Critical Care Nurse Turns Frustration Into Innovation for Pennsylvanians

Meet Alice Yoder. Her early work as a critical-care nurse came with high levels of frustration, as she saw too many patients suffering problems like heart attacks because of behavioral problems that might have been easy to correct. She didn’t let frustration turn her away from the idea of improving community health, though. Instead, she took on the role she describes as “convener and collaborator,” and has served as community health director at Lancaster General Hospital for more than two decades. In that time, she has overcome budget challenges and multiple changes in healthcare infrastructure to successfully make dramatic changes in the area’s health and lifestyle. She implemented new programs, like the hospital’s Wellness Center, and originated the area’s healthy-lifestyle organization, Lighten Up Lancaster County.