Home health care administrator Noreen Brown has been named director of West Penn Allegheny Health System’s newly integrated home care program. 

Formed from the integration of well-established home care programs at Allegheny General Hospital and The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, the new System Home Care Program will provide an array of home health services to residents throughout the greater Pittsburgh region.

Last year, the two programs combined afforded care to more than 7,400 patients in five western PA counties.

Among the services offered by the program, include medical/surgical nursing, oncology nursing and chemotherapy, wound and ostomy management, rehabilitation services, intravenous and enteral therapy, medical social services and personal care.

The program is staffed by approximately 125 health care professionals employed by the System.

“Home care is a vital service to so many people in our community, particularly those who are older. The integration of our programs into one System service will enable us to more effectively and efficiently meet the home health needs of those we care for,” said Ms. Brown.

She said the integrated service will enhance patient care quality and streamline the referral process.

“Having office-based registered nurses in one location will greatly improve response times for patient and referral calls. Combining staffs also allows us to bring a variety of specialized home care employees together in one office, increasing the flexibility and productivity of the staff. Ultimately, this new model will allow us to grow and serve more patients,” Ms. Brown said.

West Penn Allegheny’s member hospitals will serve as supply centers for home care field staff to decrease the amount of time spent traveling to the program’s main office.

West Penn Allegheny Home Care’s new Director, Ms. Brown, joined The Western Pennsylvania Hospital in 1997 as the Quality Supervisor at its West Penn Home Care Agency and was subsequently promoted to Director of the Agency in 2000.

Under her direction, West Penn Home Care was named to the national HomeCare Elite List two years in a row, in 2007 and 2008.

The HomeCare Elite is a compilation of the most successful home care providers in the United States. It is provided by OCS Inc., the leading provider of health-care informatics, and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care’s most respected independent newsletter, Home Health Line.

Ms. Brown obtained her nursing diploma from the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to joining West Penn, Ms. Brown held multiple management positions at Hospital Home Health Services Incorporated and Magee Womens Hospital.

For more information about West Penn Allegheny Home Care, call (412) 330-4211.

West Penn Allegheny Health System (www.wpahs.org) features some of the oldest and best-known names in health care in western Pennsylvania. From the system’s inception, its hospitals have been in the vanguard of patient care, medical research and health sciences education.