November 2020
A FOUNDATION OF SUPPORT MOVING BEYOND THE PANDEMIC
It has been said that when everything is uncertain, everything that is important becomes clear. During these unsettling times, I have never been more proud of Excela Health, our 4,300 doctors, nurses and support staff for their insights, instincts and clarity of thought. Our response to the COVID pandemic has been nothing short of remarkable. The System’s tangible reaction required implementing new protocols and procedures regarding patient care and staff and visitor safety in all aspects of our operations. Virtually on the fly. It required supply chain management and logistics that were daunting at best as the disease swept the nation and taxed providers’ capabilities to the extreme. Yet most of all, it required the intangibles of courage and commitment, a dedication to the tasks at hand and a tenacity of purpose that is the hallmark of the American healthcare professional, especially in times of crisis and trial. Westmoreland County residents were, and continue to be, well served by the dedication and resolve of our personnel at every level of our organization. We have learned much about the virus – and ourselves – since the advent of the pandemic last March. And we will continue to evolve and persevere as the battle continues. Yet our evolution cannot be limited to a singular challenge. We have a profound obligation to continue to strengthen ourselves as the premier provider of tertiary care in our service area. We are doing just that across a spectrum of clinical areas.
For example, our cardiovascular and thoracic surgery program is seeing robust growth in terms of the quality of its medical staff and its procedural and technologic capabilities. It now contains clinicians who have been educated and trained at the country’s most prestigious medical schools, residencies and fellowship programs. It includes those who have practiced at highly accomplished institutions, both nationally and internationally. The best and the brightest continue to gravitate to Excela. While the pandemic, coupled with the challenges inherent to our industry, remain as demanding issues to be addressed, I am confident that we will get through them as a more nimble, more accomplished and more formidable healthcare system in our region. We will look back with great pride. And we will look forward with great confidence. Your support, and that of the community at large, is part of the bedrock upon which our success is built, now and in the future. In the pages that follow, you will see how the largesse of individuals, companies and organizations have helped to sustain our mission. How they have made a marked difference in the lives of people. How they have made Excela Health a place of healing and hope. In that, you should find great satisfaction and take great pride. Thank you for your belief in us. And for your support of us. It is a most gratifying tandem. Sincerely,
John M. Sphon, CEO, Excela Health
A Publication of: The Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation and Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation
WESTMORELAND/FRICK HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
Giving
A SEASON OF
In January 2020, the Latrobe Area Hospital Aid Society (LAHAS) completed its $250,000 pledge toward the construction of Excela Square at Latrobe ahead of schedule, and just before the outpatient center marked its second anniversary. Chief Development Officer Al Novak is pictured with LAHAS members Nancy McKinnon, president; Susannah Calvo, Immediate Past President; Myra Mamo, Past President, Dr. Thomas P. Gessner, Chair of the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation, and Maryann Singley, Vice President, Patient Care Services, Excela Latrobe Hospital.
In the midst of the pandemic, Excela Health presented Westmoreland County Food Bank (WCFB) with a check for $80,000. These funds represented gifts from individuals across the health system. Pictured: John Sphon, Excela Health CEO; Ron Eberhardt, board member of both WCFB and Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation; Jennifer Miller, WCFB Chief Executive Officer; Dr. Walid Kassir, Immediate Past President of the Excela Health Medical Staff, and Tom Albanesi, Excela Chief Financial Officer.
In September 2019, the Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary funded the purchase of new furniture for the hospital lobby. The furnishings are more comfortable and easier to keep clean. Auxilians Darlene Nagrosky, Darlene Delaini, Joan Stairs and Sally Anne Novak are joined by Traci Fick, Vice President of Patient Care Services for Excela Westmoreland and Frick Hospitals and Al Novak, Chief Development Officer.
