The Rev. Mary Kisner visits with Berwick Rotary

Program Chair Tom Kowalchick introduced The Rev. Mary Kisner, Rector for
Christ Episcopal Church in Berwick.  Rev. Kisner graduated from Drexel University with a degree in Nutrition and Foods.    After working for 25 years as a Registered Dietitian, she found herself called to the Episcopal priesthood in 1990 and was ordained in 1995.    Mary enjoys researching and learning new things.  She spoke to us about a positive approach to organizational leadership called Appreciative Inquiry.

Appreciative Inquiry is an approach that helps to build or move an organization to be at its best.  It is an approach that focuses on what is working and asks how do you keep it working.   While doing research for his PHD in Organizational Development,  David Cooperrider completed an internship with Cleveland Clinic.  Performing his research at Cleveland Clinic he found his Problem Solving Approach to his research did not fit.  He was encouraged to turn it around to focus on what was working and how it kept working.  This began his understanding of Organizational Development that asks the questions:  What is working?  Why is it working? and How do we keep it working?    Using this positive approach to keeping good things moving forward, organizations have found real success in motivating individuals through personalized positive goals and emphasizing the positive values of an organization.  Rev Kisner cited organizations like Pixar and the Partners in Health Program as good examples of the amazing outcomes that result from using Appreciative Inquiry to continue to analyze that which is working and build on these.

Thank you, Tom, for inviting Rev. Kisner!

Columbia County Family Center Presentation

Program Presenters: Columbia County Family Center – Michelle Welsh and Peggy Sterner

During the January 5th club meeting, Michelle Welsh presented the club with a wide amount of information regarding the Columbia County Family Center. The Center provides a home visiting program for children ages 0 – 5 and living in Columbia County or a Columbia County school district. Some resources provided by the Family Center include: play groups, screenings, fatherhood activities, parenting classes, baby basics classes, and an adolescents class that focuses on goals.

Other programs offered through the Columbia County Family Center include:
· Parenting and Budgeting
o Presented to area high school students
o Grants from United Way make this program possible
· Divorced and Separated Parents
o Training and support for child-focuses parenting
· Family Group Decision Making
o Program to empower families to solve problems together
o Involve and include children and adolescents in defining the issues and possible solutions

Referrals to the program come from Children and Youth, school districts, the court system, local hospitals (first-time parents), and word of mouth. There are no fees and no income guidelines for the programs offered by the Columbia County Family Center.

Funding for the programs is provided by: PA Department of Public Welfare, Columbia County Children & Youth Services, area school districts, Berwick Health & Wellness, Berwick United Way.

There is a great need for these programs in Berwick and the local area. Currently there are waiting lists for some of the programs.

Thank you to Art Naugle for arranging this informative program.

McBride Library update – Alice Zaikowski

This week we were pleased to have Alice Zaikowski join us to share information about the many and varied programs at the McBride Library. She began by expressing her sincere appreciation to the Rotary Club and the entire community for their commitment to building such a wonderful facility for the Berwick area. She is very proud to have been a part of the Berwick Library system for over 23 years. There have been many changes as community needs change. The lending system is now totally computerized and there is a computer room with 22 computers that are for public used and also a computer training center. The Children’s Library is upstairs and self-contained so that the children can enjoy fun activities without disturbing other Library patrons. It has become a wonderful gathering place for story time, puppeteers and children’s fun! There are many interesting community programs that are open to the public, these are listed in the newspaper weekly and open for anyone to attend.

This year there was a great emphasis on outdoor landscaping. Judy’s Garden is the Back Garden with trees, benches and flowers. The plan is that this garden, built as a memorial to Judy Chesney, will provide a peaceful and inviting outdoor haven to sit and enjoy a book or magazine from the Library. The garden is accessed through the Library café. On the 5th Street side of the library is the tree garden including donated trees as memorials to Budd Beyer, Al Strausser and Dave Vaughn.

Thank you to Neal for inviting Alice to share great information about one of Berwick’s greatest treasures!

