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Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team saves pups near and far St. Clair Hospital celebrates 60 years AVANI Institute's Life Force machine relaxes & heals APRIL /MAY 2014 A FREE BIMONTHLY PUBLICATION

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contents APRIL / MAY 2014 18

12

22

features 12 Life Flight

Learn about the exciting way that PAART is rescuing animals from near and far.

18 60 Years Young

Celebrate the past, present and future of St. Clair Hospital.

22 Great Escape

Learn about a life-changing way to heal mind and body.

4 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

26

in every issue 6

From the editor

8

Calendar of events

10 Snapshots 26

Neighborhood favorites

28 Gardening 30

Historical flashback

28

from the editor I katie green

Looking ahead

A

funny thing happened when I was interviewing St. Clair Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. G. Alan Yeasted, for the feature on page 18, about the hospital’s 60th anniversary – as he was describing St. Clair Hospital as a “small community hospital,” I was thinking of it as just that. As we talked further, he said, “Calling it small is not accurate. St. Clair is in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide.”

Because of the size and number of hospitals we have in our region, we might think of a hospital like St. Clair as small. But, we forget that very rural areas have hospitals that may only have 50 beds. Now that is small. When St. Clair opened in 1954, it was a saving grace for South Hills residents who didn’t have the means to get Downtown. Today, with its size, state-of-theart equipment and procedures, it’s hard to imagine there was a time when the South Hills didn’t have St. Clair Hospital. I had a lot of fun sifting through photos and learning about the past, present and future of St. Clair. Make sure to turn to Historical Flashback on page 30 to see some of the earliest images from the St. Clair archives.

Also in this issue, staff writer Allison Duratz spoke to some South Hills residents who are saving animals from far away from being euthanized. Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team is dedicated to its cause, and we are, too. Take flight with them on page 12.

And, because we are serious about our mission to highlight the best of what the South Hills has to offer, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to feature the AVANI Institute, which recently opened in McMurray. The center believes that physical, emotional and spiritual health are intertwined, and its Life Force machine is just one of 11 in the entire country. It puts the body into a state of deep relaxation so that it can de-stress, detox and heal. As the mother of an eight-month-old baby, I can tell you firsthand that relaxing doesn’t come easy. Even if I am resting physically, my brain still goes 60 mph. But, I tried the Life Force machine for myself, and can honestly tell you that after 10 minutes or so, my brain shut off. Seriously. I came out of the machine refreshed, re-energized and overall feeling ... great. Try it for yourself on page 22.

Published bi-monthly by Observer Publishing Company SOUTH HILLS 2600 Boyce Road Plaza, Suite 142 Upper St. Clair, PA 15241 724.941.7725 WASHINGTON 122 S. Main Street Washington, PA 15301 724.222.2200 GREENE COUNTY 32 Church Street Waynesburg, PA 15370 724.852.2602 PUBLISHER Thomas P. Northrop DIRECTOR OF NEWS Lucy Northrop Corwin EDITOR Katie Green ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Matt Miller CONTRIBUTORS Allison Duratz, Terri Johnson, Megan Wylie Ruffing

On the cover

Until next time,

Katie Green

This dog gets a birds-eye view of Pittsburgh enroute to its forever home. Courtesy Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team.

6 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

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what’s happening I calendar of events 4.25 Taste of the Township Benefitting Peters Township Public Library Valley Brook Country Club, McMurray 724.941.9430

6.15 MT. LEBANON POOL OPENS!

4.25 Chef’s for CASA

Southpointe Hilton Garden Inn 724.949.1200

Community & Recreation Center, Upper St. Clair twpusc.org

4.27 14th Annual Burgh’s 10K/5K Runs & 2 Mile Fun Walk Benefitting Montour Trail Cecil Park www.montourtrail.org

5.5 27th Annual Golf Outing Benefitting Family Hospice and Palliative Care Valley Brook Country Club, McMurray 412.572.8812

5.17 Upper St. Clair Community Day

5.18 The Almanac Premier Performers Sports Banquet

4.26 Arts & Chocolate Spring Spectacular

Benefitting National MS Society, Western PA Chapter Tanger Outlets 412.261.6347

Providence Point, Upper St. Clair southhillschorale.org

Community & Recreation Center, Upper St. Clair twpusc.org

Benefitting CASA for Kids of Washington County Bella Sera Event Venue, Canonsburg casawashingtoncounty.org