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Dear Friends, The Foundations of Excela, through fundraising and the thoughtful distribution of those funds, supports Excela Health as the health system continues to deliver outstanding community-based healthcare. By funding ongoing capital improvements, vital healthcare programs and community outreach, the Foundations play an important role as healthcare partners in our community. The generous, giving spirit of our community is inspiring. Throughout the pandemic, individuals including Excela staff, area Foundations, churches and businesses, and many charitable organizations provided our Foundations with a remarkable and humbling outpouring of financial and gift-in-kind support. Two beautiful examples of that outstanding support for Excela Health and the work of the Foundations are the Latrobe Area Hospital Aid Society and the Westmoreland Hospital Auxiliary. These two organizations have each existed for more than 100 years and work tirelessly to raise funds and awareness in support of Westmoreland and Latrobe Hospitals. These volunteers are wonderful partners, but never more so than during the pandemic when they stepped up with much-needed supplies and donations over and above their other pledges of support.
Black Tie
While the pandemic has understandably taken center stage, the medical for needs of our community go beyond the pandemic from Please visit our website to view a formal Thank You video. the most fragile new lives we help bring into this world to those facing a cancer diagnosis. This year, ongoing health concerns made holding our annual Black Tie for Hope impossible. First, let me thank our dedicated and hardworking event volunteers, who each year LOCATION TIME commit countless hours to organize a memorable gala. Incredibly, in spite of our cancellation this year, many of our ticket holders
Hope
and sponsors turned their sponsorships and tickets into donations. While we all missed the chance to celebrate and support Excela in person, we raised more than $106,000 due to the generosity of donors who chose to make a gift directly to cancer care services at Excela. THANK YOU to our donors! Because the Pennsylvania Department of Health permits outdoor activities such as golf and outdoor groups of 250 or less, the annual Frick Hospital Golf Classic was held September 18 with 135 in attendance at Greensburg Country Club. It was a beautiful day with all of our players and volunteers following strict, prescribed social distancing guidelines. The 2020 golf outing raised in excess of $70,000 in support of the Frick Hospital Equipment Fund. THANK YOU to all of our golfers and donors, particularly our top sponsors, A. Martini, Cerner, Handyman Joe, Optum, Penn Line Service, SEI Investments, UPMC Health Plan and ArTECH Group. I’d also like to thank two anonymous donors whose gifts helped us to package round-trip tickets for four people to Myrtle Beach and a beachfront condo as an auction item. I also want to thank the members of the Black Tie Committee for donating additional signature prizes for the golf outing. Sometimes when in the midst of challenging times, it’s difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But, when I look back over the challenges of 2020, I am filled with gratitude for all of you. YOU support Excela Health in a remarkable and inspirational way. This gives me great hope for the future, because I honestly believe that together we can do great things.
10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Main Lobby
8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Outside Community Room Excela Square Norwin – North Entrance, Atrium
8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Westmoreland Hospital Main Lobby
7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Latrobe Hospital Main Lobby
7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Frick Hospital Near Café/Elevators
7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Albert J. Novak Chief Development Officer
To learn more about our foundations, visit ExcelaHealth.org, search FOUNDATION. W
The Family Additions Maternity Center at Excela Westmoreland Hospital is once again lauded for its commitment to best practices on a national level. The hospital was named among the Best Maternity Hospitals of 2020 by Newsweek, which included Excela Health among 231 hospitals in 36 states in the news magazine’s annual recognition. A second recognition comes from the National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program where Excela Health was identified as a Safe Sleep Leader at the Silver level. The Safe Sleep certification program was created by Cribs for Kids®, the only national infant safe sleep organization. Based in Pittsburgh, Cribs for Kids® is dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation. As a Nationally Certified Safe Sleep Hospital, Excela Westmoreland is recognized for following the safe sleep guidelines recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and providing training programs for healthcare team members and family caregivers. Proceeds from prior Black Tie events hosted by the Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation supported the exemplary care acknowledged by these honors.
