A34-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 9,2001 Rural Health Workers (Continued from Page A 1) fanners with disabilities. Val Schott, president-elect of the National Rural Health Asso ciation, said that advocacy for improving rural health care is not a matter of asking for hand outs, but for rural communities to receive “equitable” access to medical attention, similar to that offered in urban areas. “Equity is what we’re asking for,” Schott said. Equity does not mean a down sized version of the urban system, he said, but one that meets the unique needs of rural people. Schott pointed out the large contribution the health field makes to rural economies, citing a nationwide survey that showed 10 to 15 percent of all employees in rural areas work in the health field. Furthermore, since their sala ries arc higher than average, health care workers in rural communities receive 15 to 20 percent of the total income in those areas. Nevertheless, according to Schott, much still needs to be done to increase the supply of medical workers in many sparsely populated regions. “One of the saddest things we see is people who grew up in a rural community who have to leave because they don’t have health care,” he said. One obstacle to hiring doctors MRI - At Affordable Rates $475.00-J LEBANON ’JuM — Most Insurances Accepted • New state-of-the-art Open MRI • Most experienced Radiologists in the area • Friendly professional staff • Reports to your doctor' • We accept $475.00 cash'( for a normal study, incl It's Worth The Drive Val Schott, president elect of the National Rural Health Association, ad dresses rural health care providers from across Pennsylvania. The medical field makes an enormous contribution to rural econo mies, he said. and nurses in rural areas is that they need to be able to handle many different kinds of cases. But it is those highly skilled in one field of medicine who receive the largest salaries and are in demand in the cities. As “generalists” in low population areas, rural doctors and nurses tend to be well known figures in the commu nity. “It takes a special type of person,” Schott said. 1033 Quentin Road Lebanon, PA 17042 717-228-2600 800-298-1558 Call 8 AM - 5 PM M-F Dr. Neil Ellison of the Geisinger Medical Center explains a new palliative medicine program that pairs kids with older pa tients to help improve their quality of life. Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, said that Pennsylvania has the highest rural population of any state in the country. While rural hospitals tend to provide a “more personalized type of care,” nurses and physi cian’s assistants are often called on to do doctor’s work, she said. One inititative of the NRHA in Pennsylvania is the Medicare rural hospital flexibility pro gram, which provides cost-share assistance to hospitals that have no more than 15 acute care beds. Schott said that the one of the services the program offers is easier referral to larger facilities in the region that perform spe cialized procedures, such as heart surgery. AgrAbility Program One program aimed at help ing Pennsylvania farmers with FREE Report Reveals the Facts you Should Know About Selling Timber! Are you a Private Land Owner in PA who owns 10 acres or more of woodland 9 It YES, you are eligible for the FREE REPORT: “15 Secrets Revealed That Will GUARANTEE a Successful Timber Sale!” and a FREE, No Obligation Consultation from Timber Leads. II you are thinking about selling your standing timber - DON’T - until you read this free limber sales report that could be worth thousands of dollars to you l For your tree report or to schedule your free consultation, call Timber Leads, m Juniata County, toll-free 1-877-386-7695. 4 *1 - m- ’ * HAMMER MILLS for Grinding High Moisture & Dry Grains Grinds Finer than Roller Milist *■» m j dm f f C v l'rilUl'll/r BUTtIPB WE Vll STyM mluW vIAwTuSiE • Palnted, StllnsSs§teel v Fabrication, Feedßlns, FSSdSrs* ■" Covers, Dump Pits, Augers, sod Control systems toAutoroate YourOpera* l^ disabilities is the AgrAbility pro gram. A statewide project with USDA backing, AgrAbility pro vides resources to individuals who want to continue fanning but are struggling with a physi cal or mental handicap. Services provided by the pro gram include on-farm visits by rehabilitation personnel, infor mation on assistive technology and modifications (such as adapting tractors to make them easier to mount and operate), and identifying possible funding sources to help farmers afford modifications. According to PDA extension educator Dr. Connie Baggett, AgrAbility “can’t do all things for all people, but we can make a good start.” Baggett said that a primary goal of the program is to prevent farmers from doing further harm to themselves as they go about their work. AgrAbility services are avail able to hobby farmers as well as to those who farm fulltime. Penn State College of Agricul tural Sciences and Easter Seals are partners in the AgrAbility program. People interested in learning more about AgrAbility should contact project outreach coordinator Linda Fetzer at (814) 863-7868 or e-mail lmfB@psu.edu. Dr. Neil Ellison of the Geis inger Medical Center in Dan ville explained how his palliative automatic farm systems 608 &&&rgre©n Hoad. Lebanon, FA 17042 fhm ttT-1!7%53^ •-rtlalhaf*©rtW.com V ; fir, ■' \r Nearest Dealer! : or Yo, Palliative Medicine Power Washing Painting - Sandblasting Specializing In Farm Buildings, Fences, Roof: Feed Mills, Etc. Aerial Equipment AMOS fish: 5269 Paes Rd„ New Holland, PA 171 717-354-9856 717-951-2527 Mol C '^yc a a%'^ pI9M W\S «es AUGER INSTALLATIONS ✓ In feedlots ✓ Comrne?aa| S,emS Standard Auger Specifications applications ✓ At feedmills or elevators ✓ Around poultry & dairy barns ✓ At your gram bins or bulk tanks ✓ Replacement Augers for feed mixers and farm equipment medicine program strives to help suffering patients achieve maximum quality in life and in death. The palliative medicine ap proach focuses on providing meaningful experiences for pa tients or family members experi encing grief and pain. One key part of the program at Geisinger is pairing up kids with older people for various ac tivities to help create a sense a home for patients. “Many of us at this time have been removed geographically from where are roots are,” Elli son said. Intergenerational ac tivities aim to alleviate the stress this separation can cause. Examples of intergenerational activities are an older person who teaches kids how to make quilts and, reversing roles, kids teaching older people how to use computers. According to Ellison, the sense of purpose created by such activities can actually decrease the need for more conventional medical practices and drug therapies. “I do believe we save money (by using palliative medicine),” he said. Even so, Ellison said it is often hard to convince doctors of the value of palliative medicine, be cause many think they are al ready good at managing pain and death simply because they treat large numbers of termi nally ill patients. 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Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers