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A look at life-changing medicine during UPMC Passavant’s 175th anniversary
Throughout 2024, UPMC Passavant is celebrating its 175 years in southwest Pennsylvania and 60 years serving North Hills residents close to home.“We are looking forward to anniversary events for local residents and our amazing staff,” says UPMC Passavant president Susan Hoolahan. “The signature event for the public will be a Healthy Living Fair held at our McCandless campus on Wednesday, June 26.”
The anniversary provides an opportunity to mark UPMC’s commitment to providing life-changing medicine for north communities. Today, UPMC world-class care is available at two UPMC Passavant campuses, in McCandless and Cranberry, and through multiple primary care offices, pediatric locations, and specialty and outpatient centers in north communities.
“We offer local residents access to the renowned physicians and services associated with UPMC Children’s Hospital, UPMC Magee-Womens, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, and the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute – all without having to travel to the city,” Hoolahan noted.
As part of its 2023-24 “Best Hospitals” rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked UPMC Passavant as the number two hospital in the Pittsburgh region – after UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside – and rated it high performing in 10 surgical procedures and conditions.
Destination for Advanced Heart Care
UPMC Passavant has grown over the past 20 years, from providing essential cardiac care to becoming a destination for advanced heart care and procedures. Both campuses offer heart and vascular services as part of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, one of the world’s premier centers for comprehensive cardiovascular care.
Advanced surgical procedures available at UPMC Passavant–McCandless include transaortic valve replacement (TAVR), a minimally invasive procedure to treat aortic stenosis, and WATCHMAN™ implants, which provide atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients with an alternative to long-term blood thinner therapy.
Additionally, several heart programs at UPMC Passavant cater to specific populations with unique risk factors, such as the UPMC Magee-Women’s Heart Program, which cares for women who have heart disease or who are at risk for it.
Nationally Ranked Cancer Care
As part of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center – the region’s only comprehensive cancer center designated by the National Cancer Institute – UPMC Passavant offers world-class cancer care and treatments backed by best practices and leading-edge protocols, all close to home.
Advanced technologies in use at UPMC Passavant are helping physicians detect cancer early. By using the Monarch™ robotic bronchoscopy system, for example, doctors can maneuver into the lung’s tiniest passages to inspect suspicious lesions and collect tissue samples to determine whether they are cancerous or benign.
Specialized radiation oncology treatments include use of linear accelerator technology that delivers high-energy x-rays or electrons to the region of a tumor. UPMC Passavant also offers stereotactic body radiation therapy, which can reduce the time it takes for single radiation therapy treatments.
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at UPMC Passavant offers the latest clinical trials and a full range of supportive care through a patient and family education center.
From Routine to Remarkable Pediatric Care
In collaboration with UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, UPMC Passavant provides top-quality care to pediatric patients in the Emergency Departments (EDs) in both McCandless and Cranberry. UPMC Children’s board-certified pediatric emergency specialists are on call 24/7 to collaborate in real time with emergency doctors and families. And if a child needs follow-up care, an ED staff member makes the appointment before the family even leaves the hospital.
Families in the region can also access routine and specialty pediatric services for infants, children, teens, and young adults in outpatient locations including UPMC Children’s North in Wexford, UPMC Children’s Pine Center in Wexford, UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics, UPMC Children’s Express Care–Cranberry, and UPMC Children’s Express Care–Wexford.
Providing Lifelong Care for Women
Women from throughout the region turn to UPMC Passavant for access to advanced services from the region’s most trusted name in women’s health care. UPMC Magee-Womens provides imaging, advanced breast cancer diagnostics and care, fertility treatments, routine and advanced prenatal care, and gynecology and urogynecologic services. (See next page.)
A Modest Beginning
When Reverend Dr. William Passavant, a 27-year-old Lutheran minister from Zelienople, opened a hospital in what is now Pittsburgh’s Uptown neighborhood in 1849, he could not have known that it would grow to serve so many. The Pittsburgh Infirmary, as his hospital was initially known, served soldiers returning from the Mexican-American War, and was the first Protestant hospital built in the United States. During its 50th anniversary in 1899, the Infirmary was renamed in honor of its founder.
The local connection began in the 1950s, when residents of northern suburbs joined together to bring a hospital to area where none existed.
More than 3,000 people volunteered to help circulate petitions and go door-to-door to assist with fundraising. Plans to move the Pittsburgh Infirmary to a “suburban area of need” accelerated and North Hills Passavant Hospital opened in McCandless in early 1964.
Resources of an Academic Medical Center
The hospital merged with UPMC in 1997 beginning its transformation into an advanced tertiary care center. UPMC added the Cranberry Township campus, a former St. Francis Hospital location, in 2002.
The two campuses have more than 1,950 employees, including 400 board-certified physicians across 22 specialties. In 2023 alone, UPMC Passavant gained more than 160 new nurses, including 100 graduate nurses. The hospital is a Magnet® designated hospital, recognized nationally for its commitment to nursing excellence.
UPMC Passavant contributed $31 million in community benefits in fiscal year 2022 and dedicated $20 million of that amount to care for local residents who did not have the means to pay. In addition, UPMC invested more than $386 million in UPMC Passavant in the past four years. Recent projects included the UPMC Passavant Specialty Pavilion Expansion completed at the McCandless campus in 2023. A similar effort is underway at the Cranberry campus and work will continue through 2025.
“We are helping to fuel our region’s economy in a big way,” Hoolahan noted at the hospital’s last annual meeting. “Our economic impact to the region is estimated at $888 million annually.
“UPMC Passavant has a rich history and continues to expand services in response to the needs of our communities.”
Sign up to receive updates, news, and events by visiting UPMCPassavant.com/HealthyLiving.
Monarch® is a trademark of Auris Health, Inc.
WATCHMAN™ is a trademark of Boston Scientific.
Caring for Women Throughout Their Lives
UPMC Magee-Womens is the regional leader in providing care for women through every stage of their health care journey. With local services available at UPMC Passavant, women from the North Hills can find a local connection to comprehensive care including fertility treatments, prenatal care, imaging, breast cancer diagnostics and care, gynecology, and urogynecology.
One example is the opening of the area’s only clinic dedicated to urogynecology, the Women’s Center for Bladder and Pelvic Health at UPMC Passavant–McCandless.
“This is a full-service clinic for bladder and pelvic floor problems,” says Megan Bradley, MD, one of the providers. “We offer complete clinical evaluations, diagnostics, and treatment under one roof.”
Urogynecology combines two specialties — urology and gynecology. Its focus is on problems of the pelvic floor, often caused by weakness or stretching of the pelvic floor muscles. Typical conditions are leaking urine, pelvic pain, vaginal bulge, and urinary tract infections. The clinic is staffed in part by board-certified surgeons specializing in complex uterine and vaginal prolapse surgery.
“Unlike typical urology practices, we only see women,” says Dr. Bradley. “We can offer individualized care for a range of pelvic floor issues. It’s a nice balance between the specialties.”
Comprehensive Care for Women
UPMC Magee-Womens’ services in north communities include:
· Advanced and routine prenatal care
· Advanced breast cancer diagnostics and care
· Fertility treatments
· Gynecology
· Imaging
· Urogynecologic services
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