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Hospital announces $6 million surgical revitilization project and expanded Magee-Womens Hospital obstetric affiliation Greenville , PA — Officials at UPMC Horizon announced recently that they will invest approximately $6 million in building and equipment over the next 27 months to revitalize selected services and continue efforts to provide the best possible care to its patients. The first aspect of the planned changes involves modernization and expansion of the existing surgical services department. “Although there have been changes in the surgical services department over the years to add some new equipment and technology, the growth of services and recruitment of new surgeons have created a need to significantly expand and upgrade the physical capabilities of the facility,” explains Linda Dudjak, PhD, RN, UPMC Horizon vice-president of patient care services. “To assure the best possible patient care and surgical outcomes, two of the six operating rooms will be enlarged and adapted to include new ceiling mounted equipment storage and more sophisticated computer technology to support the growth of programs such as bariatric (weight loss) surgery, minimally invasive surgery and the recent addition of the neuromodulation program,” adds Richard Richards, M.D., UPMC Horizon chief of surgery and specialist in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. Some changes have already been initiated at the Greenville campus such as installation of new operating room lights. A plan has been developed to install a new operating room heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. This work will begin soon with projected completion later this year. Same Day Surgery services, central sterile services and the ambulatory procedure unit will be relocated so that renovations to the operating room suite can follow. Another aspect of the planned changes at UPMC Horizon will be the relocation of obstetrical deliveries to the Hospital’s Shenango Valley campus by May 1, 2007. After that date, all newborns will be delivered at the Shenango Valley campus 11-bed obstetrics unit, which underwent an $800,000 expansion in 2006 to accommodate increasing births in southern Mercer County. Important factors influencing the obstetric decision included opportunities to provide state-of-the-art technology to better support safety and security of mothers and newborns, increased staff education and competency as a result of providing care to a larger base of patients in one location, as well as the need to avoid unnecessary duplication of capital expenditures and services. UPMC Horizon has worked closely with Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC in evaluating the implications for providing obstetric service in one hospital location. Ranked 13th nationally in women’s care, according to the 2006 U.S. News and World Report rating system of hospitals, Magee is an excellent resource and consultant regarding current trends and standards of patient care. “After an extensive analysis, it was determined that the recently expanded obstetrics unit at our Shenango Valley campus could accommodate the volume of both obstetrics units. The Shenango Valley unit can also be expanded in the future if patient volumes continue to grow,” states Kim Lombardi, RN, CRNP, UPMC Horizon Director of Women’s Health Services. She adds, “As a former Greenville labor and delivery nurse and native of Greenville, some of my most rewarding professional experiences occurred in the Greenville maternity department. I look forward to building on those experiences, while utilizing the skill and passion of our current obstetrical staff and physicians to maintain the area’s highest quality maternity care at a combined site.” “Our vision
is to develop a women’s health program that is characterized
by superior quality and innovation. We want to create a birth experience
for the mother, her new baby and her family that is intimate and
memorable while delivering the best possible patient care. As a
native of Mercer County, I see the local collaborative effort with
Magee as a unique way to advance the health and well-being for women
of all ages in our community,” says Michelle Wright, DO, vice
chairperson of the UPMC Horizon Department of Surgery and chairperson
of the Hospital’s peri-natal group. Plans call for the Shenango obstetrics unit to offer both Level 1 and Level 2 newborn care. Level 2 nurseries provide specialized care for newborns that require a more sophisticated level of treatment and can coordinate that care with Level 3 neonatal intensive care units at facilities such as Magee when needed. Computerized obstetrical information and monitoring equipment are also planned for the Shenango Valley obstetric unit to provide improved patient information and patient safety for the mothers and newborn. The surveillance functions of this equipment will enable continuous fetal monitoring of both the mother and newborn and will generate audible alerts for any critical events that may be detected. An obstetric physician will be able to assess the status of his or her patients at the bedside, at the nursing station, and even remotely in his or her home or office. As part of the collaborative arrangement with Magee, nursing staff from UPMC Horizon will also receive specialized training at Magee in the coming months that will enable the nurses to develop new skills and remain abreast of the latest developments in obstetrical nursing care. “We are pleased to provide the technical expertise of Magee-Womens Hospital as a regional resource to enhance the care of women and newborns at UPMC Horizon. We are building on work started in 2001 that facilitated development of the highly successful Womancare Center in Hermitage. We will continue the collaboration with UPMC Horizon to focus on ways to improve the delivery of inpatient obstetrical care,” says Leslie C. Davis, Magee-Womens Hospital president. Births at the UPMC Horizon Greenville campus have decreased from a high of 863 in 1983 to 399 last year. Over the last ten years, births at its Shenango Valley facility increased by 179 percent reaching 405 in 2006. UPMC Horizon and its other UPMC affiliates currently provide 53.7 percent of all maternity and women’s health care in Mercer County. Population projections for the area served by the Greenville facility suggest the need to serve an aging population with fewer births as compared to the southern portion of Mercer County. The transition of obstetric services to the Shenango Valley facility will be completed by May 1, 2007. Most of the obstetrics nursing employees already work in both the Greenville and Shenango Valley units rather than just one. All of them will be offered an opportunity to remain in their positions when the relocation occurs. Although the delivery of newborns will occur in the Shenango Valley location, outpatient maternity care and gynecology physician services will continue to be provided in Greenville through the offices of Drs. David McFadden, Janet SeGall and Joseph Meyn at Greenville Medical Center – UPMC, 90 Shenango Street, Greenville. Pediatric care will be available in the Greenville and northern Mercer County area through established pediatric and family practice physician offices. Currently, Horizon physicians with practices in the Greenville and northern Mercer County area plan to continue admitting most women’s health patients at the Greenville campus. “Some of the changes are very difficult and will require an adjustment for everyone: patients, staff and physicians alike. Unfortunately, the economic realities of our community sometimes dictate difficult choices, and the Hospital has a responsibility to take steps that will promote its long-term ability to provide care to our part of the region. The Hospital has been working closely with medical staff members to insure as smooth a transition as reasonably possible,” notes Robert Lindberg, D.O., Chief of the UPMC Horizon medical staff and a specialist in ophthalmology. “UPMC
Horizon is deeply committed to providing exemplary service and being
the leading health care delivery provider in this part of the region.
We are pleased that UPMC has demonstrated its shared commitment
to the Greenville campus in particular through the largest capital
investment there in recent years. We believe these changes in surgical
and obstetric services represent the best decision we can make to
offer premier services, while also considering the needs of the
communities we serve and the capital funds available for investment
in buildings and equipment,” notes Neil Todhunter, interim
UPMC Horizon president. Contact:
Erin Palko, public relations manager, 724-589-8107
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