4.27 Walk MS: Washington

5.14 South Hills Chorale Concert

5.19 NKF Golf Classic 5.9-18 “Doubt, A Parable” Stage 62 Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall 412.429.6262

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5.11 Susan G. Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure Schenley Park at Flagstaff Hill, Oakland 412.342.0500

Benefitting National Kidney Foundation Valley Brook Country Club, McMurray 800.261.4115 x15

5.23 Sidewalk Sale The Galleria of Mt. Lebanon 412.561.4000

5.30-31 South Hills Chorale Concert Westminster Presbyterian Church, Upper St. Clair southhillschorale.org

6.16 Kettle Challenge Invitational Golf Outing Benefitting The Salvation Army St. Clair Country Club, Upper St. Clair 412.833.5550

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snapshots

Having an event? Email kgreen@thealmanac.net to find out how to get your photos in South Hills Living!

The Master Builders’ Association recently held its Construction Industry Evening of Excellence at the Heinz Field East Club, honoring the best of the best in the local construction industry with the 2013 Building Excellence Awards. Bethel Park High School took the honor for New Construction Over $25 Million. Pictured are the winning team of John West and Don Medeja from Mascaro Construction; Kevin Hayes from The Hayes Design Group; and Charlie Yazembiak from Weber Murphy Fox.

Christy Willis, Charley Rappaport and Mark Ingold at The Southpointe CEO Association’s Winter White Party.

Michael Sapienza with Breen Smith at South Hills Country Club for the Fourth Annual Cookies4Chris fundraiser.

Volunteers in the South Hills celebrated the Jewish Federation Volunteer Center’s Good Deeds Day at the Jewish Community Center in Scott Twp. by crocheting baby hats, chemo caps and blankets and making fleece blankets to be distributed to hospital patients and refugees in the region. Pictured are Shelley Pavlack, Eileen Hayes, Brenda Pavlack, Lisa Trozzi and Gail Friedman.

10 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

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LIFE FLIGHT Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team saves dogs, one flight at a time B Y A L L I S O N D U R AT Z

•

P H O T O S C O U R T E S Y PA A R T

T

he passengers on board aren’t demanding. They don’t care if the flight is delayed, if they miss out on a mid-flight snack, or who is seated next to them. While their accommodations may be considered coach, the attention they are given is nothing short of first class.

The passengers are dogs and they are being rescued from an almost certain death by Brad Childs and Jonathan Plesset, friends, pilots and co-founders of Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team (PAART).

The Humane Society of the United States estimates that six to eight million homeless pets sit in shelters across the U.S. each year awaiting their forever homes. Of those, half will be euthanized. The other half will be given a second chance because of organizations like PAART, which work in conjunction with other rescues and animal shelters across the U.S. to transport at-risk animals to their forever homes.

About 10 years ago, Childs and Plesset were looking to accomplish something new. They decided to take flying lessons. Then in 2006, as a favor to a friend, Childs agreed to transport Monte, a 90-pound bulldog. It was that flight that got the Upper St. Clair resident hooked on animal rescue.

“We were tired of flying around in circles,” says Plesset, of Shadyside. “And after that rescue, Brad said ‘this is great! This is something we should totally get on board with.’” A year later, Childs says the pair “dove in pretty deep.” Then, in 2009, they learned of a situation in Georgia that involved the transport of 216 dogs from three different shelters in the state.

“We heard about this rescue and aside from the transfer of dogs, Brad and I found out that the reason they were going to euthanize all of these dogs was simply because of a lack of food. We couldn’t believe it,” Plesset says, adding that the reason was a lack of funding. “This was the spark that really got Brad and I deeper into this. We said, ‘we’ve got to do something, we’ve got to stop this.”

So Plesset, CEO and owner of Shadyside Inn All Suites Hotel, and Childs, vice president and co-owner of Eyetique and also a volunteer

This dog gets a birds-eye view of Pittsburgh enroute to its forever home.