WESTMORELAND/FRICK HOSPITAL FOUNDATION
FROM THE WESTMORELAND/FRICK HOSPITAL FOUNDATION CHAIR
In my role as Chair of the Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation and as owner with my sons of your locally-owned Charley Family Shop’n Save stores, I have firsthand appreciation for the dynamic role that Excela Health plays in the health and well-being of our employees, our families and Westmoreland County. How fortunate we are to have such excellent healthcare in the heart of our community! Even before the challenges of COVID-19, providing a safe and healthy environment for all of our employees and customers was essential. But in March, it became life-saving. The leadership at Excela Health provided the knowledge and steady communication that was vitally important as our grocery stores quickly adopted health and safety guidelines in order to protect our employees, customers and our community at large. The courageous Excela healthcare workers and first responders who bravely provide urgent care to those in need inspire our Shop’n Save employees and me. Our workers understand that they play an essential, supporting role in the fight against COVID -19 by keeping our stores clean and our
shelves as stocked as possible. And, as we navigate this public health crisis, my family and our employees are thankful for the quality healthcare available at Excela to our communities. At the Foundation, we are setting our sights on supporting the medical team and the state-of-the-art care at Westmoreland and Frick Hospitals. Our trustees are committed to doing everything we can to raise the funds necessary to ensure that our families, friends and neighbors will continue to receive expert care, right here at Excela Health. My personal philosophy has always been to seek and embrace the positive and to persevere, especially during challenging times. The example set by the healthcare team and medical staff at Excela who work around the clock to serve our community encourages all of us to work harder, to be kinder and to look to the future with hope. TGBTG,
Ray Charley
FROM THE LATROBE AREA HOSPITAL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION CHAIR Dear Friends and Colleagues, I have proudly served at Excela Latrobe Hospital most of my clinical years and also serve as the Chair of the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation. As a medical community we have weathered many storms, but perhaps none as turbulent as COVID-19. While our medical and support staff cares for the sick and their families, the Foundation successfully works to “connect the dots” by seeking support on every level to ensure that life-saving work at Latrobe Hospital and across Excela Health continues. During the challenging and sometimes dark days of the epidemic, our remarkable hospital staff and our generous community mobilized into action as we saw more and more people come into our hospital seeking help. Our staff worked long and stressful hours, while donations of every sort flowed in to the Foundation from throughout the region. While the challenges of COVID-19 are ongoing, the needs throughout the hospital are ongoing as well. The Foundation supported the renovation of the Latrobe Hospital Pharmacy which will be completed in the new year. The new pharmacy is a critical investment in the infrastructure of Latrobe Hospital.
The Foundation also invested in bringing the new da Vinci® robot to Latrobe Hospital. This gift was made possible by an anonymous estate contribution and it will set the stage for highly sophisticated surgeries at Latrobe. Due to COVID-19 the Foundation’s Annual Spring golf outing had to be cancelled. While COVID-19 has made it a challenge to have events and gather together, the Foundation is working diligently to update our website so that everyone in the community can remain up to date regarding the ongoing work at the Foundation The new website will also give our donors plenty of opportunities to support the causes and projects that are important to them. Rest assured that although we face challenges, the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation will continue to be stewards of the important work at Latrobe Hospital happening today and in the future.
Thomas P. Gessner, MD
Wayfinding at Excela Latrobe Hospital has been upgraded as part of ongoing remodeling at the campus. New signage provides cleaner, clearer directions to match the modern aesthetic being adopted throughout the hospital.
More than a decade ago, Excela Latrobe Hospital became a leader in robotassisted minimally-invasive surgery by acquiring the da Vinci® Surgical System. Thanks to an anonymous estate gift to the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation, $670,000 was invested for upgrades in 2020 to the latest model and is being used by Dr. Ryan Abegglen and Dr. Mike Szwerc among other Excela surgeons, who also have the benefit of a second surgical robot at Excela Westmoreland.
To learn more about our foundations, visit ExcelaHealth.org, search FOUNDATION.
There are many ways to support Excela Health. Gifts of cash are always appreciated and have an immediate impact; however, there are other creative and flexible giving options that can benefit both you and Excela Health for the future.
YOU CAN
You can arrange many of these gifts now without affecting your current circumstances. For example, you can name either the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation or Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation as a beneficiary of a retirement plan, an IRA, or of a life insurance policy. You can provide for a gift to the Foundation(s) in your will or living trust. There are other types of planned gifts that enable you to give stocks, real estate or other assets now, in return for annual payments for your lifetime and an eventual gift to be used by the Foundation(s). You might also enjoy tax benefits now and/or in the future.
