Fulton County Medical Center Anniversary Book

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FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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Our History: 70 years of serving Fulton County and the surrounding communities MacKinlay’s vision provides lasting legacy Auxiliary members work ‘long and hard’ to support Medical Center in volunteerism spirit Nurses have played vital role in patient care at Medical Center Over six decades, medical records have changed extensively The Many Faces of Philanthropy: celebrating 12 years of generosity and caring Overly is the ‘Fun’raising expert for Medical Center Hargett is blessed with “67 grandparents” at FCMC’s Long Term Care Long Term Care is home away from home for the residents

Dedicated to all those who came before us to make Fulton County Medical Center a reality and to those who have spent their healthcare careers caring for this community.

32 Front Cover: FCMC as it appears today with patient-centered care at the forefront. In the lower photo to the left, Nurses Alice Pittman and Beatrice Barmont tend to patient Mary Trout in 1956. In the photo to the right, look at the comparison of care seven decades later by Nurses Alexis Bryant and Amanda Doyle with patient Ethel Gordon.

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FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70

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ANNIVERSARY

A publication produced by the Fulton County Medical Center Foundation in conjunction with Herald-Mail Media. Special thanks to the late Clyde Bookheimer who gave us permission to use the story content from the historical booklet, which was typeset by Leah Renee Straley before her untimely passing in 2018. Credits also go to Fulton County News and Kevin Gilbert.

CONGRATULATIONS FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER ON YOUR 70TH ANNIVERSARY! McCONNELLSBURG VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY 56 112 EAST MAPLE STREET McCONNELLSBURG, PA

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FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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Our History...

70 years of serving Fulton County and the surrounding communities Editor’s Note: This historical look was originally produced in book form in 1976 as part of a dedication. It is reprinted with permission.

long Cove Creek’s rippling southerly itinerary where it marks the lowest elevation of the Great Cove Valley between Tuscarora Mountain and Scrub Ridge, there is a stretch where for some distance the narrow waterway marks the western-most boundary of the Borough of McConnellsburg. In the early summer of 1949, Mack Morton’s sloping field of pasture grasses framed the southwestern quarter of the borough there. And about 500 yards up the slope from where the waters of Cove Creek lapped the soil and grasses of Morton’s cow pastures, grazed about a score Guernsey milk cows. A party of land surveyors made their way through the field, shooing away the cattle as they went.

The surveyors set up their tripod and transit and the elevation rod was hustled from point to point. Metes and bounds were duly logged in an engineer’s notebook. And when the surveying party went home that day, each step they took brought Fulton County closer to the realization of a dream. The party had laid out the site of Fulton County Medical Center.

The dream first took form almost a half-decade before. Fundraising drives were already in full swing. Two other sites in McConnellsburg had been considered and rejected. A non-profit corporation had been formed and a board of directors had been named.

In 1945, McConnellsburg was the county seat, as it is today. And it was, and still is, the center of commerce for this rural and predominantly agricultural county. At that time, more than a quarter of a century ago, the borough boasted a motion picture theater, two banks, two weekly newspapers (a third’s 70-year lifespan had already come and gone), a water works, electric lights, and a volunteer fire company, which one early historian noted, even had a fire alarm. But nowhere in McConnells-

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1940s Oct. 7, 1946: Dr. E.H. MacKinlay was a guest of the Green Hill Civic Club where he discussed the need and possibility of establishing a clinic or maternity home in Fulton County.

1946

A doctor’s dream

Many people fail to appreciate the effect geography and topography have on a community’s development. Most people’s knowledge of these disciplines stems from obscure memories of junior high school social

Feb. 21, 1947: The Fulton County Medical Center was tentatively organized.

April 17, 1947: Board of Directors elected: Mr. James Kendall, Mr. J. Edwin Palmer, Mrs. J.J. Palmer, Mr. William Wakefield, Mrs. Max Mellott, Miss Blanche Swope, Mrs. Lena McClain, Mr. Bruce Douglas, Mr. Arlen Hebner, Mr. Bruce Fore, Mrs. Harvey Stunk, Mr. Albert Foster, Dr. MacKinlay and RD. Sherwin

1947 April 17, 1947: Land donated to build the center by Mrs. Chris Shimer and Mr. Merrill Nace at the 216 S. First Street location.

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burg, nor in all of Fulton County, was there erected a hospital – not even a dispensary or small clinic.

There were three physicians, all general practitioners, in the county then, two with offices in McConnellsburg and one in Needmore. These hardy physicians served the villages and crossroads of the hinterland, delivering babies in farmhouse bedrooms and plucking tonsils from infected young throats in parlors and kitchens. Hard-pressed clients sometimes offered geese or sides of bacon in payments of “professional services rendered.” Three doctors from Hancock, Md., included in their rounds many clients from the lower end of the county. But Hancock, too, was without a hospital.

The closest institutions of higher medicine were all at least 10 miles from the county line, and some were two or three or more times that distance. And depending on where in Fulton County one lived, those distances might have doubled or tripled again. More importantly, geographic barriers lay between the hospitals and their Fulton County clients. To the east, Cove and Tuscarora mountains guarded the approach to the Chambersburg and Washington County (Md.) hospitals, as did Sideling Hill and Town Hill Mountains block the passage to Dr. Sipes’ small hospital in Everett. To the south, the Potomac River lay between Warfordsburg in southern Fulton County and War Memorial Hospital in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. Time, naturally, was of the essence and bad weather could turn a simple hour’s drive into an eternity of apprehension, or worse – death.

THTH FULTON ANNIVERSARY FULTONCOUNTY COUNTYMEDICAL MEDICALCENTER’S CENTER’S7070 ANNIVERSARY

August 1947: Certificate to register name was purchased and permission to solicit funds.

August 9, 1947: A “Cake Festival” was the first fundraiser held to raise funds for the new FCMC; it raised $329.22.

Nov. 25, 1947: Corporation Bylaws adopted.

studies courses. Even then, in most courses, geography always seemed to be someone else’s problem — the steppes of Central Asia, the fiords of Norway. Yet so much depends on “the lay of the land.” In Fulton County rise first the parallel waves of the ancient Allegheny Mountains. The rippling waves of peaks have for centuries measured the will and the strength of those who sought to cross them. These Allegheny foothills comprise much of the natural beauty of Fulton County, and their very existence has isolated and preserved this beauty. But this isolation has historically deprived the community of more extensive commerce and, more recently, of many public services and institutions long enjoyed by its neighbors.

There is a corollary, or if you will, a moral to this historic fact of geography. This relative isolation has fostered among the county’s inhabitants a sense of independence and self- reliance that even today is embedded almost as a cultural trait among local residents. The people have long known that local needs, by necessity, must be provided from within their own geographic walls.

By fall of 1946, Dr. Edgar H. MacKinlay was a Fulton County institution.

No, he wasn’t a native, but he had that kind of native American character that mixed well with a rural country heritage. Thirteen years before, he had graduated from the Columbia University Medical School and had accepted an arrangement to fill-in for ailing McConnellsburg physician, Dr. John W. Mosser. After a short stint in the county, Doc MacKinlay was to have returned to take up a residency in a New York hospital. He never made it back, and he never regretted it. A hard-working, cigar-chomping country doctor who always carried with him on his rounds a pair of hip boots — because the Lord wasn’t always willing and the creek did rise — MacKinlay gave unselfishly of himself to his patients and to the community. Doc MacKinlay became part and parcel of the place. Being about the biggest baby doctor in the county — his deliveries numbered 15 to 20 a month — hardly a week went by that he didn’t wish himself up a big modern maternity ward complete with delivery room, the latest equipment and a staff-trained specialist and nurses. MacKinlay knew full well the dangers of delivery in a mother’s bedroom, and he hated the race against time and mountains when an emergency case had to be rushed to the nearest hospital, usually in Chambersburg, more than 20 miles away.

MacKinlay knew and MacKinlay wished. “If wishes were fishes, we’d have a bunch fried.” Bah. But MacKinlay also knew if his dream were to come true, he would need help. Dr. MacKinlay began to confide the dream he envisioned to his friends and whenever opportunity permitted, he would speak at meetings of various clubs and organizations.

January 7, 1948: Building Fund Goal set at $100,000.

During social evenings with friends, the conversations often turned to the problems of medical practice in the isolated hills and valleys of Fulton County. At these times, MacKinlay would confide his professional hopes and fears. He spoke of extended periods of crisis when time and distance and geography meant the difference between life and death for his patients. He feared he would lose some of them. The hurried, tightlipped journeys to the maternity home at the Chambersburg Hospital were a recurrent theme at these discussions. Once, a close friend was the object of a midnight scramble to Chambersburg when an acute attack of abdominal pain signaled the need for an emergency appendectomy.

And there were other cases, too, many others.

MacKinlay shared his wish; that selfless, lifesaving wish of having a small hospital big enough to handle emergencies and maternities, but not too big for this community of farmers and merchants to handle. A vision began to form itself in the minds of a small circle of friends.

Once, MacKinlay complained that no one else shared his wish. He had gone to several community groups in the county in the hope that they too would make his wish their own, but he had been discouraged.

The project was too big, they told him. It had never worked before. How was it to be done? Who had the time to undertake such an enterprise?

Maybe he had seen these things happen in New York, other places, but who could say that could happen here?

Others, however, heard MacKinlay’s pleas and shared his dream. On Oct. 7, 1946, he was scheduled to speak at a meeting of the Green Hill Civic Club. The turnout was bigger than usual. It had been made known that the respected physician was to address the group and was to speak on a vital and consequential matter. Dr. MacKinlay spoke straightforwardly on the need of a medical clinic and on the possibility of constructing the same. Would the people present at Green Hill support such a project?

They would, and vision took root and grew in Green Hill.

‘Community is just what we make it’

The president of the board of directors of the Fulton County Medical Center Corporation sat nervously in his seat on the wooden speakers’ stand. It was not a particularly hot day, July 16, 1949, and even though he had worn a light-colored suit, beads of perspiration multiplied and collected to form tiny rivulets of sweat under his crisp white shirt. Old Glory fluttered sporadically in the lazy breeze above a dozen or so local luminaries who were crowded on and in front of the bunting- wrapped platform. The crowd had grown to about 200 now, having picked their way through the pasture grasses of Mac Morton’s field south of the old

July 8, 1949: Signed contract for Dan Winters to build FCMC.

March 1948: The first meeting held to establish the Fulton County Medical Center.

1948

July 16, 1949: Ground-breaking Ceremony held at 2 p.m.

1949 May 17, 1948: FCMC Auxiliary formed.

June 6, 1948: Dr. MacKinlay was featured in the cover story for the Pittsburgh Press magazine.

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creamery building in McConnellsburg. Albert Foster was Fulton County’s District Attorney. He was also president of the Medical Center Board of Directors.

The main speaker that day, marking the groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of Fulton County Medical Center, was the Honorable W.C. Sheely, Judge of the Fulton County Court. If one was watching from just the right angle, the towering boom of a steam shovel behind the speakers’ platform appeared to grow right out of the Judge’s shoulder — a third mechanical arm, without which construction of the Medical Center would be a monumental labor indeed. Human hands and human sacrifice had brought the hospital project to this stage, and now those hands were prepared to master the machinery that would build this hospital.

Sheely spoke: “A community is just what we make it. We are, in fact, the community, and it will be good or bad as we are good or bad, and will benefit or stagnate according to what we put in it or what we withhold from it.”

Those remarks held a special, silent meaning for Foster, who had nurtured and guided the Medical Center Corporation since its inception some two years before. Much had been put in the project, and much had been withheld. His thoughts drifted back to an evening in March 1947…

Foster had been in Fulton County, a busy year by then, locating offices and finding a home for his young family. The 33-year-old fledgling attorney had an apartment above the office of Dr. MacKinlay. When the good doctor insisted that Foster join him at a public meeting in the local court house that March evening, the young attorney had no idea that MacKinlay had picked another “outsider,” like himself, to lead a campaign which was now in full swing, if only in the doctor’s dreams. The Green Hill Civic Club had met again since that first meeting in October of 1946, when the subject of a hospital for Fulton County had first been broached. A coordinating committee had been formed, and the public meeting in the court house was the result of its efforts. That night MacKinlay nominated Foster as chairman of the Medical Center Association, as the group meeting that night later became known. Though a newcomer to the county, Foster was elected, perhaps on the strength of Doc MacKinlay’s recommendation. The community, as it turned out, had nothing to fear in Foster’s election. He plunged himself deeply into the work which he had not anticipated nor sought. Foster presided as committees were named and strategy was mapped. The proposed hospital was named that night.

It was to be the Fulton County Medical Center.

In the succeeding months, the committees began to function. Foster

1950s

1950

Sept. 2, 1950: Dedication of the first hospital building in Fulton County.

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Oct. 3, 1950: The first patient to be treated was 3-year-old Judy Daniels of Waterfall, just one day before the center was officially open for business. Judy received three stitches from Dr. Whitsel after falling from an automobile.

