SCRANTON, PA (October 29, 2018)—Marywood University’s Chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA) recently volunteered at the two-mile Walk to End Alzheimer’s that was held at PNC Field. Through the efforts of more than 850 participants, over $100,000 was raised. Money raised will provide funds for Alzheimer’s care, support, and research.

For additional information about Marywood University’s communication sciences and disorders department, please visit www.marywood.edu/csd/index.html, or call (570) 348-6299, ext. 2608.

Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Wolf Administration announced the formal opening of service at one of the 29 Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fueling stations planned as part of a Public Private Partnership. Officials from PennDOT, Trillium CNG, and IndiGO-Indiana marked the start of fueling at the facility at 1657 Saltsburg Ave., Indiana.

“This addition to our growing ranks of transit-based CNG stations means savings for transit operators and a step towards a better environment,” Governor Wolf said. “CNG-fueled vehicles translate into better efficiency, cleaner burning fuels and lower fuel costs.”

Through the $84.5 million statewide P3 project, Trillium is designing, building, financing and will operate and maintain CNG fueling stations at 29 public transit agency sites through a 20-year P3 agreement. Other stations will be constructed over the next several years, and Trillium is also making CNG-related upgrades to existing transit maintenance facilities.

As part of the conversion, IndiGO-Indiana will replace its current 13 CNG buses with updated versions.

In addition to the transit bus fueling, the Indiana station will be open to the public 24/7.

PennDOT’s overall P3 project includes CNG fueling accessible to the public at six transit agency sites, with the option to add to sites in the future. PennDOT will receive a 15 percent royalty, excluding taxes, for each gallon of fuel sold to the public at public sites, which will be used to support the cost of the project.

Using the P3 procurement mechanism allows PennDOT to install the fueling stations faster than if a traditional procurement mechanism were used for each site, resulting in significant estimated capital cost savings of more than $46 million.

To date, stations have opened at:

• Cambria County Transportation Authority, Johnstown Facility, includes public fueling.
• Mid Mon Valley Transportation Authority.
• Central Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, York Facility, includes public fueling.
• Cambria County Transportation Authority, Ebensburg Facility
• Westmoreland County Transportation Authority
• Centre Area Transportation Authority
• Beaver County Transit Agency
• Crawford Area Transportation Authority
• New Castle Area Transportation Authority, includes public fueling.
• County of Lebanon Transportation Authority
• Altoona Metro Transit
• Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Allentown Facility
• Central Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, Gettysburg Facility

A list of other agencies participating in the P3 project, in order of construction-start timeline, follows:

• Butler Transportation Authority (2018)
• Erie Metropolitan Transportation Authority (2019), includes public fueling.
• Mercer County Regional Council of Governments (2019)
• Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation System (2019)
• Monroe County Transportation Authority (2019)
• Area Transportation Authority of North Central PA, Bradford Facility (2019)
• Area Transportation Authority of North Central PA, Johnsonburg Facility (2019)
• County of Lackawanna Transportation System (2020), includes public fueling.
• Area Transportation Authority of North Central PA, DuBois Facility (2020)
• Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, Easton Facility (2021)
• Luzerne County Transportation Authority (2021)
• Schuylkill Transportation System (2021)
• Transit Authority of Warren County (2021)
• Capital Area Transit
• Port Authority of Allegheny County

When the project is completed, the fueling stations will supply gas to more than 1,600 CNG buses at transit agencies across the state. To learn more about this and other P3 projects visit www.P3forPA.pa.gov.

The 7^th annual “Run Against Hunger”, which benefits St. Francis of Assist Kitchen, will take place on Saturday, November 10.   The 5k/10k run and two-mile walk will take place at the LHVA River Trail, Olive Street Trailhead, in Scranton (near the Ice Box Sports Complex).

Cost to pre-register is $25 for the 5k run or two-mile walk and $30 for the 10k run.   Registration the day of the run/walk is $35.  Free for children under age 10.

