Nicholas J. Fedorka Memorial Garden

West Penn Hospital patients have a beautiful new outdoor garden and peaceful place to meditate thanks to the generosity and the efforts of the family of Dr. Nicholas J. Fedorka. The Nicholas J. Fedorka Memorial Fund began on September 5, 2008 in memory of Nick when he lost his year long battle to Acute Myelogenous Leukemia.  Nick’s courage, dignity, humor, determination and constant positive outlook inspired his family, friends, colleagues, and the staff members at West Penn Hospital. After a period of brainstorming, the family decided to start a fund in his name in order to give other patients the option that he did not have towards the end of his journey; to go outside and enjoy the sunshine in a meditation garden.  

On December 21st, 2008, the inaugural event for the Nicholas J. Fedorka Memorial Fund was completed when Baskets of Cheer with DVD's, Christmas music, candy and a warm mug of Starbuck's coffee were delivered to T7 patients. The baskets were organized and delivered by Nick’s three children, Catherine (Katie), Carleigh and Nicholas.

As part of their fundraising efforts, friends and family of Nick formed Team 10 to 2 (in honor of Nick's love for fly fishing) to run or walk the Pittsburgh marathon on May 3, 2009 in his memory as well as in honor of all of those who have battled or are currently battling a blood cancer.  

Through all of their efforts, over $30,000 has been raised by the Nicholas J. Fedorka Memorial Fund for the garden. The family hopes to continue this journey in order to obtain other necessities for patients and their families who are battling blood cancers.

Dr. Nick was born in Lackawanna, N.Y., on Oct. 7, 1953. He graduated from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., where he met his future wife, Carole Marshall Murphy. In 1979 he earned his D.M.D. degree from Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry, and wed Carole Murphy Fedorka.  He completed his residency at the University of Connecticut in 1982 and settled in Meadville, Pa., where he began his career as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. An active member of Meadville Medical Center, Dr. Fedorka served as chief of surgery from 1994 to 1995, president of the medical staff in 1999, a member of the board of directors, as well as a member of other various committees.

While raising his three children, Dr. Fedorka was an integral member of the Meadville community, coaching soccer, softball, baseball, and hockey. He was a dedicated fundraiser, team doctor, and strong enthusiast for the Meadville Bulldog Hockey program. For several years Nick served as chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Walk in Meadville, Pa. He was also an active member of St. Brigid Roman Catholic Church. To learn more about Dr. Nick and the Nicholas J. Fedorka Memorial Fund, visit www.nicholasjfedorka.com

Pittsburgh Gives Day of Giving

You can give a gift through Pittsburghgives.org. And if you give during Pittsburgh Give’s Day of Giving, your donation could be matched 50 cents to the dollar, up to $2500! Starting at 10am on October 28, 2009, The Pittsburgh Foundation will host Pittsburgh Give’s Day of Giving. Match monies are expected to be exhausted within the first hour.

How to log on and give to The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation using PittsburghGives:

1)Go to: www.pittsburghgives.org

2)On the top right hand side, click the button “Login”

3)On the right lower side, click “Create Login”

NOTE: We encourage you to complete the registration process on the site in advance of October 28 so that you can login immediately on that day and give.  We anticipate the Match monies being exhausted within an hour.

4) Fill in information and click “Register”.  A confirmation will appear, press “Continue” to go to the login page.  Login using your email and your new password.

5) One the top right hand side, there is a Find Nonprofits tab in white, enter The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation.

6) You will see our portrait; if you’d like to donate immediately, click the blue “Donate Now” button next to the nonprofit name.  Click the “Donate to nonprofit” underneath that button. You are free, at any time, to click on the non-profit name, read the portrait and then click “Donate Now” at any time.

7)Put in the contribution amount.  There is a minimum contribution of $50.00

8) Click “Add to Giving Cart”

9)You may give to multiple organizations by finding their individual portraits, clicking “Donate Now”, and adding them to your giving cart.  When you are ready to check out – Click “Checkout”

10)  You will receive a confirmation email that will be your tax receipt.  Please print it out for your tax records.

Regulations for PittsburghGives Day of Giving

October 28, 10:00 a.m. – October 29, 12:00 p.m. or until the match funds exhaust $200,000 in matching dollars

Up to $100,000 as a 1:2 match (50 cents to the dollar) for online donor grant suggestions and

Up to $100,000 as a 1:2 match (50 cents to the dollar) for online credit card gifts. 

The following stipulations apply: 

1.Public user credit card contributions are eligible to be matched 50 cents to the dollar up to a maximum of $2,500 per individual. (Only $1,250 in match money)

2. Minimum contribution is $50

3.The challenge match will be in effect beginning at 10:00 a.m. on October 28, 2008 for public users until matching funds are exhausted or 12:00 p.m. on October 29, 2008.

4.All qualifying contributions must be designated to a nonprofit organization with a PittsburghGives portrait for operating support.    Each participating organization is eligible to receive matching funds with no maximum.

