Uniting excellent health care + exceptional communities

BRMC remains a key part of the health system and the community. Acute care and surgical services were shifted to Olean General Hospital May 1, 2021. BRMC’s bed compliment is as follows: 95 beds at the Pavilion at BRMC, 28 beds for the Behavioral Health division, and 10 inpatient medical care beds. BRMC will continue to offer a full service emergency department.

All outpatient services at BRMC continue include: imaging (including MRI, mammography, CT and ultrasound), laboratory services, sleep care, respiratory care, cardiac rehabilitation, infusion center including chemotherapy, Upbeat Wellness, Smart Health, occupational health and wound care. The hospital will continue as a sponsor of the School of Radiography and the community’s Meals on Wheels program. Recently UAHS sleep services and occupational medicine were expanded and consolidated from OGH to BRMC.

UAHS will continue to grow its large regional network of 42 primary care and specialty providers, which presently includes 25 providers in Pennsylvania. We will expand our community presence of providers who bring outstanding credentials in their respective fields. Our providers not only work full time in the community, they live here as well. In January BRMC announced the arrival of a new specialist in colorectal and general surgery who will see patients in Bradford and Olean.

Current and future BRMC physician and advance practice provider (midlevel) office services include: primary care/family care and specialists in orthopedics, cardiology, cancer, pediatrics, colorectal and general surgery, urology, ENT and spine.

Women’s Health Services continue through Universal Primary Care via its office on Interstate Parkway. We recently announced the re-establishment of dental services in Bradford through a partnership with Keystone Rural Health Consortium opening in October, 2021. As part of the plan BRMC and OGH will expand telehealth capabilities. The School of Radiography and the hospital’s Meals on Wheels program continues to be part of BRMC offerings. Community health will be improved through the development of health and wellness programs reaching every part of our service area including working with the community in establishing a community wellness center and how to better address chronic disease.

Olean General Hospital already cares for many patients from Pennsylvania. More than 30% of OGH cardiac catheterization patients and 25% of OGH maternity patients come from Pennsylvania. With few exceptions OGH participates in virtually all Pennsylvania health plans including Highmark and UPMC plans.

Established in the Spring, 2021, community advisory committees at both BRMC and OGH and continual communications with community and government leaders help guide service improvement efforts. These committees will help us understand the business, market and industry trends, gain insight into important community issues, and provide “wise counsel” on issues raised by management. They are providing unbiased insights and ideas from a third party point-of-view and encourage and support the exploration of new ideas.

We know transportation is an important issue. We have an agreement with Area Transportation Authority of North Central Pennsylvania (ATA) to run transportation services between the two hospitals. Transportation services are demand-based at no cost to non-emergency patients and visitors at both facilities. Headquartered in Johnsonburg, Pa., ATA is the established public transportation provider for McKean County as part of its regional transportation and mobility management services.

The service runs by reservations only, 10 hours per day, seven days a week, including holidays. Reservations are accepted from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and major holidays. The service is funded by UAHS and free to all passengers. Pickup locations included BRMC, OGH and Tops Friendly Markets in Bradford and arrangements are being finalized for pickups and drop offs at additional points within the community, such as area pharmacies. All riders must wear masks and appropriate COVID-safe seat spacing must be followed.

Non-acute patients and visitors can make reservations by calling, toll-free, 866-743-3282 or 866 RIDE ATA. Reservations can be made up to two weeks in advance. Priority transportation for same-day service will be offered to visitors with loved ones admitted for an inpatient stay at OGH in order to accommodate visitation. UAHS was proud to spearhead this first-of-its-kind partnership.

In addition to high level inpatient medical/surgical services and outpatient surgery, Olean General Hospital continues to offer advanced services regionally including: interventional cardiac catheterization, electrophysiology (EP), the ICU intensivist program, cancer care including radiation oncology, vascular services, neurology, orthopedic surgery, OB/GYN, wound care including hyperbaric therapy and dialysis.

If one looks around the rural region we live and compete in, the combined service areas of Olean and Bradford have more local clinical resources than any other system, within the regional area (two cities only 23 miles apart). Our focus is to keep patient services “local”, within the Bradford/Olean service area, as opposed to sending patients to Erie, Pittsburgh, Buffalo or Rochester. Large systems do not have locker rooms full of physicians, especially specialists that they can deploy full time to the rural areas like Bradford and Olean. In most cases these specialists are 100 miles or more away and only come to our area for infrequent clinic visits. While some health systems patch and ship patients to distance cities, UAHS has invested millions in resources in local care and will continue to do so in creating its new model.

The transformation plan has a three-year horizon. The inpatient and surgical transformations were completed May 1, 2021. Other elements of the program such as the creation of centers of excellence are expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

You may call the We care Information line with your questions at 814-362-8280 or 716-375-6162.