PHN Podcast

PHN Chief Executive Officer Dr. George Garrow is joined by Brenda Bacich, LPC at Primary Health Network, to discuss LGBTQ+ and Mental Health. 

Dr. Garrow and Brenda discuss the following topics:

• What is LGBTQ+?
• How to access Mental Health services?
• What are the stigmas that the LGBTQ+ community face?
• What types of resources are available?
• How can we be an advocate?

PHN Chief Medical Officer, Dr. George Garrow, is joined by Katie Gassner, a Nationally Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist and Program Director for Tobacco Control in Mercer and Lawrence Counties, as they discuss the misconceptions surrounding tobacco and nicotine use.

Dr. Garrow and Katie discuss the following topics:

• What exactly is nicotine?
• What are the available treatments for nicotine addiction?
• How can I be supportive of someone who is trying to quit smoking?
• How do you talk to your children about nicotine use?

In our latest PHN Podcast, PHN Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Garrow is joined by Michael Wright, former Chief Executive Officer of the Shenango Valley Urban League, as they address inequities in healthcare in our community and introduce the formation of a health equity response team. Dr. Garrow and Michael discuss the following topics:

• What health disparities are people in our communities facing, and how can we reduce or eliminate these disparities?
• How has the pandemic brought the topic of health equity to the forefront?
• How are the recent acts of violence across the nation related to health and health equity?

Primary Health Network’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Garrow talks with Jennifer Moss, PhD from Penn State University about their collaboration on cancer screening in rural communities. 

Some of the topics they discuss include:

• The collaboration between Primary Health Network and Penn State University on a new cancer screening study
• Common barriers to cancer screening that rural populations face
• At-home screening tests for cervical and colorectal cancer being used in the study
• The benefits of early cancer screening 

Episode Guest
Jennifer Moss, PhD is an assistant professor for both the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Department of Public Health Services at Penn State University. Dr. Moss is an expert in geographic disparities in cancer prevention behaviors, including vaccination, tobacco use and screening.  

Primary Health Network’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. George Garrow and PACHC’s Director of Pennsylvania’s Primary Care Career Center, Judd Mellinger-Blouch, discuss provider recruitment during a pandemic. Some of the questions addressed include: 

• How has the pandemic impacted recruitment?
• Have we noticed a change in the candidate pool because of the pandemic?
• Has telemedicine presented any opportunities in recruitment?
• What does recruitment look like now? i.e. interviews, site visits, onboarding, etc.
• What are our top hiring priorities or goals?

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to alarming declines in well-child visits and routine immunization rates. This raises the risk for outbreaks and places further strain on our nation’s health care system. To increase the awareness of childhood immunizations, Dr. Garrow, PHN’s Chief Medical Officer, and Dr. John Cunningham, PHN Pediatrician, discuss and provide information on:

• Why are childhood immunizations so important, especially this year?
• What measures are in place to reassure parents that our offices are a safe place to receive care?
• Guidance for listeners who have concerns about the effectiveness and utility of immunizations.

PHN's Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Garrow and Marie Mulvihill, Executive Director of Operations - Medical, talk with Dr. Donna Fick, Dr. Erica Husser, and Dr. Judith Hupcey, about PSU's Geriatric Wellness and Education Program (GWEP). PSU has recently partnered with PHN and the collaboration is designed to implement an Age-Friendly Health System in a rural, medically underserved area.

In this episode, PHN's Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Garrow is joined by Cheri Rinehart, the president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers. Together, they discuss the value of Community Health Centers (CHCs), also known as FQHCs - Federally Quailifed Health Centers and the positive impact that they have on their communities.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Garrow is joined by Matt Eckley, Executive Director of Behavioral Health and Lisa Lorelli, Director of Clinical Initiatives to talk about new initiatives that focus  on collaborative care. 

Collaborative care is a model of integration of Behavioral Health in a Primary Care setting, with a focus on the effectiveness of patient outcomes. The main purpose is to help primary care physicians support their patients the best they can.

Rachel Bieber, PHN's Visual Arts Manager, discusses the reopening of schools with Dr. George Garrow, PHN's Chief Medical officer. Dr. Garrow focuses on the health and safety of children and shares some tips that parents can implement right away.