PHILANTHROPIC
Create A Powerful
Legacy
You need not be wealthy to leave a legacy and everyone has an estate. As a planned/estate gift donor, you will be inducted into Excela’s new Legacy Society, created specifically for the legacy donor. Members of the Legacy Society will be invited to attend a special event hosted by Excela Health leadership to formally honor and acknowledge your generous support. In addition, Legacy Society members will be acknowledged on the Excela Health website and honored on a permanent engraved display. Or, your gift may remain anonymous, if you prefer. If you have already named the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation or Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation in your will, trust or other estate plans, we are deeply grateful. And if so, please notify our office as it is important for us to plan accordingly and to properly thank you. Your forward thinking will give confidence to our healthcare providers as they work to further enhance our capabilities for the future of clinical care. Generations to come will benefit from your gift, and your support will serve as an inspiration to others.
For more information or questions, please contact Al Novak, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, at anovak@excelahealth.org or 724-832-4146 or visit ExcelaHealth.org, search GIVING. Here, you will also find the most up-to-date list of Foundation donors.
A New Recipe For Meeting COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS
For more than a decade, registered dietitian Dawn Davoli has been addressing the health needs of the community as identified through periodic surveys that help Excela Health improve the health and wellbeing of every life touched and support the health system’s not-for-profit status. Davoli remains faithful to this charge thanks to underwriting by both the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation and the Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation, and in spite of the challenges of COVID-19. In fact, Davoli credits the public health crisis with helping her touch new audiences with her healthy habits educational messages. A staple at Excela Health’s Mall Walkers program, which prior to the pandemic was impacting 300-plus lives once a month at Westmoreland Mall, Davoli went from in-person presentations to virtual cooking classes as the Mall Walkers program moved online. The Latrobe health professional, whose husband Dr. Robert Davoli is an Excela Health family physician, took her cue from his practice, which was also migrating from office visits to telehealth when the safety of face-to-face contact was in doubt. And like her spouse who sees this new way of patient care only continuing to grow, Davoli knows that more lives can be reached through technology than she previously encountered. Excela Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment repeatedly identifies diabetes, heart disease and obesity as top areas of concern. Comfortable with children in the classroom or on the playground as well as with adults of all ages, Davoli employs fun and food to engage her audiences, often playing games to teach lessons about hydration, nutrition and disease management, as well as symptom recognition when it comes to averting a heart attack or stroke during that all-important Golden Hour when early intervention can be life-saving. “Are You Smarter Than A Food Label?”, “My Plate Pursuit”, “Rethink Your Drink” and “The Nutrient Is Right” are her most popular topics with kids, and during the COVID lock-down, “What’s in Your Quarantine Pantry?” helped stay-at-home families bring creativity back to the dinner table. In a typical school year, Davoli is a frequent guest in five districts – Blairsville-Saltsburg, Greater Latrobe, Jeannette, Ligonier Valley, and Penn-Trafford – presenting four distinct lessons. In the Fall of 2019, she served up health tips to 500 students, but once COVID hit, her classroom time paused as teachers and students wrestled with logistics. While school districts continue to explore hybrid learning options, Davoli is becoming more nimble in her approaches, taking to social media with her kitchen videos and new blog. And she’s gradually been returning to in-person presentations: educating kindergarteners through 2nd graders from Connellsville, Mount Pleasant and Southmoreland school districts at Laurelville Summer Camp and preparing for upcoming service club meetings. Plus, her calendar is open to all types of distance learning should groups wish to hold virtual meetings. Visit ExcelaHealth.org/Newsroom/blog to read Davoli’s blog or watch her videos.
Excela Health Part of National Clinical Study Regarding Cardiogenic Shock The number of patients who suffer a severe heart attack coupled with cardiogenic shock is on the rise. Excela Health is part of a national clinical study aimed at improving the survival rates for these patients, using the latest research-based evidence and advanced tools at Heart, Lung & Vascular Institute to help standardize life-saving interventions for people worldwide.
Juan Chahin, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Director of Excela Health’s catheterization lab in the Heart, Lung & Vascular Institute, is the primary investigator for the initiative, which focuses on the use of Impella, the only percutaneous, temporary ventricular support device approved by the FDA as safe and effective for use in AMICS.
