Visiting the Armstrong County Memorial Hospital facility the first time finds you surprised by the green campus, with its ease of parking and a main medical building framed by gleaming black glass.

Located outside Kittanning, this medical complex has 177 beds with all private rooms. The hospital provides specialized care across a broad spectrum, including medical/surgical, rehabilitation, psychiatric and skilled nursing.

With 143 physicians and nearly 1,000 employees, the hospital provides a comprehensive array of services covering 34 medical specialties, including the nationally recognized Acute Rehabilitation Center, the award-winning Richard Laube Cancer Center, the Wound Center and one of the earliest inpatient psychiatric care units in Western Pennsylvania.

Under the leadership of chief executive officer John Lewis, the hospital has focused on offering a range of sophisticated medical technology, while providing a patient-friendly environment.

Lewis states, "At Armstrong County Memorial Hospital our advanced technology is only a part of the answer in providing quality healthcare service. More importantly, we find the staff at ACMH doing what they do best, caring for and about the community .... that is the real story."

The latest sophisticated technology includes intensity modulated radiation therapy, one of the latest breakthroughs for treating cancer.

The VitalStim Swallowing program assists patients suffering from dysphagia, a disorder affecting the ability to swallow food and liquids. Common in nearly 75 percent of stroke patients, dysphagia also results from Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, multiple schlerosis, and mental retardation.

While introducing these sophisticated technologies, the hospital has a commitment to providing accessible appointment scheduling for its diagnostic testing capabilities such as CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, pet scan, cardiac catheter lab and echocardiography.

The cancer care team at the cancer center is a multi-disciplinary group of professionals. High-tech meets high-touch at the center, where, in addition to aggressive and sophisticated treatment, the team is committed to treating the "total patient" while incorporating the patient's family into the cancer management process.

In addition to sophisticated treatments such as brachytherapy, radiological prostate seeding, the staff combines the benefits of support groups, nutrition counseling, social services and "humor therapy."

The breadth of the hospital's services provide a layered and integrated approach to health care. For example, there is a pool for aquatic therapy not only for patients recovering from physical injuries and stroke victims, but also for other programs such as the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program, and the "Armstrong's Amazing Kids" involvement in aquatic therapy that combines "land" therapies such as speech and occupational therapy. That has shown success in improving children with developmental disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.

The hospital counts its dedicated employees and physicians as one of its greatest assets. Individuals such as acute rehab unit director Anne McDermott and nurse supervisor Nancy Jones, who were named as national rehab program director and nurse manager, respectively, by Horizon Physical Rehabilitation Services, a national organization that provides management services to rehabilitation facilities. Denise Dougherty, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech pathologist who has 28 years in therapy services, and is certified as a trainer in VitalStim therapy.

In December 2004, the hospital affiliated with Penn North Wound Healing Centers, bringing the expertise of wound-healing specialist Dr. Thomas Serena.

Founder and medical director of the Penn North Centers for Advanced Wound Care, Serena is recognized internationally as an expert in wound healing. In 2003, he became a board member of The Wound Healing Society, the leading scientific society dedicated to wound healing.

In 2004, the hospital got a federal grant for a portable emergency decontamination unit and modifications to the emergency department ventilation system as part of the national bioterrorism hospital preparedness program. In 2004, the hospital's staff and physicians provided support to the American Cancer Society's "Relay for Life" in Ford City, and received national recognition for its success in raising funds.

Armstrong County Memorial Hospital represents a community hospital that delivers 21st century technology with compassion and caring.