Linda Childs, pilot Bob Calabrisi and co-founders and pilots Brad Childs and Jonathan Plesset. PAART picked up this dog, which was born with severely deformed legs, in Ohio and flew him to New York where doctors agreed to perform a $10,000 surgery. The dog is now able to walk.

firefighter for the Upper St. Clair Fire Department, pooled their resources and purchased 50,000 pounds of dog food, which they, along with the help of Child’s wife, Linda, delivered via plane and tractor trailer to the various shelters in Georgia.

Linda Childs serves as PAART’s flight coordinator, working with shelters, pet adoption services and other national transportation organizations to help give animals in need a new lease on life. Timing is everything.

“A dog might be in a kill shelter and they only have another day to live. So they’re desperate to get this dog out and placed somewhere,” Plesset says. “This is where we offer something kind of unique. We’re able to come in and make this happen so much quicker because we’re using an airplane.”

That airplane is a 1974 Piper Warrior, co-owned by Childs, Plesset and Lawrence “Pete” Lehmann of Highland Park, PAART’s chief pilot and a world-record holder. Bob Calabrisi, a major in the Civil Air Patrol, also flies for PAART. The single-engine aircraft can fly up to 130 mph, and rescues are kept within 200-250 nautical miles, allowing flights to places such as Cincinnati, Philadelphia, southern West Virginia, Cleveland, Buffalo, Akron, Erie and Harrisburg. If longer flights are required, PAART connects with other pilots who each take on a separate leg of transport to get an animal to its forever home.

Most rescues come from the south or west. “People in the northeast are more in tune with rescue,” Childs says. “Although our local shelters have their own set of issues, the northeast by and large is able to accommodate large numbers of dogs coming from other areas to try and get them rehabilitated and placed in permanent homes.”

PAART only works with other 501c3 reputable nonprofit rescue agencies and flights are well-planned in advance.

“We feel a responsibility with these rescues that the dogs are going somewhere that we’re approving,” said Plesset. “If we’re getting a call to do a rescue, our first question is where is the dog going? Who’s handling this? From there, we’re looking into what rescue is this? Is

“A dog might be in a kill shelter and they only have another day to live. So they’re desperate to get this dog out and placed somewhere,” Plesset says. “This is where we offer something kind of unique.

We’re able to come in and make this happen so much quicker because we’re using an airplane.”

SOUTH HILLS LIVING 13

it one we have heard about and one we trust? This is kind of a small, tight community and everybody knows everybody at this point, so we’re pretty careful to make sure a dog is going somewhere that we know something about.”

In November, PAART obtained 501c3 status. While the organization is now able to accept donations, Childs and Plesset, who do at least one rescue transport per week when the weather cooperates, still privately fund the majority of rescues, which don’t

ing. While here, it was discovered that the man’s cancer had returned. Given less than a week to live and unable to return to Florida, his dying wish was to see his dog, Bailey, one last time. PAART volunteered to take on the third leg of that trip, and the man’s wish was granted. Within 24 hours, the trip was coordinated and the dog was at his owner’s bedside.

To date, Childs and Plesset estimate that PAART has assisted in the rescue of about 500 dogs, and the collection and donation

Upper St. Clair teachers Monica Erwin and Laura Carlino with Bob Calabrisi, Jonathan Plesset and Brad Childs, who spoke to Upper St. Clair High School students as part of PAART’s community outreach program.

come cheap. On average, each transport costs between $500 and $600, and PAART never charges either party for its services.

Fundraisers, such as an afternoon of painting at Painting with a Twist in Robinson Township, which raised $3,200 for PAART, and Biscuit’s Bingo held recently in Green Tree, certainly help.

Childs and Plesset receive no compensation, and 100 percent of every dollar received goes directly toward the rescue of animals. “But the reality is, the more we bring in, the more we can do,” Childs says. “For every $50 raised, we can save one dog.”

While PAART’s main mission is rescue, the organization also flew in supplies during Hurricane Sandy and once assisted in reuniting a dog with its owner who had flown to Pittsburgh from Florida for medical test-

of around 100,000 pounds of food.

And sometimes, pigs really do fly, along with cats, rabbits, ducks and even snakes.

While PAART has transported all at one point, dogs continue to be the organization’s main focus, and man’s best friend has proven to be the most entertaining.