Impella is not a new tool to Excela Health Excela was invited to join the National Cardiogenic cardiologists who have been using the device for Shock Initiative (NCSI) last August. The project is protective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) under the auspices of the Henry for the past four years. PCI, a Ford Hospital, which first brought nonsurgical technique also known One Of Nation's Best together cardiologists from four as coronary angioplasty, is used Cardiac Hospitals highly competitive healthcare to treat obstructive coronary systems in southeast Michigan artery disease, including unstable Excela Health Westmoreland is in 2016 to improve outcomes for angina, acute myocardial among the nation's top hospitals patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI), and multivessel for cardiac care as rated by infarction complicated by Healthgrades and is among 80 coronary artery disease (CAD). cardiogenic shock (AMICS). facilities recognized for top-line By employing Impella in situations While there are many reasons care in its Specialty Excellence where the severe heart attack is for cardiogenic shock, heart Awards and Best Hospitals for coupled with cardiogenic shock, Specialty Care report released attack is the leading cause, survival rates have been demonOct. 20. and this deadly combination strated to increase to as high as historically has had an inpatient Healthgrades analyzed clinical 76%, which is what makes Excela’s survival rate as low as 30%. The outcomes data for nearly 4,500 participation so significant. initiative was expanded beyond short-term and acute care the university hospital setting Although Excela Health is in the hospitals across the U.S. Healthwith Excela Westmoreland early stages of submitting data to grades uses multivariate logistic Hospital one of only two in regression to account for patient the NCSI registry, recent cases western Pennsylvania accepted demographics and clinical risk affirm that, had this new protocol into the project, which is now factors. not been in place, several patients closed to new participants. would have not survived their cardiac emergency. The aim of NCSI is to bring together experienced centers across the nation who are experts in There is also a second opportunity to improve mechanical reperfusion therapies and have outcomes of patients admitted to Excela Health’s considerable experience with the use of mechanical Intensive Care Unit. The ICU clinical team is now circulatory support devices to systematize care in being educated on how to identify cardiogenic AMICS. The goal is to dramatically decrease the shock should it occur in their duration patients remain in cardiogenic shock and recovering cardiac patient attempt to decrease total usage and duration of so that a life-saving vasopressors and inotropic agents to control blood intervention can ensue. pressure and heart muscle contractions artificially. Project participants have agreed to follow the NCSI treatment algorithm and submit data so that patient outcomes can be analyzed.
Juan Chahin, MD, FACC, FSCAI
COMING IN
2021 Excela Health has embarked on Heart Center renovations to create a hybrid lab in which trans catheter aortic valve repair (TAVR), endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), and left atrial appendage closure for nonvalvular afib can be performed. This project also includes upgrades to capabilities in CT (computed tomography) and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). This $8 million construction project has been ongoing and was not stopped by COVID-19. Our Foundations are supporting this state-of-the-art initiative. Paralleling these transformations is a continued and relentless focus on the quality of care we provide. For example, various matrices for the care of heart attack patients place us in the 75th percentile of all like hospitals measured in the country. We have earned designation in U.S. News & World Report’s listing of the nation’s Best Regional Hospitals and have received accolades for our care from the American Heart Association and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Moving Afib Patients Off Blood Thinners It’s called the left atrial appendage. For patients with atrial fibrillation, it can become a reservoir where blood clots form, migrate and cause stroke or other serious problems. That’s why afib patients require blood thinners that while effective, can impact quality of life. Clinicians at Excela Health are now performing a minimally invasive procedure called the WATCHMAN™ Implant in selected patients. The WATCHMAN™ implant effectively reduces the risk of stroke by blocking off the area in the heart where 90% of stroke causing clots come from. The doctor makes a small incision in the patient’s leg and inserts a narrow tube to deliver the WATCHMAN™ implant to the left atrial appendage. This is very similar to what is used to insert stents in the cardiac arteries. Once in place, heart tissue will grow over the implant to seal off the appendage and close it off from circulation so clots can no longer be formed in the structure. The WATCHMAN™ implant has demonstrated high rates of success and low rates of complications, and thus is a good solution for patients with nonvalvular afib who are looking for an alternative to long-term anticoagulation treatment. With the risk of clots being eliminated, so is the need for blood thinners. The procedure normally takes about an hour and usually only requires an overnight stay in the hospital.