1951

Dec. 21, 1950: Auxiliary receives 1,200 jars of food from the local school children from their gathering of fruits, vegetables and juices to furnish food for the patients at the new center.

handled the legal work, and in August of that year, the association was chartered as a non-profit corporation. Foster initiated an aggressive campaign to attract federal and state funds for the project. Though he spent a lot of time in Harrisburg, he had no luck with the state. The finance committee hired a New York-based professional fundraising outfit, and William Wakefield of Brush Creek Township was named chairman of the fund drive. Fundraising committees were set up in McConnellsburg and the eleven townships, in the county. As word of the project spread, donations began to come in even before the finance committee kicked off the formal campaign in February 1948. J. Oram Wible, a former resident of Todd Township and then president of Union Electric Steel Company of Pittsburgh, made the first substantial contribution in January of 1948, donating $5,000. So, when the first official fund drive began, the committee already had pledges for some 10 percent of its $100,000 goal.

Nine months later, in the fall of 1948, the U.S. Department of Public Health announced that the Medical Center project had been granted preliminary approval for federal funding. The health department said it would make available matching funds, one dollar for every two dollars raised locally, if the project met federal standards. An architect from Carlisle was hired to draw up the plans. He produced blueprints for a $125,000 institution. But the February fund drive had not been successful. By April, the drive had secured only about half of the $100,000.

Funds from other sources had continued to come in, but even by February of 1949, the Medical Center Corporation could produce little more than $60,000 in cash and pledges, and some of the pledges were questionable. Perhaps the community was still a bit fearful of a project headed by “outsiders,” no matter how hardworking and dedicated, and of a fund drive run by some highfalutin’ New York outfit. Portions of the community had dedicated themselves to the project, make no mistake about that. The women of the county had done an outstanding job, a job that will be taken up later in this history. And the Medical Center Corporation itself had worked with highly commendable zeal. But the community at large was still not convinced. Local contributions began to be hard to come by, and as we will see later, continued so.

So when the Department of Health, in February 1949, declared that the county would have to approve plans meeting federal requirements

by April of the same year, the Medical Center Corporation suffered its first great crisis. The corporation had a “soft” total of $66,000 to work with and needed another $59,000 to construct a $125,000 federally-approved hospital. Even taking into consideration that the project would receive its federal share of $42,000, the members of the corporation

1952

Oct. 4, 1950: FCMC opens its doors with 14 beds and 10 bassinets.

1953

July 28, 1951: The first set of twin boys, John and Tom, were born to Mr. and Mrs. John W. Johnston of Needmore. The twin boys were delivered by attending physician Dr. Gerald Lorentz.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

Oct. 5, 1950: Mrs. Raymond Martz of Hustontown, Pa., was the first patient admitted at 4:30 a.m.

Oct. 6, 1950: The first baby born at the center was a 4 lb.

11oz. daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Victor Cutchall of Hustontown, Pa., delivered by Dr. MacKinlay.

1954 Oct. 31, 1951: Oneyear anniversary dinner attended by 250 at the Green Hill Sewing Club.

March 20, 1952: Blood bank began with American Red Cross.

were still not completely confident that they could raise the additional $16,500. In fact, they were so discouraged with the results of the earlier fund drive that the only question they considered was whether to scrap the project entirely, and return all money so far collected, or go ahead with a more modest project without federal funding. For many, it was a bitter decision, indeed. The corporation met in late April. All hope for federal aid had vanished. The deadline had passed and no plans had been approved. The atmosphere in the meeting room was somber. Some of the members argued that there was no use in going on. The project had not succeeded, they pointed out. But there were others in the room that were not yet tired. Maybe it was the naiveté and eagerness of a few of the board members that brought the issue to a vote. Or maybe it was simply that the board wished to avoid the personal embarrassment of giving up. Whatever the reason, or reasons, the vote was taken. By a margin of a single vote, the corporation agreed to continue the struggle. The board was not quite ready to call it quits. Yet, perhaps some of the earlier enthusiasm had vanished along with the federal funds, because the strategy now became highly conditional. They would continue only if a scaled down version of the hospital could be built. Adopting a wait-andsee attitude, the corporation paid off their original architect and began looking for someone who could build a medical center for the price they were able to pay.

Foster made the decision public. He told the community that the new plans called for building a hospital to the less stringent state requirements, rather than federal standards. He called on the assistance of a number of local men skilled in the construction trades who had earlier volunteered their services. That help was now needed, he said, to build a hospital at a cost of about $66,000, the funds contributed to date. The response was not long in coming. A local engineer, Daniel Winter, came fourth and declared that he could build such a hospital, with the help of volunteer labor, at a cost of $70,000, or less. If the cost of construction turned out to be less, he said he would split the difference with the corporation. Offers of volunteer labor began to appear at such a rate that confidence and enthusiasm returned to the members of the corporation.

Three separate offers of land, at no cost to the corporation, were made. The offer

of Mr. and Mrs. Mack Morton of Hagerstown was finally accepted. The Mortons owned a cow pasture to the southwest of McConnellsburg, just behind the old creamery. In consideration of the sum of $1, the deed to one-and-a-half acres of Morton’s field was turned over to the Medical Center Corporation. Winter drew up the blueprints and had them approved in Harrisburg. Things began to move quickly now. The site was surveyed and subcontractors were awarded contracts. The hospital was to be built at a cost of $70,000, less the value of free labor which had been promised. Then, on very short notice, the date was set for the groundbreaking.

Women form backbone of fundraising effort

The words of Judge Sheely again caught the attention of Albert Foster.

“It is important to us what happens to our neighbor in another part of the county. We are strong when we unite for the common good. We are weak when we allow ourselves to become divided and selfish.”

Thinking about those words for a moment, Foster reflected on one part of the community that had not been weak, nor selfish, during the Medical Center campaign: The women. It seemed that in unison, they had worked hard for the common good. Foster began to muse on how the women really formed the backbone of the local effort in this project.

One woman’s group was known simply as the “Fulton County Women,” forerunner of the county Federation of Women’s Clubs. The group met in July 1947 to plan one of the first fundraising projects for the Medical Center. At the meeting, the women organized a cake festival to be held the next month at McConnellsburg school grounds. There would be cakes, cookies and cupcakes for sale. The baked goods, as an incentive to all the “white thumbs” in the community, would be judged and prizes would be awarded. There would be a lunchstand offering sandwiches, sodas, watermelon slices, peanuts and ice cream. The McConnellsburg Volunteer Firemen agreed to be in charge of setting everything up and would help with the cakewalk and bingo games. It was Saturday, Aug. 9, at 1 p.m.

Three cars arrived at the school and parked near the Girl Scouts’ room. The scouts piled into the car and drove off to collect the food that had been solicited

March 20, 1956: Mary Trout was hospitalized for the first time in her life on March 20, 1956, and said “it was almost worth being ill to receive such kind treatment.” She is with nurses Alice Pittman and Beatrice Barmont.

1955

1956

March, 2 1958: Dedication Service for annex.

1957

1958 Aug. 4, 1957: Laying of Cornerstone for annex addition.

1959

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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for the festival. The firemen began erecting the booths and stands.

And then, perhaps symbolic of the many obstacles the Medical Center project would have to overcome, a hard summer rainstorm came up and drenched the school grounds. With the determination to succeed that marked the project throughout its days, the festival was saved. The firemen had suggested the festival be moved indoors, inside the firehall.

The move was accomplished, and the festival continued. By the end of the evening, donated food included more than 200 cakes and dozens of cupcakes and cookies. Some had been used for bingo prizes, and the surplus had been auctioned off. All told, the evening netted $329.22 for the Fulton County Women.

At the club’s next meeting, the decision was made to turn over the proceeds to the Medical Center Association’s treasurer, John Kelso. The women made plans for a fashion show to raise additional funds.

That’s the way it went. Women’s groups throughout the county pitched in. Some clubs sponsored “socials,” church groups held suppers, local schools sponsored essay contests. The women of Fulton County proved their mettle. When the first official door-to-door Medical Center fund drive was held in February of 1948, the naming of the township chairpersons perhaps says it all. Although a New York firm had been hired to plan the drive and a man, William Wakefield, had been named as overall chairman, without exception, the township fund drives were headed by women.

In April, at the end of the drive, the women, who had provided most of the legwork and physical effort, served refreshments at the close of the business meeting which marked the end of the drive. The same night those dedicated ladies formed the Fulton County Medical Center Ladies’ Auxiliary. The first funds in the Auxiliary’s treasury were generated from the sale of cakes left over from the fund drive meeting. In ensuing years, funds collected by this group and turned over to the Medical Center totaled in the tens of thousands of dollars, and that doesn’t include thousands of hours of donated labor and supplies, like hand-sewn linens and gowns repaired during hundreds of weekly sewing sessions.

The early organizers had much to remember as ceremonies progressed during the groundbreaking — and more to anticipate in the future.

Pioneering spirit

And so, a hospital was built in Fulton County. For the dedication ceremonies on Sept. 2, 1950, the Medical Center board called in Bedford

1960s

1960

July 27, 1964: Administrator Bruce Douglas stated in the annual membership meeting “in 1950, we built the original center, and in 1957, we added a wing, all without federal help, and plans are now underway to add more rooms, this also without federal aid.”

1961 March 28, 1960: The operating fund balance was $29,773.06, and the balance in the debt fund was $628.99.

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County Judge J. Colvin Wright to herald the opening of the Fulton County’s first, and only, medical institution. But it was more than just that; it was the culmination of a dream. It was the brick and mortar reality of a vision born of the mind and imagination of a country doctor - the fruition of the efforts of a score of people who worked to make the dream come true.

The text of Judge Wright’s remarks has been lost over the years, but one can be sure that he had much praise for this rural community. A community without great wealth in money, but endowed with a richness of personal pride and character, much like the pioneers who originally settled this territory.

The pioneers were not rich, but their spirit, their dedication and their hard work carved a civilization out of the wilderness. Fulton Countians were not rich, but they had the spirit, the dedication and industry of their earliest forbearers, and that’s why the Medical Center became a reality.

Doc MacKinlay, whose dream the Medical Center was; Albert Foster, who headed the first board of directors; and, with lone exception of Dr. Palmer, the Fulton County physicians who staffed the hospital — none were natives of Fulton County. They were adoptive sons who worked to gain the respect of the community. But on the other hand, they alone could never have accomplished this project. They captured the imagination of a core of local citizens with progressive ideas. These citizens formed the backbone of the Medical Center drive, and the women were foremost among them. The women pioneered the idea, spreading the word throughout the county. Their fund drives and money-making projects never ceased, and their energy never flagged. But when the project reached construction stage, a band of skilled and generous men proved their dedication as well. Carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, heavy equipment operators, laborers and craftsmen of all types poured their energies into the building of the Medical Center. Through their volunteer efforts, the hospital was built at a cost that the community could afford.

Without them, too, the Medical Center would have remained a country doctor’s dream.

But let’s get back to the events as they unfolded. Following the naming of the young McConnellsburg engineer Daniel Winter as construction contractor prior to the groundbreaking ceremonies, the Medical Center Board of Directors, still headed by attorney Albert Foster, appointed James McKelvey Jr. as hospital administrator. McKelvey at this time was the administrator of the Chambersburg Hospital, and he agreed to act as consultant for the Fulton County institution. Then, in November 1949,

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

1962

1963 July 1962: Dr. R.C. McLucas delivered baby number 2,500 at the Fulton County Medical Center.

1964

July 1964: Since the opening of FCMC 14 years prior, there were 14,349 patients admitted; 3,239 babies born.

the board of directors initiated their second campaign to raise funds for construction of the hospital. The townships and borough were once again organized, and the goal was set for $75,000. In the meantime, volunteers on the construction project set to work, donating hundreds of hours of their time.

Dr. J.J. Palmer, the dean of the county medical community, was named president of the future staff of the hospital. Dr. Gerald Lorentz was named vice president, and Doc MacKinlay was elected as secretary.

Palmer, however, after 46 years of practice, died during the hospital’s first year of operation. He was succeeded by Dr. Lorentz as chief of staff, and another young doctor Theodore Whitsell, was added to the team of physicians.

The second fund drive was even less successful than the first, making a bank loan necessary. The hospital’s board of directors backed the note with their own signatures, such was their dedication and their trust in the future of this community’s institution. When the drive formally ended in December 1949, only $37,000 had been raised. Fortunately, money-raising activities didn’t end with that. Informal fundraisers continued. Perhaps foremost among the money raisers was the Medical Center Auxiliary, now almost two years old, and comprised of representatives from civic groups throughout the county. That winter the Auxiliary began a project that continued for many decades, the weekly sewing sessions. With $600 from their treasury, auxiliary members purchased yards and yards of material. For six months they spent needle and thread, until May 1950 when they had produced enough linens to supply the hospital on opening day. As if that wasn’t enough, the women continued their money-raising projects and purchased enough equipment to set up a fully-automatic commercial laundry in the Medical Center. The Auxiliary still holds sewing sessions, now in their own room at the hospital.

