Guthrie Wellsboro Donates Blankets to Local Charity for Treatment of NAS Infants

February 14, 2020
Guthrie Wellsboro Donates Blankets to Local Charity for Treatment of NAS Infants
Heather Shelmire, LPN, Janelle Collum, Ultrasound Tech, Sue Getgen, LPN, Robin Adams, CEO of I'MPACT, Andrea Levindoski, Radiology Tech, Cheri Kepp, LPN, Andy McIlvain

Guthrie Wellsboro staff has donated a total of 27 swaddle blankets to I’MPACT (I'm Protecting Against Childhood Trauma), a registered nonprofit charitable organization that seeks to reduce the impact of childhood trauma through four notable, subsidiary charitable programs operating in Tioga County, Pa., including Asa’s Place and Nurture Me POSC (Plans of Safe Care).

Andrea Levindoski, radiology tech and the donation coordinator, said: “Dr. Koryn Johnston, Guthrie Wellsboro physician and board member for Asa’s Place, identified the cause and their possible need of supplies to help their Pediatric Recovery Facility and Emergency Shelter. I am thankful for our team for graciously contributing donations so we could help this important cause.”

Robin Adams, CEO at I'MPACT, says the organization will be able to use the donated blankets to help comfort infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). NAS refers to a group of behavioral and physical conditions that a baby may experience when withdrawing from exposure to drugs in the womb. During treatment, infants with NAS may be fussy and hard to soothe. Swaddling is one of the lead therapeutic treatments to help calm these babies while they heal.

Guthrie is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a twelve-county service area. Guthrie is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network and is the first health system based in Pennsylvania and New York to join this network. Guthrie is comprised of a research institute, home care/hospice, hospitals in Sayre, Pa., Corning, N.Y., Towanda, Pa., Troy, Pa. and Cortland, N.Y., as well as a multi-specialty group practice of more than 325 physicians and 210 advanced practice providers offering 47 specialties through a regional office network providing primary and specialty care in 22 communities in Pennsylvania and New York. In addition, Guthrie offers home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products at seven convenient Med Supply Depot locations. Guthrie provides a wide range of services and programs to enhance the health and well-being of those it serves.