“The mission of KRHC is to provide quality, affordable, accessible, and comprehensive health services to the counties we serve.”
Our mission statement exemplifies our attitude both toward each other and toward the communities in which we serve. KRHC serves Elk, Cameron, and McKean counties with medical offices in Emporium and Ridgway and dental offices in Emporium, Kersey, Johnsonburg, and Kane. We also opened Bradford Dental in 2022, allowing us to serve even more patients in the McKean County area.
Our organization continues to grow in order to provide much-needed health and dental services to rural communities throughout Northern and Central Pennsylvania. The current service and success of the Keystone Rural Health Consortia, Inc. would not have been possible without the support of the community, past and present, the dedicated staff and committed board of directors, and the commitment shown by numerous individuals over the years.
The Keystone Rural Health Consortia, Inc. began operations on February 2, 1976, in Emporium, PA.
In 1976, a group of Cameron County residents concerned about the availability and access to primary care services in Emporium and surrounding areas established the groundwork and basis for which the Cameron County Health Center has grown. The land in which the Cameron County Health Center stands became available through the help of Mrs. Ida Grimone and the Emporium Foundation. Additionally, generous donations from the community funded the building’s construction. The health center would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the original officers. Namely, this included Francis Higgins, Nesta Morrison, Don Sestina, Patricia McBride, Bob Baldwin, Anne Spotts, Michael Fragale, and Albert Metz.
In Fall 2022, Homer Grimm’s vision and initiative to better serve the community led to the Cameron County Dental Center. This Dental Center now adjoins the Cameron County Health Care Center building.
The Johnsonburg Dental Center, located in Elk County, PA, opened in 2005 after determining that there was a need to serve this area with a community dental care facility.
As Keystone Rural Health Consortia, Inc. saw the increased need for additional service sites for both medical and dental access, four new sites were added to serve the Elk and McKean County areas. Thus, Fox Township Dental Center and Ridgway Medical Center opened in early 2016.
Our first site in McKean County came in February 2018 in Kane, PA. With the closure of two hospital-based dental offices, this area had a large and immediate need for dental services. Ultimately, Kane Dental Center provides this need for the community. This paved the way for our latest facility in McKean County: the Bradford Dental Center.
As a Federally Qualified Health Center, Keystone Rural Health Consortia, Inc. (KRHC) has its operations and finances carefully reviewed and regulated by the federal government.
Oversight is conducted by the Bureau of Primary Health Care, within the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). Both agencies are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
KRHC is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b, and a deemed Public Health Service employee under 42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n).
Additionally, in order to maintain and improve our quality of care and our patient services, KRHC conducts ongoing patient evaluation surveys at each of our sites. Patients are asked to voluntarily respond to a questionnaire and are given the opportunity to provide detailed information about their experience at any of our KRHC facilities. The Executive Director and the Quality Improvement Committee carefully review survey results, and then share them with the Board of Directors and staff.
Our patients have both rights and responsibilities in their medical treatment. All our health centers and administrative offices post a copy of KRHC’s Statement of Patient Rights and Responsibilities.
If you have questions or concerns about significant issues in the delivery of care, policies and procedures, finances and billing, or other areas of KRHC’s operations, please call our CEO at (814) 486-1115.