Race day registration will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.  Run/Walk begin at 9:00 a.m.

The Scranton Running Company and AllOne Charities are hosting the weekend’s events.  For more information and to pre-register for the event, visit www.runsignup.com/runagainsthunger.

On Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 22^nd, Hospice of the Sacred Heart will deliver meals to their patients and their families. This is the 12^th year the hospice will provide this service project. Meals will be prepared by Mansour’s Market in Scranton, packaged, and delivered by hospice staff members and volunteers.

“We look forward to this day every year. It’s a great way to demonstrate our gratitude for the blessings in our lives by bringing together staff, their families and volunteers to assemble and deliver Thanksgiving meals to our patients and their families,” said Diane Baldi, CEO, Hospice of the Sacred Heart.

Media outlets are invited to photograph the packaging process beginning at 7:30 am at Mansour’s Market, 969 Prescott Avenue, Scranton. Deliveries are made between 8 and 10 am. Diane Baldi, CEO, will be available for interviews between 7:30 and 10 am.

About Hospice of the Sacred Heart:

• Not-for-profit, free standing hospice program serving Northeastern Pennsylvania since 2004
• Main office is located in Wilkes-Barre, with an Inpatient Unit located in Dunmore and a Center for Education in Moosic
• Care provided for over 1,600 patients in 2017 and over 13,000 to date
• Employs approximately 120 employees throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania
• Volunteers provided over 7,000 hours of support to patients and families in 2017

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Geisinger has opened a center for the Memory and Cognition Program in Wilkes-Barre, offering assessments, management and rehabilitation, as well as social work support for patients and families affected by memory and cognitive disorders. The program also includes support groups and state-of-the-art technology, including a driving simulator and a gait analyzer.

“With Pennsylvania’s aging population, the need for memory and cognition care is paramount,” said behavioral neurologist Glen Finney, M.D., director of the Memory and Cognition Program at Geisinger. “Our approach is comprehensive, providing your loved ones with all their memory and cognitive care under one roof.”

Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians are older than 65. Nearly all of the state’s counties exceed the U.S. percentage of residents over age 65, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The program at 620 Baltimore Drive offers services for adults including behavioral neurology, neuropsychology, cognitive rehabilitation and social work.

“The Memory and Cognition Program helps patients and their families navigate brain health issues with personalized, high-quality care in an uplifting setting,” said Anthony Aquilina, D.O., regional president for Geisinger Northeast. “The new site in Wilkes-Barre helps us provide this type of care close-to-home for our community.”

The Memory and Cognition Program also offers support groups for patients and their families. The no-cost support group for patients suffering from memory loss and cognition issues provides a safe place to ask questions and share experiences and concerns about memory loss from aging, illness or traumatic injury. Family members and caregivers are welcome. Click here for location and times.

Family, friends and loved ones of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia can attend a six-week caregiver support group program featuring education on issues that affect a person with dementia, as well as the opportunity to:

• Develop a support system
• Improve communication with their loved one
• Exchange practical information on caregiving challenges and discuss solutions
• Find new ways of coping
• Share feelings, needs and concerns
• Learn about community resources

For more information, call 800-275-6401 or visit https://www.geisinger.org/patient-care/conditions-treatments-specialty/2017/03/15/16/36/neuropsychology. The Memory and Cognition Program also offers services at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital.

About Geisinger

One of the nation’s most innovative health services organizations, Geisinger serves more than 1.5 million patients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The system includes 13 hospital campuses, a nearly 600,000-member health plan, two research centers and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Geisinger is known for its focus on caring and innovative programs including the ProvenCare^® best-practice approach to maximize quality, safety and value; ProvenHealth Navigator^® advanced medical home; Springboard Health^® population health program to improve the health of an entire community; ProvenExperience™ to provide refunds to patients unhappy with their care experience; and Geisinger’s MyCode^® Community Health Initiative, the largest healthcare system-based precision health project in the world. With more than 215,000 volunteer participants enrolled, MyCode is conducting extensive research and returning medically actionable results to participants. A physician-led organization, with approximately 32,000 employees and more than 1,800 employed physicians, Geisinger leverages an estimated $12.7 billion positive annual impact on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey economies. Repeatedly recognized nationally for integration, quality and service, Geisinger has a long-standing commitment to patient care, medical education, research and community service. For more information, visit geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

