TyronePA.com

The Tyrone Hospital Development Council has announced that it will hold its annual golf tournament in August.
Funds raised from the event will be donated to Tyrone Hospital to help pay for renovations to departments that are the first point of contact for patients entering the hospital and those that receive care in the emergency room.
The Development Council is the second community group to step forward to offer Tyrone Hospital assistance with the renovation project. The Women’s Club of Tyrone was first to announce that funds generated from a dinner dance they will hold in April will be used to help pay for the renovations. The hospital will need a minimum of $40,000 to complete the project.
Each year the Development Council raises funds to benefit Tyrone Hospital. Like the Women’s Club, in recent years the Council has purchased capital equipment based on needs identified by hospital administration.
“This year we are taking a different approach,” said Randy Miles Sr., Development Council Chairman. “We have decided to align our fund raising goal with that of the Women’s Club, and we will also assist with the planned renovation project. Given the extent of the project and resources needed, it makes sense for us to share that goal.”
Miles said with more than one community group working towards the $40,000 goal, there is more opportunity to meet or exceed the amount needed for the renovation project.
The Development Council’s golf event is its largest annual fund raiser. The Council did not conduct the golf event in 2007 due to Tyrone Hospital’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“We needed to gain an understanding of how the Council would be able to function in the midst of the bankruptcy,” said Miles.
The Council resumed its fund raising activities with a very successful Tree of Light campaign held during the 2007 holiday season. Now it is looking forward to a strong comeback for its golf event this summer. The Development Council will need support from businesses and individuals as sponsors and golfers and a number of prizes will need to be collected for the event.
Miles said resources generated from a few small fund raisers that the Development Council will conduct during the year such as a book and gift sale and a Tastefully Simple gourmet food sale will also be directed to the renovation project.
Tyrone Hospital’s renovation plan will create a private office area for patients to register. A separate triage room, the area where nurses first assess emergency patients, will be created to improve privacy and patient comfort. The ER nurse’s station will be enlarged, and doors will be added at the entrance to the ER to improve security and privacy. In addition, the first area that people see when they come into the hospital’s main entrance will be given a facelift creating a more pleasing environment for patients and visitors. Employees who work in the areas targeted for improvements developed the renovation plan in cooperation with hospital administration.
Miles, who volunteers his time to serve as council chairman, is emphatic about the need to support Tyrone Hospital and preserve healthcare in northern Blair County.
“If people have left the community for healthcare, I would encourage them to find their way back to Tyrone Hospital. I know from personal experience that you do not have to wait a long time to be seen in the emergency room and you can truly be ‘in and out’ for outpatient testing. I think most people who use the hospital would also tell you, that you get a lot of personalized attention at Tyrone.”
For more information about the Tyrone Hospital Development Council’s upcoming golf event, contact Randy Miles, Sr. at 684-7603.

Residents living in and around the Tyrone community can soon be screened to reduce their risk of having a stroke.
Life Line Screening is scheduled to be at the Tyrone American Legion Post No. 281 on February 26, and appointments will begin at 10 a.m.
The complete screening package now includes a new heart rhythm screening, checking for irregular heartbeat, which is a major risk factor for stroke.
A stroke, also known as a “brain attack,” is ranked as the third leading killer in the world, and the leading cause of nursing home admissions.
Stroke often occurs without warning, but painless screenings can help identify risk for stroke, vascular diseases or osteoporosis early enough for physicians to begin preventive procedures.
Screenings are non-invasive and easy to obtain. They help identify potential health problems such as blocked arteries and irregular heart rhythm, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and hardening of the arteries in the legs, which is a strong predictor of heart disease.
A bone density screening to assess osteoporosis risk is also offered and is appropriate for both men and women.
Interested individuals can register for a wellness package with heart rhythm for $149. All five screenings take 60 to 90 minutes to complete.
According to information provided by Life Line Screening, the company was established in 1993, and has since become the nation’s leading provider of vascular screenings. Ultrasound teams are on staff to travel to local communities, bringing the screenings to local residents.
For more information regarding the screenings or to schedule an appointment, call 1-800-697-9721 or visit the website at www.lifelinescreening.com.
Pre-registration is required.

Hollidaysburg YMCA swimming instructor, Heidi Soldner, reviews deep water rescue techniques with members of Cub Scout Pack 320 during a recent swim outing at the Tyrone Area High School swimming pool. Cub scout members of Pack 320 earned the following swimming awards by completing the specific BSA requirements for each: Swimming Belt Loop – Ben Branstetter, Jonathan Clifton, Corey Hoff, Ryan Vance, Perry Gillespie, Tyler Eaken, Trevor Fink, Corbin Moon, Conner Wertz, Christopher Phillippe and Andrew Wilson. Swimming Pin – Tyler Goddard, Corey Hoff, Ryan Vance, Perry Gillespie, Tyler Eaken, Trevor Fink, Corbin Moon, Conner Wertz, Christopher Phillippe and Andrew Wilson. Aquanaut Activity Badge – John Chronister, Draven Fisher, Wyatt Hoff, Jacob Makdad and Andrew Tyler. (Courtesy photo)

The Pennsylvania State Police in Hollidaysburg enacted a traffic stop on three vehicles along the northbound lane of I-99 in Snyder Township yesterday afternoon around 1 p.m.
The stop was in reference to an alleged retail theft which occurred in Freedom Township, Blair County.
According to a state police report, during the traffic stop, numerous individuals were identified in the vehicles, most of which were unable to provide valid United Stated identification or travel documents.
Nine adult male individuals suspected to be from Mexico and El Salvador were escorted to PSP-Hollidaysburg where they were fingerprinted and ICE/Immigration agents in Pittsburgh were then notified.
During the continuing investigation yesterday, it was found by police that all nine individuals were currently in the U.S. illegally.
State police, assisted by Cambria County prison officials, transported and lodged all nine illegal immigrants in the Cambria County Jail pending further ICE/Immigration investigation and deportation proceedings.
The Freedom Township Police Department assisted the state police at the scene. Burchfield Towing removed the three vehicles that were transporting the illegal immigrants to a secure lot.