Hamot and Regional Partner With Grant For Patient Care

Erie, Pa. - In just a few short months, significant progress has been made in providing greater access to advanced medical care to three regional hospitals thanks to a federal grant awarded to Hamot Medical Center in September 2010.

Former U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper presented Hamot with the $99,000 Health and Human Services grant in mid-September, a grant for which Hamot applied with Charles Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport, Elk Regional Health Center in St. Marys, Kane Community Hospital in Kane and Bradford Regional Medical Center in Bradford. The grant was requested specifically to help facilitate transportation of critically ill patients.

Equipment caches were ordered and delivered to each of the rural hospitals on Jan. 21, where they will be permanently located. The cache of equipment includes a portable ventilator, a wireless device to monitor vital signs and a state-of-the-art portable IV pump. Each of the hospitals received this cache of equipment so EMS units can borrow them from the regional hospital directly, which will help decrease the delay times when transferring patients. Currently, the transfer of critically ill patients from the rural hospitals can be significantly delayed as a result of several factors. The availability of this equipment will help eliminate that.

“The purchase of this equipment will help put an end to critically-ill patients having to wait for a hospital transfer,” Rep. Dahlkemper said. “This equipment will save lives because it will give Hamot doctors the chance to provide the best care possible, as fast as possible. This grant is a great benefit for our rural communities.”

Hamot Medical Center officials said that adding the equipment to rural hospitals will begin to reduce health care disparities in rural areas, improve hospital efficiencies and save lives.

“This grant, due to Rep. Dahlkemper’s leadership, supports our philosophy of local care and provides patients with better access to advanced medical care when it is needed. It is providing essential medical equipment that is needed onsite to stabilize the patient and if necessary, transfer them to a higher level of care,” said Val Jackson, the regional director of the Hamot Heart Institute.

"Thanks to Rep. Dahlkemper’s leadership and our partnership with Hamot, Elk Regional has been able to take a very big step toward eliminating the delay in hospital transfers for critically ill patients,” said Gregory P. Bauer, the president and CEO of Elk Regional Health Center. “This equipment is going to save lives by offering critically ill patients in our rural region greater access to advanced medical care.”

J. Gary Rhodes, a Vice President of Hamot Health Foundation and the CEO of Kane Community Hospital noted, “We're happy about this grant and once again, through our partnership with Hamot Medical Center, we're seeing the excellent benefits of that affiliation.”
David Kobis, the Chief Operating Officer at Bradford Regional Medical Center, said he is excited about what the grant will mean for patients who live in his community.
“This grant will allow Bradford to secure an autoventitalor and IV pump that will expedite the transfer and treatment of acutely ill patients. This additional equipment will enable the hospital to enhance our service levels and quality of care to patients throughout the Bradford region,” he said.
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