Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC), a member of Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS), posted a surplus of $2,078,035 in 2014. The announcement was part of Wednesday’s presentation at the Bradford Club by Timothy J. Finan, President and CEO of BRMC and Upper Allegheny Health System, before an audience of more than 100 community members at the hospital’s Annual Meeting. Finan reported the surplus on hospital revenues of $70,826,456 in 2014. It was the fourth consecutive year BRMC has posted an operating surplus. Finan said the four years of surpluses came after several consecutive years of losses by the hospital prior to the formation of Upper Allegheny Health System. “The formation of Upper Allegheny Health System has provided $4 million of financial benefit annually to our member hospitals,” Finan said in a news release provided to WESB. “Had it not been for the formation of UAHS, our hospitals would no doubt be in a difficult place today.” While pleased with the re...

OLEAN, NY - Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS), parent company of Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center, elected its 2015 Board of Directors Officers at the organization’s annual meeting January 28. Five Board members were re-elected to three-year terms. The new officers include: Board Chair, Brenda McGee, Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration, St. Bonaventure University; Vice Chair, Muhammed Javed, M.D., Nephrologist at Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center; Secretary, Richard Roupe, Chief Financial Officer, Zippo Manufacturing Company; Treasurer, Martin Digel, President and CEO, Hamlin Bank and Trust. These individuals were also elected as Board officers of Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center. Prior to her election as Board Chair, Ms. McGee served as Vice Chair of the UAHS Board of Directors, Olean General Hospital Board of Directors and Bradford Regional Medical Center Board of Directors. ...

Olean General Hospital (OGH) and Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC), member hospitals of Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS), are following the protocols recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the New York State Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The potential for seeing an Ebola patient here in our region is very small, but our first obligation is to protect the public and make any and all preparations. Since early August, all CDC information regarding Ebola has been shared with medical staff and Emergency Department staff, including online educational programs for clinical staff. Since the confirmation of the first Ebola patient in the United States on September 30, hospitals across the country, including OGH and BRMC, have been working closely with public health officials, including CDC, and have been providing important information to physicians and clinical staff. UAHS recognizes that the health threat posed b...

OLEAN, NY -- Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS) has announced the appointment of Gail A. Bagazzoli, BSN, RN, to serve as Vice President of Quality for UAHS and member hospitals Bradford Regional Medical Center and Olean General Hospital. Her responsibilities will include oversight of all aspects of quality management, patient safety, performance improvement, risk management and infection control at both hospitals. Mrs. Bagazzoli has served in numerous capacities at Olean General Hospital for nearly 33 years including Infection Prevention and Control Manager, Emergency Department Nurse Manager, Employee Health and Occupation Wellness Center Manager, Manager of Education and Training, and Manager of Nursing Education. Presently, Mrs. Bagazzoli serves as a board member of the Greater Buffalo Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and currently holds the role of President with the Kathi Ward Foundation Board of Directors. Bagazzoli earned her B...

The Office of Career Services, department of nursing and Student Nurse Organization will hold a Health Career Job Fair next week on campus. Representatives of 15 organizations will be available from 10:30 a.m. to noon Monday, Feb. 10, in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. The fair is open to the public. Attendees should bring copies of their resume and dress in business attire. Attendees can learn about summer and full-time employment, as well as internship and volunteer opportunities. Those expected to participate are Abraxas Youth and Family Services, Charles Cole Memorial Hospital, Community Nurses Inc., Upper Allegheny Health Systems (including Bradford Regional Medical Center, the Pavilion at BRMC and Olean (N.Y.) General Hospital), Elk Regional Health Center, Lakeview Senior Care, Bradford Ecumenical Home Inc., Bradford Manor, DuBois Regional Medical Center, HomeCare & Hospice/Total Senior Care, Pediatric Serv...

Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) and Olean General Hospital (OGH), members of the Upper Allegheny Health System, have successfully incorporated the Modified Early Warning System (MEWS) into their existing Electronic Health Records system. MEWS is a scoring system that provides early warning and recognition to nurses and physicians about patients who are deteriorating physically so that appropriate medical interventions can be taken to help prevent cardiac arrests and other sudden life threatening events. The MEWS system signals nurses and physicians to potential patient problems based on the assignment of an aggregate score based upon a patient’s vital signs. Decision support capability embedded within the two hospitals’ electronic health record systems automatically calculates a MEWS score and signals any need for medical interventions. At OGH and BRMC, a MEWS score is calculated for patients based upon multiple vital signs that include: systolic blood pressure, heart rate,...

OLEAN, NY- Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center re-elected six current board members to new three-year terms of office at the organizations’ annual meeting on January 30, 2013. The six board members will also serve three-year terms as board members of Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS), parent company of the two hospitals. The re-appointed board members include: Daniel McCune, president and CEO of Allegheny Bradford Corporation ; Muhammed Javed, MD, Physician, Bradford Regional Medical Center & Olean General Hospital; Jill Owens, MD, Physician, Bradford Regional Medical Center; Lynda Quick, Assistant Superintendent, Cattaraugus-Allegany BOCES; David Prince, President and CEO, Databranch and Jeannine T. Schoenecker, President and Chief Operating Officer, American Refining Group. Mr. McCune remains Chairman of the Board for both hospitals and UAHS, while Dr. Javed remains Board Secretary for all three organizations. Board members may serve a maximum o...

