at least 6 feet away from anyone you encounter. No handshakes. No large gatherings. • If you develop a fever or cough, contact your doctor as soon as possible. Make no mistake: These are extreme measures, and they will require sacrifice. But those with underlying conditions who fail to heed this guidance -- no matter their age -- are putting their lives at risk and helping to spread this dangerous illness. * * * Kenneth E. Thorpe is a professor of health policy at Emory University and chairman of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. |
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