Access to quality healthcare is essential to a healthy community. Lancaster General is firmly committed to providing that access to all individuals, regardless of their ability to pay. Through its own programs and services, as well as partnerships with other community organizations, Lancaster General not only cares for the sick, but helps its neighbors achieve optimal health and wellness through all stages of life.

Pregnancy and mid-life are two stages of life particularly critical for women. However, for those without insurance, regular doctor visits and preventive screenings can be out of reach financially. Lancaster General’s Healthy Beginnings Plus (HBP) and Healthy Woman programs help make that important care accessible.

Healthy Beginnings Plus gave Sherry Welsh, 28, of Lancaster, the prenatal care she needed to have two healthy babies. But that is just part of the story. The highly driven individual credits the program with helping change her life.

For Welsh, the relationship with Lancaster General HBP social worker Karen Bradley had a dramatic impact. Welsh was pregnant, had no insurance and was struggling to overcome domestic issues when she enrolled in the program eight years ago.

“At some point, Karen reached me,” said Welsh. “She said, ‘You’re good enough.’ It was more than anyone outside my own family had done.”

“What’s really special about our program is that clients have their own nurse who meets with them at each doctor’s visit. Later, these nurses do home visitation which enhances that relationship and enables us to see how the client lives,” explained Mary Steffy, manager, health and wellness at Lancaster General. “That relationship is a key ingredient to the success of the program.”

While working fulltime for most of the past five years, Welsh earned her associate’s, bachelor’s and  aster’s degrees and is beginning coursework for her Ph.D. She is currently project coordinator of mobility services for rabbittransit in York. Welsh kept in touch with Bradley over the years and hopes to encourage others to recognize their capabilities and work through their limitations, much like Bradley did for her.

Healthy Woman provides free mammograms, Pap tests, preventive care and treatment to women ages 40-64, with low to moderate income. During the most recent fiscal year, Lancaster General provided care to 175 women, including 120 mammograms and 109 Pap tests to individuals who may otherwise have  kipped these important tests. For 20 of the participants, these diagnostic screenings proved critical in directing their healthcare. Nineteen women with breast cancer and one with invasive cervical cancer were admitted into free treatment programs through Lancaster General’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program.

For Debbie Goodling, 52, of Bainbridge, Healthy Woman provided access to services previously out of reach. While her career as a pet-sitter provided many benefits, health insurance wasn’t one of them. The self-employed, divorced woman managed many financial challenges that put health insurance premiums out of reach. With a history of breast cancer in her family, she knew she should not neglect annual mammograms or gynecologic exams. However, after paying out-of-pocket for her healthcare a couple of times, she considered cutting screenings back to every other year. That was until learning about the Healthy Woman program.

“This program empowers women, who otherwise don’t have the financial means, to take preventive measures to detect and treat cervical and breast cancers at the earliest possible stage to improve their health outcomes,” says Ethel Wander, RN, BSH, who manages the program for Lancaster General.

• Prematurity Risk Reduction Program
• ChildProtect
• Family Health Services clinics
• Dental Health Network
• Clinics at Fulton, Carter & MacRae and Washington elementary schools
• Flu shots for seniors, uninsured andvulnerable populations

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