But the Auxiliary wasn’t the only group to continue raising money for the Medical Center. Other organizations contributed liberally. The McConnellsburg Lions Club gave a one-time donation of $4,000, the American Legion gave $1,000 each year for four years and the Green Hill Civic Club continued its active involvement, supporting for a number of years a full ward in the new hospital. Memorial donations, supporting single rooms or groups of rooms, or for the purchase of some needed piece of equipment, began to grow in number as the Medical Center neared completion. Businesses in Fulton and neighboring counties lent their support to the project. One firm, Miller’s Garage of Hustontown, offered for sale a 1948 Chevrolet sedan, the proceeds of which were turned over

June 27, 1966: FCMC approved for Medicare patients by the Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare.

1965

July 25, 1966: Buchart Associates named architects for the new expansion project.

1966

to the hospital board. Other firms supplied construction equipment. Individuals continued to donate money and labor, or both. Doc MacKinlay promised to equip the hospital’s laboratory.

Meanwhile, the Medical Center Board of Directors made other preparations for the opening of the hospital. In July 1950, the board made two important appointments. Two individuals recruited from the villages of Fulton County, Richard Wright from Waterfall and Thelma Bergstresser of Hustontown, were hired to fill top administrative and staff positions. Both were graduates of Hustontown High School. Wright, who was named as assistant administrator and who would assume the chief administrator’s post shortly after the hospital opening, received his post-secondary training at Chambersburg Business School. Bergstresser was an experienced registered nurse who received her training at Harrisburg General Hospital. She was named Director of Nursing. The selection of these two was sufficient testimony that Fulton County was not without expertise and leadership ability among its own sons and daughters.

Finally, on the last day of the celebration of Fulton County’s 100th anniversary, Sept. 2, 1950, the complete Fulton County Medical Center was dedicated. Early newspaper accounts described the hospital as a two-story, red brick structure of “contemporary colonial style.” One article gave this description: “It has fifteen beds for adult patients and ten bassinets for newborns.

Included in the structure is a waiting room, offices, an operating room and delivery room; also, additional space for clinics or wards, a spacious modern kitchen and a space for a modern laundry.

“The furniture for each bedroom included a bed, bedside stand, dresser, over-bed table, plus chairs and foot stools, all of which are of wood in a walnut finish. Other equipment purchased includes an operating table, obstetrical table, an incubator, ten bassinets and all the necessary instruments for a modern center. The kitchen is equipped with a large institutional gas range, commercial type coffee urns and toaster and all utensils, dishes, etc., necessary for the proper cuisine for patients and personnel.

“The Medical Center is surrounded by spacious grounds which have been graded. A limestone covering has been used and this adds to the beauty of the building.”

A triumph for the community

Man, the reasoning animal, characterizes his work, or at least tries to, with a certain degree of organization. A creature of nature, he learned that it is logical to assume that nature will not be logical. Nature refuses

July 1968: Total cost of the expansion set at $435,666.

1967 July 1967: Completed plans for a new north wing submitted.

1968

July 28, 1969: New expansion 90 percent complete.

1969 Nov. 16, 1969: Open house and tour for the new wing of FCMC. A new laboratory, emergency room, OB delivery suite, and operating room/recovery suite were added.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

11

to submit to man’s logic. That paradox was conveniently illustrated on the eve of the Medical Center’s opening to the public. The hospital was scheduled to admit its first patients on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 1950. But nature was not to be denied its prerogative to dictate its own terms. On Tuesday evening a call came in to Dr. Whitsell’s office. Judy, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Daniels of Waterfall, had fallen from a moving automobile. When she was taken to the doctor’s office at Hustontown, it was learned that Whitsell was at the Medical Center on business. The doctor advised the parents by telephone to bring the girl to the hospital.

When she arrived, the doctor sutured Judy’s head wound with three stitches, and she was released. Nature, after all those years of planning and hard labor, still held sway over man’s fortune and misfortune. It was rather a fitting circumstance. After all, was not the Medical Center built to insulate members of this rural community – the type of community perhaps closest to nature of any of man’s establishments – from the vagaries and predictableness of nature.

The Medical Center was a triumph for this community. It served well the purpose for which it was established, and it was proper that the man whose dream the Medical Center was, Dr. E. H. MacKinlay, should deliver the first baby born in that institution – the four-pound, eleven-ounce daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Cutchall of Hustontown. Other patients came and went. Some came and were healed. Some came and could not be helped. Some came and departed this life there. But all received the best that the community could offer them.

Someone once said that anything worth having is worth waiting for.

But no one ever said that one has to enjoy the torments of the wait. The first year of the Medical Center’s operation was certainly no joy for the hospital’s board of directors. During that maiden 12-month period, the hospital teetered, financially and administratively, between hope and despair. Even before the year’s first quarter ended, the Medical Center Board was obliged to find a new chief administrator. Richard Wright, who had assumed the post shortly after the opening in October, found himself compelled to resign. Wright, purely an accountant at heart, found the broader duties of administrator not to his liking and perhaps more demanding than he had imagined. The situation was successfully resolved late in December when Bergstresser, the director of nursing, agreed to assume the additional responsibilities. Financially, well, the Medical Center was almost always financially strapped, as we have seen.

And the first year was no different, but it is fair to say, and ought to be said, that the first year of operation was the toughest. The hospital was in debt when its doors opened, and to keep from sinking even further in

1970s

1970 December 1970: Medical staff agreed to start making rounds at Decker nursing home.

12

the red, the hospital required a patient load of at least a dozen patients a day. Budgetary gymnastics were the rule of the day for the hospital board. As monetary donations were funneled into the building fund one day, quite often they were channeled into payroll or expenditure accounts the next. Fortunately, the board was soon able to repay the building fund with patient income and new donations from the community. Some four months into the first year, the red ink gradually began to fade from monthly statements. By the end of the year, the hospital actually showed a surplus of almost $3,000. It is to the well-deserved credit of the hospital and the community that only once the hospital suffered a year-end net loss. And that was during the economic crunch of the 1974 recession when inflation leaped into double-digit figures.

That exemplary fiscal record is due in large part to the continuing efforts of community organizations who never lost their faith in humanitarian ideals and in the need for the local hospital. Though the hospital never had what could be termed the unanimous support of the community at large, it did attract, under the leadership of the board of directors and the never-ceasing efforts of the Medical Center Auxiliary, a large enough following to make the Medical Center a viable and healthy institution. When the call went out for help, there always seemed to be response enough to see the hospital through. School children throughout the county were asked by teachers cooperating with the Auxiliary to go to their parents and entreat them for donations of fresh fruits, vegetables and juices to stock the hospital’s pantries. Families from every corner of the county heeded the call and sent back to school with their children more than 1,000 jars of produce gleaned from the autumn’s harvest. One man even donated lumber to the build the cupboards and shelves on which the bounty would be stored. This grass-roots effort is what saw the Medical Center through.

A country doctor had shared his dream, and enough country people had believed in that dream to make it come true.

Once, not long after the hospital completed its first year, a vacationing couple passed through McConnellsburg on the way to distant parts.

They were just leaving the east skirts of town, traveling along the old Lincoln Highway, when the gentleman suddenly slumped over the wheel of the car. His wife managed to maneuver the vehicle safely to the side of the highway, and she hailed a passerby.

“I think my husband just had a heart attack,” she called out. “Do you know where the nearest hospital is?” The passerby allowed that he had heard a hospital had recently been built in the town, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember where it was.

February 1971: Statistics for the month of February 1971: Total number of lab tests was 2,002; 14 blood transfusions; 327 x-rays; 152 admissions and 144 discharges.

July 1973: Inhalation Therapy Department started.

1972

1973

1971 April 1971: 977 ER visits since February 1971.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

1973 - 1974: The FCMC Auxiliary held a holiday mart to raise funds for the new extension.

January 1974: Dr. William Milroth of Pittsburgh was welcomed by the community to practice medicine in McConnellsburg.

1974

In those days perhaps, the Medical Center was still regarded as an extravagance, or something of a novelty. If the reader, today, however, should be passing through any hamlet within the confines of Fulton County, and should need to know the whereabouts of the local hospital, he’ll not despair. Let him ask directions from anyone, because today everyone is proud to know the answer. ■

CEOs Through the Years James McKelvey, Jr. ..............11/1949 - 10/1950 Richard I. Wright....................10/1950 - 12/1950 Thelma Bergstresser.............12/1950 - 07/1952 Harry Crow, Jr........................07/1952 - 06/1953 Robert Raker........................06/1953 - 08/1958 Woodrow Strait......................08/1958 - 04/1972 David Moses.........................04/1972 - 07/1975 Charles Smith.......................07/1975 - 12/1976 Thelma Bergstresser ............12/1976 - 02/1979

Congratulations and Thank You

Gregory Gordon.....................02/1979 - 03/1983

FOVA/VFW POST 655

Robert Pierce (HMP)..............12/1985 - 06/1986

Joanne Wible........................03/1983 - 08/1983 Michael Ehler........................08/1983 - 09/1985 Brock Slabach (HMP).............09/1985 - 12/1985 Thomas Fite (HMP)................06/1986 - 03/1989 Richard Hoeth (HMP).............03/1989 - 06/1989 Edward Pfeiffer (HMP)............06/1989 - 11/1989 Cathleen Otto ......................11/1989 - 04/1990

VFW/FOVAPost655

Scott Berlucchi.....................04/1990 - 04/1995 Robert Swadley.....................04/1995 - 08/1997

Congratulations

Robert Murray.......................08/1997 - 01/2005 Jason Hawkins......................01/2005 - 07/2005

ON 70 YEARS & THANK YOU!

Diane Palmer........................07/2005 - 08/2006 Jason Hawkins......................08/2006 - 09/2006 John McElwee.......................09/2006 - 01/2007 Jason Hawkins......................01/2007 - 09/2017

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February 1975: Hospital opened skilled care unit. At this time, FCMC offered three levels of care: acute, skilled and long-term care.

1975

1976 Nov. 14, 1976: Dedication ceremony held for the $2.9 million, 22-month construction project.

Michael Makosky...................06/2018 - present

July 24, 1978: recommended starting salary of LPN - $3.70

November 1976: FCMC becomes a 102-bed institution, 54 LTC beds and 48 newly renovated acute-care beds.

1977

1978 January 1977: Semi-private room rate was increased from $65 to $85 and private increased from $70 to $105.

1979 Jan. 27, 1977: PA State Police chopper assists FCMC medical staff in saving infant’s life.

1977: The FCMC Physical Therapy Unit opens.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

13

MacKinlay’s vision provides lasting legacy Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in a special Banking on the future They needed to raise more than $100,000. It became a section produced by the FCMC Foundation for the Medical constant round of meetings – traveling to Harrisburg for Center’s 65th birthday celebration in 2015. federal and state funds, which weren’t given, to asking the

community again for help. n 1946, Dr. Edgar H. MacKinlay began to confide with A $30,000 mortgage was signed, and a demand note of friends about his vision for a medical facility – a “small an additional $25,000 was signed by 15 directors, who were hospital big enough to handle emergencies and mapersonally liable for its payment. They had faith in the deterternities” – explaining its importance and the difference it mination of the community. would make between life and death.

Meanwhile, an Auxiliary spawned from the Green Hill Civ It fell on deaf ears to many people and area organizations. ic Club and they went to work with fundraisers – they even There was one group, however, that listened to his plea on had a radio contest. Miss Nell Barmont, RN, wrote an open letter to the residents of Fulton County that appeared in the Oct. 7, 1946: The Green Hill Civic Club.

Dr. Edgar H. MacKinlay area newspaper, asking for their support, while reminding

them not to take for granted the dedicated services of the Helen DeShong remembered that day physicians who were in the county.

“I was sitting in his office as a patient that day,” said Helen DeShong, Donations began to trickle in more consistently. Soon they had some 96, who passed at age 100 in 2019. “He was so excited about that night traction for financing. because he was going to talk about his vision. He asked if I thought we would be able to help. I said I couldn’t make any promises because it was Vision to reality up to the group, but we were willing to listen.”

On July 8, a contract for $70,000 was signed to build the structure.

Groundbreaking took place on July 16, and the building was dedicated They agreed to consider his plea, and 10 months later, the first on Sept. 2, 1950, ironically on the last day of Fulton County’s 100th annifundraiser – a cake festival – took place, and the first gift was presented: versary. FCMC opened its doors on Oct. 4, 1950. $329.22.

It was done without aid from the state or federal government; it was It was a flicker of hope. a Fulton County institution, conceived by Fulton Countians and built by MacKinlay convinced his new lawyer friend Albert Foster, who was Fulton Countians in the spirit of those who settled in the area. living in an apartment above his practice, to attend a meeting with him Today, a new facility sits on 90 acres of plush farmland and is the in February 1947 at the Fulton County Courthouse. jewel of Fulton County. It serves our rural community and surrounding Foster would later say he didn’t know what he was getting himself into areas with over 90,000 patient visits a year.

– he would become campaign chair to build the first Medical Center.

MacKinlay’s vision has left a lasting legacy. ■

I

1980s

1980

May 29, 1980: In a study of the center’s operations, MEDCO (Management Effectiveness and Development Consulting Organization) reported to Fulton County commissioners that FCMC was one of the most effective and efficiently run businesses they have come across.

1981 Nov. 18, 1980: FCMC marks 30th anniversary.

14

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

1982

June 30, 1980: Dr. James E. Witt, D.O. returned to private practice at 126 N. Second St.