5. No contributions will be accepted via fax, phone or pittsburghfoundation.org site – only contributions to the Pittsburghgives.org site will be matched.

6.Credit card gifts will be matched to the value of actual donations, minus the processing fee collected by Network for Good.

7.Per the policy regarding unrestricted monies, no independent schools, churches/ synagogues/ mosques /temples or organizations located outside of Allegheny County are eligible for matching funds; they may receive contributions through PittsburghGives that day but they will not be matched.

8. Pittsburgh Foundation staff and immediate family are not eligible to participate.

Thanks, as always, for your support!

West Penn Hospital Receives 2009 Award for Quality

For the second straight year, West Penn Hospital has received the 2009 Award for Quality from Premier healthcare alliance, comprised of more than 2,100 U.S. hospitals and 58,000 other healthcare sites.  West Penn is the only healthcare provider in the region and one of just 23 hospitals in the nation to win the award, which recognizes the hospital’s commitment to outstanding patient care and operational efficiency. 

This prestigious award from Premier places our hospital in a distinguished status with highly respected institutions throughout the nation.  Joining West Penn among major hospitals winning the award are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Nearly 3,800 hospitals were evaluated by Premier for the 2009 Award for Quality. Premier considered performance-based criteria in selecting its Quality Award winners, including clinical quality outcomes, resource utilization, and clinical process indicators to measure top performers at the overall hospital level.

Being selected for this award for the second consecutive year is a tribute to the outstanding quality of our physicians, nurses, and employees.  Through our unwavering dedication to excellence, West Penn provides our patients and the community a level of care and service that distinguishes our hospital among its peers. 

2009 Employee Campaign a Success!

One Purpose. One Mission. One Patient at a Time.

West Penn employees contributed more than $40,000 during the 2009 Employee Campaign to help West Penn patients.Employee donations will provide more than $16,000 towards renovations for West Penn Manor; 68 days of camp for young burn patients; 98 babies with a safe place to sleep and more than $5000 to assist financially struggling families to buy a meal, pay for hospital parking, and meet a variety of their other financial needs.

Thank you to the 2009 employee committee and the campaign co-chairs. For more information on the 2009 Employee Campaign, please contact The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Foundation at 412-578-4427. 

Michelle Dodson (center) won the Employee Campaign raffle basket at the end of the campaign. Her name was drawn from all those who contributed.Michelle is pictured with campaign co-chair Sylvia Lesic.

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing

Celebrating Our Renaissance

The renovations have been completed! West Penn Hospital’s 85-year-old School of Nursing building has been totally upgraded. Thanks to our wonderful donors, the school has beautiful new décor in the school’s common
areas and dormitory rooms, state-of-the-art “smart” classrooms, renovated labs and expanded Simulation Teaching and Academic Research Center. A grand opening was held May 14th and the alumni were invited to a special tea on May 16th, to tour the beautiful new facilities. Click here to see pictures from the celebration activities. Read more about the celebration and share in the memories of former students in the SON celebration Program book.

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital Named One of the Nation's 100 Top Hospitals by Thomson Reuters

The Western Pennsylvania Hospital was named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals for 2008, the only major teaching hospital in Pennsylvania selected for this elite list by Thomson Reuters.

The 15 major teaching hospitals named to the Top 100 list include West Penn, Beth Israel Deaconess, University of Michigan Hospitals, Mayo Clinic, Duke University Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
In addition, West Penn Hospital was selected as an Everest Award winner for delivering the fastest rate of improvement over a five-year period, 2003-2007. Everest award-winning hospitals have reached the highest level of accomplishment among the Top 100 Hospitals, and have set national benchmarks for excellence.
Of the 15 major teaching hospitals, only four, including West Penn, were chosen for the Everest Award. Overall, 23 of the Top 100 Hospitals received Everest Awards.

“We are proud that West Penn has been nationally recognized as one of the Top 100 Hospitals, and proud of the high level of care we provide to our patients,” said Dawn M. Gideon, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital. “This award is a tribute to the talent and dedicated service of our physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and all our employees.”

The Top 100 award recognizes hospitals that have achieved excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, patient satisfaction, financial performance, and operational efficiency. Thomson Reuters is a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare.

West Penn is the only Pittsburgh-area hospital named to the Top 100 Hospitals, and one of only five in the state. This marks the fourth time since 2001 that West Penn has been named to the Top 100 Hospitals list.
The winners were identified through an in-depth analysis, the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals®: National Benchmarks study. The study evaluated 3,000 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals in nine areas: mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, patient satisfaction, and adherence to clinical standards of care.

The winning hospitals were announced in the March 30 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine.
“The 100 Top Hospitals winners raised the bar again this year, delivering a higher level of reliable care and greater value for their communities,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals programs at Thomson Reuters.

If all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as Medicare patients treated in the winning hospitals:
· More than 107,500 additional patients would survive each year.
· Nearly 132,000 patient complications would be avoided annually.
· Expenses would decline by $5.9 billion a year.
· The average patient stay would decrease by nearly half a day.

More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at www.100tophospitals.com.