Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

(News Release) The Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is asking community members to go online and vote for a proposed project that is competing against other semi-finalists for a $100,000 grant. The grant is one of three being offered by the Pitt Innovation Challenge (PINCH) for projects that “empower individuals to take control of their own health outcomes.” The center has taken advantage of the grant opportunity to pursue something the staff has been thinking about for a while, said Dr. Lisa Fiorentino, director of the center. The center’s Blazing New Trails proposal is to build on an existing smartphone application created by Pitt-Bradford students to enhance the experience of walking on the Tuna Valley Trail Association’s Richard E. McDowell Community Trail and the Community Parks Trail. Anyone can help support the Blazing New Trails program by taking part in the People's Choice voting for the cha...

Dr. Lisa Fiorentino, associate professor of nursing, has been named the director for the Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, which will enable the center and the nursing program to collaborate on projects. She succeeds Dr. Youmasa Siewe, who left the position for health reasons. Fiorentino, who also serves as director of the nursing and radiological sciences programs at Pitt-Bradford, will continue in those roles and to teach nursing. Her dual roles in the nursing programs on campus and with the center will allow both programs to work more closely with each other. For example, this spring a nursing student will be assisting with research for the Northwest Pennsylvania Adolescent Alcohol Research Cooperative, which is conducting research into rural adolescent drinking patterns. “There are so many opportunities here for collaboration,” Fiorentino said. “I really enjoy the challenge. This is a great model of ...

The Center for Rural Health Practice’s WalkWorks program wrapped up this month, but leaves designated walking trails and a core group of walkers. The program was administered by the center at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. When WalkWorks kicked off in Bradford, Kane, Port Allegany and Smethport last year, more than 120 participants in nine walking groups registered; 50 participants have stayed with the program, logging a total of 4,035 hours of walking. Support from local governments allowed the designation of four existing community walkways with WalkWorks signs and stencils that can continue to be used in communities. Claudia Caminite, project coordinator, worked with borough managers and other local officials to identify flat, accessible walking paths. In Bradford, the Richard E. McDowell Community Trail is the designated walkway. The 1.8-mile Kane route circles Evergreen Park and also inclu...

The Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has used grant money to purchase recreation equipment that can be “checked out” by citizens in Bradford, Smethport and Coudersport. The center used a $2,963 mini grant from the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to purchase two 26-inch bicycles with helmets and two sets of snow shoes with poles for each location. Citizens can “check out” the equipment for free for seven days at a time no more than two times a month by bringing their driver’s license to one of the locations. In Bradford, the equipment can be checked out from the Bradford Family YMCA. In Smethport, the site is Costa’s Ace Hardware Store, and in Coudersport, it is the Charles Cole Wellness Center. Pedometers and walking logs will also be distributed to communities as part of the center’s WalkWorks program this summer. For more information on Get Active or Walk...

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will hold a free workshop May 25 for educators and health professionals who work with autistic children. “Interfacing with Special Populations: Autism” will take place from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 25 in the Mukaiyama University Room in the Frame-Westerberg Commons on campus. A free continental breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m. Participants will have the opportunity to earn continuing education credits for certified health education specialist, continuing health education, social work and Pennsylvania board of nursing certifications. The workshop is co-sponsored by the Center for Rural Health Practice and the Pennsylvania Public Health Training Center and is designed specifically for educators and community health center staff. Topics include autism spectrum disorder characteristics, prevalence, etiology, assessment and intervention. Participants will learn strategies to provide effective care for individuals with autism spectrum disorders through pr...

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing University of Pittsburgh at Bradford The University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Family Medicine working in partnership with the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Center for Rural Health Practice, has received a $1 million collaborative grant to bring medical students to the region. Third-year and fourth-year medical students from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will begin arriving for four-week rotations beginning in May, working with Jill Owens, M.D., and Robert C. Guadagno, M.D. The five-year grant came from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration, which promotes better access to healthcare for patients who are isolated. The grant began last year and will continue through 2015. Doctors at Pitt Medical School wanted to expose their students to a rotation in rural health care, in the hopes that ...

The Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has received a $175,000 grant to train public health employees in nine counties. The grant will be paid over five years to train the public health workforce across the north central portion of the state -- including school nurses, county health department staff and state health improvement partners on topics of public health and safety. “Issues that could affect the health of many individuals within our target counties will be identified, prioritized and addressed from a prevention and intervention perspective through education, said Dr. Youmasu Siewe, director of the Center for Rural Health Practice. The grant will be used to hire a part-time staff member to coordinate the program and train workers, and also support a paid student worker. The coordinator will be trained before beginning to train workers in the target counties of McKean, Warren, Potter, For...

The Center for Rural Health Practice at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has received a $15,700 grant to identify walking routes including trails in McKean County. The grant will fund a program called “WalkWorks,” which will identify and promote walking routes in four communities: Bradford, Kane, Port Allegany and Smethport. “The overall goal is to increase physical activity for young people and adults through community-based walking programs, reap the benefits of physical activity and improve the overall health of our communities,” said Dr. Youmasu Siewe, director of the center. The walkways must be no more than two miles long and accessible to the community. The project will be ongoing through February 2012 and will allow the center to hire a part-time coordinator to administer the grant. The grant is part of a larger grant awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and the Pennsylvania Department of Health to the Pitt Graduate ...