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(Honesdale, May 17, 2007)…Two Pennsylvania State Senators, including the Senate Majority Leader, went on a multi-stop tour of Wayne Memorial Hospital (WMH) and fielded questions from WMH staff, board members, community group representatives and the press in the David Katz Conference Center today—all in less than two hours.

      Senator Lisa Baker (R-20th, Wayne/Pike/parts Luzerne/Monroe) and Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9th, Chester/Delaware Counties) visited the new Good Shepherd-Wayne Memorial Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, New Beginnings Birthing Suites and the recently-renovated third-floor Nurses’ Station. They were escorted by Donna Decker, RN/WMH Community Relations and Jack Dennis, WMH Development Manager.

      The two legislators were shown some of WMH’s advanced technology, much of it purchased in part with state or federal financing. Pharmacy Manager Len O’Hara demonstrated one of several new drug-dispensing PYXIS machines, while Rob Brzuchalski, Radiology Manager, showed the two senators how the PACS System works. The latter, funded with tobacco-settlement money, allows digital picture communication—such as digital CT Scan or MRI images—between the hospital and healthcare providers off-site. Mary Lou Eimers, RN, and Virginia Fries, RN, Director of Patient Care Services, explained how New Beginnings’ prenatal monitoring system keeps track of fetal stability.

      The tour started at 2:30pm; by 3pm, the Senators were ready to take questions. Dr. Vincent Tully, who is on the WMH Community Advisory Board, queried the Senators about challenges to retaining doctors in Pennsylvania—“many graduate from our medical schools but few stay to practice”—and about CHIP (Childrens Health Insurance Program).  Both senators expressed concern when Dr. Tully told them the CHIP system is not set up for retroactive reimbursement to hospitals who provide care for a child who registers with the program after a hospital visit.