Hospital CEO urges support
Pitchford calls for additional programs

Ed Pitchford

Picking up where his predecessor left off, Charles Cole Memorial Hospital President and CEO Ed Pitchford took the plight of rural hospitals to Harrisburg for an appearance before members of the Pa. General Assembly.

During a meeting between lawmakers and members of the Hospital and Health System Assn. of Pa., Pitchford urged lawmakers to assure adequate state funding of Medicaid hospital payments, including a new funding system for smaller, rural hospitals and their clinics.

"We must have government policy that provides adequate and fair reimbursement for medical services, preserves access to care through successful physician retention, and provides health insurance for greater numbers of Pennsylvanians," Pitchford said.

Earlier, Pitchford testified before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee about rural primary care access.

Like his predecessor at Cole, David Acker, Pitchford is actively pursuing legislative and regulatory changes at the federal and state levels to preserve access to high quality rural health care.

Top priorities at Cole, he said, are Medicaid reform for critical access hospitals, attracting and retaining physicians to rural areas, and reliable inter-hospital transportation systems.

Cole Hospital has provided medical and surgical care for 40 years. In addition to hospital services, Cole operates 10 primary care clinics, longterm care services, a home health and hospice agency, inpatient geriatric psychiatry and rehabilitation services, home medical equipment and a modern cancer program.

The hospital employs approximately 700 people and serves patients primarily from Potter, Cameron, McKean and Tioga counties.