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Geisinger Wyoming Valley employees received a visit from their own personal cheer team, when employees from home health care companies were on hand to offer snacks, drinks and words of encouragement.

Visiting Angels, a homecare agency providing in-home care to seniors and disabled adults, teamed up with Homebound Home Health and Commonwealth Home Health to stand outside the employee entrance of the hospital between shifts and give tokens of gratitude to Geisinger employees.

The group offered drinks, prepackaged snacks and coupons for McDonald’s sandwiches while holding signs with words encouragement and wearing special sporting shirts with the words “Geisinger’s Cheer Team” printed on them.

“Our goal is to make a difference in our clients’ lives and the community we serve,” said Susan Kahlau, director of Visiting Angels. “We handed out motivational cards and displayed motivational signs to encourage Geisinger employees and uplift their spirits.”

“Geisinger’s Cheer Team” handed out snacks and words of encouragement near the employee entrance of the hospital from 5 to 8 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. to cover all shifts.

“The employees were really thrilled and overwhelmed by the community support,” said Noreen Diaco, Associate Executive Assistant at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. “One employee told me she cried when she walked through seeing the community support.”

The Honesdale National Bank Foundation extended its support to the community with a $5,000 donation to The Waverly Community House. The funds will specifically support the non-profit organization’s COVID-19 Rebuilding Initiative to offer the community a safe place to return to when the current pandemic restrictions are lifted.

HNB President & CEO David Raven stated, “HNB is committed to helping our communities’ efforts to return to normal following these difficult times.” He continued, “We understand the changes many community groups will need to make and are glad we are able to provide funding.”

This donation will allow The Waverly Community House to continue to serve the community with our programs in a safe, effective manner through various enhanced, innovative, precautionary measures. Community funding will go towards: purchasing hand sanitizing stations for the entire building, an anti-microbial UV lighting system for our childcare programs, infrared thermometers for daily temperature checks, the installation of hand-washing stations, proper signage on sanitary practices, a one-year contract with a professional cleaning service to disinfect the building regularly, building access monitors to control foot  traffic in common areas, and the purchasing of outdoor tents and partitions to promote social distancing at future events.

These measures are necessary steps that The Waverly Community House must take in order to develop complete safety capability, alleviate the concerns of our community, and to begin the rebuilding process following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Executive Director of the Waverly Community Center Maria Wilson stated, “The Waverly Community House is extremely grateful to The Honesdale National Bank Foundation for its extraordinary and swift generosity in support of The Comm’s reopening and recovery efforts. Such good news! The Comm like so many other businesses and organizations had to shut its doors in March and is now trying to reopen safely and securely for our community. This donation takes The Comm one very big step closer to meeting this goal. The Comm is deeply appreciative of the bank’s tangible commitment to its community and to The Comm. Thank you!”

Many of our region’s homebound and isolated elderly are experiencing unimaginable levels of loneliness. Senior Day Services is seeking volunteers to write a letter or encouraging note, create a drawing or share an uplifting card to be delivered to its older adult clients unable to participate in socialization programs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anyone can help by writing as many notes, letters, cards as they desire. Items can be mailed to or delivered to Senior Day Services, C/O Amanda, 1200 Saginaw Street, Scranton, PA 18505 during core business hours Monday through Friday. The Senior Day Services volunteers and staff will distribute to homebound elderly clients across Northeastern PA.

As Geisinger thoughtfully and carefully resumes operations at our clinics, hospitals and outpatient centers, we are updating our visitation policy. The health and safety of all our patients, members, visitors and employees remains the top priority as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.

After careful consideration, we are temporarily modifying routine, in-person visits to our hospitalized patients. We continue to encourage everyone to use alternative ways of interacting, including phone calls, Facetime, Skype and other means, if possible.

Inpatient visitation remains limited

We know that sometimes it’s crucial to have a visitor or family member present, including after a surgery or procedure. Visitors will be allowed for:

• Patients undergoing surgery or procedures (one single-time visitor immediately after the procedure)
• Patients who are medically unstable (one visitor)
• Patients who are at the end of life (two visitors)
• Delivering mothers (one support person)
• Patients who are minors and those with limited decisional capacity (up to two parents or guardians)
• Patients who have altered mental status, an intellectual, developmental or cognitive disability or a communication barrier (one visitor)
• Patients with disruptive behavior, where a family member is key to their care (one visitor)

Approved visitors are subject to the following guidelines:

• Be 18 years of age or older and in good health
• Bring a form of identification
• Not have symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, recent loss of taste or smell or flu-like illness suggestive of COVID-19
• Not have active COVID-19 infection
• Be symptom-free for at least 14 days if they previously had active COVID-19 infection
• Complete health screening, including a temperature check, at the entrance before entry
• Wear a mask at all times while in the facility
• Respect social distancing guidelines of 6 feet from all others
• Wash hands with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before entering and after leaving a patient’s room
• Use the same entrance for entry into and exit from the hospital.
• Identify themselves and stay in designated areas (not travel throughout the facility)

Patients who have an appointment at a Geisinger clinic, laboratory or radiology, as well as those visiting the Emergency Department, may have one person accompany them, if necessary.

Additional information about Geisinger’s visitation policy, including guidance on visitation hours at each hospital can be found here.

The Duryea at Dusk committee has set their fourth Duryea at Dusk 5K and 1-mile walk as a virtual race this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.  Participants can register online now through Saturday, June 13.  Participants are encouraged to complete their 5K or 1-mile safely around their neighborhood, on a treadmill, track or at a park between June 13-20. The cost to register is $10 per person or $20 per person with a Duryea at Dusk 2020 t-shirt. All runners and walkers will receive a customizable Duryea at Dusk virtual bib and can post their finisher photos on Duryea at Dusk’s Facebook page.

Through personal experience with a family member battling cancer, Duryea native sisters, Katie Brudzinski and Allison Brudzinski wanted to be part of something bigger that would involve their entire community. Duryea at Dusk was created from that idea. This is the fourth year of this event. It will impact the local community and support a local organization, the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, whose mission is to ease the burden of cancer in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Individuals or businesses looking for information can reach out to Duryea at Dusk committee by email at duryeaatdusk@gmail.com. To register for the virtual run or walk or donate to it, go to: https://runsignup.com/Race/PA/Duryea/DuryeaatDusk