1983 Jan. 15, 1983: Skilled nursing room rate was $55 per day.

1984

Auxiliary members work ‘long and hard’ to support Medical Center with volunteerism spirit

I

t is not unusual for an Auxiliary member to be met in the parking lot on the day they hold their annual bake sale. Oftentimes, the baked goods are bought on the spot before the member takes a step toward the entrance of the Fulton County Medical Center.

Pie baking, soup making and many other fundraisers have been mainstays of the Auxiliary. It was, in fact, a bake sale that raised the first funds for the Medical Center.

MacKinlay plea On Oct. 7, 1946, the late Dr. Edgar. H. MacKinlay was a guest of the Green Hill Civic Club to discuss the need for a medical center in Fulton County on Oct. 7, 1946. He suggested the possibility of the ladies helping fund such a facility. According to archived documents, the Green Hill Civic Club met on Dec. 3 of that same year and appointed committee members to contact similar federated clubs and organizations in the county. A cake festival was held on Aug. 9, 1947, that included a day of activities and events, including bingo and a concession stand manned by the local firemen.

With the help of the local Girl Scouts, over 200 cakes, dozens of cookies and cupcakes were collected from local residents. The event generated $329.22. It would be the beginning of a tightly-woven relationship.

Auxiliary formed The Green Hill Civic Club met with MacKinlay again, along with Attorney Albert Foster, in April 1948 at the McConnellsburg Court House to discuss the construction of the new Medical Center.

After serving refreshments, the Fulton County

The original Auxiliary members.

Medical Center Auxiliary was organized with the naming of officers: Nell Barmont (president), Ethel Decker (vice president), Dorothy Keebaugh (secretary) and Amy Mellott (treasurer).

The Fulton County Medical Center opened in 1950. The Auxiliary met the second Wednesday of each month to sew new linens and mend torn ones. They bought an ice machine (1952), sewing machine (1953), medicine cabinet (1955), lamps

Oct. 4, 1986: Mammography equipment delivered to FCMC; first patient examinations performed Oct. 13.

1985

1986 Aug. 24, 1987: Sue Peck, D.O., and Steve Shepard, D.O., made an offer to establish a practice in FCMC service area.

1987 Sept. 28, 1987: The specialty clinic as an organized function was initiated.

(1958), a freezer (1959), red smocks (1970), fire extinguishers (1974), hospital beds (1997), video camera system (1999) and a call system (2000), just to name a few things; early fundraisers included a square dance, fashion show and a street fair. They made lots of covered dishes for various events. In 1953, they gave the Medical Center $7,200. In 1956, they pledged $4,000. In 1997, they gifted $10,000.

There were many other donations as well.

April 24, 1989: New GE X-ray machine purchased for $197,000 to provide faster and more precise images for film examination.

1988

1989 Jan. 25, 1988: New ultrasound machine leased for $68,900.

Feb. 22, 1988: FCMC Auxiliary donated $5,000 toward the renovation of the Physical Therapy department.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

15

Volunteerism has always played a key role in the success of Fulton County Medical Center. Whether it’s in guest services, serving on the Auxiliary or staffing the gift shop, men and women of all ages have stepped up to give of their time and talents (sometimes even treasure). From June 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019, 4,447 ½ hours were given by this dedicated group of volunteers. They assisted in The Corner Gift Shop, Greenhouse, Beauty Shop, Health and Wellness Center, with Long Term Care activities and with the various health fairs and fundraising events.

Answering the call Today, the Auxiliary has 78 members, including 50 life-time, and its history of service, caring and philanthropic efforts remain steadfast.

They collectively volunteer thousands of hours of their time for fundraisers, assorted activities (Long-Term Care for example) and staff the FCMC Gift Shop. They donated $20,000 for Wound Care Services on April 1, 2013, and gifted another $60,000 for the construction of the Long Term Care Canopy in 2015. In 2016, they pledged another $50,000 toward the Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM) Project. In all, the Auxiliary has donated over $300,000 to FCMC. ‘Camaraderie with the Girls’

1990s Feb. 26, 1990: OB room renovations complete; Med/Surgical rooms begun with completion date anticipated in June.

1990

“It’s a way to remain active in the community and to make a difference,” said Carol Mellott, retired RN and a member since 1966 who serves as treasurer. “We care about the Medical Center and our community. If we can give a gift to assist in the betterment of the Medical Center, all of us benefit from it in some way, shape or form.”

Doris Ray, who was a member for over 30 years before her passing at age 91 in 2016, loved the camaraderie with the “girls.” She enjoyed the idea of “doing something good” for the Medical Center.

“I don’t think the Auxiliary gets the credit it deserves,” said Carleton Williams, a lifelong member.

“It’s been serving the Medical Center from Day One, even before that. These ladies have worked long and hard to support this facility.”

September 1991: Board voted to renovate the Auxiliary/ Snack Room and move the Emergency Room to that area.

Cost estimated at $100,000.

1991

1992 June 1, 1991: Dr. James Rintoul began as Medical Director of the Emergency Room.

16

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

At the recent bake sale in the Medical Center lobby, Auxiliary members were greeting patrons by their first names as customers were buying assorted sweets and handmade crafts. In fact, people were in the lobby 30 minutes ahead of the 9 a.m. scheduled opening. In two hours, they were sold out of baked goods. Over $800 was raised.

“We are known for having some great bakers,” laughed Mellott.

“Our Auxiliary has been the backbone of FCMC since its early days,” said former FCMC CEO Jason Hawkins. “They have always been a huge supporter of FCMC. We would not have realized our successes without their goodwill.” ■

Oct. 26, 1992: New Emergency Room complete and open for business.

1993

1994 March 22, 1993: Board voted on an increase of $10/more per day for both LTC units. Effective May 1, 1993, $87/day in Intermediate and $94/day in skilled.

“The FCMC Auxiliary has been the backbone of FCMC since its early days. They have always been a huge supporter of FCMC. We would not have realized our successes without their goodwill.”

– Jason Hawkins, former FCMC CEO

Why are you a member of the Auxiliary?

“Upon moving to Fulton County seven years ago, I was happily surprised to find a modern community hospital. The pride and commitment our community has towards this hospital is amazing and contagious! We are so blessed! I am a member of the hospital Auxiliary as a sign of my gratitude. I am happy and proud to be a part of this group working to support our hospital.”

– Jacqueline Celestine, current President

“The Auxiliary provides tangible assistance to the hospital which benefits everyone in the service area.”

– Rebecca Drover “I like the sense of belonging to a supportive group that aids the Medical Center. Being a newcomer to Fulton County, I have met so many wonderful people in the Auxiliary.”

– Portia Osterhoudt

“I believe in the mission to support the hospital, patients, and staff. I find it a way of giving back for all that the hospital has done for the community. It is an organization where many different skills are utilized.

So whether you are a baker, a craftsman, an organizer, or a supporter, there is a place for you.”

– Nancy Younker, former President

“Since my retirement I have time to devote back to my community. FCMC has supported me and my family members through the years and this is a small way that I can give back. These ladies are most generous of their time and treasure and I’m proud to be a member of such a great group.”

– Linda Sheffield

“I enjoy the teamwork of working with ladies who come from all walks of life. Our hospital is an essential part of our community. It supports the entire community. I enjoy helping out and it’s a stress reliever for me.”

– Judy Eisaman, former President

“I’m following in my mother’s footsteps.”

– Faye Elvey “Health care is my passion and FCMC is like family to me. I’ve been a member since the 1960s. It never gets old. What we do indirectly supports patient care and that’s important, plus it’s fun.”

– Linda Garber

“I wanted to do volunteer work that made a difference.”

– Kathy Kinghorn

November 1996: Mr. & Mrs. Andy Washabaugh donated 22 acres of land for the new building.

1995

1996

January 1996: Board of Directors voted to proceed with the new building project.

Dec. 22, 1998 & Oct. 19, 1999: Community mourns the loss of two beloved family physicians – Dr. R.C. McLucas and Dr. James Witt.

1998: The Auxiliary funds the purchase of a three-chip Video Camera System.

1997 February 1996: FCMC received notice that they were the beneficiary of a charitable trust contribution from the Estate of Thad and Elsie Shimer. FCMC will receive the net interest income annually from approximately $1 million.

1998

1999 July 26, 1999: Board heard presentation on feasibility analysis of the replacement facility with recommendation from Gannett Fleming to proceed with the building project.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

17

Employees with 25 Years or More of Service (As of April 2020) NAME POSITION Sharleen Brady Administrative Assistant Barbara Weller Staff Nurse LPN II Joyce Peck Medical Records Clerk Doris Simpson Medical Records Clerk Michele Hann Staff Nurse RN Linda Garber Staff Nurse RN Carol Buterbaugh Certified Nursing Assistant Cathy Souders IT Analyst Catherine Piper Staff Nurse LPN II Karen Schooley Medical Technologist Anita Bishop Environmental Services Aide Polly Briggs Staff Nurse LPN II Darlene Senft Medical Technologist Drema Purnell Radiologic Technologist Elaina Swope Medical Laboratory Technician Joann Chilcote Certified Pharmacy Technician Rebecca Souders Certified Patient Account Tech.

Jody Buterbaugh Certified Nursing Assistant Nancy Gray Certified Nursing Assistant

DEPARTMENT YEARS OF SERVICE Medical Staff 55 (retired May 2020) Community H&W Center 50 (retired May 2020) Health Information 46 Health Information 44 Operating Room 44 Community Benefits 44 Long Term Care 44 Info Technology 43 Emergency Room 42 Laboratory 41 Laundry 41 Med Specialty Serv 39 Laboratory 37 Radiology 37 Laboratory 37 Pharmacy 36 Business Office 35 Long Term Care 35 Long Term Care 33

NAME POSITION Pamela Suders Activities Aide Tina Younker Supervisor Lisa Saucier Nursing Supervisor Dreama Everts Staff Nurse LPN II Donna Clark Staff Nurse RN Glenda Rouzer MIS Clerk Adaria Woodward Certified Phlebotomist Michael Chilcote Manager Christopher Carr Radiologic Technologist Dawn-Theresa Stains Certified Surgical Technologist Michelle Kerlin Nurse Manager Linda Charlene Post Lead Transcriptionist Kimberly Harnish Staff Nurse RN II Amy Varner COTA Teresa Guyer Registration Clerk Mary Buterbaugh Certified Patient Account Tech.

Rebecca Dase Staff Nurse LPN II Jennifer Buterbaugh Staff Nurse LPN II

DEPARTMENT YEARS OF SERVICE Rec Therapy 32 Laboratory 32 Long Term Care 32 PCP Practice 31 Emergency Room 31 Accounting 31 Laboratory Shmc 30 Plant Maintenance 28 CT Scan 28 Operating Room 28 IV Therapy 27 Health Information 27 Cardiac Rehab 26 Occ Therapy 25 Radiology 25 Laboratory 25 Med Surg 25 Cardiology 25

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2000s 2000 18

August 2001: Received Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Designation, resulting in an increased reimbursement status, a major step toward securing FCMC’s financial future.

2001

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

2002

2003

Oct. 4, 2004: Gov. Edward G. Rendell awards $3,000,000 to FCMC building project.

2004

October 2002: JLG committed $1 million to jumpstart the building project.

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FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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Nurses have played vital role in patient care at Medical Center

From sterilizing instruments to bedside shift reports, nursing responsibilities have changed and grown

M

acKinlay, Witt, Lorentz, McLucas, Johnston, and Milroth.

Everyone knows the doctors’ names that are synonymous with Fulton County Medical Center.

Nurses have also played a tremendous role in patient care, from the very first day Fulton County Medical Center opened its doors in 1950. Nurses are always on the front line, yet have remained in anonymity. Obviously, a lot has changed -- from uniforms and paperwork, to technology and protocols, and even the gender gap.

We take a look back at the role and responsibilities of the nurses at FCMC and how they have evolved through the decades. When the nurses were interviewed separately for this story, they reflected on many topics, some specific and others in generalities. This is a sample of the specifics one former nurse shared: Back in the day with an IV pole “I would hang a glass bottle with fluid on an IV pole. Calculating how many drops per minute were needed so it would run over the prescribed time, and then counting the drops for a full minute. I would rip off a piece of white adhesive tape, writing the date and time the IV was started with my initials, and attach that to the IV tubing.

I checked the IV often throughout my shift, making sure it was dripping at the correct rate. There wasn’t an alarm to alert me when the bottle was dry. There was no Smart Pump back then – just smart nurses who knew what to do.”

June 2005: Received $1 million bequest from Cora Grove will.

2005

Marie Henry’s sharp However, upon a recommendation from a mind friend who had two nieces in Chicago pursuing Marie Henry is 99 years a nursing degree, Henry traveled solo to Chicago old. She has seen, heard and carved out quite a niche for herself in the and done almost everynursing program at American Hospital. thing as a registered nurse. “I took care of two gangsters,” she exclaimed.