AWARDS AND ACCOLADES • American Heart Association “Get With The Guidelines” Gold Plus Award to both Westmoreland and Latrobe Hospitals • American Heart Association “Get With The Guidelines” Silver Plus Award to Frick Hospital
• U.S. News & World Report High Performing Hospitals, Heart Failure and COPD
• American Heart Association “Get With The Guidelines” Heart Failure Quality Achievement Award
• Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Distinction Center Plus for Cardiac Care
• Bronze Recognition through American Heart Association “Mission Lifeline” Award
• The Excela Advanced Vein Center is one of only seven IAC accredited vein center sites in the state of Pennsylvania.
To learn more about our foundations, visit ExcelaHealth.org, search FOUNDATION.
OUR TEAM IS
GROWING We have added programmatic depth in such areas as pulmonary medicine, cardiology and electrophysiology and are now, or soon will be, performing sophisticated procedures that previously needed referral to institutions in Pittsburgh. CARDIAC ANESTHESIA Adeniran Haastrup, MD CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY Mitsugu Ogawa, MD ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY Bassel Sayegh, MD GENERAL SURGERY BenFauzi El-Attrache, DO - Frick HOSPITALIST Stacey Dodson, CRNP - Latrobe Neha Puri, MD - Westmoreland INTENSIVIST D. Erin Perry, CRNP NEURO-HOSPITALIST Cathleen Adams, DO NON-INVASIVE CARDIOLOGY Robert Pearce, MD Joseph Secosky, MD Ashwin Thiagarajasubramian, MD OB/GYN Megan Klamerus, DO Kristina Smouse, CRNP PRIMARY CARE Michelle Dolney, CRNP, Blairsville Family Medicine Gina Canada, DO, Connellsville Kimberlee Suter, PA-C, Connellsville Ashley Tucholski, CRNP, Connellsville PULMONARY SERVICES Amit Goulatia, MD E. John Lee, MD THORACIC SURGERY Brian Lace, MD VASCULAR SERVICES Brenda Bellissimo, PA-C
MAKEOVER ANTIDOTE FOR WHAT AILS PHARMACY It’s been more than 50 years since the pharmacy was constructed on the ground floor at Latrobe Hospital, and though modest renovations allowed the staff to meet demands over that half-century, technology, therapeutics and regulations have moved on, necessitating a wholesale makeover. Once complete in February 2021, the state-of-the-art environment will not only serve the team of pharmacists and technicians today, but be well-positioned for tomorrow. The $2.6 million project, supported by a $500,000 gift from the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation, was crucial to meeting patient needs across the system – 73% of all inpatient oncology patients are cared for at Latrobe Hospital, not to mention the 250300 patients receiving a variety of treatments monthly as outpatients in the hospital’s infusion center. Those numbers also don’t take into account the outpatient procedures, surgeries, or medication needs of hospitalized or emergency department patients, nor those of Excela’s Home Care & Hospice team for patients on service. And demand is on the rise, with new drugs being added to the health system’s formulary – most recently in the area of pulmonology as new physicians join the medical staff and introduce advanced treatment options. The team of 25 at Latrobe comprises seven pharmacists, 15 technicians, two interns and one buyer. One of those pharmacists, Paul Ament, also serves as a member of the teaching faculty for the Excela Latrobe Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. And yes, pill counting is part of the job, but just as important is the rigor of insurance authorization to assure the health system is reimbursed appropriately for the medicines prescribed. Central to the pharmacy renovation is the design of the sterile environment necessary for drug compounding and creating intravenous solutions. With the rise in new pharmacological therapies, this germ-free workroom is essential for the safe handling of drugs of all sorts. An intercom system will allow staff who are fully garbed in personal protective equipment to interact with those elsewhere in the pharmacy without leaving the clean workspace. The new space also will have the necessary connectivity and wall-mounted computer screens that will one day fully integrate with the inventory management system.
CHOOSING A MEANS OF SUPPORT NOW is the time! Use your IRA to support Excela Foundations! With an IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER, you are now able to make a gift from your IRA account to qualified nonprofit organizations without any federal income tax liability. Here’s how it works: • You must be 70 1/2 years of age or older
There are some limitations:
• Instruct your IRA administrator to make a gift directly from your IRA to Excela Health (ask us for a sample letter of instruction)
• The gift is not subject to income tax therefore it is not tax deductible. • Gifts may be outright contributions only.
• IRA Rollovers DO count toward your minimum required distribution for the year
• You may make up to $100,000 in charitable gifts from your IRA.
SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS BELL RINGERS FOR WELLNESS CHECK
COMMUNITY HEALTH
In 1877, almost a century before Frick Hospital was built on its present site at 508 South Church Street, Mount Pleasant College occupied the property, and a bell befitting such an institution graced the premises. The bell was relocated as building uses changed and in storage for a time with West Overton Museum, and most recently with the Mount Pleasant Fire Department. Now the bell has been lovingly restored and returned to the original site through the joint efforts of the Mount Pleasant Historical Society and the Mount Pleasant Rotary. The bell and a commemorative plaque have been added to the Healing Garden that is part of the Excela Square at Frick campus, thanks in part to a grant from Rotary International that allowed the historical society to clean the bell, create new weatherproof housing and inscribe a marker that describes its storied past.
system. Snyder is pictured with fellow Rotarian Traci Fick, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Vice President of Patient Care Services for both Excela Frick and Westmoreland Hospitals. The Mount Pleasant Rotary is one of several community organizations to partner with Excela Health for Wellness Checks across the health system's service area. Through these low-cost blood tests, area residents are able to keep tabs on their health and learn if there are warning signs of serious medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or prostate cancer. While the Wellness Checks were suspended during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, they have been resumed with appropriate safety protocols.
Spearheading the project was Richard Snyder, who is a member of both organizations, and current chair of the historical society board. Snyder was also a supervisor for Bell of Pennsylvania, the telephone company that served Frick Hospital before his retirement, so the relationship holds even greater meaning to him on a personal level as he spent much time at the hospital servicing the phone
To learn more about our foundations, visit ExcelaHealth.org, search FOUNDATION.
Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation Officers and Directors Thomas P. Gessner, MD, Chair Barbara K. Wang, MD, Vice Chair Douglas A. Clark, Secretary Joseph A. Scarpo, Treasurer David S. DeRose, Esq. Phil A. Dymond Richard Okonak Wylie L. Overly, MD Sam Reiman Phyllis Ruffner Douglas L. Sisson William Stavisky, EdD. Reverend Paul Taylor, OSB, PhD. Ruth Tolbert
Westmoreland/Frick Hospital Foundation Officers and Directors Ray T. Charley, Chair Ronald E. Eberhardt, Vice Chair David S. Delisi, Treasurer Edward Miedel, Distribution Committee Chair Carol Williams, Secretary Charles W. Anderson Karl Eisaman Richard D. Harrer Jr. Jacqueline Horrall, Ph.D William A. Jenkins, MD John P. Kline Hon. Charles H. Loughran Gerald D. Lucia David Lynn Don Scott Jess M. Stairs
Administration and Staff Albert J. Novak Jr., MPM, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Excela Health Holly DiBiasi, Manager Maureen Crevak, Executive Assistant
The Most Wired recognition from The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHiME) ranks Excela Health among the 2020 CHiME Digital Health Most Wired healthcare organizations. Excela’s Information Technology Department achieved a certified level 7 and Special Recognition designation for both acute (hospital) and ambulatory (outpatient) technology performance. This honor specifically reflects Excela Health’s demonstrated commitment to implementing technologies and strategies such as population health/cost-of-care analytics, health information exchange integration and patient portals to help analyze data and to achieve meaningful clinical and efficiency outcomes. In addition, Excela's IT team also has begun deploying more advanced technologies, like telehealth, to expand access to care beyond traditional settings, and temperature scanning kiosks, to provide an extra layer of public health protection.
Excela Health continues to be recognized for its employee wellness initiatives, once again named among the Nation’s Best and Brightest in Wellness® by the National Association for Business Resources. Excela first received this honor in 2016 and has been a repeat recipient each award period. This program honors companies and organizations that recognize and celebrate quality and excellence in employee and worksite health. Excela Health is one of 44 companies of varying sizes honored. The winning companies were evaluated by an assessment, created and administered by SynBella, the nation’s leading wellness systems firm. Company entries are examined statistically for quantitative data and examined on a point system based upon criteria to benchmark and improve wellness program effectiveness. They include outcomes, analysis and tracking, participation and incentives, benefits and programs, leadership, employee input, culture and environment.
To support the foundations, visit ExcelaHealth.org, search GIVING.