SCRANTON, PA – The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute and the Board of Ambassadors and Associate Board will host its seventh annual Spirit of Hope Celebration on Friday, November 2, 2018 from 7:00pm to 10:30pm at Mohegan Sun Pocono in the Keystone Grand Ballroom.

The event features cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, food stations, live music by Paul LaBelle and The Exact Change Band, a live and silent auction and gift card guarantee.  Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased by calling the Cancer Institute at (570) 941-7984 or online at www.cancernepa.org or purchased at the door the night of the event. The Tribute to Courage honoree is Susan S. Belin.

The Board of Ambassadors is a group of individuals and business leaders in northeast Pennsylvania who have come together to raise funds & awareness to fight cancer in the local community through their support and promotion of a gala event.

The Spirit of Hope Celebration benefits the Cancer Institute’s Community Based Cancer Screening Program. This program helps low income and un/underinsured individuals in northeast Pennsylvania get their recommended colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screenings.

About The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute
The Northeast Regional Cancer Institute is a nonprofit community-based agency serving seven counties in northeast Pennsylvania with offices located in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre.  Focusing on surveillance, community and patient services, and hospital and practice support services, the Cancer Institute invests 100% of its resources locally.

Please join us for this year’s 16th annual Entrepreneurship Institute on Friday, November 2nd, at Lackawanna College.

The Entrepreneurship Institute is a one day conference focused on topics of interest for aspiring business students, entrepreneurs, established business professionals, and life long learners.

Our program consists of keynote speakers, panel discussions, workshops, learning sessions and lots of networking opportunities.

Interested college students should email Don Webster at dwebster@tecbridgepa.org to identify their school coordinator for registration.

SCRANTON, PA (October 24, 2018)—As part of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s (AFA) National Memory Screening Program, Marywood University will offer free, confidential memory screenings on Tuesday, November 13, 2018. The screenings will be held from 9 a.m.–7 p.m., at the Psychological Services Center in the McGowan Center for Graduate and Professional Studies. The screenings are free and open to the public.

Qualified healthcare professions will administer the memory screenings and provide educational materials about memory concerns, brain health, and caregiving. The face-to-face screenings consist of a series of questions and tasks and last approximately 10 minutes.

According to event organizer, Brooke Cannon, Ph.D., professor of psychology and clinical neuropsychologist, “Annual memory screenings, like regular physical exams, allow for identification of potential cognitive problems and monitoring of already existing impairment.”

Trained and supervised by Dr. Cannon, advanced clinical psychology doctoral students will administer the screenings. While screening results do not provide a diagnosis, individuals with below-normal scores, or those who have concerns, will be encouraged to pursue a full medical exam and additional cognitive testing.

Memory screenings are an important part of successful aging and are gaining in popularity. Last year alone, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) screened more than 250,000 people through its National Memory Screening Program (NMSP). Further, a recent study suggests that screenings may detect cognitive impairment up to 18 years prior to clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

AFA suggests memory screenings for anyone concerned about memory loss or experiencing warning signs of dementia; whose family and friends have noticed changes in them; who believe they are at risk due to a family history of dementia; or who want to see how their memory is now and for future comparisons. Warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease include forgetting people’s names and events, asking repetitive questions, loss of verbal or written skills, confusion and personality changes.

Currently, there are more than 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, and that number is expected to nearly triple by mid-century. Advanced age is the greatest known risk factor for the disease, which results in loss of memory and other intellectual functions, and is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

For additional information about National Memory Screening Day at Marywood University, please call the Psychological Services Center, at (570) 348-6269.