“Busy? You could say that “When I was scheduled to get my cap, the again and again,” laughed administrators asked if I was going to change Henry when asked about careers because of my ear. I said ‘no way, I love Marie Henry her younger days as an RN being a nurse.’ Dr. Pollock went to bat for me and at FCMC. “Medical emergencies, patient care, I worked for him upon graduation.” (baby) deliveries … it was all exciting.”

She wound up in Fulton County, but first She was on the front line and helped treat worked at Chambersburg Hospital for three Peggy Ann Bradnick, who was rescued from her years. She married and became a part of a kidnapper – a story that gained national attention farming family. She left the profession to raise in May of 1966. her children. She missed it dearly and returned “She was wearing his pants and boots when to the profession as her children grew older. She they brought her into the Emergency Departwas hired at FCMC. Her career here stretched ment,” recalled Henry. “She had assorted bumps nearly two decades. and bruises from being in the mountains and on She proudly shows her Dutch-style nursing the move for seven days.” cap made from a hard, white-starched fabric.

Henry is blind in her right eye and has lost “This hat has plenty of stories,” she says with a hearing in her right ear, but her mind is sharp. smile.

She shared many stories, including her own.

“I always wanted to be a nurse,” said Henry, Carol Mellott and lifelong memories who grew up in Bethel Park. “At age three, I had “Those days (in the 1960s and ‘70s) as an RN diphtheria. I was treated for it, but my right ear carried a lot of responsibility,” said Carol Mellott. never fully healed. None of the hospitals in Pitts“We were fortunate to have RNs on each shift, burgh, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore would and we needed them because only the RNs could accept me into their nursing programs because give medication. We covered the ER, Maternity, of my ear. They said I wouldn’t hear all and Acute Care. We the doctor’s orders. I was very disapworked along with June 2008: Former FCMC sold to local pointed.” the aides and the

Oct. 17, 2007: Moving day at the old facility into the new facility started in the early morning hours.

April 2006: Ground broken for the new FCMC as JLG Industries donates $1.5 Million to relieve FCMC of outstanding debt on the old facility located at 216 S. First St.

2006 February 2005: Volunteer Campaign Fundraising committee formed with local businesswoman Helen Overly as chairperson.

April 2005: Polly and Bob Shimer bequest $1,475,000.

2007

developer as FCMC announces plans to consolidate to one campus. The new addition will house Specialty Physician Services, Administration, Accounting, Business Office, Community Relations, The Foundation, Home Care and Managing Information Systems (MIS).

2008 Nov. 14, 2007: Ribboncutting ceremony at the new Fulton County Medical Center.

Nov. 18, 2007: The New FCMC located at 214 Peach Orchard Road, officially opens for business 6 a.m.

September 2008: Fulton County Medical Center Foundation formed after the formation of a Development Office was established in 2000.

2009 June 30, 2009: Groundbreaking ceremonies of 16,000-square foot Specialty Services building.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

21

LPNs – lots of great teamwork. And, of course, we worked with the all the doctors. But, I’m being honest, it was a very primitive environment and very tight quarters -- we had one six-bedroom unit – can you imagine six patients in one room?”

“If we worked day shift, we poured all the medicines for that day,” said Mellott. “After our shift, we also had to fill out the charts, which meant really 12- to 14-hour days. Sometimes we also assisted with surgery after the shift was over, so that meant assisting in the OR until sometimes 2 a.m.”

Mellott began as a nurses’ aide in 1961. After finishing a year at Wilson College, en route to completing a five-year nursing program, she opted for a three-year RN program at Columbia Hospital in Pittsburgh. She was one of 20 students to graduate, and then she returned to Fulton County. She became a graduate nurse and took the RN Exam in the fall of 1964. She worked at FCMC for a year before moving to South Carolina with her husband who was in the Navy. He was then transferred to New York, but she opted to return to Fulton County in 1965 and lived with her sister until her husband returned.

“Nursing has always been a big part of my life,” said Mellott, who also ran the county’s Bloodmobile program for 25 years. “I remember as a little girl running around at the Medical Center Street Fair. It was a big deal. The nurses always played a big part with them. Perhaps they played a part in me wanting to be a nurse. When I did become a nurse (RN) and came to work at the Medical Center, we had a good group of ladies. Great teamwork.”

She’s been involved with the Auxiliary for over 50 years, including the role of treasurer since the mid-1990s.

“The Medical Center has been a big part of my life … besides, what else would I do?” said Mellott.

2010s

2010

Bard: Mover and shaker Patients would drive to her home for her to take their blood pressure. One ended up with a pacemaker. Another had to have open-heart surgery.

Phyllis Bard was a mover and shaker: RN, Director

Phyllis Bard

June 22, 2010: Ribbon-cutting ceremony of new specialtyservices building.

July 1, 2012: Installation of new information system throughout FCMC.

2011 June 24, 2011: The Corner Gift Shop opens inside FCMC.

22

Delores Christian begins nursing career, making 65 cents an hour Delores Christian made 65 cents an hour as a nurses’ aide in 1959 at FCMC. After graduating from LPN school in 1970, she worked Delores Christian second shift at Decker’s Nursing Home and then at FCMC during the night shift on her “days off.”

“There were two or three nurses working at night,” recalled Christian. “We did it all – Emergency Room, Acute Care, Maternity Ward … you name it, we did it from department to department.”

There was no disposable equipment, which meant re-using the same equipment.

On night shift, the nurses were responsible for cleaning and sterilizing the instruments.

“We cleaned and sterilized the syringes and the needles,” recounted Christian. “If the needles had any burrs on them, we had a little stone that we would use to sand them. The last thing we would do was dip them in ether and put them in a clean towel.

In 1972, she became the office manager for Dr. Johnston and retired in 2012 from Tri-State.

2012 April 1, 2013: The new Wound Care Services is officially open.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

July 1, 2013: A $250,000 threemonth Emergency Room Expansion Project launches.

of Nursing, mentor, trainer, home-health nurse, nursing home administrator and CPR instructor … just to name a few in the healthcare profession only.

After graduating from DC General at the Capital School of Nursing and at Hagerstown Community College (her class in nursing at HCC was the first to graduate), she came to FCMC in 1971 as a part-time staff nurse. “I walked in that morning and quickly learned on the job,” said Bard. “There wasn’t an orientation, or a manual. You went to work and learned so many jobs. There were only two or three RNs to cover all the departments.”

Still part-time and juggling another nursing job in Hancock, she was offered the in-service utilization review position at FCMC. “I assigned the patient a number of days they would be here after their diagnosis,” explained Bard. “If their stay went over those days, the doctors had to justify it. Needless to say, the doctors weren’t too keen about it, but we knew this process was needed and it had to be done.”

She would then become the assistant director of nursing that led to the director’s position from 1975 to 1978. She started the candy striper program, in which aspiring young female nurses could get real world experience by being around the nurses.

“We needed to free-up the nursing staff from the ordinary things like filling water pitchers so they could focus on patient care,” said Bard.

“I had a big doll. The candy stripers attended training classes on Saturdays. They learned how to bathe a baby, how to take blood pressures and temperatures. We later hired them as nurses’ aides. Many of them became nurses and two of them became doctors. They came to work in little red and white uniforms with red aprons. My little sister Jan became a candy striper who later became an RN.”

May 2014: New MRI system installed.

March 18, 2013: Auxiliary makes a gift of $20,000 to the FCMC Foundation for the new Wound Care Services.

2013

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November 1, 2013: The Emergency Room Expansion Project is completed. It features expanded space, care and services and is funded in its entirety by individuals, businesses and organizations. Air Methods LifeNet 8-1 donates GPS Approach System.

July 2014: Dr. William Milroth’s Family Practice and FCMC entered into a collaborative partnership.

Phyllis Bard’s nurse cap.

She also was a mentor. “When I was director of nursing, Mike Peck was an orderly, later called a nursing assistant,” recalled Bard. “Mike is a very friendly, outgoing person. I called him into my office one day and told him he was wasting his time. I knew he didn’t really want to be an orderly and encouraged him to get an education.

I asked him what he really wanted to do. He said work in the OR. I scheduled him to shadow the folks working in the OR. He went on to become a doctor. I saw him a few years ago. I asked him, ‘Mike, do you remember me giving you that pep talk?’ He replied, “Yes, I sure do.”

She said nursing is rewarding and it encourages people to attend school to pursue their passion.

“I never stopped learning,” said Bard, who took a leave of absence to get her BA in Business Administration and then her master’s in Public Administration. She would later in life attend seminary, and enter the ministry. Yet, she still keeps her RN credentials updated. “You never know when a disaster will hit and FCMC will need extra help.”

After earning her two degrees, she returned to FCMC to assist with the new wing of the nursing home at the previous facility downtown.

“They opened up the long-term care unit, and I memorized the regulations because as the director of nursing, I was going to be responsi-

ble for everything,” explained Bard. “I took the Nursing Home Administrator License exam and passed, but it was a rat race.”

She later mentored Mr. Robert Murray so he could obtain his NHA license. “Being a nurse provided a great background to becoming an administrator because I knew the problems of being a nurse, the problems of the patients and I understood the administration side of things,” said Bard, who also wrote policy and procedure manuals for FCMC. “We didn’t have any manuals, and when it came time for inspections, they were asking for them.”

Those manuals came in handy when there was a 46-passenger bus accident on the PA Turnpike. “We had the procedures in play and running by the time Dr. McLucas came to the hospital to start treating patients,” said Bard proudly of the action plan. “When I had to call a physician at 2 a.m. in the morning to come to the Medical Center, I had to be insightful to convince them to come in.”

She was a stickler to details. “I always told my girls to be in full uniform -- white dress or slacks and wear their cap,” said Bard. “My philosophy: if you take good care of the patients, dress neatly and the family sees that quality care, you get and earn a good reputation. Word of mouth is better than anything. I always dwelled on polished shoes, too. When I was in nursing school, I polished my shoes and washed my shoe strings every night. It sends a positive message.”

Bard then reflected: “Working at the Medical Center was always exciting, always a learning experience, and Dr. McLucas loved to teach … I loved making rounds with him because he would explain everything. As nurses, we did almost everything. We didn’t have a choice. When I had a tough night, like when we lost someone in ICU, I would always walk by the nursery. Somehow, that made it all worthwhile. And when I look

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back now, some of those babies I helped deliver are now grandparents,” she said while laughing.”

Weller Reflects Barb Weller worked 50 years at FCMC. Prior to retirement, she served as an LPN for the Health and Wellness Center. She started in the winter of 1969 as a volunteer with the Future Nurses of America proBarb Weller gram at Southern Fulton High School. She was hired as a full-time nurses’ aide the next year before going to LPN School in Chambersburg. She graduated in 1972 and was hired as a fulltime LPN. She worked in Acute Care and Long-Term Care, Physical Therapy and the Pharmacy.

In 1988, she became the Infection Control Nurse with community service, education and business outreach components added for good measure.

“For an LPN back then, this was quite a service to offer,” commented Weller. “In 2010, there was a need for a school nurse, so I worked at the Medical Center and also substituted as a school nurse at Central Fulton. It was considered part of the community service program.”

Communication, according to Weller, is the key to quality care and treating patients and residents, then and now. “The nursing staff worked in a variety of departments, and you needed to know each patient back in the day, going from room to room,” said Weller, who also assisted on ambulance calls. “We had one male and one female restroom. We had two rooms that had four-bed wards, one for the men and one for the women. If we had special assignments, they were posted on the kitchen door. They were checkmarked as they were completed.”

Aug. 28, 2015: FCMC commemorated its 65th year of operation with a celebration hosted by the FCMC Foundation, which also produced a 32-page keepsake publication. Guest panelists included Robert Raker (FCMC Supervisor from 1953-58), Vonnie Miller (former Director of Nursing) and Marie Henry (RN), who shared stories and reminisced about their working days at FCMC.

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March 2015: With a new logo and name, Team Home Health expanded and serves patients in their homes located in Fulton, Franklin, Bedford, Huntingdon, Blair, Juniata, Mifflin and Center Counties.

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March 2015: FCMC receives a 4-star ranking (out of a possible 5 stars) from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

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Weller said large canisters, perhaps 50-pounders, of oxygen were pushed around on dollies into the rooms. Patients were wheeled out of their rooms to use the lobby pay phone. Hot water bottles wrapped in towels were used as hot compresses.

“The doctors were good educators,” Weller said. “Whatever came their way in terms of illness, or an injury, they knew what to do.”

A Nurse’s Prayer Give me strength and wisdom, When others need my touch; A soothing word to speak to them, Their hearts yearn for so much.

Give me joy and laughter, To lift a weary soul; Pour in me compassion, To make the broken whole.

Give me gentle, healing hands, For those left in my care; A blessing to those who need me, This is a nurse’s prayer.

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through schooling and on-the-job training, but time management still lacks today,” said Strait.

“For example, say you have 16 nurses on the floor. How many of those nurses are practicing nursing the same way? Or do we have 16 nurses practicing nursing in 16 different ways? We are constantly looking at ways to improve time management for our nursing staff.”

