2H
CENTREDAILY.COM
BY MARLEY PARISH
mparish@centredaily.com
Richard Anderson and
Emily Smith don’t consider
themselves heroes —
they’re just people who
want their neighbors to
survive the pandemic with
their health, homes and
pocketbooks intact.
And Centre County
COVID-19 Community
Response, also known as
4CR, gave them a way to
help.
“There are challenges,
but the response has been
strong,” Anderson, 4CR
outreach coordinator, said.
Formed in response to the
coronavirus, 4CR is a group
of community members,
working to coordinate local
mutual aid efforts as many
are faced with job loss,
eviction and food insecurity.
From rent rallies, grocery
runs and transportation
assistance, 4CR aims to help
those in need while also
highlighting existing com-
munity resources.
“We’re not special,”
Anderson said. “People in
Centre County already do
this work. They take care of
their neighbors.”
The grassroots organiza-
tion formed after one State
College native sent out a
call to action on Facebook.
A few days later, more than
52 community members
convened on a Zoom call to
brainstorm ways to help
Centre County residents
and Penn State students
who have been affected by
the virus, Anderson said.
During the meeting, 4CR
formed working groups
responsible for conducting
outreach and forming a
resource hub.
From there, 4CR
launched a website, social
Cover design and photos by
Abby Drey
Centre County COVID-19 Community Response partnered with a collective of local
women to make, sell and distribute 1,526 tamales and other foods. The group raised more
than $7,000 that went directly to the women.
Community response
group aims to
alleviate burden
caused by COVID-19
media accounts and formed
a resident-to-resident assist-
ance network to pair those
in need with help.
“We want everybody in
Centre County to know
that 4CR is here for you if
you need help and here for
you if you want to give
help,” Anderson said.
Anderson and Smith
became involved with the
group through friends. 4CR
has about 40 volunteers,
according to Anderson. Not
wanting to replace existing
community services and
food assistance programs
in Centre County, they said
4CR volunteers wanted to
create a space where peo-
ple can find resources more
easily.
“The needs that we see
from folks who contact us
through the resident-to-
resident support network are
cash assistance for food and
groceries,” Anderson said.
“They need cash assist-
Photo provided
ance with rent. They’re
very basic things — having
food to eat and being able
to stay in your homes.”
The group presented a
letter to the State College
Borough Council with a
series of questions and
concerns on how residents
would be supported amid
the pandemic. In May, 4CR
organized a rent rally in
downtown State College,
SEE COMMUNITY, 3H
Recognizing
superheroes
among us
BY JESSICA MCALLISTER
jmcallister@centredaily.com
As the mom of a 4-year-
old boy, I have a baseline
knowledge of superheroes.
There’s Spider-Man, Hulk,
Iron Man, the one Chris
Pratt plays. They use their
skills and talents to make a
difference, put others be-
fore themselves, sacrifice
and often wear masks.
So it’s not a stretch to say
that Centre County is full
of superheroes, and the
COVID-19 pandemic has
showcased many of them.
In this section, we’re
proud to put a spotlight on a
number of these heroes.
Emotionally, financially and
physically, our community
has struggled along with the
rest of the nation over these
past months. Grassroots
groups such as 4CR formed
to respond to immediate
needs, such as rent assist-
ance. People with sewing
machines and 3D printers
quickly got to work, making
masks and PPE to keep the
community safe. Health
care providers jumped into
new roles, challenged like
never before in their careers.
Their stories are in the pag-
es ahead.
In the past months, we’ve
also featured businesses
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
such as Big Spring Spirits
and The Corner Room that
have been going above and
beyond to provide free
meals and services to the
community, even while
facing their own monu-
mental challenges. Parents
turned teachers overnight
while trying to navigate
remote work themselves.
Penn State students who
opted to stay in town after
campus closed to continue
volunteering with the Alpha
Fire Company.
To be sure, we’ve only
scratched the surface. As
Centre County moves
further along in its reopen-
ing, essential workers —
grocery store employees,
bus drivers, law enforce-
ment officers — have been
on the front lines of the
pandemic all along.
While we don’t know
what the future holds, we
know that these workers
and volunteers are still out
there — preparing meals so
kids don’t go hungry, identi-
fying changes that need to
take place to keep us safe,
rallying troops to help our
most vulnerable residents.