OLEAN, NY – Olean General Hospital announced today that a careful internal review of hospital insulin pen use raised the possibility that their re-use may have occurred with some patients during the period November 2009 to January 16, 2013. The hospital has not identified a single patient who ever received an insulin injection from another patient’s insulin pen. Hospital officials also emphasized there is no documentation at this time of the transmission of any blood borne infections during the stay of any patient who received insulin from the pens during this period. Nonetheless, hospital officials recommend, as a precautionary measure, that those individuals who received insulin from an insulin pen at Olean General Hospital during the time period be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV. The letter to patients also recommends they be retested for HIV three months after their last insulin pen injection at Olean General Hospital and for hepatitis B and hepati...

Jeff Zewe, RN, MBA, chief nursing officer at Olean General Hospital (OGH) , has been appointed Chief Nursing Officer at Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC). Zewe will continue in his current position as Olean General Hospital’s chief nursing officer and began his new responsibilities at BRMC effective January 1, 2013. After a national search and assessing many external candidates for the CNO position at BRMC, it became clear that Jeff Zewe’s nursing experience and background were superior to that of any other candidates considered for this position,” said Timothy J. Finan, president and CEO of Upper Allegheny Health System, Bradford Regional Medical Center and Olean General Hospital. “By virtue of his work within the Upper Allegheny Health System, Jeff already has an understanding of BRMC and has existing professional relationships with many of the hospital’s nursing managers.” “Jeff Zewe’s depth of knowledge of clinical nursing, nursing education and training and ex...

Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) has finalized a settlement of the claims alleged in the qui tam proceeding brought against the hospital nearly 10 years ago, according to Timothy J. Finan, president and CEO of Bradford Regional Medical Center and Upper Allegheny Health System. “I am pleased this matter is now officially behind us and put to rest,” Mr. Finan said. The lawsuit involved allegations against the hospital and two physicians related to regulations that govern financial relationships between hospitals and physicians. This matter involved circumstances that occurred well before the 2009 integration of Bradford Regional Medical Center with Olean General Hospital and the formation of Upper Allegheny Health System. Mr. Finan said the settlement agreement is neither an admission of liability by BRMC nor a concession by the United States (Department of Justice) that its claims are without basis, and allows BRMC to make settlement payments to the government through 2018. “B...

Daniel McCune, president and CEO of Allegheny Bradford Corp, has been elected chairman of the Upper Allegheny Health System board of directors. McCune was originally appointed to the Bradford Regional Medical Center board of directors in 1999. McCune succeeds David Prince, founder and president of Databranch, Inc., an information technology solutions provider located in Olean, NY. Prince joined the Olean General Hospital board in January 2003, and has served as chairman of the board of directors for Upper Allegheny Health System since its inception in 2009. Other officers elected at the annual meeting of the UAHS board of directors include: Vice Chair, Brenda McGee; senior vice president, finance and administration, St. Bonaventure University Treasurer, Martin Digel; president and CEO, Hamlin Bank and Trust Secretary, Muhammed Javed, MD ; physician, Bradford Regional Medical Center/Olean General Hospital Re-elected to serve on the board of directors during the annual meeting were the...

Psychiatrist, Alexander Welge, M.D. has joined Bradford Regional Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Services (BHS) department. “We are pleased to welcome Dr. Welge to our medical staff,” said William F. Mills, M.D., senior vice president of Quality and Professional Affairs at Upper Allegheny Health System. “He is a well-trained psychiatrist, and has valuable experience in disease management of addictions.” Dr. Welge received his Doctorate in Medicine from Ross University School of Medicine. He earned a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Physiology and Psychology respectively from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Welge completed his Psychiatry Residency at the Mount Sinai Elmhurst Hospital Center. Dr. Welge joins a multidisciplinary treatment team at BRMC that provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services to individuals, with a wide range of mental health and addiction needs. Dr. Welge is skilled in addiction medicine. The Behavioral Health Services department at ...

Jill Owens, M.D. has been elected as an alternate delegate to the American Medical Association House of Delegates by her peers at the Pennsylvania Medical Society during their recently held annual meeting. The AMA House of Delegates is the principal policy making body of the AMA. The forum represents the views and interests of member physicians who meet twice per year. Policy focus is given to health, medical, professional and governance matters, as well as broad principles within the scope of AMA business activities. Over 500 voting delegates serve alongside a corresponding number of alternate delegates and are selected by the organization they represent. Dr. Owens said she is “excited by the opportunity to serve the American Medical Association in shaping the direction of health care in the future.” Dr. Owens has served as the McKean County delegate to the Pennsylvania Medical Society since 2001. In addition, she served as the Pennsylvania Young Physician Section Delegate to the AMA...

By demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for health care quality and safety, Olean General Hospital has earned a three-year accreditation. The Joint Commission recently conducted an unannounced five-day, on-site evaluation of Olean General Hospital’s compliance with numerous quality and patient safety standards. The accreditation award recognizes Olean General’s compliance with The Joint Commission on a continual basis. Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission is dedicated to continuously improving the safety and quality of the nation's health care through voluntary accreditation. "Above all, the national standards are intended to stimulate continuous, systematic and organization-wide improvement in an organization's performance and the outcomes of care," said Mark Pelletier, R.N., M.S., executive director of The Joint Commission’s Hospital Programs for Accreditation and Certification Services. "The community should be proud Ol...

Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) recently launched a program to treat patients with chronic breathing problems. The new pulmonary rehabilitation program is designed to treat and reduce systems associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said hospital officials. COPD refers to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of commonly co-existing diseases of the lung in which the airways become narrowed. This narrowing leads to a limitation of air flowing to and from the lungs, which causes shortness of breath. COPD is the leading cause of death, illness and disability in the country. Tobacco is a key factor in the development and progression of COPD, but asthma, exposure to air pollutants in the home and workplace, genetic factors and respiratory infections also play a role. Patients participating in pulmonary rehabilitation will undergo three one-hour sessions per week for 12 weeks, with one-on-one guidance by trained clinical staff. The sessions provide for muscle ...

By George Nianiatus, senior writer/media manager Marketing and Communications Department Upper Allegheny Health System Chest discomfort may not always be an indication someone is suffering a heart attack but those patients have still been getting prompt diagnosis and treatment at Olean General Hospital’s Chest Pain Center. More than 90 percent of the nearly 250 patients admitted to the Chest Pain Center were diagnosed, discharged in less than 24 hours with appropriate treatment and instructions without having to undergo needless testing. A year ago the idea for a Chest Pain Center was introduced by Timothy J. Finan, President and CEO of Olean General Hospital and parent company Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS), and William Mills, M.D., Senior Vice President of Quality and Professional Affairs at UAHS. They wanted to establish a state-of-the-art service to patients entering the Emergency Department with chest pain. The Center is for patients whose medical evaluations do not indicate...

By George Nianiatus Senior writer/media manager Marketing and Communications Department Upper Allegheny Health System Bradford Regional Medical Center’s (BRMC’s) McKean County Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) & Hospice has been named by the Pennsylvania Homecare Association as the winner of its first-ever 2010 Best Practices in Homecare and Hospice Award. A committee of state officials and healthcare experts selected McKean County VNA & Hospice for its initiatives to reduce avoidable hospitalizations. The VNA received the distinction during an awards ceremony attended by more than 200 peers and state officials at the PHA annual conference in Harrisburg on May 13, 2010. The McKean County VNA is the home health organization operated by BRMC. The Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) represents home health, hospice and personal care providers across the state. “This Best Practice award for the McKean County VNA is very significant because it represents collaborative efforts amo...

By George Nianiatus, senior writer/media manager Marketing and Communications Department Upper Allegheny Health System Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) has just installed a new 32-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner which provides more detailed images in less time with a lower radiation dose. This week BRMC’s Diagnostic Imaging Services started performing CT scans with its Lightspeed VCT Select from GE Healthcare, said hospital officials. BRMC obtained the Lightspeed VCT Select for three key reasons. “The new CT unit provides better reliability and image quality,” said Tim Brown, BRMC’s Director of Clinical Ancillary Services. Secondly, “It also has the ability of scanning a larger area with a single rotation, cutting down on time and, more importantly, radiation dose,” he said. “This CT scanner has dose-limiting and control software called Opidose, which reduces radiation to the patient. This enables us to perform better peripheral vascular angiography procedures.” Lastly, “...

By George Nianiatus, senior writer/media manager Marketing and Communications Department Upper Allegheny Health System State-of-the-art beds which enhance patient safety and comfort have arrived in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) and the Obstetrics/Gynecology Unit (OB/GYN) at Bradford Regional Medical Center. The hospital also has added new pressure-relieving patient mattresses for the Medical/Surgical Unit and acquired six stretchers for the Emergency Department. “These new beds and mattresses will enhance the safety and comfort of our patients,” said Deborah Price, Bradford Regional’s Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “Technology has changed dramatically over the years and these new products will ensure BRMC keeps pace with national best patient care practices. These acquisitions will also help our staff do their jobs more effectively.” The five CCU beds, made by Hill-Rom Co., provide the ability to maintain protocol compliance to help prevent...

Olean General Hospital’s Gundah Dental Center and Bradford Regional Medical Center’s McKean County Dental Center announce the addition of Joseph DiDonato III, D.D.S. Dr. DiDonato will split his time by working two days at each dental center, said Gregory McCraith, D.D.S., Chief of Dental Medicine at Olean General’s Gundlah Dental Center and Bradford Regional’s McKean County Dental Center. The addition of Dr. DiDonato will allow each dental center to expand access to patients in the region. Dr. DiDonato is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry and earned his doctorate in dental surgery from New York University’s School of Dentistry. He has operated a dental practice in Rochester since 1982, and also served as a clinical instructor in the Eastman Department of Dentistry at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. DiDonato is a former president of the New York State Academy of General Dentistry. “Dr. DiDonato comes highly recommended to Olean General Hosp...