Looking at nursing 70 years ago versus today, Strait said there was a standard set of Then and Now medication and treatment options. “Today Cornelius Strait (CRNP), there are tens of thousands of medications, and Chief Nursing Officer at treatment options have quadrupled over time,” FCMC, has seen nursing offered Strait. “You have to be aware of all of evolve in just 10 short those options in nursing nowadays. Before, it years. was penicillin, penicillin, penicillin and possibly “I graduated from nursing steroids. Through the years there has been school in 2010. I rememmore resistance to medication and antibiotics.” ber doing clinicals with Strait continued: “Nursing is a tough job. I Cornelius Strait paper charting before love it and it’s been a great career for me. Fulton EHR (electronic health record),” said Strait.

County is very fortunate that we have a pop“Not only is nursing constantly changing, but ulation that respects health care and respects medicine in general, which all trickles down to what our nurses do for them. In bigger commore responsibilities for nurses. There is a big mercialized hospitals in larger cities, patents push, and rightly so, about infection control. In have lost their respect for health care. There the old days, there were stories about nurses not is rarely a thank you, and they have expectawearing gloves when taking care of patients, not tions. Nurses have the stress of knowing every wearing masks and getting blood on their hands. decision they make, every medication they give Customer satisfaction is being driven more today could potentially harm a patient, or if there is a than in the past, which is really changed the way bad outcome, they had involvement in it. That’s nurses are expected to do their daily jobs. Not something that a good nurse carries on their only is customer service just being polite to pashoulders. tients, but now you have to document how you Strait also addressed the nursing gender are addressing the customer service part with issue: “I was one of three males in my nursing hourly rounding, the bedside shift reports and class in 2008. It was unusual for Hagerstown the bedside documentation.

Community College to have three males in one Strait said patient safety with medication class. Every year there are more males graduatscanning, for example, is a great tool, but time ing. We have four male nurses that work here.” management is the biggest struggle for nurses He concluded: “Nursing is so expansive. It’s today. one of the few careers with vast points of direc “You can teach skills, impart knowledge tion with so many paths.” ■

May 2016: FCMC Rehabilitation Services opened a new location in Orbisonia with occupational and physical therapies offered.

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June 2016: New patient portal provides easy and secure access to healthcare information.

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July 2016: Susan G. Komen-Pittsburgh for Breast Health awarded the FCMC Foundation two different grants totaling $40,352. The first was for a Breast Health Advocate position and the second was designated for Spa Days – a new program offered to encourage patients.

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FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

AUG.

June 2016: Received a $50,000 grant from PA Department of Health for the construction of a greenhouse and development of a sensory integration program for Long Term Care residents. The greenhouse was dedicated in memory of Eugene Lake, a long-time FCMC employee.

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Oct. 20, 2016: Groundbreaking for the Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM). As part of the “Moving Forward: The Center for Advanced Medicine” campaign, board members of the Wilbur C. and Betty Lea Henderson Foundation were on hand to present the lead gift of $1 million for the $20 million project.

Over six decades, medical records have changed extensively Editor’s Note: Sharleen Brady celebrated her 55th year at Fulton County Medical Center in March before retiring in May 2020. The Medical Staff Administrative Assistant sat down with Mike Straley, Executive Director of the Sharleen Brady FCMC Foundation, for an interview.

She offered insight on a number of topics as then the longest-tenured FCMC employee, including working in the original building on First Street and the many changes she’s experienced over five decades.

Sharleen: When I first started at the hospital, there were only 25 people employed and you knew everybody. They had an old dumbwaiter (small serving tray system in an elevator shaft guided by pulleys and ropes) that meals came up on located across from the nurse’s desk. I remember one night, they sent up food for the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift. They made chicken sandwiches. Someone put a whole chicken leg in one of the sandwiches (laughing).

Mike: Go back to when you admitted yourself when you were in labor.

Sharleen: There were nurses, but I did my

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own paperwork. It was so different then.

Mike: I talked to Ann Sheeley (DeShong) who was a registered nurse. One of the things that struck her was that it was an entirely different world, but it was such a good world, in her words. Everyone knew each other and everyone worked together and it wasn’t a case of “that’s not my patient.” If the patient needed help, you helped them.

Sharleen: We had 48 patients in the hospital lots of times and that included patients in the hallways. The hospital was licensed for 48 beds.

The patients could stay as long as they wanted.

There was a lady who stayed with us for three years. This was before Medicare. Back then, there was no long-term care. Long Term Care (nursing home) didn’t happen until 1976.

Mike: Why have you stayed for 55 years?

Sharleen: I love it here, I do. If my husband were living, I would’ve retired long ago. Every day was different and that’s a good thing. I enjoyed working with the medical staff.

Mike: Is this like your second family?

Sharleen: Yes. We had this one little tiny kitchen where they prepared all the food for everybody. At the end of it was this little room where you could go in and eat. The lab director would come in and eat and that’s where he came in the morning and got his bacon. At lunchtime you would come in and eat. It was a family atmosphere.

Mike: When there were plans to leave downtown to move up here (current Peach Orchard Road campus), there was a lot of doubt. What

May 2017: – An $800,000 grant was awarded by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Southern Alleghenies Planning and Development Commission to construct an access road that will open up the south side of campus for further development.

April 2017: Fulton County Medical Center Women’s Imaging Department acquired the newest technology in breast health with a 3D Mammogram.

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was your mindset?

Sharleen: I didn’t have any doubts about it. The hospital has always been here and it’s community-oriented. It was a big step to take, but it had to be done. There was no room for expansion; we were outgrowing what we had.

We couldn’t go up or out. There was nowhere to go but to another location.

Mike: Was the old hospital an interior portion of the building that is now on First Street?

Sharleen: You couldn’t tell by looking at it now, but yes. In 1958, they added an addition to the original building. In 1970, they added a Solarium. In 1973, there was an ER and Lab expansion, which was finished in 1976. The additions changed the whole look of the original hospital.

Mike: What was the ER like back in the day?

Sharleen: It was one room staffed by local physicians. Whoever your doctor was, that’s who they called, until there was a call schedule set up. You came in and filled out a little card.

Mike: When you first started, you typed the X-ray reports. What did starting the medical records program entail?

Sharleen: Any record that was produced was put in a file box, all handwritten. Blue Cross came in and helped me get established with a filing system and a Dictaphone system. I didn’t go to school for medical records, I went to school for medical secretary. Dr. Lorentz dictated his X-ray reports.

Mike: Was he the first one to do that?

Sharleen: Yes. When we started the Medical Records Department, we started a filing system

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October 2017: Phase One of CAM opens with MacDonald’s Pharmacy, Lobby, Fulton Family Practice, Specialty Services, Behavioral Health, IV Infusion, Cardiology/Pulmonology/Radiology.

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Sept. 22, 2017: Jason Hawkins announces his resignation as CEO to take the CAO position for PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center in Florence, Oregon. Deb Shughart (CFO) and Kim Slee (COO) were named co-CEOs

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November 2017: The Community Health and Wellness Building opens to the public after renovations and construction of the former Dollar General were completed.

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with the charts filed by number. The incomplete records were never completed. We started trying to get the doctors to complete their records. I remember there were filing cabinets in the hallway and there was a Dictaphone on top where they would dictate their reports.

Mike: Were you an army of one?

Sharleen: Until 1969, yes.

Mike: Did you take it upon yourself to do this?

Sharleen: I think that was the intent when I first came on. When I first started there wasn’t anything to do except type the X-ray reports, which were backlogged for months. They were typed on little 4x6 cards, very antiquated.

Mike: Two-part question: how did you find out about the position and what was the position that was advertised?

Sharleen: I worked for Dr. Lorentz on weekends while I was going to school. I typed X-ray reports while I was in his office. I found out between him and Mr. Strait, the administrator at the time. I also worked at the diner, and knowing him, he asked me to come in for an interview. The position was called Medical Secretary. The intent was for me to graduate into medical records. In 1974, I took my test for Registered Health Information Technician.

Mike: (Former FCMC CEO) Jason Hawkins has referenced many times how you’ve kept our Medical Center in good standing with your good work. Can you explain?

Sharleen: Blue Cross was our surveying agency and then Medicare came on. He is probably referencing when I came in while on maternity leave after four weeks because there was a state survey that needed my attention. I also assisted Dr. McLucas, Dr. Lorentz, Dr. Johnston, Dr. Villa and Dr. Witt with a lot of projects.

I also assisted a couple of physicians with their board certifications.

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March 2018: Both the Medical Center and its Long Term Care facility received a 4-star rating (out of a possible 5 stars) from The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

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May 2018: Phases Two and Three of CAM open with Express Care, expanded Lab. 26

Mike: How has your job evolved when you first started, say with the mimeograph, for example?

Sharleen: I came on board in 1965 and hired Freda Miller in 1969. Doris Simpson came in 1975-76 as a student and Joyce Peck did the same thing. When I left medical records, there were 10 employees. I left MR in 2007 to go to the medical staff position. I was at one time responsible for taking minutes of anything that happened -- nurse’s meetings, credentials, department head meetings, infection control, pharmacy, medical staff, medical executive, OB Committee meeting minutes, etc. Around 1973, the administrators said I would have to start prioritizing and have someone else help do it (taking minutes). They went from having no Medical Records department to keeping everything. It kept us all busy because we did all the X-ray reports and other reports that required typing.

Mike: When you started medical records, was that as a response to what was required through Medicare?

Sharleen: That was a state requirement. It was a requirement starting in 1966. Records had to be complete. Blue Cross just gave us direction on how to start the program. All of a sudden, we realized I had to do coding under ICD8, like it is now with ICD9. It was a challenge, but I would NOT have traded it for anything.

Mike: When you were starting Medical Records, how many hours were you logging?

Sharleen: At that time, I was only doing eight hours, but it wasn’t too long when I went to almost 50 hours a week with all the meetings. At times, we were backlogged with a lot of reports.

Even after we put in a dictation system, we were backlogged with over 1,000 reports, including ER reports. The first dictation system started in 1986-87, with information being fed into four big

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May 25, 2018: Michael Makosky named FCMC’s new President & CEO.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

tanks. It was quite an expensive project for the Medical Center.

Mike: When you started in 1965, did you have any idea this would be a career?

Sharleen: When I started, I promised two years, because the administrator thought I would get pregnant and leave. I got pregnant five years later. My first priority was becoming a nurse throughout my senior year of high school.

I don’t know why I switched. I got accepted to the Maryland Medical Secretarial School in 1962. I knew I was getting married soon, and I didn’t think I’d stick around. I’ve always lived here in Fulton County. I grew up a half mile from where I live now.

Mike: Has it ever hit you that this is a pretty good gig, “I’m pretty lucky?”

Sharleen: I am very blessed. When my husband passed away in 2014, I don’t know what I would have done without the job or the people.

Mike: It doesn’t take a person long to realize that the people here are a cut above.

Sharleen: You say that now with all the numbers of staff we have, but 50 years ago we had 25 people, and it’s still the same way. We were a big family back then and it’s gotten much bigger. If someone had a baby shower or retirement, you were invited to the party.

Mike: There is concern out there sometimes that rural hospitals can’t make it with outside pressures. Were there times like that back then?

Sharleen: Yes, there were. We weren’t a Critical Access facility until 2001. We had gone through a period of time where we thought we were going to be bought out by another healthcare organization. It was a stressful time and there was fear among the employees.

There were all sorts of rumors floating around.

Through it all, the Board of Directors kept us independent. We lost our OB/GYN staff in 1989, and we changed surgeons every three years.

July 2018: Phase Four of CAM opens with expanded Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies, Gift Shop and the Lunch Box Café.

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Nov. 1, 2018: FCMC certified as a Level IV Trauma Center.

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We were getting temporary folks in for OB. There was fear that was well-deserved. We didn’t know what was going to happen. I’m thankful we didn’t go with another organization and stayed independent all these years.

Mike: It’s definitely unique. Not a lot of folks have an independent medical facility.

Sharleen: We are very fortunate. Our community supports us, and they deserve the credit for it. We have a community that is willing to give to this hospital.

Mike: Speaking of community support, the response to the fundraising needs for the recent expansion with the Center for Advanced Medicine (CAM) was another example of the community rallying together.

Sharleen: The CAM Project was needed, and its impact has been very favorable. It has brought family practice under one roof and it’s now a unified practice. The extra services, like IV Infusion, Express Care and expanded services, like behavioral health and the therapies (PT/OT), just to name a few, have impacted this community. It has added at least 20 physicians to the roster through Specialty Services. And with the move of Specialty Services into CAM, that opened up space for dialysis care: a much-needed service in this community. Once again, the community responded financially for that project. The community amazes me. ■

CEServices, Inc. Medical Equipment Service Specialists Gregory A. Lowry W 814 - 443 - 3194 C 814 - 442 - 2669

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1

DID YOU KNOW:

Local residents and their fruitful fields lowered Fulton County Medical Center’s grocery bills in the early years of operation.

In the first year, for example, each student in every county school was asked to bring to the classroom one or more jars of canned fruits and vegetables or juices, which his/her parents felt they could spare. More than 1,000 jars of vitamin rich foods were placed on the shelves in the storeroom. When empty jars began to pile up, they were sent back home with the students for refills.

The newly formed Auxiliary oversaw this project, as well as canning many of the fresh fruits and vegetables that came in without a jar.

