Foxburg, Rimersburg medical services move to Clarion

From staff reports

Dr. Joseph Leonard, DO, who is currently located in two offices, Rimersburg Medical Center and A-C Valley Medical Center, will begin practicing at Internal Medicine of Clarion in the Health Complex Building.

There he will be centrally located and continue to see patients from both Rimersburg and A-C Valley practices.

“The decision to move the practices has been difficult, but necessary in order to control costs so that we can continue to provide care to our patients well into the future,” Clarion Hospital spokesperson Julie Kunselman said in a press release issued April 2.

“Clarion Hospital is a community hospital dedicated to our patients’ health and well- being, offering health care throughout thecourse of a lifetime,” Kunselman wrote. “We are proud to be an integral part of the communities that we serve. It has always been our vision to keep quality care close to home right here in Clarion, and that is what we intend to do.”

Al Taylor, Interim CEO Clarion Hospital, added, “It’s a new day in healthcare for both patients and medical providers causing changes to take place in how we provide care for our community.”

He went on to say, “Healthcare has been in a state of flux in the recent years. As reimbursement rates decline and healthcare reform continues at a rapid rate, we are responding with changes in order to continue to serve our community well into the future.”

Kunselman said partnerships with PMCN and Allegheny Health Network have proven to be beneficial to Clarion Hospital staff and the community.

“Last year in March, we partnered with Allegheny Health Network Emergency Medicine Management to provide physicians for our emergency department,” wrote Kunselman. “In May, LifeFlight began a partnership with Clarion Hospital to provide medical helicopter transport to our region.

“It is partnerships like this that make it possible for us to continue services here in Clarion.”

Furthermore, Health Services of Clarion (HSC), the branch of Clarion Hospital’s organization which oversees its physician offices, has cut back hours with its staffing in a cost savings initiative. Several of the HSC offices are undergoing a reorganization process.