Elk Regional Health Center offers a full range of in-patient care services designed to provide you and your loved ones with the absolute best in care. To read about some of those departments, including our medical/surgical floor, our Intensive Care Unit, our Generations Unit, Pinecrest Manor, our Maternity and Family Unit and our Sleep Lab, please use the links below.

For a full listing of the departments through which we care for our patients, please call our Public Relations department at (814) 788-8532 or (814) 788-8832.

Medical/Surgical/Pediatrics Unit – Intensive Care Unit – Generations Unit – Family Unit (Maternity) – Pinecrest Manor – Sleep Lab

Our Medical/Surgical/Pediatrics Unit provides an opportunity for us to care for patients of all ages with a variety of medical or surgical problems. Elk Regional Health Center has a dedicated and well-qualified nursing staff that provides 24-hour care to patients in this unit, who typically include those recovering from surgery or who have been transferred from our Intensive Care Unit.

For patients who are at cardiac risk, we offer telemetry modeling, a wireless system that alerts nurses should a patient suffer from abnormal heart activity.

Medical specialists in this unit, in addition to Family Practice physicians, include doctors who specialize in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Pulmonology, Nephrology, or kidney care, and Cardiology. Surgical specialists in this unit include surgeons who specialize in general, orthopedic, gynecological, ENT, dental, ophthalmologic, podiatric, urologic and vascular surgeries.
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The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Elk Regional Health Center is designed for patients with serious illnesses and those who require close nursing care. ICU is a highly specialized area and the staff in this area is equipped with the latest in advanced nursing skills and knowledge. They are specially trained in critical care and the use of highly sophisticated equipment.

ICU visiting hours are for immediate family members only.
Visiting hours each day are as follows:
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Because the patients of the ICU need special care, we ask that visitors observe certain precautions when visiting their loved one:

• Only two immediate family members at a time may visit during designated visiting hours.
• Visitors are required to wash their hands before and after visits.
• Children under the age of 12 may not visit the ICU.
• Visitors may not bring food or drinks to patients without consulting their nurse.
• Tobacco products may not be offered to a patient.
• Flowers are not allowed in the ICU because of their potential for bacterial and fungal growth.

If you have any questions while your loved one is being cared for in our ICU, please contact the department at (814) 788-8591.
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The Generations Unit is a behavioral health unit that provides specialized care for older adults.

There can often be significant changes in ones life due to the loss of a loved one or loss of independence – and these changes can cause emotional distress. Coping with changes may cause suffering related to emotional and behavioral difficulties severe enough to interfere with day to day living.

Generations has specially designed programs to offer individualized care in a warm, supportive atmosphere. Our staff works with the patient, family and other health professionals to develop a course of treatment that best meets the needs of each individual.

Our psychiatrist, Dr. Luisito Dingcong, M.D., specializes in the emotional needs of the older population and oversees the care patients receive while in the Generations Unit.

Visiting hours are as follows:
Monday through Friday: 1-2 p.m., 6-8 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday: 1-8 p.m.

For more information about Generations, please contact the unit at (814) 788-8876.
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The environment at Elk Regional’s Family Unit is designed to provide a comfortable birthing experience. Women labor, deliver, and recover in one place where family members can be close at hand to support mom and welcome their new baby or babies.

Once you are settled in the Labor, Delivery, Recovery, Postpartum (LDRP) room, you will not be asked to move again during a typical birthing experience. Everything needed for a safe, comfortable labor experience – including fetal monitoring, anesthesia equipment, and a special delivery bed – is already in the room and integrated into the surroundings to preserve the comfort and intimacy of a home-like environment.

Elk Regional offers the following services to assist you to make your birthing experience as comfortable as possible:

• Birthing Ball
• Lamaze Support
• Position Change
• Massage
• Whirlpool Tub
• Epidurals

An emphasis is placed on education to assist mother and baby in a happy transition to home.  Baby Care, Mother Care and Breast Feeding classes are also available at Elk Regional. We also offer a Healthy Beginnings Plus Program which provides an array of maternity services to low-income women to increase the chance of a healthier baby.

Midwifery: Elk Regional also offers midwifery services through Julie Syzmanski, our certified nurse midwife. She provides individual labor support and will assist you with creating a personalized birth plan. Should you choose to work with a midwife, your baby’s delivery is guaranteed to be in her hands. You will have constant access to Mrs. Syzmanski via cell phone and will enjoy unhurried office visits and limited wait times.

Visiting hours for the Family Unit are as follows:
Fathers: 24 hours per day.
Grandparents, Infants and Siblings: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
Other Family Members and Friends: 2-4 p.m., 7-8 p.m.

For more information, please call our Family Unit at (814) 788-8558. For more information on our midwifery services, please call (814) 788-8118.
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One of the most difficult decisions for any family is placing a loved one in a nursing home.  Everyone wants the assurance that their family member will be receiving quality medical care and an opportunity to continue their lives with true meaning.

Pinecrest Manor was designed to provide comfort, safety and a home-like atmosphere for the elderly and the convalescent. In the company of companions the same age, your loved one will have the opportunity to experience planned daily activities and recreational programs geared to their interests and abilities. Our team of qualified professionals provides 24-hour nursing care and rehabilitative therapy with personalized attention to each resident.

When a physician, resident, and their family decide upon end-of-life care services, Pinecrest Manor will arrange for the entire spectrum of quality hospice care to be provided. Pinecrest Manor has hospice care contracts with Community Nurses Inc., a subsidiary of Elk Regional Health System, and Helpmates Home Nursing. Because Pinecrest Manor is conveniently located on the campus of Elk Regional Health Center, all of the Health Center resources, equipment and staff are easily accessible.

At Pinecrest Manor, both private and semi-private rooms are available, and delicious home-cooked meals are prepared daily. A snack bar is also available for residents and visitors who wish to eat in a friendly, casual public setting. A beautiful court yard and sensory garden are easily accessible by residents and family to enjoy the outdoors.  The facility is equipped with a modern fire alarm system to ensure the safety of their residents.

Pinecrest Manor also includes Dementia Unit that specializes in caring for individuals who suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s.

Services available at Pinecrest Manor include:

• Skilled nursing care
• Care Plan Management
• Social Services
• Hospice Services
• Transport Services to Outside Health Appointments
• Resident Activities
• Pastoral Care Services
• On-site Beautician
• Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy
• Renal Dialysis Services
• Behavioral Health Consultations
• Dieticians
• Laundry Services
• Ostomy Care
• Wound Care Specialist
• Notary Services
• Pain Management

For more information or to schedule a tour, please call (814) 788-8488.
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The Sleep Lab at Elk Regional Health Center conducts overnight sleep tests. During the test, a computer will monitor the patient overnight to assist in the diagnosis of sleeping disorders. The patient will typically come into the lab around 9 p.m. and a technician will discuss with them what they will be experiencing in the lab that night. Patients will be asked to remain in bed a minimum of six hours and will be woken at 6 a.m. 

We monitor the following in our Sleep Lab:

• how long it takes the patient to fall asleep
• the quality of the patient’s sleep
• whether the patient holds their breath at times during sleep
• whether the patient’s oxygen level is stable
• the patients heart rhythm looks like

For more information, please call the Sleep Lab at (814) 788-5618.
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