Hospital targets community education
A primary mission for a small community hospital near Philadelphia is ongoing health education for the community.
More recently, due to community interest, Women's Center of Grandview Hospital in Sellersville, PA, invested in a densitometer for bone testing and started an osteoporosis educational series for high-risk women and those diagnosed with the disease.
Most of the educational programs are provided free or for a minimal charge, says Marybeth McMurray, RN, BSN, staff nurse. "But we attract patients for X-rays and other services."
Bone testing and reading the scans cost patients $145.
"One of our major outreaches is kids," says McMurray. "We have a school program on osteoporosis for teens and pre-teens that covers body image, calcium intake, nutritious eating, and exercise."
Along with that, McMurray developed a program for parents to make them aware of the disease on their children. The program features recipes to increase calcium intake, information about the impact of eating disorders and steroid usage on bone loss, and information on how parents can be role models for healthy behavior.
[Editor's note: For more information, contact McMurray at the Women's Center of Grandview Hospital, 711 Lawn Ave., Sellersville, PA 18960. Telephone: (215) 453-4078. Fax: (215) 257-6645.]
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