DECEMBER 2025
Meet our 2025 Board of Directors Photograph left to right (front) Heidi Pickard, Logan Evans, Clare Colgan (back) Darryl Speicher, Joyce Onsted, Peter Gonze, Kevin Wieand Board Members not in photo: Lois Dickey, Joe Colyer Pocono Mountain Regional EMS is a nonprofit ambulance service. As such, we are governed by a Board of Directors - appointed volunteers who devote their time & talent to ensure fiscal responsibility & organization efficiency.
We would like to extend our appreciation to these dedicated individuals. We would also like to thank our newsletter sponsors Lehigh Valley Health Network part of Jefferson Health and St Luke’s University Health Network whose support makes our montly newsletter possible thank you.
What's Inside 2
Unified Readiness Presidential Visit to the Poconos
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LVHN News Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting
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SIgns of Winter Clear the Way for EMS
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Breakfast with Santa Success Photos of the Day
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St Luke’s News Culture That Saved His Life Twice
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2026 Board of Directors Meetings Schedule Share 135 Tegawitha Road, Tobyhanna PA 18466
F II E IF I E N N D D U U VISIT PRESIDENTIAL VISIT PRESIDENTIAL RESPONSE REGIONAL RESPONSE REGIONAL
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Earlier this week, Pocono Mountain Regional EMS was activated to support federal, state, and local law enforcement operations during the Presidential visit to Monroe County. Special Event and mass gathering EMS plans normally take weeks or months to prepare, but in just 120 hours, our team coordinated, mobilized, and deployed:
✅ 4 Dedicated PMREMS Ambulances in addition to our normal staffing levels. ✅ Multiple mutual aid surge support units ✅ Our new “Community Support Unit” trailer as a warming station We worked side-by-side with:
🔹 Lehigh Valley Health Network – West End EMS & Emergency Preparedness Divisions 🔹 St. Luke's University Health Network Physician Response Unit 🔹 Covington Independent Fire Company, INC. ALS (Lackawanna County) 🔹 Monroe County Office of Emergency Management-Monroe County, PA 🔹 Marshalls Creek Fire Company 💪 Over a dozen non-event related EMS calls were successfully managed without delay, despite heavy traffic and road closures thanks to a rock-solid plan, seamless mutual aid coordination, and the incredible team at Monroe County Control Center 911 From all of us at PMREMS: Thank you to the regional agencies, partners, and professionals who stood ready with us. Your teamwork made this operation a model of precision and a tremendous success. PMREMS serves nearly 275 square miles of Monroe County with Advanced and Basic Life Support promoting the general health of our community 24/7. We’re proud to support this community each and every day.
➡️ Important Note: PMREMS does not endorse any political party or candidate. Our involvement was strictly operational, supporting public safety infrastructure during a federally coordinated event.
Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting Welcomes Hanover Hill Behavioral Health
New 144-bed behavioral health hospital expands access to care for the Lehigh Valley region Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, and Universal Health Services (UHS) today held a ceremonial ribbon cutting event for Hanover Hill Behavioral Health – a new three-story, 144-bed behavioral health hospital designed to expand and enhance access to mental and behavioral health care services across the Lehigh Valley. Located at 1755 Macada Road in Hanover Township, Pa., directly across from Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Muhlenberg, Hanover Hill Behavioral Health will provide a full continuum of inpatient behavioral health care services for seniors, adults and adolescents. Every aspect of the facility has been designed with healing, safety and dignity in mind – from therapeutic programming and innovative, evidence-based treatment models to thoughtfully planned spaces that encourage recovery.
