Forty years ago, Sister James Ann Germuska left her job as a schoolteacher to begin a ministry for the elderly and those seeking behavioral health services in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. With no experience in geriatric or mental health care, Sister James Ann founded Crosskeys Human Services, a nonprofit organization now with eight locations throughout Fayette County, an area with one of the highest poverty rates in the state.
Services include social or psychiatric rehabilitation and a drop-in center, with the goal of a new program every year. Though she’s received numerous awards throughout the years for her work in this area — which she insists be attributed to her entire team, not just her — Sister James Ann said her proudest recognition was the 2016 Salt and Light Award from the Diocese of Greensburg.