“Dogs are characters, and their personalities seem to come through during the flight,” Plesset says. He recalls one of their first missions when Brad was piloting the plane. “There was a dog that decided the backseat wasn’t an enjoyable place to fly, and that Brad’s lap was actually more comfortable.” The dog jumped into Brad’s lap, sending the plane into a nose dive. “Brad was coming in for a landing, so we almost lost him and the dog on that flight.”

With aviation, the number of dogs that

can be transported on one flight comes down to weight. “There are a lot of variables,” Childs says. “If it’s a short flight, we can dump fuel to pick up weight to carry more dogs, or we can arrange another stop.”

Dogs are usually crated during flights, but, “There is only so much weight we can take inside the airplane, so there are times when we can’t use the crates,” Plesset says.

“Two crates equal one dog, so are we going to leave a dog behind, or are we going to tie the dogs down?”

The highest number of dogs PAART has transported in its plane is 20. However, the organization once participated in the transport of 30 dogs with the help of a local man who offered the use of a larger, twin-engine plane. Childs and Plesset said the man, who prefers to remain anonymous, not only offered his plane, but the fuel and pilot as well, and took care of all the financials.

Mishaps are a given. Once, a rear window broke lose. On another flight, a 90-pound Great Dane decided to eat the rear seat.

Dogs can also “get a little gassy,” according to Plesset, and 15 puppies once covered the back in feces. With no air flow in the cabin, that made for a very long flight. “When you’re in a tiny airplane 5,000 feet above the ground, there’s not much you can do when the dog decides it doesn’t like what it ate for dinner the previous night,” Plesset says.

On another flight, they dealt with an electrical failure shortly after takeoff with the nearest airport nine miles away. The plane was able to land, but the dogs – three 40-50 pound pit bulls – gave Plesset a run for his money. One of the dogs tugged so hard he broke his leash, so Plesset secured the dog to a bench with airplane rope. “I thought, there’s no way he’s going to break this,” Plesset says. “All of a sudden I see the dog out of the corner of my eye running down the runway, dragging the park bench. He was trying to take off without the plane.” The dog was happier once back inside the plane.

“We’ve had our share of funny stories with the animals, but never anything bad,” Plesset says, adding that no one has ever been bitten or injured during a flight.

Loud noises will often scare a dog, but Childs says that on the plane, just the opposite happens. “They get soothed. Sometimes they’re hesitant to get into the plane,

“There was a dog that decided the backseat wasn’t an enjoyable place to fly, and that Brad’s lap was actually more comfortable.” The dog jumped into Brad’s lap, sending the plane into a nose dive. “Brad was coming in for a landing, so we almost lost him and the dog on that flight.”

14 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

The Dog Transport Airplane, a 1974 Piper Warrior.

there for you. They’re just the greatest animals and when you can help a dog and get them into a home where that love is going to be reciprocated, it’s a really good feeling.

It’s enough to make you want to go through all the hassles involved, because that moment when you’re with a dog and you say goodbye and you know that that dog has a life now ... it’s a pretty good thing.”

“Jon and I don’t proclaim to be these really good people,” says Childs. “We’re just living our lives. We never really set out and thought we were going to experience some of the emotions that we’ve experienced. We just want to go fly and have a good purpose to use the airplane and all this other stuff comes along with it.” n

For more information, visit www.pittrescue.org. but once they’re in and we start the engine, the dog goes to sleep. We try to fly low due to the pressure it creates on their ears, but at 6,000 to 7,000 feet the oxygen is a bit lower so it literally puts them out.”

Childs and Plesset receive numerous requests from other pilots wanting to volunteer their time to the organization. “We’re contemplating trying to grow the organization to include a lot of freelance pilots to help fly different legs and missions,” Childs says.

But, that’s easier said than done. “We have to make sure the people that are out there are representing PAART the way Jon and I envision it to be represented,” Childs says. “We need to know not only is the pilot safe, but that they’re insured properly.

You’re going to put your pilots’ safety first, and make sure the dogs are well cared for. Are we looking to expand? Sure. We’re contemplating trying to grow the organization to include a lot of freelance pilots to help fly different legs and missions, to increase the range and capacity of what we want to do. But, I think Jon and I share the same thought – slow and steady wins the race. We can make this as big as we want today, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s getting the right message out there.”

