|
“We are connected to this hospital.”
– Jeannine Reilly, Landisville |
Focus Area #5: Women’s Health
Lancaster General cares for women in all of life’s roles and stages – from child and adolescent to mother and family healthcare advocate. The Women & Babies Hospital and our ongoing health initiatives are central to this approach.
In 2007, those initiatives included
Day of Dance (emphasizing fun ways to stay heart healthy) and
Women’s Expressions (a music and art celebration benefiting our ongoing Heart Healthy Woman program). We also participate in
Spirit of Women, a national network of hospitals that focuses on education and quality clinical care. Prevention through lifetime screenings is a vital part of their wellness strategy – and ours.
To learn more about Spirit of Women and other programs,
click here.
Jeannine's Story
Jeannine Reilly has had her share of highs and lows – including her daughter Emma’s premature birth, the threat of cervical cancer and a long-needed hysterectomy. Lancaster General Women & Babies Hospital has helped her face each challenge. “From start to finish, they’ve been there,” she says. That includes Michelle Rapiey, one of the many nurses who provided great care while Jeannine was in the hospital.
This story has two happy endings: Jeannine is healthy and so is Emma, now almost five. “I can’t say enough about the staff. Their expertise, the way they took care of us. They are angels.”
Pictured: Jeannine and Emma Reilly with Michelle Rapiey, RN.
Wellness & Prevention
Prevention starts with education. You can learn a lot just by visiting the Women’s Health section of our website, where you can read about the issues that affect women most, sign up for a wellness class – even subscribe to Lancaster General Woman, our tri-annual newsletter.
Beyond education, there is screening. From breast and gynecological exams to heart and vascular testing, Lancaster General offers free screenings throughout the community. There are also special programs to provide needed prevention services to economically vulnerable women.
Through the HealthyWoman Program, Lancaster General offers free mammograms to under/uninsured women aged 40 to 64. Through a $90,000 grant from Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, the Wellness Center’s “Women: Take Action Against Cervical Cancer” program offers free screenings and treatment to women who qualify.
Diagnosis & Treatment
Any discussion of women’s care at Lancaster General must start with Women & Babies Hospital, which is focused entirely on the healthcare needs of women. This 61-bed facility delivers 85 percent of the county’s babies and provides women and their families with a full suite of services during every stage of pregnancy and motherhood. The hospital houses Lancaster County’s only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Here, physicians and specially trained NICU nurses provide around-the-clock care for newborns who need extra attention.
Maternity services are only the beginning. Women & Babies Hospital provides comprehensive women’s health services including diagnostic testing, breast care, osteoporosis diagnosis and prevention, menopause education and counseling, fitness and wellness programs, and inpatient and outpatient surgery.
Of course, these services are not limited to one facility. Throughout the Lancaster General health system, women find physicians, nurses and other clinical staff who understand their unique health issues. Heart disease is just one example. While a woman’s symptoms might differ from a man’s, her risk is just as great. Lancaster General’s Heart Healthy Woman program spans prevention, treatment and recovery to reach women of all ages.
Recovery & Support
In the realm of women’s health, recovery can mean many things. It might mean living with osteoporosis, coping with menopause or breast cancer, or making the transition into older age. Lancaster General is here and offers these support groups:
- Breast Cancer & Lymphedema
- Menopause Discussion
- New Mothers’/Parents
- Postpartum Group Therapy
- Diabetes Type I
Additional resources can be found in the Wellness Center at Women & Babies Hospital. It includes more than 5,000 books, videos and audiotapes that address health issues for women and their families. There is also The WellSpring, a specialized humor library to help men and women find laughter, particularly in difficult times.
Increasingly, women are the decision-makers when it comes to healthcare. That makes them vital not only to the health of their families but the community at large. Lancaster General is listening. With a workforce that is 80 percent female, we are well equipped to be a true partner in women’s health.