2

The first baby born at FCMC was Victoria Louis Cutchall of Hustontown, delivered by Dr. MacKinlay at 12:48 a.m. on Oct. 6. The baby’s mother arrived at 12:30 a.m. and Victoria was born 18 minutes later. She weighed 4 pounds, 12 ounces and was placed in an incubator. She stayed at FCMC for nearly three weeks after her mother was discharged on Oct. 10. Victoria lives in Breezewood.

3

Over a span of two days in 1950, poisonous snakes had bitten three people. Prompt injection of the right kind of serum avoided death. When the serum supplies needed to be replaced, it was revealed that many of the other hospitals in the area did not make a practice of stocking it.

April 1, 2019: Southern Huntingdon County Medical Center in Orbisonia became a member of the Fulton County Medical Center.

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June 17, 2019: Dialysis Care Center opened its doors for the first dialysis patients in Fulton County. The community responded to the “Dollars for Dialysis” threemonth campaign as over $101,000 was raised for the construction and renovation of the former Specialty Services area that now houses the treatment center.

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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Tri-State Community Health Center Providing Affordable Health Care Comprehen Comprehensive nsive & Compassionate Primary Care HANCOCK

All major insurances are accepted.

Appointments can be made by calling: All major insurances Hancock are accepted.

301-678-7256 Appointments can or Fulton County be made by calling: 717-485-3850

130 W. High St., Hancock, MD

FULTON COUNTY

525 Fulton Drive, McConnellsburg PA

www.tschc.com

Fulton County Medical Center Foundation

The Many Faces of Philanthropy:

celebrating 12 years of generosity and caring

S

ome we know, some we don’t. Some prefer mail, others in person and a few go the online route. They have their own story – some personal, some not.

But over the past 12 years, over 3,000 have made a commitment to assist us.

They are the many faces of philanthropy who have given generously to the Fulton County Medical Center Foundation.

As we celebrate the FCMC Foundation’s 12th anniversary, we reflect with deep appreciation on the generosity of our community because you have made every moment matter for our patients at Fulton County Medical Center. Since 2008, over $7 million has been raised and given to FCMC to support projects, services and equipment needs.

We are grateful to take a look back at a dozen ways you have impacted healthcare and lives in our community over the past decade.

Annual Fund: Whether it’s been new hospital beds for Acute Care, mattresses for the residents in Long Term Care, a defibrillator for Cardio/Pulmonary, exercise equipment for the Wellness Center, or equipment for Same-Day Surgery, you have responded every year with a gift to support the needs. In fact, in the past five years alone, you have contributed over $257,000.

Every department has benefitted from your gifts.

And for that, we are grateful.

Auxiliary: Auxiliary members have been the backbone of FCMC since their formation in 1947, but over the past 12 years, they have made significant gifts to every major expansion project and have contributed financially to many other projects. In all, since 2008, they have contributed over $300,000.

Center for Advanced Medicine: Over $2.7 million was raised through contributions from individuals (including over 100 FCMC employees), organizations, businesses, private/family foundations and grants. This three-phase expansion project started in October 2016 and opened in the Spring of 2018.

Creation of Development Committees: The Development Council was created in 2014

in an effort to foster a continuing spirit of giving.

Under this umbrella, several committees made up of volunteers from the community were formed and named in recognition for FCMC’s rich tradition: Annual Fund (Green Hill Donors Club), Planned Giving (Dr. MacKinlay Society), Business & Industry (1950 Circle of Friends) and Special/Signature Gifts (FCMC Visionaries). These efforts have led to a more concentrated effort in securing financial resources that allows FCMC to fulfill its mission to continuously improve the health of our community.

Dialysis Care Center: A three-month “Dollars for Dialysis” campaign was launched in December 2018 with a $15,000 match challenge from Community State Bank. The goal was to raise $85,000 for the renovation of the former Specialty Services Area. The community responded with over $101,000 raised. The facility can treat up to 36 patients.

Emergency Department Expansion: Nearly 150 donors (individuals, businesses and family foundations) raised $307,000 for this much-needed project in 2013 that focused on expanded services, care and space.

Events: The fall golf tournament, the midwinter event, the spring dinner auction/Blue Jean Ball are staples in this community and have had a significant impact on FCMC. Through your generosity, nearly $500,000 has been raised for such projects as the Long-Term Care Van, Emergency Department expansion, Long-Term Care Canopy, Wound Center construction, and equipment needs for the Emergency Department, Lab Services, Acute Care, Respiratory/Cardiology and Surgical Services (just to name a few).

Grants: Through the generosity of private, family, state and/or federal grants, the Foundation has been the beneficiary of over $2 million in funds used primarily for construction expansion needs.

PSA: Completed in 2010 and the first official “campaign” under the guidance of the FCMC Foundation, 467 donors (individuals, businesses and organizations) raised $615,475 for the Patient Services and Administration (PSA) Building.

Scholarship Program: The FCMC Foundation Health Careers Scholarship program began prior to the Foundation’s beginnings in 2008.

Through 2020, scholarship stipends totaling $253,000 have been awarded for 204 scholarships. Back in 2001, $2,000 total was awarded to three recipients. Over the years, the scholarship has grown in both the amount awarded and the number of students benefiting from the program.

The program is funded by one main fundraiser – over the past five years, it has been the midwinter Bluegrass & BBQ – individual contributions and two endowed scholarship funds: The Clair and Dorothy Miller Scholarship ($25,000 in 2014) and the Russell C. McLucas, MD, Scholarship (2014). The McLucas Scholarship was generously supported by two gifts each of $50,000 from the local Arthur and Ruth Schmidt Community Trust.

The program got a major boost in 2017 when the Henderson Foundation announced they would be funding the Betty Lea Henderson Nursing Scholarship. It provides three scholarships annually valued at up to $7,000 each in perpetuity. Community support has been instrumental in helping sustain the scholarship program. In 2018, Patriot Federal Credit Union created a General Scholarship and Dorothy Stahl Sites also created a nursing scholarship – the Paul and Louie Stahl Memorial Nursing Scholarship – in memory of her father and mother.

Therapy Playground: Nearly 100 donors made gifts ranging from $5 to $7,000 totaling $26,148 in a three-month span in 2014 that assisted FCMC’s physical, occupational, speech and behavioral therapists in helping to meet the diverse needs of young patients.

You: The possibilities of assisting our Foundation are many – buying a raffle ticket, playing in our golf tournament, making the winning bid on a silent auction item, contributing to the Annual Fund or making a provision in your will (these are just a few examples). As we embark on another 70 years, we ask that you keep your wonderful spirit of generosity that has benefitted all of us over the past six decades. ■

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Overly is the ‘FUN’raising expert for Fulton County Medical Center She said ‘yes’ 18 years ago and has since been at the forefront of over $14 million raised Editor’s Note: To say Helen Overly, 89, is a mover and a shaker would be an understatement. She moved to Fulton County from New Jersey with her business partner Freda Raker in 1971. They founded Overly-Raker Inc. Throughout her career, Helen blazed a trail for women entrepreneurs.

She was the first woman to preside as President of the Fulton County Medical Center Board and the first female to serve as President of the Chicago Gift Show. Never thinking of slowing down, Helen is known in the business and local community as a person who can “make things happen,” and a person who “gets the job done.” We sat down with Helen recently, as she reflected on an 18-year fundraising journey.

would give him an answer, and I had not given it any thought.”

Because I promised a decision, I called him to explain that I had not really given this proper thought. I was leaving for Washington the next day to work at another tradeshow. I would return in three days and then for sure I would give him an answer. This decision plagued me.

What to do?

Little Offers Big Incentive While I was in Washington, Will Little, the president of the company that I worked with, flew in for three hours to attend a board meetBoard of directors (October 1981), with Helen Overly front and ing. After the meeting he came into the office center. where I was sitting. We chatted for a minute or two. He casually asked what I was doing these days.

“Are you still on the board of the hospital?” hy did I volunteer, or what made me volunteer for a fundraising job for Fulton County Medical Center? I’ve been asked that many “No,” I said. “You’re way behind the times, Will. I have not been on that times over. board for years, but funny that you should mention the hospital. We (notice Before this current building was constructed, I received a call from then she said we) are going to build a new hospital and they have asked me to CEO Bob Murray (in 2002) inviting me to come to his office. He wanted to chair the fundraising committee. But I don’t think I can do it. I am way too talk with me. He and the CFO ( Jason Hawkins, who would later become the busy and don’t know anything about fundraising.”

CEO) met with me to ask if I would serve as chair for the fundraising com With that, he asked, “How much do you have mittee for a new hospital. There had been a lot of talk for a few years about to raise?” a new hospital but nothing was done. Now, they were ready to go. My very I replied, “Oh, about a million or million first thought was: I have no experience in fundraising, nor do I want to find and a half.” out about it. Number two, I was way too busy with many other things on my With that, he pulled his business card plate to consider taking on this job. out of his pocket and said, “If you will As we talked, I asked, “How much do you have to raise?” do it, l will give you one percent.” I saw The answer: $1.5 million. $15,000 flash in front of my eyes.

What I didn’t know until after I finally volunteered was that the board I exclaimed, “Oh, no, Will, now I have to had previously done a feasibility study and was told that we could raise $1 do it.” million, maybe, one and a half million dollars. Interesting that’s the amount In the great scheme of things, when they said we had to raise. I made the first mistake (laughing) by telling the building a hospital, $15,000 isn’t CEO I would think about it. That was the wrong thing to say … lets the door much, but when you have nothing wide open to being pushed through to a “yes” answer. and you’re offered $15,000, it’s I was working for a trade show company and left the next day for Atlanta. huge.

I told Mr. Murray when I got back I would give him an answer. My family Suddenly, I realized I had my said, “No, you are too busy.” My friends thought I was too busy, and I thought answer. Unless God wrote it on so, too. the wall, could the guidance I am a person of faith and I prayed about it, asked for guidance and direcI had prayed for been made tion on what to do. any clearer? Interesting Off I went off to Atlanta for a week, was busy there and really didn’t to note, Will Little didn’t think about it. Actually, I had completely forgotten about it until I was on know anyone in Fulton the plane coming back home. I suddenly remembered, “Oh my, I told him I County except Freda

W

Helen Overly 30

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

Raker and me. It really was a gift to us to encourage me. I add, Will Little had worked with me in Chicago where I had a leadership position at the Chicago Gift Show. Thus, he believed I could do the job.

Soon after I said yes, the amount needed for the building project jumped to three million dollars and it didn’t stop there -- the target kept moving up and finally landed at 7 million dollars. That was until the Specialty Clinic was to be added and another million was raised.

I had a wonderful, hardworking small committee (team) that touched people with very big, giving hearts that made it possible to meet the goal and build a wonderful facility.

Yet, I knew nothing about fundraising. I read everything about it, talked to anyone with even a small amount of experience and was determined to meet, probably exceed, the goal. We needed support from every part of the county and our little committee needed to know friends and neighbors who they could contact. Marge Taylor was a fundraiser, who gave me a lot of information and introduced me to Paula Callery, who gave of her time and talent to teach me a few things.

Apples and Oversized Clothes We sold apples in a bucket at the Fulton Fall Folk Festival (which she created) for $10 a pop. We sold 50 buckets. We thought that was a big deal.

We had a clothing exchange business for a year that netted us $9,100. I started Weight Watchers in Fulton County, and a lot of women were losing weight so they were getting rid of their oversized clothing (laughs). But when you’re staring at a $7 million goal, selling apples and clothing isn’t the fast track (she laughs) to raising millions. How many people could we find for large gifts – I’m talking $50,000 and up? I really hated to ask for money (I know that’s hard to believe, she says laughing), but now how would I be bold enough to ask for $50,000, $100,000 and more?

The first thing we needed was a sign in the field with the wording: Future Home of Fulton County Medical Center. That was so important because there were quite a few naysayers who didn’t believe we needed a new facility, or didn’t believe we could raise the funds.

I received a call one day from an individual who wanted to donate one million dollars. Wow, one million dollars! Hold on, his buddies found out about his financial commitment and convinced him to pull the offer off the table. I decided it was time to put on my sales hat and visit him. Actually, it was a few visits with our CEO, and with the help of his sister he was persuaded to donate the one million dollars. That man was John Shimer, and I’m grateful to him and his sister, Catherine “Tat” Shimer.

There are so many stories and relationships that were built over the years. Keep in mind, we didn’t have a Foundation at the time. We did everything on the fly. There was talk about establishing a Foundation. Julia Elvey (Dovey) helped formulate some of the early fundraisers. Then along came Cheryl Brown, a development and fundraising expert who really laid the groundwork for the creation of the Foundation.

Now, the Foundation – in its 12th year – plays a vital role in supporting the Medical Center. What a great team we have in place at the Foundation, along with the Foundation Board.

Just look at all the cars and the people walking in and out of this facility.

(She pauses, and tears stream down her face).

What am I the most proud of (as she repeats the question)?