The pair is hoping to one day raise enough money to purchase a larger plane. “That’s the bigger picture.

That’s our real challenge,” Plesset says. “We’re just extremely limited in what we can do with our airplane. One of the reasons we started this charity was to either get the word out for other pilots who have planes to come on board and help us, or perhaps raise enough money to be able to finance a bigger plane to do these rescues.”

“Brad and I love dogs,” Plesset says. “That’s what this really comes down to. When you deliver a dog, these dogs just want to love you. They just want to be

Dogs’ best friends Brad Childs and Jonathan Plesset share more than just a passion for flying. The friends and co-founders of Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team also share a passion for dogs. They’re doing their part to help educate the community about responsible pet ownership and reducing the homeless pet population.

“Ultimately, our goal is to be no longer needed,” Plesset says. “If we can get stronger with the community outreach, educating people about this issue, hopefully one day there won’t be as much of a need for this kind of rescue.”

Just last year, the two expanded PAART’s focus, beginning with schools.

“That’s been our primary focus right now. Kids love animals and they love the plane, which opens their eyes to the aviation side of it,” Plesset says.

PAART offers programming geared toward children, teens and adults. “Our educational outreach goes from inside the classroom all the way to airport tours,” Childs says. “We get a lot of support from the Allegheny County Airport. The team over there is willing to take kids into hangers and show them aviation, and maybe a future pilot will come out of it as well.”

Often, fundraising is incorporated into the presentations, with incentives to hold food and supply collections, or to sponsor a flight. One 7-year-old boy requested donations to PAART in lieu of birthday presents, collecting $575.

A trip to see the plane and meet the pilots and pets followed. Last year, Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Roosevelt Elementary raised over $1,700 for PAART, with the top class being rewarded with a tour of the Allegheny County Airport, PAART’s plane and hangar. And just recently, a group of 30 Upper St. Clair High School students, who started their own rescue club and were eager to learn about PAART, received a special presentation from Childs, Plesset and Calabrisi. The class also made a generous donation to PAART. “I think we deliver a pretty strong message to the younger kids out there about the importance of animal rescue and also the importance of just giving back to your community. We make the point that it’s just Brad and I … two guys. Look what you can do when you have to give back to your community.

That’s what you have to do in life.” n

SOUTH HILLS LIVING 15

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One only needs to look at this photo to see the amount of growth that St. Clair Hospital has had. The first addition was in place just four years after its opening.

60

years young

St. Clair Hospital celebrates a milestone anniversary

S

ixty years ago, in 1954, the world – and Pittsburgh, and the South Hills – was a very different place. Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States. David L. Lawrence was serving his third term as the mayor of Pittsburgh.

WQED went on air for the first time. The Fort Pitt Tunnels hadn’t yet been constructed, though the plans were in place and contracts were awarded in July of 1954. It would be another three years before they broke ground, and three more after that until they opened.

It was a good year for the health care industry in the area. The Oakland VA Hospital opened. Dr. Jonas Salk began his polio vaccine tests on a large-scale basis, and by year’s end, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis had contracted to purchase the vaccine for 9 million people in 1955. Allegheny General Hospital broke ground for a building to house a cobalt cancer treatment unit, which at the time, was a relatively new way of fighting the disease.

B Y K ATIE GR E E N P H OTOS C OU RTE S Y S T. C LA IR H OS P ITA L

18 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

“The people of this community established the hospital because they couldn’t get into the city very easily. Then, there was an evolution that has happened where people came to St. Clair because they don’t want to go into the city anymore.”

– Dr. G. Alan Yeasted Dr. G. Alan Yeasted

And, on Feb. 22, 1954, St. Clair Memorial Hospital opened to the public. It was a booming success from the get go. The first baby to be born there came the very next day. That October, the Women’s Auxiliary’s first Harlequin Ball fundraiser took place.

The hospital reached full capacity – at the time, 104 beds and 35 bassinets – within months. In fact, the hospital faced an urgent need to expand just two years after opening.

Dr. G. Alan Yeasted, St. Clair’s chief medical officer, started working at the hospital in 1978 as a physician, so he has the unique perspective of working with many of the hospital’s founding doctors, nurses and administrators, as well as seeing the hospital evolve into the high quality, high-tech establishment that it is today – in fact, earlier this year, St. Clair was named one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States by Truven Health Analytics.

“The people of this community established the hospital because they couldn’t get into the city very easily. Then, there was

an evolution that has happened where people come to St. Clair because they don’t want to go into the city anymore,” Dr. Yeasted says. “So in the beginning, they couldn’t get in, and now they’d much rather stay at a hospital that’s close to home and avoid the city and all of the problems that come with a large hospital – they can get the same quality of care at a local community hospital.”

Today, St. Clair Hospital is competing with large, university hospitals on multiple levels. Dr. Yeasted cites St. Clair’s Heart Center as one of the reasons why. “The establishment of the Heart Center and the open heart program changed the thinking of St. Clair from a small, community hospital into a near tertiary care hospital,” he says. “Just like the space program, which has many spin offs, a really good heart program has a lot of spin offs – more excellent cardiology, the intensive care unit has to improve and continue to be high quality.”

What we think of as “small” may indeed be when compared to the vast expanse of UPMC or Allegheny General on Pittsburgh’s

SOUTH HILLS LIVING 19

The St. Clair Hospital Outpatient Center opened in McMurray in 2013.

North Side. But, Dr. Yeasted says that St. Clair is actually in the top five percent of hospitals nationwide. Living in the region that we do, we often forget that there are many, many hospitals in rural areas throughout the country that may only have 50 beds.

The hospital has 328 beds, 550 physicians, employs more than 2,200, and treats nearly 287,000 patients each year.

Indeed, St. Clair has grown exponentially since 1954. Just take a look at the photo in this article to see the vast expansion that has happened over the years. Not only did the hospital itself expand over the years with new wings and additions, but a helicopter pad was added, and parking garages were added and expanded multiple times. And, the growth isn’t limited to that 30-acre plot of land on Bower Hill Road. St. Clair operates an outpatient center in McMurray, as well as an urgent care center at Village Square in Bethel Park.

In this day and age of mergers, acquisitions, corporate insurance companies, and health care reform, what does it mean to turn 60 years old and remain independent?

“St. Clair is unique in that it continues to have the ability to determine its own future,” Dr. Yeasted says. “We’re fortunate because of our location, our board of directors and the direction and strategy that they’ve given us. If you can maintain your independence and you can be nimble in the new health care system, you can purchase 20 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

St. Clair’s Urgent Care Center is the hospital’s most recent addition, opening this year. It is open seven days a week for 12 hours a day.

the equipment that you need to stay a first quality institution, you can meet the needs of the community and your employees much more easily than a large, bureaucratic system that’s controlled from a central location.”

Dr. Yeasted has high hopes for the hospital’s next 60 years, too. “I would expect St. Clair to continue on its strategy of offering more services in the South Hills so that people do not have to go Downtown. We have people contacting us right now, more physicians than we can even take, who want to work at St. Clair,” he says. “I see a very bright future for this hospital.” n

TO SEE ST. CLAIR HOSPITAL’S EARLY DAYS, CHECK OUT HISTORICAL FLASHBACK ON PAGE 30!

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GREAT ESCAPE Life Force machine sends the body into a deep state of relaxation, and promotes healing

BY KATIE GREEN PHOTOS COURTESY AVANI INSTITUTE

F

rom the outside, the Life Force machine resembles a comfy, albeit oversized tanning bed with colored light bulbs. But, while a tanning bed is hazardous to your health, the Life Force machine is anything but.

Lay down in the machine and close the wooden doors, and shortly after the music begins playing, the brain will shut off. The music is soothing, sure, but it is certainly not soft. The volume needs to be so high in order for the sounds to create the vibrations that will help put the body into a deep state of relaxation. A session in the Life Force machine lasts one hour, but it seems like mere minutes – time travel, if you will.

Afterward, it’s vital to drink tons of water, as the body’s cells are in a detoxifying state. Kind of like a massage without the massage.

The Life Force machine is only one of 11 in the entire United States, and is located at the AVANI Institute in McMurray.

Karen Kaylor Shanahan is the founder and director of the AVANI Institute, and her journey into alternative healing methods is personal – two of her four children battled life-threatening illnesses. “The medical profession did a wonderful job and saved them,” Shanahan says.

