PinnacleHealth Program 
to Help Stop Abandonment of Newborns
On April 5, PinnacleHealth Emergency Departments became a “Secret Safe Place for Newborns.” Following the lead of many nationwide efforts already in place, PinnacleHealth implemented a program to help prevent the unnecessary death of abandoned newborns.

Created in 1998 in Mobile, Alabama “Secret Safe Place for Newborns” offers “a safe haven for new mothers to leave their unwanted newborns at area hospitals without the threat of persecution.” The first program of its kind in Central Pennsylvania, PinnacleHealth Emergency Departments at Harrisburg and Community General Osteopathic Hospitals have worked in partnership with Dauphin County District Attorney Ed Marsico, Dauphin County Social Services for Children and Youth, and area community organizations. PinnacleHealth Systems will offer this service to babies born within 72 hours of the drop-off. Mothers will not be prosecuted unless the baby is physically harmed.

“I agreed to this program even without State Government legislation,” said Marsico. “By not seeking to identify or prosecute the mother of the baby, perhaps it will encourage these parents to not harm unwanted babies and give the babies an opportunity to thrive.”

At Harrisburg and Community General Ostheopathic Hosptials, PinnacleHealth System has placed bassinets just inside the emergency entrance. The mother will then have the option of leaving the child in the bassinet or giving it to a hospital employee. If given to an employee, the mother will be asked if there were any complications during delivery, if there is any important medical history, or if the mother needs assistance; if placed in the bassinet, the mother will press a button the wall that will ring a bell until the baby is retrieved.

“By providing this service at area emergency departments, we are offering immediate healthcare for the newborn and the mother,” said Michelle Campbell, vice president of Women’s, Children’s, and Behavioral Services at PinnacleHealth. “We want mothers in crisis to seek appropriate health before the baby is born, but if that doesn’t happen, we are here to help.”

“We want these mothers to understand that as long as the baby is unharmed, confidentiality will be maintained,” added Campbell. “The child immediately becomes a ward of Children and Youth and is placed in foster care after being released from the hospital.”

“Secret Safe Place for Newborns” has a toll free number with recorded instructions on what to do if planning to leave the baby. The number is 1-866-347-4287. Callers are instructed to contact Children and Youth for adoption information at 255-2870 or CONTACT’s 24-hour helpline for crisis intervention and immediate help at 652-4400.

Magazine Names Hersheypark Top in Northeast
Family Fun magazine has once again named Hersheypark the top family-friendly amusement park in the Northeast. For the third year in a row, the park has been honored for its “more than 60 rides and attractions located on 110 clean and green acres.”

Slated to open for its 95th season the weekend of May 11, Hersheypark was selected for the top spot via surveys of more than 2,500 Family Fun readers from five regions across the country — Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest — who were asked to rate their favorite destinations in categories such as amusement parks, beaches, cities, zoos, and aquariums, among others. The results appeared in the April 2001 issue of the magazine.

Art Projects Funding Available
MetroArts of the Capital Region, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, have announced the availability of $50,000 for local art projects. Non-profit organizations and individual artists in Dauphin, Perry, northern Cumberland, and York counties are encouraged to apply. Grants can be requested for amounts of up to $3000.

A partnership initiative between local arts organizations and the state’s Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), the Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) Program is administered locally via MetroArts. Over $117,000 has been awarded locally in the four years that MetroArts has offered the PPA program.
Free workshops explaining the PPA program will be presented by the MetroArts organization at a number of area locations from May 1–17. For more information on the workshops or to register, call 238-1887.

Theatre Harrisburg to Present 13th Annual Arts Awards
On May 5, Theatre Harrisburg will present its 13th Annual Award for Distinguished Service to the Arts in the Capital Region to bothNicholas and Ellen Hughes and the Harristown Development Corporation.

Established in 1988, the Arts Award “recognizes those individuals and organizations which have made significant contributions to the quality of cultural life in the Capital Region.” Each year an award is presented to an outstanding individual as well as a company organization that best fulfills the requirement. Honorees are selected from a list of nominations compiled from local arts organizations and community leaders.

This year, the individual award will be presented to Nicholas and Ellen Hughes in recognition for their “extensive contributions to the cultural arts community” over the past two decades. Perhaps best known for hosting WITF’s “Desert Island Discs” program, Ellen Hughes has organized the popular Next Generation Festivals. For his part, Nicholas Hughes currently serves as president of the Board of Directors of Open Stage, one of many positions he has held. The duo has also appeared on stage in area productions.

Harristown Development Corporation (HDC) will also be honored at the event. Since 1974, the Corporation has provided $4.7 million in contributions to arts related organizations in the area. A non-profit economic organization, HDC is the parent company of Strawberry Square, the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers, 333 Market Street, and the Kunkel Building, among other facilities.

The Corporation has provided over $2 million in contributed services to Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts by providing project development services, project administration, financial and property management, interest free loans, and unclaimed rents. Via direct cash, tenant improvements, rent subsidies, contribution services and other support activities, HDC has also contributed to such organizations as Open Stage of Harrisburg, MetroArts, the Popcorn Hat Players, and the Susquehanna Arts Museum, among a list of others.

Held May 5, the awards ceremony will be presented during a gala event in the Sunoco Performance Theatre at Whitaker Center. A dinner and reception will follow in the Kunkel Gallery. In addition to a performance by the Theatre Harrisburg Ensemble, well as a world premiere of a collaborative performance by Dafmark Dance Theatre and Cypress String Quartet. Dinner music will be provided by Jimmy Wood, Keith Mohler, Clyde Lucas and Andrea Pinkett.

For more information on the event, call Theatre Harrisburg at 232-5501.

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