SMETHPORT — Officials of Upper Allegheny Health Systems and Kane
Community Hospital presented updates on their respective facilities
Thursday during a meeting of the McKean County Hospital
Authority.

Representing Upper Allegheny were Timothy Finan, chief executive
officer, and Richard Braun, chief financial officer. Administrator
Gary Rhodes reported for Kane Community Hospital.

Bradford Regional Medical Center and Olean (N.Y.) General
Hospital operate under the Upper Allegheny banner.

Finan said that since BRMC was operating at a huge loss each
month, 52 full-time employees were terminated in January, reducing
the workforce to 592 full-time workers.

Since then, Finan said the hospital financial picture has
improved, and a small profit was realized in April.

Speaking about the future, Finan said that while the new health
care law will take money from Medicare, payments will be based on
outcomes. At the same time, more people will be insured and receive
health care.

Ongoing improvement activities at BRMC this year include
aesthetic upgrades throughout the facility, renovation of the MICA
unit, installation of new imaging equipment, replacement of
medical/surgical beds and mattresses and acquisition of a new
information system for the emergency department.

For 2009-10, the highlights have been recruitment of general and
vascular surgeons, wound care specialist, OB/GYN, family medicine
physician and pulmonologist and increased service capabilities in
areas such as wound care, bone density and community vascular
screenings and expanded hours for the sleep lab and dental
center.

In his report, Rhodes said that Kane Community is now affiliated
with Hamot Medical Center  in Erie, and Hamot physicians now staff
the emergency room..

With the Hamot affiliation, Kane Community has secured a line of
credit and should finish the year showing a profit.

By July 1, Kane Community will become part of the Hamot Health
Foundation, which should be a benefit over the years because
consolidation is necessary for survival, Rhodes said.

Kane Community is now using the Zito Media fiber optic system,
which has computerized all records in both hospitals. “This is
working very well,” he said.

In other news, all authority officers were re-elected. They are
Debbie Lunden, chairman; Patty Witchen, vice chairman; Ray McMahon,
secretary; Michael Roche, acting secretary; Al Montecalvo,
treasurer; and Bill Todd, assistant secretary-treasurer.

Meanwhile, the current officers were also re-elected at the
meeting of the McKean County Industrial Development Council. This
slate includes Montecalvo, president; Joe DeMott, vice president;
McMahon, secretary; Witchen, treasurer; and Lunden, assistant
secretary-treasurer.

An update on the Local Economic Development Assistance
grant that is received from the state Department of Community and
Economic Development has been cut from $25,612 in 2009 to $9,912
this year.

“In the past, this funding has allowed the council to have a
mini-grant program of up to $5,000 per project for four or five
projects annually,” Lunden said. “But this year, due to the reduced
funds, we did not go out for applications. There were a couple
of two-year projects that were approved in 2009 so there was no
money available this year.”

McMahon said that Terra Green Energy LLC, is looking for
alternate sources of funding in cooperation with the Alliance for
Cooperative Energy or other sources.

In April, Tom Causer of Terra Green attended the IDC meeting and
gave a presentation on the proposed development of an integrated
biomass-to-energy strategy, which would produce a torrified biomass
product for a coal substitute.

Roche reported on the status of the County Master Plan.
This plan includes the county complex on U.S. Route 6, which
includes 300 acres and all the buildings, plus the Smethport Trails
Plan and the improvements to the county fairgrounds.

Much of the 300-acre site would be used for educational
programs, ecology restoration and forest conservation and
recreation.

DeMott reported on some of the activities now under way on that
county property. The former doctor’s office building is now being
improved for Children and Youth Services offices and a new roof has
been applied to the building that houses the planning department
and conservation district offices. In addition, the county is
considering putting a carport for county vehicles behind the CYS
Building and the 911 Emergency Communications Center.

The trail plan proposes multi-use trails in and around Smethport
Borough, as well a most plans for the county properties.

Among the improvements proposed for the fairgrounds in East
Smethport are paved handicapped accessible paths, improved stage,
reconstructed barns and a repaved racetrack surface.

Pashek Associates of Pittsburgh is preparing the Master
Plan.

“The draft plan is approximately three-fourths complete,” said
Lunden. “When it’s finished, it will be presented to the county
commissioners and then a public comment period will be
scheduled.”

The council voted unanimously to hire Haines and Company of
Warren to perform audit services for 2009 and 2010 at a fee of
$2,400.

Official business of the McKean County Industrial Development
Authority could not be transacted because a quorum was not
present.