“As a mother, you turn yourself inside and out and wonder what part you could have played to avoid it.”

Shanahan has a bachelor of science in education, is an ordained Esoteric Interfaith minister, and has certifications in Reiki, magnified healing, divinity spiritual healing and cellular expansion.

“I wanted to create a place that is unthreatening when people walk through the door, with friendly faces and people that are going to sit down and talk to them like I would across a kitchen table,” she says. “They can say, ‘I’m really struggling with this, do you know anything that can help me?’ Sometimes I do, sometimes I can give them a resource to call.”

The premise of the Life Force machine is simple – relax, and the rest takes care of itself. “When you defragment a computer, you’re not really taking anything out or putting anything in, you’re just realigning everything,” Shanahan says. “That’s my layman’s analogy for what this is. This doesn’t cure anything, it just helps your body to reset. Your body is the magic, not the machine.”

Shanahan says that patients have used the Life Force machine in conjunction with chiropractic care, and due to the person being more relaxed, the chiropractor was able to adjust the person easier. Pain management, everything from fibromyalgia to concussions to surgical recovery, is a major part of what the machine helps with. “We’re not a spiritual healing center that believes there’s no other way – we really believe that this is a marriage of eastern and western because there’s a lot of science behind this.”

There is indeed science behind the process, but Dr. Valerie Donaldson, AVANI’s medical consultant, is quick to warn that the Life Force machine is not a medical device, rather, it is a relaxation device. “More and more people are looking for alternative methods of healing –

22 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

“I wanted to create a place that is unthreatening when people walk through the door, with friendly faces and people that are going to sit down and talk to them like I would across a kitchen table.”

– Karen Kaylor Shanahan

The Life Force machine combines light color spectrum and vibrational sound modulation that puts the body into a total state of relaxation.

Holly Morrison is AVANI’s manager and Reiki practitioner.

the stress on our society is so rampant,” Dr. Donaldson says. “I think this is a prime time to bring Life Force into the world. It needs to come more in a spa-type setting, so that expectations of people on a medicinal level are low, because its not a medical device and we don’t want it to be. We want it to be something that people use like hot yoga, Pilates, or whatever they are doing to relax and de-stress.”

In addition to the Life Force machine, AVANI Institute offers Reiki, cellular expansion, spiritual astrology and life coaching. AVANI will also offer different classes and workshops on

topics ranging from meditation, crystals for healing, hormone replacement therapy, yoga, spiritual awakening, the health benefits of essential oils and more.

When Shanahan designed AVANI, energy and how it flows was at the top of the priority list. “We have a lot of rounded [corner] edges. I did that so the energy would flow better,” Shanahan says. “I have prayer labyrinths underneath the floors to ground the energy, everything was very energetically planned so that it would be warm, welcoming and grounded.

Everything has a purpose.”

And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about – purpose.

“It’s very rewarding to see that people are actually getting somewhere, because they don’t want to take medications,” Shanahan says.

“I’ve had some moments when I felt myself tearing up because this was really a gift for this person and they got some relief from what they are struggling with.” n For more information on AVANI Institute, visit www.avani-institute.com.

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neighborhood I favorites JACKSONS JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKES

BY EXECUTIVE CHEF CODY BAKER PHOTO BY MEGAN WYLIE RUFFING SERVES 6

1 ½ 2 ½ ½ ¼ ½ 1 1 2

tablespoon kosher salt teaspoon white pepper cups plain white bread crumbs teaspoon baking soda cup mayonnaise cup Dijon mustard cup white wine green pepper, diced small bunch fresh chives pounds jumbo lump crabmeat

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all salt, pepper, bread crumbs and baking soda together until completely smooth, and then mix mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and white wine into the dry ingredients until smooth.

2. Mix peppers and chives into this mixture, then gently fold the crabmeat into mixture, making sure not to mash the crabmeat.

3. Form the crab cakes to the desired size and place on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

4. Serve with your favorite starch and vegetable.

Executive Chef Cody Baker

JACKSONS is located at 100 Corporate Drive, Southpointe. experiencejacksons.com 26 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

gardening I terri johnson

Patio party Container gardening is a good way to grow vegetables in a small space

A

fter a long, cold snowy winter, nothing would taste better right now than a fresh, home-grown, still-warm-from-thesun tomato. Just a few more months and the first bite of a fresh tomato will be reality rather than a dream.

Local farmers markets will begin to sprout soon with the first of the early vegetables, offering a jolt of freshness to the taste buds. For many who live in apartments or homes with little or no ground, or for those unable to till the soil and get down on the ground to plant a garden, the local markets are an easy way to buy fresh produce.

And there is another option: container gardening.

The most difficult task of container gardening is lugging home the pots, potting soil and vegetable plants offered for sale in local home improvement stores, nurseries and grocery and hardware stores.

Pick outdoor space, like a balcony, window sill, porch or even steps, on which the containers will be placed. While some root or leaf crops, like lettuce, can grow in partial shade, plants such as tomatoes need at least five hours or more of direct sunlight. Many plants and vegetables can be grown in hanging baskets, providing more space for the floor containers. Have a little more space on the deck or patio?

Consider planter boxes with a trellis to create a shady area.

Just about any container may be used, but be certain it is clean and, if using wood, never use materials treated with creosote or any other preservative. Always provide a drainage hole or holes in the bottom, as no plant likes to be drowned. Think about placing larger containers on a small wheeled platform to move the plants when needed for cleaning or to catch more sunlight. Check at the local stores for the correct potting mix. Choose the plants before buying or preparing a container. Remember that tomatoes often grow tall and may need to be staked, not only for the height of the plants, but also to prevent any of the taller vegetables and fruits from blowing over during a storm or on a windy day. The result can be a broken plant and a messy porch, deck or window sill.

Watering may be easier than dragging the hose to a ground-level garden, but plants in a container have a tendency to dry out sooner, especially those placed on concrete. Check the need for water daily, but avoid over watering. Pots made from natural material, like clay, dry out sooner.

Remember to fertilize, but take into consideration a soil mix usually contains nutrients for up to two months. Also, remember, like with any plant, to protect young growth from heavy rains and frosts.

28 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

While container gardening is recommended for most plants, space prohibits planting corn and other plants that require land. A quick trip to the farmers markets will satisfy the taste buds. Do try peppers, tomatoes, radishes, leaf lettuce and some flowers to add beauty to any outdoor space.

Other suggestions for container or raised gardens include bush beans, beets, carrots, cucumbers, kale, onions, bell peppers and even turnips.

Not only will a container garden provide fresh produce and color to an otherwise drab area, growing plants in a container will help cut down on damage from insects and ground hogs and even deer, if the containers are protected. Another great advantage for those whose mobility is waning is that container gardening can be accomplished sitting on a chair.

Find suitable containers – from beautiful pots to plastic milk jugs with the tops cut off – pick and choose what vegetables and flowers you want to grow and get started. Spring is here and summer is just around the corner. n

BUSINESS DIRECTORY JB HARDWOOD, LLC

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historical FLASHBACK 1

St. Clair Hospital celebrates 60 years as being a member of the South Hills community this year. Its expansion has been a testament to its success. “It’s been a joint effort of many people, including the board of directors, administration, employees and physicians,” says Dr. G. Alan Yeasted, St. Clair’s chief medical officer. “It’s a high quality institution with high ethical values, which has helped everyone in the process, including the community we serve.”

2

1. In the 1940s, local businessman Arthur Silhol purchased a 30-acre plot of land on Bower Hill Road and held it until the necessary funds were raised to buy the land and build the hospital.

2. Nurses are pictured here in the operating room in the mid- to late-50s, preparing an OR suite for surgery. The machine on the left was used for anesthesiology, and the machine at the right was used for suctioning during surgery.

3. This photo was taken in the early 1950s during the final fundraising push prior to the hospital’s opening.

4. Ground was broken for St. Clair Hospital on Oct. 20, 1951.

5. St. Clair Hospital’s first patient, 2-year-old Antonietta Daris, arrived two hours before the hospital actually opened. She is pictured here with her mother, Margherita Daris, and a nurse, on Feb. 22, 1954.

3 5

PHOTOS COURTESY ST. CLAIR HOSPITAL

4

30 SOUTH HILLS LIVING April / May 2014

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If you are interested in advertising on this directory, contact Mauriann Curtis at 724-222-2200 ext. 2504.