As the metal sign that was
erected outside of Mount
Nittany Medical Center so
perfectly said: “We are …
grateful.” At the CDT, we
are grateful for all of those
on the front lines during the
pandemic, and grateful to be
able to share their stories.
Jessica McAllister is the
executive editor of the
Centre Daily Times.
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM
FROM PAGE 2H
COMMUNITY
encouraging landlords to
make three promises: no
evictions, no late fees and
good-faith negotiation.
Volunteers have also
delivered groceries to those
in need, driven people to
doctor’s appointments and
helped others file for un-
employment.
“We’re not asking for the
moon,” Anderson said.
“We’re just requesting to
please try honestly to work
with folks however you
can.”
Hoping that 4CR will
encourage people to donate
their time in the future,
Smith said her experience
working with the group has
taught her that people are
willing to help, even during
times of crisis.
“As we’re seeing a lot of
things opening back up,
there’s still a lot of need in
our community that we
may not have always real-
ized was there,” she said.
“We also have a lot of
people in the community
who want to help and see
things be different, become
more equitable and spend a
good amount of time or
money — depending on
how much of each thing
they have to spare — to
directly help people.”
While no rallies or pro-
tests are in the works right
now, Anderson said 4CR is
considering launching a
summer meal program to
build on resources already
3H
‘‘
THE PHILOSOPHY
IS HELPING EACH
OTHER.
Richard Anderson
offered by the Centre
County YMCA.
“We would reject the
term charity. We don’t give
this help as a gift to people
who are in unfortunate
circumstances,” he said.
“The philosophy is helping
each other. You might need
help right now, but maybe
there are resources that
you can offer to people in
the future.”
Marley Parish: ABBY DREY adrey@centredaily.com
814-231-4619, Centre County COVID-19 Community Response had a car rally on May 1 for rent fairness in
@marley_parish downtown State College.
4H
Mask makers in Centre County
use talents to help others
BY STEF KEMPTON
For the CDT
Six months ago, commu-
nity members didn’t give
any thought to where or
how to get face masks. But
since the early days of the
COVID-19 pandemic,
masks have become an
essential part of the war-
drobe and an important
way to protect yourself and
others against the spread of
the coronavirus.
Throughout Centre
County, several organiza-
tions, grassroots groups
and individuals have
stepped up to use their
skills to sew and distribute
thousands of homemade
face masks for those who
need them. Below are ex-
amples of people and
groups who continue to
donate their time and ef-
forts to make sure every-
one who needs a mask has
one.
THE FORMER NURSE
Eat, sleep, sew. That’s
the mantra of Diane Kram-
er of State College. Since
the beginning of the CO-
VID-19 pandemic, Kramer
has hand-sewed almost
7,000 cloth face masks for
people who need them. She
spends between eight and
10 hours making masks
each day and can make a
mask in 90 seconds flat.
Kramer has always had a
passion for helping others.
She worked as a nurse until
she was diagnosed with
multiple sclerosis in 2010
and had to medically retire.
Though she is no longer on
the front lines as a health
Diane Kramer sews masks at her kitchen table. Since mid-March, Kramer has sewn thousands of masks that have been
sent across the country.
care worker, she still feels
she is called to do her part
to keep her community safe.
“I was driving home
from Washington, D.C.,
when the word ‘pandemic’
was said,” Kramer said.
“That feeling of anxiety
and the unknown and the
loss of control, I was really
overwhelmed by that. The
only way I could deal with
it was to start sewing, it
was the only way I could ...
take some sort of action to
protect the people I love.”
Kramer joined a grass-
roots organization called
Make Masks 2020. The
group includes about 1,000
members across the coun-
try. She has donated masks
for people in 48 states, re-
ceiving some donated mate-
rials, but paying for some
out of her own pocket.
While undertaking such
a feat has cost her time and
money, Kramer said she
gets a lot of joy out of the
process.
“I wanted to be able to
say I used this time for
good,” Kramer said. “We
did it kind of quietly. I
wanted something that
people could rally around,
something that I could rally
around.”
THE MAKERSPACE
The Rivet, a community
makerspace housed in the
Discovery Space of Central
Pennsylvania, opened its
doors in January to local
artists and creators, but
quickly felt the impacts of
the COVID-19 pandemic,
shutting down just a few
months after opening.
ABBY DREY adrey@centredaily.com
However, the group real-
ized they could use their
skills for good.
“(They) have this spirit
of being able to make any-
thing, often times that
means solutions to local
problems,” said Michele
Crowl, executive director.
“It was a no brainer.”
Members of The Rivet
got to work making person-
al protective equipment for
people in the community.
They used their 3D printers
and laser cutters to make
plastic face shields. The
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM
‘‘
I FELT THAT I WAS
PAYING IT
FORWARD FOR
EVERYONE THAT’S
EVER HELPED ME
IN THIS
COMMUNITY.
Deborah Coder
Rivet has provided about
1,000 face shields to 30
local organizations and
health care facilities.
They’ve also made face
shields for local poll work-
ers and volunteers for the
YMCA’s free lunch pro-
gram.
The Rivet’s initiative is
funded by donors, board
members and the Centre
Foundation. This allows
them to donate all of the
face shields to nonprofit
organizations. Crowl said
she is overwhelmed by the
community support for the
initiative and by the tireless
efforts of The Rivet work-
ers. She says it speaks vol-
umes to how much the
Centre County community
cares for each other.
“I can’t imagine that if
another need in this com-
munity arises that there
wouldn’t be community
members that would step
up and help,” Crowl said.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA
EFFORT
Masks for Centre County
is a mask-making group
rooted in social media. The
group began on Facebook
and grew to over 80 mem-
bers. So far, members have
made thousands of masks
for people who need them.
Deborah Coder of Belle-
fonte said she started the
SEE MASKS, 5H
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM
FROM PAGE 4H
MASKS
group as a way to give back
to a community that has
done so much for her.
“I felt that I was paying it
forward for everyone that’s
ever helped me in this
community ... people really
help each other,” she said.
Coder said the group
members range in age from
18 to 80 and there are
people from a variety of
occupations and local ar-
eas. Everyone does their
part. People who are skilled
in needlework do the sew-
ing, and those who can’t
sew help in other ways, like
cutting elastic strings or
delivering the masks. The
group has donated masks
to local veterinarians, nurs-
ing homes, the YMCA and
community members.
Deborah’s husband,
Chuck Coder, also helps out.
He cuts fabric and elastic
and also provides moral
support for his wife in her
undertaking of such a pro-
ject. He said he’s taken
aback by the generosity of
the group’s volunteers.
“The volunteers took
their time to help the com-
munity any way they
could,” Chuck Coder said.
“You just don’t see that too
often anymore.”
Jennifer Schoch of Belle-
fonte heard about Masks
for Centre County on Face-
book and decided to join.
She had made baby bibs
and hair scrunchies to sell
at Musser Farm Market
and thought she could put
her sewing skills to good
use. Schoch has made
5H
about 1,000 masks for
friends, family and com-
munity members.
Schoch says she makes
masks for people who don’t
know how to sew or people
who can’t find materials.
She was lucky enough to
come across several spools
of elastic strings and re-
ceived donations of fabric
from neighbors and
friends. She posted on
Facebook that she was
making masks and got an
overwhelming response of
people in need. She says
every time she thinks she’s
caught up with orders, she
gets more, but she is happy
to do what she can to help.
“I am a firm believer that
we were put on this earth
to do for others and I love
doing for others,” Schoch ABBY DREY adrey@centredaily.com
said. “If I can help some- Diane Kramer has made thousands of masks that have been sent all over the country since
one, that’s what I do.” mid-March through a grassroots organization called Make Masks 2020.
6H SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM

Signs
of
hope
PHOTOS BY ABBY DREY
adrey@centredaily.com

Right: Signs thanking 911,

police, fire, EMTs, hospital
and clinic workers, and
food, gas and drug store
workers line Turnpike Street
in Milesburg amid the
coronavirus pandemic.
Below: Yard signs
supporting nurses are on
display outside Centre Crest
in Bellefonte.

A poster hangs in the information kiosk at College Avenue and Allen Street in
downtown Stae College.
The Gregg Township Fire Company offers encouragement to the community.

Left: A sign that

reads “We are ...
grateful” greets
employees and
visitors on their
way to Mount
Nittany Medical
Center.
Below: The Harris
Townshp Lions
Club and
Boalsburg
community thank
those on the front
lines of the
coronavirus
pandemic.

SUNDAY JULY 12 2020 • CENTRE DAILY TIMES

ONLINE

Explore an interactive timeline of the pandemic’s effects in Pennsylvania and Centre County, at centredaily.com 7H
8H
The State College Area School District food services department, led by Director Megan
Schaper, has been providing free meals each Wednesday for children.
Leaders of
food programs
are making
a difference
BY ACACIA ASTER BRODER
aasterbroder@centredaily.com
When schools closed in
mid-March, community
organizations and volun-
teers sprang into action to
make sure families strug-
gling to put food on the
table had assistance.
From downtown busi-
nesses offering free meals to
a milk giveaway, there have
been countless examples of
generosity and support
across Centre County. And
two programs have provided
thousands upon thousands
of free meals for local fam-
ilies, with the support of
hundreds of volunteers and
with Mel Curtis at the helm
of the YMCA Food Program
and Megan Schaper heading
the State College Area
School District’s food dis-
tribution program.
“Most people are very
proud. Most people don’t
want anyone else to think
that they can’t take care of
their family. So you have to
be very cautious on how
you do things,” Curtis said
during a recent phone
interview. “It’s constantly
planning.”
NABIL K. MARK, SCASD Photo provided
‘CONTAGIOUS’ ENERGY
POWERS YMCA EFFORTS
For Curtis, director of
the Moshannon Valley
YMCA, 14-hour days are
nothing out of the ordinary.
“I’m constantly calling
people and making sure
that we do
have that
line of food
that’s going
to be coming
in, so I know
that we’re
going to be
Mel Curtis taking care
of everybody
that needs it,” he said.
He has run the YMCA’s
anti-hunger programs —
the Backpack Weekend
Food Program and Summer
Lunch Program — for
years, but the COVID-19
pandemic brought about
unique challenges. Stu-
dents were not in school to
pick up the backpacks full
of food, and unemploy-
ment and financial un-
certainty for Centre County
families meant high need.
So the summer lunch
program started early, and
the backpack program
came to kids instead, with
34 feeding sites across the
county every weekday, in
addition to soup drive-
thrus, home delivery and
more.
By early June, the
YMCA’s food program had
distributed more than
116,000 meals. It’s made
possible by an army of
volunteers who say they’re
inspired by Curtis’ drive
and vision for the program.
“I’ve been working out of
the Y for years, and I’ve
seen the great things Mel
does and I wanted to be a
part of that,” said Teresa
Mull, who helps run the
Penn Highlands Family
Center in Philipsburg. “He’s
always working so hard and
I really admire the stuff he
does for our community.”
Becky Briggs, a member
of the YMCA of Centre
County advisory commit-
tee who runs a food center
in the Osceola Mills/
Houtzdale area, credits the
success of the program to
Curtis’ attitude rubbing off
on those around him.
“He lights this fire in
people and it just spreads.
It’s completely contagious,
and once you get a feel for it
all you’re left asking is what
can we do next,” she said.
For his part, Curtis is
usually the man behind the
scenes (or inside the Easter
Bunny costume during a
spring food distribution
event), giving the credit to
the volunteers and outside
organizations that have
also stepped up to help.
“The Red Cross, they
come in and deliver stuff
for us. Civil Air Patrol un-
loads vehicles and loads
vehicles and distributes
food. We have a large do-
nor group outside of the
Philipsburg area that un-
loads all of our tractor
trailers. They’re the ones
who are making things
happen,” he said.
Part of the job is coming
up with new ways to get
food out to those in need,
and Curtis has come up
with outside the box ways
to make it exciting.
“We started at night
delivering pizza from fi-
retrucks,” Curtis said.
“Kids love firetrucks. We
were in Centre Hall and
had very high success with
it, and then we came into
the Philipsburg area and
did it here and it just went
totally crazy.”
Mull said Curtis sends
out daily emails to staff, to
tell them how they are
making a difference and
encourage them to keep
persevering.
“He’s out there volun-
teering, handing out boxes
too — and he loves to do
that,” Mull said. “He’s al-
ways thinking of new ideas,
and he just has such a can-
do attitude. I’ve never seen
him get down or discour-
aged, he’s always very much
‘we will find a way.’ And
whenever you have a leader
like that ... you start to think
that way too.”
WORKING TO FEED
‘THEIR KIDS’
The State College Area
School District was faced
with the same challenge
once schools closed in mid-
March: How to keep chil-
dren fed during a time when
many families are in crisis.
The result is the weekly
food distribution program,
led by Food Service Direc-
tor Megan Schaper and
funded by the National
School Lunch Program’s
Seamless Summer Option.
Every Wednesday, the
program distributes meal
kits that provide a week’s
worth of breakfasts and
lunches to families in need.
“When I learned that
schools would be closing, I
immediately knew that
could be a problem for
some of our children and
families,” Schaper said.
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM
“Meals served at school are
sometimes the best, most
reliable food that some
children have access to. So,
it quickly became a priority
to figure out how we could
continue to provide food to
families even though
schools were closed.”
SCASD’s program dis-
tributes as many as 13,000
meals a week and serves
over 500 families, which is
something Schaper attri-
butes to her caring food
service workers and ded-
icated community volun-
teers.
“My staff, they’re just
lovely people who during a
regular, normal school year
they consider those chil-
dren who come to their
cafeteria their kids,” she
said. “Immediately (when
the pandemic started), my
staff is thinking about their
kids and how this is affect-
ing them.”
It’s now down to a sci-
ence, and takes a lot of
coordination to pack the
meals while also keeping
volunteers safe.
“We have lists of what
goes in the bags — on the
bottom of the bag, middle
of the bag, at the top of the
bag,” Schaper said. “We’re
trying to make sure that
we’re keeping frozen food
cold, and that sandwich
buns and potato chips don’t
get smashed. We’re trying
to do this quickly and effi-
ciently while also keeping
workers 6 feet apart.”
Heidi Arruda, a nurse in
the district, attributes the
success of the program to
Schaper, who keeps every-
thing running smoothly
and operates on a timely
schedule.
“She really has every
aspect figured out,” Arruda
said. “Megan is just always
thinking about how we can
still keep people safe ... and
how we can provide nutri-
tious meals to students.”
SEE FOOD, 11H
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM
‘COVID czar’
has seen hospital
through pandemic
BY MEGAN SWIFT
mswift@centredaily.com
Dr. Gregory Ruff has had
a long career in medicine,
but it’s only over the past
few months that he said
he’s worried about the
safety of his family because
of his job.
The section chief of pul-
monary medicine has been
on the front lines at Mount
Nittany Medical Center
amid the coronavirus pan-
demic, directing and at-
tending in the intensive
care unit.
As the overseer of the
medical approach to coro-
navirus, Ruff said co-work-
ers call him the “COVID
czar.” He acts as the chief
triage officer for the hospi-
tal by monitoring supplies,
beds, availability of equip-
ment and medications.
“It’s been very much of a
moving target on how best
to manage these patients
and treat those patients,”
Ruff said. “I think what we
have seen evolving is the
way that we diagnose, the
way that we manage and
the way that we treat
things.”
Because the pandemic
came on so abruptly, Ruff
said it has been difficult
having no previous data or
literature to work with or to
take advice from.
“A lot of things have
changed on the inside of
the hospital. You used to be
able to see patients up
close and personal and
interact with them and
families,” Ruff said. “It’s
difficult for critical care
settings. A lot of those
conversations take place
over the phone (now),
which is less than ideal.”
Ruff said he has helped
create the plan for a worst-
case scenario at the med-
ical center. With all of the
resources, he said Mount
Nittany has had it better
than larger metropolitan
areas.
“A lot of the planning we
put in place never actually
had to be activated,” Ruff
said, “but it was still a lot
of time and effort (to pre-
pare) in the event that we
would be affected in a
much larger case than we
were.”
One of the challenges
that Ruff has had to face is
keeping workers safe and
reassured.
“Every day presents
unique challenges because
we’re trying to take care of
patients and trying to take
care of staff members at
the same time,” Ruff said.
“(There is a) lot of anxiety
and uncertainty surround-
ing this.”
And the next few months
are still filled with un-
certainty — until there is a
reliable vaccine, Ruff said
he doesn’t see cases going
away.
“I think anybody’s expert
opinion right now is a
guess,” Ruff said. “Our
hope is that we can keep it
at a manageable level.”
Another challenge Ruff
9H
has had to work through
with colleagues is testing
for coronavirus while keep-
ing safe patients who need
to visit the hospital for
other reasons.
“We’ve had to work
though how to get testing
and rapid testing so results
are available quickly,” Ruff
said. “How can we treat STACY OLENOSKI, MOUNT NITTANY HEALTH Photo provided
those who don’t have it but Dr. Gregory Ruff has worked in the intensive care unit at Mount Nittany Medical Center
keep them safe?” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Even though he strug-
gled with making potential-
ly life-altering policy deci-
sions at Mount Nittany
Medical Center, Ruff’s
personal concern was with
protecting his family.
“There have always been
risks, especially as a pul-
monologist because in-
fectious diseases can be
transmitted,” Ruff said. “I
could potentially bring
something home that could
affect my family and could
potentially be fatal just
because of my work.”
With coronavirus, that
fear was amplified due to
the unpredictable nature of
the disease. However, Ruff
is thankful that community
members have been sup-
porting the hospital.
“We appreciate the sup-
port from the community;
it’s heartwarming,” Ruff
concluded. “We’re here
and we’re committed to the
health care of the patients
that are here in Centre
County.”
10H
Married
doctors
balance
care for
family,
patients
BY ACACIA ASTER BRODER
aasterbroder@centredaily.com
Working in Geisinger
Lewistown Hospital during
the COVID-19 pandemic is
not easy. It’s long hours,
layers of PPE and the wor-
ry of possibly contracting
the virus.
For husband and wife
Shane and Laura Newhous-
er, working in the dedicat-
ed COVID-19 unit at the
hospital for two months
meant a shift away from
their normal routine as
physicians in Centre Coun-
ty, with meticulous precau-
tions aimed at keeping
their family safe.
“We were really careful
to make sure that we wore
separate clothes. We wore
scrubs at the hospital, we
would change into scrubs
once we got there, and
then the hospital was great
in that they made rooms
that were available to
shower in the morning
before we came home,”
Laura Newhouser said over
a recent video call. “We
kept shoes separate from
what we wore in the hospi-
tal, we didn’t bring that
into the house. We wiped
down badges and cell-
phones. We made sure that
SEE DOCTORS, 11H
Cassidy Goe has been an emergency department nurse at Mount Nittany Medical Center
for over four years.
Change
is constant
for nurse
BY ACACIA ASTER BRODER
aasterbroder@centredaily.com
A typical day for Cassidy
Goe begins at 3 or 4 p.m.,
when she wakes up, gets
ready and drives from
Lewistown to State Col-
lege, where she works the
night shift in the Mount
Nittany Medical Center
emergency department.
And during the coro-
Physician tasked with
making big decisions
STACY OLENOSKI, MOUNT NITTANY HEALTH Photo provided
navirus pandemic, days
and nights have been any-
thing but typical.
“It has definitely forced
me to be resilient and open
to change,” Goe said over a
recent video call.
Goe has been an emer-
gency department nurse at
the hospital for more than
four years. Over the past
few months, that has
meant being among the
first to examine possible
COVID-19 patients when
they enter the hospital.
“We screen them, we
examine them, and we
determine if they’re at risk
for COVID or if we’re con-
cerned that they may have
COVID,” Goe said.
In an ever-changing
environment, Goe had to
adapt many times to proce-
dure changes while caring
for patients, sometimes
even during the middle of a
shift.
“We changed the way we
triaged patients, that we
were concerned about that
could have COVID. We
brought them to a separate
entrance in a safer area to
be screened. We changed
the flow of the emergency
department, in terms of
which areas are opened
and closed during the eve-
ning,” Goe said.
BY MEGAN SWIFT
mswift@centredaily.com
A 15-minute huddle at
the start of Goe’s shift was
usually how she’d learn
about any changes or up-
dates with the evolving
situation.
“That was really where
we found out what was
new for the coronavirus
that day. They would tell us
how many cases we had
that day, if there was a new
masking procedure for the
staff or the patients, they’d
tell us if there was a new
visitation policy,” Goe said.
During the predicted
peak of the virus, Goe said
she saw fewer cases of
COVID.
“Around the time that
they were predicting we
were going to have a huge
surge ... we just started to
see more people concerned
that they had the coro-
navirus come in. Not nec-
essarily a huge uptick in
the number of cases, but
we saw a lot of people who
started to get really worried
that their cough might be
COVID.
“We did of course see
coronavirus cases and a lot
of people who were con-
cerned they had it, but we
had a decreased number of
visitors and people coming
in,” Goe said.
Caring for those who had
the coronavirus — those
who had received positive
tests and came back due to
complications — Goe said,
was an entirely different
“ballgame.”
“When you are caring for
a patient that you know has
the coronavirus ... that can
be very scary and very
overwhelming,” she said.
Before entering a CO-
VID-19 patient’s room, Goe
would put on a gown,
From visitor policies to
telehealth visits, health
systems face a need to
make quick changes amid
the coronavirus pandemic.
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM
gloves, a face shield and an
N95 mask.
“In an effort to keep my
co-workers safe, I go into
the room by myself. So I
don’t have anybody in
there to help me. You do all
of the testing yourself. The
EKG to look at their heart,
you start IV — maybe mul-
tiple IVs, and get blood
work. Sometimes it’s com-
plicated bloodwork and
you need it from two dif-
ferent locations,” she said.
Depending on the pa-
tient, care can be time
consuming, and Goe said
that’s where teamwork
comes in.
“You’re in there for 45
minutes, and you may have
other patients on top of this
one patient. You really
have to rely on your co-
workers to really step it up
and help you with your
other patients,” she said.
“It’s really the teamwork of
the ER that you have to
rely on. If I didn’t have my
co-workers that had my
back, it would be almost
impossible to care for ev-
erybody at the level of care
they deserve.”
What drives Goe to con-
tinue when things get tough
is the kindness and appre-
ciation patients show her.
“Little things make the
job really rewarding for
me,” Goe said. “When a
patient is appreciative of the
fact that we’re here and
we’re helping to take care of
them ... patients who come
in for toe pain, who have an
ingrown nail that need
looked at, are so thankful
that we’re here to take care
of them. People are really
understanding, the fact that
we’re putting ourselves at
risk doing this job.”
In his role as physician
leader and administrator,
Dr. Christopher Hester has
SEE DECISIONS, 12H
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020 11H
CENTREDAILY.COM

As tough as working in that we were young and FROM PAGE 8H

the unit was, simple things
made it all worth it for
them.
“It was really rewarding
to see the patients go
home. We had two people
that were intubated that
seemed to be in the ICU
forever, but they eventually
did get to go home. It’s
kind of amazing when you
think about what they had
been through and for how
long,” Laura Newhouser
said.
For her husband, his
biggest motivator was ded-
icated co-workers.
“Seeing the commitment
from so many people from
Geisinger ... you weren’t
alone in working, everybo-
dy was committed toward
ABBY DREY adrey@centredaily.com this together,” Shane Ne-
Drs. Shane and Laura Newhouser, who practice family medicine at Geisinger’s Scenery whouser said. “People with
Park and Gray’s Woods locations, worked in the Geisinger Lewistown Hospital COVID-19 higher risk than us — part
unit during the pandemic. of our choice to do this was
healthy and we wouldn’t be
putting ourselves in too
high of a risk, but some-
times there are nurses that
have chronic conditions
and they’re spending more
time with the patients than
we do.”
The two are now back at
their former routines and
practices, though they
don’t look quite the same
as when they left.
“It’s a totally different
practice now,” Shane Ne-
whouser said. “It’s a differ-
ent world now, and part of
this I think is going to stay.
Televideo and telemed-
icine is here to stay to some
degree, no matter how long
the pandemic continues.”
FOOD
It’s been a true “group
effort,” Schaper said, that
includes community part-
ners such as Penn State
Housing and Food Services
and Weis Markets, which
have provided extra food to
distribute, and local restau-
rants that have brought
lunch for volunteers and
free kids meal coupons to
share with families.
“I think the fact that we
can come in and help make
sure those kids are OK and
being taken care of has been
great for me and my staff,”
Schaper said. “We like being
able to take care of the
students in this district and
it’s nice that this program
gave us the opportunity to
continue to do that.”

FROM PAGE 10H toughest part of caring for

DOCTORS
we weren’t transmitting
anything back and forth.”
The Newhousers are
osteopathic doctors who
specialize in family med-
icine — Laura at Geisinger
Gray’s Woods and Shane at
Geisinger Scenery Park and
Geisinger Gray’s Woods.
Both went to Philadelphia
College of Osteopathic
Medicine and did their
residency at Latrobe Area
Hospital.
When they moved to the
COVID-19 unit in Lewis-
town, they opted to work
alternate night shifts in
hopes of getting to spend
time with their 3-, 4- and
7-year-old children during
the day.
“Part of the challenge
was getting the kids to
accept that one of us was
going to be gone each
night, that’s just not what
they were used to,” Shane
Newhouser said.
Once at work, the doc-
tors would put on an N95
mask, plastic hood, gown,
gloves, hair net and booties
to cover shoes. Their work
on the unit involved ad-
mitting patients into the
hospital, or caring for those
who were already in the
unit and battling the coro-
navirus.
“We had protocols from
infectious disease on which
medications to start and
what was appropriate. At
least when we admitted
people at night, if they
weren’t already intubated,
we would make sure they
were getting enough oxy-
gen, we’re monitoring their
vitals, we’re managing
some of their other medical
problems too, on top of the
COVID,” Laura Newhouser
said.
For both doctors, the
the patients was the lack of
“human touch.”
“You’re talking through a
mask and also an eye guard
... you’re barely touching
them, and you’re spending
far less time with them, so
you lose that human con-
nection when they need it
the most,” Shane Ne-
whouser said. “Without the
chance to have visitors in,
without their families, this
is when they need their
doctor to show care for
them.”
He lamented that simple
things — sitting on the edge
of the bed, offering a hand
to hold for comfort — were
bygones.
“You were still in the
room, but you’re trying not
to be there too long, you’re
trying to do just what you
needed to do — you had all
the gear on and then get
out to minimize exposure.
So not being able to have
that human touch with the
patients was tricky for me,”
Laura Newhouser agreed.
12H
FROM PAGE 10H
DECISIONS
been part of implementing
changes that affect pa-
tients, community mem-
bers and staff at Mount
Nittany Health.
Hester is a provider with
Mount Nittany Physician
Group Internal Medicine
and clinical chief officer of
primary care services, and
his primary office is in
Bellefonte.
“Within our primary care
offices where much of the
action (initially took place)
for coronavirus, the mood
and feeling (was) similar to
the community,” Hester
said. “Some were not very
concerned in their own
minds and other people
were extremely anxious
and wouldn’t go outside of
their homes.”
While he normally would
work on the front lines with
patient care, he said he was
“pulled” to help with deci-
sion-making.
“It’s easy to stand in the
background and tell people
what to do,” Hester said.
“Seeing my own patients
personally was severely
limited during this time.”
Some of the decisions
Hester helped enact were
drive-thru testing, tele-
health visits, use of protec-
tive equipment and provid-
ing masks when patients
visit.
Hester believes much of
Centre County’s success
can be attributed to the
lack of initial influx of
cases before guidelines
from the Department of
Health and Centers for
Disease Control and Pre-
vention were put in place.
“Without the initial in-
flux, the things that were
done to control the spread
and flatten the curve truly
worked in our area,” Hes-
ter said. “Our doubling rate
never became excessively
high like New York City.”
He cited the limiting of
physician services to essen-
tial visits, stay-at-home
orders, masking and social
distancing as to what fur-
thered the success in Cen-
tre County.
Still, there were plenty of
challenges when it came to
decision-making.
“It was hard trying to
keep up with rapidly evolv-
ing information with the
coronavirus,” Hester said.
“At times we were literally
changing on a daily basis.”
He said the office initi-
ated telehealth visits in
7-10 days, a process that
might normally take sever-
al months.
“Rapid change within an
organization is accelerated
during a pandemic,” Hes-
ter said, noting that the
telehealth process involved
many people in different
disciplines.
Another challenge Hes-
ter faced was deciding who
should be asked to come in
for an appointment with
the limiting of visits.
“We’re here to serve the
community and we want to
do the best we can for
them,” Hester said. “It was
a fear that if a staff mem-
ber got the virus it would
spread and then (we
would) have to shut down
the office.”
However, Hester said the
collaboration between
everyone was “amazing,”
and while he said he can’t
offer an opinion on wheth-
SUNDAY JULY 12 2020
CENTREDAILY.COM
Dr.
Christopher
Hester is a
provider
with Mount
Nittany
Physician
Group
Internal
Medicine
and clinical
chief officer
of primary
care services.
STACY OLENOSKI, MOUNT NITTANY HEALTH Photo provided
er there might be a “sec- guidelines that have been
ond wave,” he does have put in place for social dis-
concerns. tancing,” Hester said.
“For me personally, I am His biggest concern,
concerned that as the com- though, lies within nursing
munity and everyone re- homes and other personal
turns to normal activities care homes.
there is clearly a risk for “It could be devastating
further transmission — a for those institutions when
second wave — and people they open those doors
(will become) lax with the (again),” Hester said.