Gretchen Watts, RN – Program Director, Behavioral Health Center

Program Summary – Gretchen Watts, RN – Program Director, Behavioral Health Services for Older Adults at Berwick Hospital Center

The Behavioral Health Center is a geriatric psychiatric in-patient unit that is committed to treating older adult patients with mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive behaviors, schizophrenia and other psychoses.  The center is in its 15^thyear.  Gretchen has been with the center for 5 years.

President Cindy Lombard, Gretchen Watts, and Matt Turowski

Behavioral Health accepts patients ages 55 and up – the majority of the patients are age 65 and over.  Eighty percent  of the patients have a dementia diagnosis.  The service area includes those communities within a 100 mile radius of Berwick.  Some patients are referred from nursing facilities, while others come from their private residences.  The unit is a 14 bed in-patient facility, with an average census of nine.  The average length of stay is 10 – 14 days.  Patients receive a medical evaluation at the Emergency Room prior to admission to the unit.  The unit has access to the physical, occupational, and speech therapy departments of the Berwick Hospital.  There are regular medical visits to the unit in addition to the mental health treatments. 

The unit receives a number of requests from those in the sandwich generation.  The staff seeks to steer people to the appropriate resources in caring for parents and other adults. 

Dr. Victor Muneshwar has served as the long-term psychiatric medical director of Behavioral Health Services.

During a question and answer period, Gretchen responded to the following topics.

Q:  What do you mean when you say “stabilize dementia.”
A:  While there is no cure for dementia, there are treatments for some of the symptoms such physical aggression, etc.

Q:  Does nutrition play a role in treatments?
A:  Yes, a dietician reviews patient diets and works with the patients.

Q:  Are some patients admitted involuntarily?
A:  Behavioral Health works with the Area Agency on Aging on this process.  A Risk Statement from a doctor or emergency room can be taken to the court for the admission process.

Q:  Where do the patients go upon discharge?
A:  All patients need a safe plan for discharge – which may include returning home, to an assisted living center, etc. 

Thank you to Gretchen for her presentation.  Thank you to Matt Turowski, program chair, for arranging this informative program.

2011 Berwick Rotary Rabies Clinic Update

		2011 Berwick Rotary Rabies Clinic VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Berwick Rotary held their first successful rabies clinic last month at the office of Dr. Tom Kowalchick.  Special thanks to Dr. Tom K and his staff for opening the clinic and hosting this event.  We had over 120 dogs and cats come into the office between 10 and 1.   Preliminary numbers indicate that we raised approximately $1200 towards the costs of Linda Naugle’s travel to India for National Immunization Day in February of next year.   Take a look at the photos of many of Rotarians and volunteers who helped make this project a success.!

Berwick Rotary Welcomes Steve Phillips from the BIDA

Last week’s program was a presentation by Steve Phillips, Executive Director of the BIDA, BIP & SPIRIT.  Steve earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University and his Master’s Degree from Bloomsburg University.  He is a lifelong resident of Newport Township in Luzerne County, but has devoted most of his career to his work in planning and development, as well as industrial development in Columbia County.

As Director of the BIDA, Steve works with a Board of Directors of key leaders in the community.  They have maintained a conservative view of the operations of the BIDA complex.  In its heyday, the complex employed over 7,000 people. Today there are 247 people employed by 17 companies in the complex, which is nearly full.  A new recycling company is considering space in the “shell” building and has the potential to bring in 30-40 jobs.

Steve defines his job as matching the needs of our area with the business opportunities that are out there.  We are located on a convenient transportation corridor, but our population is aging and the educational background of many of our citizens doesn’t support the new technology companies that require more experienced technicians.   One  recommendation he would give to students is to consider 2 year technical education.  A four-year degree may not always offer the educational training to connect graduates to jobs of the future.

Steve is very proud of the work he has been able to accomplish in his many years working in our community.  He always shares a new nugget of information about our community!  Thank you to Steve and to our Program Chair, Joe Scopelliti.

Rotary District Governor Visits the Berwick Club

District Governor Alice Kissinger met with the Berwick Rotary Club in early September this year.  Here is a photo of Ines Carol,  DG Alice Kissinger and Berwick Rotary President Cindy Lombard.   DG presented her goals for the year and challenged the Berwick Club to be the best that that can be this year.

AmeriCorps Vista Program Overview–Steven Slusser

Our September 15th lunch program was Steven Slusser a AmeriCorps VISTA member serving as Programs Coordinator at the Berwick Area United Way. He is a native of Berwick, currently living in the Wilkes-Barre area, but returning to live in Berwick very soon! Steven is married with two children, ages 2½ years and 6 months.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree in General Studies with an emphasis in Information Technology and is currently a graduate student earning a Master of Accounting degree. During his program, Steven shared information about the AmeriCorps program and the significant contribution that AmeriCorps Volunteers contribute in helping non-profit organizations throughout the country. Below is an excerpt from the Community letter that Steven wrote on May 15th in honor of the fifth Annual AmeriCorps Week:

“Every day, across the country, AmeriCorps members make a powerful impact on many critical issues facing our nation. By way of AmeriCorps, more than 80,000 Americans give back to their communities in a profound way each year. Among other charges, AmeriCorps members recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers; tutor and mentor youth; run after-school programs; teach computer skills; clean up the environment; build affordable housing; help communities respond to disasters; and build the capacity of nonprofit organizations to become more self-sustaining. Because of this, AmeriCorps is often described as the domestic Peace Corps.

AmeriCorps consists of three main programs: AmeriCorps State and National, whose members serve either full- or part-time for up to two years with local and national nonprofit and community groups; AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), whose members serve full-time for one year fighting poverty; and AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), a full-time, 10-month, intensive, team-based residential program for young adults, ages 18-24, who travel to sites based on regions and complete hands-on community service projects.

AmeriCorps members receive a modest living allowance, relocation assistance, student loan forbearance and the payment of student loan interest that accrues during service, health care coverage and prescription benefits, child care benefits, and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award of $5,550 to pay for college or graduate school, or to repay existing student loans.

Members of all three programs typically enjoy holidays, though AmeriCorps State and National and VISTA members are also granted vacation and personal leave. Just as in the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA members receive non-competitive eligibility status when applying for Federal positions for one year after the completion of service; they can even use their service toward determining seniority, pension rights, entitlement to leave, and reduction in force rights.

What makes the AmeriCorps story amazing, though, is what its members have given to America in return. Since 1994, more than 706,000 individuals have served in AmeriCorps, supplying over 14,000 non-profit, faith-based, and community agencies with approximately 860 million service hours. Each year, for every AmeriCorps member, an average of 32 community volunteers are mobilized or managed; that’s 2.6 million community volunteers in a single year alone!”

Wound Care Healing Center at Berwick Hospital

Lisa Naunczek – August 18th

 Berwick Rotary President Cindy Lombard welcomed Lisa Naunczek from the Comprehensive Wound Care Healing Center at Berwick Hospital.   This is an outpatient department of the Berwick Hospital. She told us that there is a growing need for wound care in this area and that patients with amputations and disease related to diabetes die with comparable rates as cancer. There are a number of factors involved with that.  The center takes a systematic approach to would care healing.  The center will be moving to the location of the old Penn Motors site next to Bandits.  The current facility will be demolished and a new building will be erected. Anyone with a wound more than two weeks old and is not healed in four weeks is a prime candidate for serious complications. Anyone with any type of insurance can use the service.  People that  try to treat themselves too long are at high risk. 

Very informative program,  thank you Lisa for joining us.

Berwick Rotary Club Picnic

Program—Rotary Picnic  8/11/11

Thank you to Ed and Betty Golomb and their daughter, Jen, for hosting a truly enjoyable and delicious Low-country boil!  The weather was perfect, the food was wonderful and the fellowship was great!  There were 13 Rotarians enjoying the feast of crab legs, shrimp, clams, corn on the cob, assorted salads. watermelon and a cake to celebrate Ed’s birthday!

Once again Ed and Betty were gracious hosts providing a warm and inviting location for an enjoyable evening!  Lots of laughter and great company went along with the great food!

Thank you to Ed and his committee for another great Rotary picnic!