I am most proud of the people and the way they rallied around our vision for a new hospital. As always, when there is a big mountain to climb, there are the usual percentage of doubters. We had those, BUT we also had a bigger percentage of believers, and we stand on the shoulders of those believers and their big hearts. Without the big hearts of the people, we would have never made it. ■ FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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Hargett is blessed with “67 Grandparents” at FCMC’s LTC

E

ach day block on the activity schedule for secured by the FCMC Foundation through the the month is filled. The events include Pennsylvania Department of Health and Human Sunday morning church services each Services in 2016. Around March, the residents week with Pastor Dick Bernhard, an outing to are busily planting various flower and vegetable the Family Dollar Tree, “styles and smiles” hair seeds. It takes many of them back to a time when appointments and, of course, bingo. they were active in their gardens. And there are Elisha Hargett smiles, greets a few residents no limitations in the greenhouse. Whether a with simple, yet affectionate shoulder taps as she resident is wheelchair bound or has limited limb maneuvers her way past them. She is checking on mobility, they can still dig in the dirt. them as they exercise, led by 101-year old Evelyn “Mom enjoys the greenhouse because she Reeder. You read that right: a 101-year old leading always had a lot of flowers at home,” said Marty the exercise class.

Brown, whose 96-year-old mother Laverne has Some call Elisha out by name, while others get been a resident for the past two years. “She enjoys her attention with simple eye contact.

Pastor Bernhard’s services and even played the Elisha makes time for them all as she is in her piano for them a few times. The trips to see the 13th year as the Activity Director.

Christmas lights, fishing in Mercersburg … she She says, “I am blessed with 67 grandparents.” loves it, and, of course, bingo. Win bingo, get a That is the number of residents in the Long Term candy bar – that’s a good day.”

Care Facility at Fulton County Medical Center. “I “We want them to have a feeling of purpose,” love their generation and the stories they share. says Elisha.

I love reminiscing with them. We can learn a lot “Elisha does a wonderful job with the residents Elisha Hargett with patient Mary Hanks. from them just by listening to their wonderful and their activities,” says Jocelyn Goodman, whose journeys.” mother Geraldine Palmer has been a resident for over two years. “The staff is The Makings of a Schedule pleasant and qualified. They take pride in their work. To be quite honest, this Each month Elisha and the residents come together to discuss and plan is the only nursing home we had in mind for mother. Family and friends are ahead for future events as part of a residents’ council meeting. just a short distance away and we know she is getting great care.”

“We want their input because this is their home,” says Elisha. “We focus One thing Elisha does not get accustomed to is the passing of a resident. on categories such as social, spiritual, educational, exercise (both mind and She knows it’s inevitable, yet painful. She lost 10 “grandparents” in January of body), craft, baking, musical, reminiscing, something that’s purposeful and this year. “They deserve love and respect each day,” says Elisha, tearing up. “I something that’s new. Most, if not all, of the residents have been raised in a see them in their golden years. When I go to their (memorial) service, many rural culture with ties to agriculture, so we try to incorporate family, faith and times I see them as a different person because their friends and family will farming into our activities and programming as well.” bring out things they may have done earlier in their lives that we didn’t know When it comes to off-campus outings, there are many resident variables about.” to consider: their transfer status, diets, and duration of the trip. They have Tablets, cell phones and Facebook a wide variety of trips so all residents can participate. A baseball game in Elisha laughs when she circles around to something she said earlier about Altoona may only accommodate a few of the residents, while an excursion knowing the resident population. around McConnellsburg with an ice cream stop would include more resi “We have a resident with a cell phone, a few have (computer) tablets and dents. Other annual excursions include a fishing trip and picnic to Mercerswe have one resident on Facebook,” laughs Elisha. “We were in an activity burg, various parades in and around the community, high school musicals, one day and we heard this noise coming from a resident. It was her celland shopping at nearby stores. The FCMC Auxiliary raised the money for the phone ringtone. So while we think they don’t know much about technology, special needs passenger van in 2010. we also can’t be fooled into thinking they don’t know much about it because Hargett “loves her job” more of them are learning.”

“We have to know our resident population and their capabilities,” says Home Away from Home Elisha, noting for example fall risk patients and the planning that she and On this given day, she helps a resident kick a ball by repositioning his leg. her staff do to assist them in and out of their rooms to other rooms. “I started She takes time to visit resident Evelyn Lester in her room and is readying for at Fulton County Medical Center as an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Dr. Seuss Day. Elisha says her staff - Amber Nilson, Shiane Pittman (full-time the old facility. When we moved to the new campus, I became the Activities recreational therapists) and Pam Suders (part-time activity assistant) try their Director. Having been in the therapist’s role, I could see the residents’ abilities best to accommodate the needs for each resident. rather than focus on their disabilities. We find the positives of each of our “This is their home and we, including the volunteers, must respect their residents.” home,” says Elisha. “We knock before we enter their room, we offer them a One of the on-campus activities that is popular with the residents is variety of activities and make it the best experience for them as their home working in the greenhouse. The greenhouse was made possible from a grant away from home.” ■ 32

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

Long Term Care is home away from home for the residents

J

ust as Dr. MacKinlay saw Fulton County’s need for a hospital to be built in the 1950s, a similar need arose to take care of the aged population in the early 1970s.

Shortly before Christmas 1976, FCMC opened its extended care wing of the hospital. Nineteen residents made FCMC their home permanently.

Nine of the 19 residents came from the former Decker Nursing Home.

One year later, FCMC opened an intermediate care unit. FCMC could now offer three levels of care: acute care, intermediate care and skilled care. This would eventually make up the 57 beds that FCMC maintained until 2007 when it moved to the current facility and added an additional 10 beds for individuals needing long term care.

Today, FCMC Long Term Care is very much a vital part of the organization. Health care has dramatically changed since 1970 when the LTC unit was built; however, the quality of care, coupled with the family-like atmosphere, has remained unchanged. The FCMC nursing home has received a four-star rating out of a possible five stars from Medicare.gov for several years.

Decker’s provided early care Herman and Ethel Decker owned the only nursing home in Fulton County prior to FCMC opening its own version in 1976. Their daughter, Huldah Decker Bain, was an RN at the facility and later was part owner/administrator.

Delores Christian pulled double duty at both FCMC and Decker’s as an LPN. “Decker’s was ahead of their time with wheelchair lifts, shower accommodations and common room space,” said Christian. “Very family oriented. I know when they gave up the business because of increased state regulations and requirements, Mrs. Decker was sad because she was there every day with the residents.”

Cathy Piper worked at Decker’s for three years as an LPN. “It was a family-friendly environment with delicious homecooked meals,” rememCathy Piper bered Piper, who has

“Now that we had residents, they were there to stay.

I love the residents. I always have and always will.”

– Cathy Piper worked at FCMC for 42 years, primarily in the Long Term Care area. “The Decker’s staff helped with everything because we had a small staff.

At night, we had one LPN and two nurse’s aides.

During the day, we had one LPN and one RN and possibly a few nurse’s aides.”

Carol Buterbaugh, who is semi-retired at FCMC, has 43 years of experience as a certified nursing assistant. She went to work at Decker’s at age 17 as a nurse’s aide.

“There were 33 residents, and I helped bathe, feed and take care of them,” recounted Buterbaugh. “We also had to track down patients who would wander off from time to time. The doors were never locked, and sometimes the residents would go out the door and walk down the road.”

Then...

Buterbaugh said the nursing staff had its hands full when FCMC initially admitted nursing home residents. “It was a small staff, and they did everything from the clinical side in the ER, Acute Care and Maternity Ward, and then they added the Extended Care unit.”

Christian said: “The Medical Center made the residents feel welcomed because Decker’s was very good at resident care. The rooms weren’t too spacious, but the care they received was just as good because many of the nurses and aides also worked at Decker’s.”

“At first, it was different, you could say, because of the amount of people we had to take care of,” said Piper. “As a patient in the Medical Center, they would come and go. Now that we had residents, they were there to stay. I love the residents. I always have and always will.” …And Now Andrew Diehl, Nursing Home Administrator

(NHA) for the past 2 ½ years, said: “The number one priority as the NHA is to ensure the residents feel safe and that they are happy. You know this is occurring when they are happy to call this home and voice very few Andrew Diehl concerns in regard to the care they receive. I extend this same philosophy to their family members, as well. At the end of the day, we want the residents’ families to feel comfortable in knowing that their loved ones are receiving good care. The third part is staff satisfaction. It’s important that the staff know they are supported and appreciated, so that they continue to be helpful to one another and provide great care to the residents and their families.”

David Lippert, whose wife, Mona, entered LTC earlier this year said: “The staff is very courteous, very professional, and their attention to detail is impressive. I visit Mona twice a day. When I leave, I have peace of mind that she is being well taken care of.”

Diehl said FCMC is special because “we are blessed with a beautiful facility. Any time you give someone a tour of our facility, they are very complimentary of the overall appearance and cleanliness. What truly makes this place special, though, is our staff. I get compliments all the time on the way our staff treat the residents and their families. Each resident becomes like family to all of us, and I see that type of care given each and every day. I’m truly proud to work with this team of people.”

Marty Brown, whose mother, Laverne, has been a resident for the past two years, said: “She had been hospitalized at the Medical Center, and

FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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we talked about her future. She said she’d like to stay at Fulton County Medical Center because the people have treated her very well. I know a lot of folks and they are very friendly. They gave her a tour of Long Term Care, let her look at a few room choices and made her feel at home. I was especially pleased with the staff making her feel welcomed. The care has been very good, staff has been very professional and everyone has been diligent in keeping us updated.�

Diehl said: “We have worked hard over the last several years to increase resident and family satisfaction. We make sure residents and their families have a way to have their voices heard. We have implemented weekly meetings with the residents and quarterly meetings with the families to ensure we are meeting their expectations and addressing areas where we are not. We have also dedicated several committees in addressing resident care and resident safety issues. Measures are in place to reduce falls, skin injuries and medication errors, as well as address other quality measures to increase the quality of life in our nursing home. Also, we have made an effort to retain the great staff we have by finding ways to boost morale and recognize employees for doing a great job.� ■These stories were written before the COVID-19 crisis. We are pleased to report that FCMC’s response and procedures to protect the Long Term Care residents and staff exceeded those of other nursing homes in the state, according the PA State Department of Health after its surprise inspection. While we know the residents greatly miss the interpersonal communication from their family and friends, the staff has made daily accommodations for them to communicate with their loved ones through the use of cell phones, tablets and computers.

Thanks to the entire Medical Center team for their cooperation with the extraordinary processes that are in place to maintain a safe and clean Medical Center.

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FULTON COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

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OUR MEDICAL STAFF

Congratulates 70

th

Kalim Ahmed MD David Albright, MD Johny Alencherry MD Mindy Barnhart CRNP Megan Barnett PA-C Elliott Bilofsky DO Mark Boland DO, FACOS Joanna Brady MD Christine Brocious CRNP Billie Brown, CRNP Patrick Browning CRNA Gerald Celestine MD Oliver Chen MD Carrie Claycomb PA-C Christina Collins MD Shamin Dada MD Pajman Danai MD Nicole DeBolt DO Carrie Deshong PA-C Kimberly Dodson CRNP Michael Donahoe MD Chase Duckwall PA-C Megan Earley CRNP Vicki Ellis MD Matthew Espenshade DO Stephen Facchina MD

Shannon Fegan PA-C John Filigenzi MD John Goldman MD Victoria Gonsorick, DO Elizabeth Gotwals MSW Adam Grahn DPM Brandy Grahn DPM Todd Harrison DPM Michael Hilden MD Stephen Hoffman DO Mansoor Husain MD Albert Iguchi MD Shaheen Iqbal MD Viswanathan Iyer MD Mehrullah Khan MD Imtiaz Khurshid MD Taik-Kun Kim MD Tessa Knisely AuD Charmaine Kovacs CRNA Joey Lane OD Jeffrey Mandak MD Paul Marinelli MD Janelle Martin MD Sharon Martin MD PhD David Marx, MD Nuncio Massara, DO

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Fulton County Medical Center

A N N IV E R S A

Robert Mazzei DO Kevin McCarthy MD Toby McCarty CRNA Merrill McKenzie MD Scott Miekley DO Gary Mire MD Troy Moritz DO Christopher Moyer DO Narasim Murthy MD John Newby MD Tung Nguyen, DO Michael O’Donoghue Jr. MD Paul Orange, MD Cher Oswant, AuD Susan Parr Au.D Dustin Pine PA Edward Podczaski MD Jose Prudencio MD Bapurao Pulivarti MD John Quinlan DO Karl Riggle MD John Rogers MD William Schwab OD Steven Schwartz DPM Kayla Sholes PA-C Joshua Similuk MD

Frank Simone MD Nathan Sipes CRNA Rita Sipes CRNP Scott Slocum CRNA Gregory Smith DPM Albert Sohnen, DMD Douglas Stern DO Katlyn Stern PA-C Melody Stouder DPM Cornelius Strait CRNP Parineetha Thangada MD Amber Thomas PA-C Yong Tang MD Tunde Tijani MD Alan Updegrove MD Steve Um, MD Trung Vu MD Gregory Willis DO Alex Wurm MD William Yeaman DPM Neil Yoder DO May Christine Zeta MD Gregory Zimmerman MD

70 YEARS OF CONTINUOUSLY IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY