Marie Droege addresses guests during an affiliation ceremony held Wednesday.
Dr. Joseph Scopelliti addresses guests during an affiliation ceremony held Wednesday.
John Schoonover addresses guests during an affiliation ceremony held Wednesday.
Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital – working together for the health of the community.
Natalie Smart, right, watches as board members come up to sign the banner.
Pictured is the board of directors. From left, are Jim Parks, Peter Broderick, Eric Rowe, Margarite Shaner, William Rohrbach, Ray DePaola, Jody Place, John Schoonover, Hank Dunn, Marie Droege, Leo Lambert and Joseph Scopelliti.
The first of April began with a beautiful sunrise. It was a sign of the change in the air – spring was so close you could feel it; even taste it.
A few hours after sunrise, at Memorial Hospital in Towanda, there was also a change in the air. Officially at 12:01 a.m. on April 1, Memorial Hospital and Guthrie came together as one. At 10 a.m. on that beautiful sunny morning, hospital and Guthrie officials presided over the official affiliation ceremony, which took place in the hospital’s personal care home.
In 1925 Memorial Hospital in Towanda first opened on South Main Street as the Mills Maternity and Convalescent Home. In 1959 it became Memorial Hospital, Inc. of Towanda and moved to its present location at 91 Hospital Drive. After years of changes and improvements for its community, on April 16, 2014, it announced the signing of an Affiliation Agreement with Guthrie in Sayre, which led to the official affiliation on April 1, almost one year later.
Health care reform throughout our country has resulted in small community hospitals finding it increasingly difficult to remain independent. This has led to an affiliation with larger health care systems, which allow them to remain in the community and continue to give the excellent patient care they have always given.
Dr. Joseph Scopelliti, Guthrie’s chief executive officer, opened the ceremony remarks with an emphasis that healthcare systems need to be combined for the good of the community.
John Schoonover, hospital chairman of the board, thanked the board of directors and recognized their hard work for many months working on the affiliation. He emphasized that each part of the process of affiliation was voted on unanimously for this change. He thanked Guthrie for being so appealing.
“We will be able to offer quality health care close to home,” said Schoonover. “Patients at our hospital will receive the excellent care which they have grown to expect, and will now also be able to access a wider range of services through one coordinated care system.”
“I am excited about the skills Towanda Memorial will be bringing to our system,” added Marie Droege, Guthrie Executive vice president of Hospital and Post-Acute Care.
At the official affiliation ceremony Towanda Memorial Hospital became part of the Guthrie Clinic and has been renamed Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital.
William Rohrbach, the new president of Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital emphasized that the hospital will be able to retain its identity, even after the changes of affiliation.
“This decision to affiliate comes during a time in our country when rural community hospitals are under increasing pressure,” said Rohrbach. “Guthrie has a long tradition of supporting and respecting the role of community hospitals and their critical mission in keeping communities healthy. We are pleased that Guthrie Towanda Memorial Hospital will join a health network that places such value on the local, patient-focused care that our community values.”
“Guthrie has been extremely sensitive in understanding how this integration process affects everyone here, including employees, patients, board of trustees, physicians and staff, our donors, and our community members, as a whole,” said Patty Dawsey. “During this process we have moved forward together.”
Lynn Dibble, vice president of Patient Care Services, felt the affiliation was the best way to join forces. She emphasized that they will be able to provide additional services. She was referring to specialized hand surgery and additional pain management.
“Healthcare reform – the whole changing of healthcare industry – is changing,” said Dibble. “It’s leading us to integrate or affiliate. I truly believe it will provide a better integrated healthcare system for our community.”
As part of the affiliation ceremony, hospital board of directors came up to add their signatures to the banner that will remain on display at the hospital. This banner has been signed by at least 200 staff members from different departments symbolizing the carrying of medicine forward together – Guthrie and Memorial together as one.
Communications Coordinator Natalie Smart summed it up by saying, “The message is that we’re all working together for the health of the community.”
