DuBOIS - The Ostomy Support Group of Penn Highlands Healthcare will meet from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, in the Central Resource Center building, 204 Hospital Ave., at Penn Highlands DuBois West. The meeting was relocated from Clearfield recently due to participant request. The room number for the meeting will be posted at the front door.
The support group is hosted by Penn Highlands Healthcare and provides emotional support and useful information for individuals living with an ostomy. It is a unique support group not only in the Penn Highlands Healthcare system but in the country. There are less than 400 nationwide.
"People who are living with this type of medical device need to know that they are not alone - there is support available, and that's why we started this support group back in 2007," Heather Kisamore, BSN, RN, CWOCN, group facilitator, said. "Many of our members are surprised to learn that one million Americans are living with an ostomy, and that many famous people had one too, such as Ed Sullivan, Bob Hope and Fred Astaire."
Kisamore, a registered nurse who is certified in wound, ostomy and continence care, explained that an ostomy is a surgically-created intestinal or urinary tract diversion that creates an opening (stoma) from an area inside the body to the outside. If an organ is affected, such as the small intestine, colon, rectum or bladder, there must be a new way for wastes to leave the body.
The Ostomy Support Group meetings are informal, round-table discussions on topics of interest, new product demonstrations and question-and-answer sessions.
There is no fee to attend. For more information, please call Kisamore at (814) 375-3056.