High-quality behavioral health care is essential in building a healthier and resilient community.” - Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSc, FACP, President, Jefferson Health The new hospital represents a joint venture between LVHN and UHS, two leaders in behavioral health and patient-centered care. Hanover Hill Behavioral Health will employ more than 300 full-time professionals, including nurses, clinicians, therapists, technicians and administrative professionals. The hospital will open for patient care in early 2026. “High-quality behavioral health care is essential in building a healthier and resilient community,” said Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSc, FACP, President, Jefferson Health. “Hanover Hill Behavioral Health nearly triples the number of inpatient beds available in the Lehigh Valley. This partnership and hospital will help ensure that people in our community have access to the compassionate, specialized care they deserve.” “UHS continues to make significant investments in mental and behavioral health care services across the nation – partnering with respected health systems like Jefferson Health to bring meaningful, comprehensive solutions to local communities,” said Marc D. Miller, President and CEO, UHS. “Together, we’re ensuring that more individuals and families have access to highquality care that promotes lasting wellness. Hanover Hill Behavioral Health is a powerful example of what can be achieved when organizations share a mission of healing and hope.” The partnership brings together UHS, one of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of health care in the nation, and LVHN, long recognized for its commitment to community-based mental health services. UHS currently operates more than 400 facilities globally, including 10 behavioral health hospitals in Pennsylvania that deliver compassionate, evidencebased care for individuals and families in need. “At UHS, our focus has always been on delivering a full continuum of mental and behavioral health care services that help patients at every stage of their recovery,” said Matt Peterson, President of the Behavioral Health Division, UHS. “Our partnership with LVHN unites two organizations dedicated to achieving strong clinical outcomes and advancing innovative models of care. Hanover Hill Behavioral Health is built on that shared vision – to offer safe, patient-centered treatment that transforms lives and strengthens communities.”
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Thanks to our volunteers, donors, guests & sponsor St Luke’s Pediatrics! Thanks to our volunteers, donors, guests & sponsor St Luke’s Pediatrics!
Business Coach Takes Note of “Amazing” St. Luke’s Culture That Saved His Life Twice Award-winning business coach Rick Franzo woke up that Sunday in September with stomach pain, was doubled over in the emergency room by 5 p.m., and lay on an operating table at midnight. Yet during a time of acute stress, Franzo found comfort in the medical team at St. Luke’s University Health Network. It wasn’t the first time.
“This was the second time St. Luke’s saved my life,” Franzo said. Franzo, a 59-year-old resident of Monroe County, has a long history with St. Luke’s. He lives with brain tumors and, in 2009, underwent surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital — Bethlehem to remove a large, noncancerous mass. In September, Franzo turned to St. Luke’s Hospital — Monroe for another life-saving procedure. Franzo had a critical surgery to repair a stomach perforation, caused by diverticulitis, which sent him into septic shock. Barely seven hours after Franzo was admitted, Dr. Gerardo Garcia performed the surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital — Monroe. After five days in the hospital, Franzo went home to continue his recovery. “I felt very well taken care of,” he said. “Everybody was just so engaged in the patient experience. I’ve been in the hospital for some major things, and this was a great experience.” Franzo was wowed by the culture he encountered at St. Luke’s Hospital — Monroe, which happens to be his area of expertise. Franzo, a business coach in the Poconos who helps companies build smarter, more effective teams. “Culture” is a keyword in his profession, and he called the culture at St. Luke’s “amazing.” Franzo said he encountered a team of doctors, nurses, and support staff driven to help. He met medical students who thoughtfully engaged in his treatment. And he praised Dr. Garcia, his surgeon, for his empathetic approach to the procedure. “The culture there was absolutely second to none,” Franzo said. “I spoke to some of my larger clients about it. I told them, ‘This is what every company should aspire to. ’Whether it was day shift, night shift, whoever, everybody was pleasant, respectful, and responsive. I can sum it up like this: Everybody really gave a damn.” Franzo requires significant follow-up care, including a second surgery in December. Dr. Garcia assured Franzo that he would perform the procedure at St. Luke’s Hospital — Monroe. Franzo appreciated “the care close to home.” “They made me very comfortable in a very uncomfortable situation,” he said. “They saved my life. Again.”
2026 Board of Directors Meetings Re-Organization Meeting January 22, 2026 February 26, 2026 March 26, 2026 April 23, 2026 May 28, 2026 June 25, 2026 July 23, 2026 August 27, 2026 September 24, 2026 October 22, 2026 November 19, 2026* December 17, 2026* *Holiday Schedule
PMREMS meetings will be held 7p.m. at Tobyhanna Township Municipal Center, 105 Government Center Way, Pocono Pines, PA 18350 on the dates listed above. Online access for Zoom or Google Meet available at PMREMS.org