Keystone State News Connection

September 30, 2021

Emily Scott

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania implements a new, evidence-based prevention plan on Friday, to help kids at risk of out-of-home placement stay with family when possible.

The Family First Prevention Services Act, passed by Congress in 2018, moves funds away from foster care and group-home settings to focus instead on keeping families together. It requires states, including Pennsylvania, to submit a five-year plan, known as Title IV-E, in order to receive reimbursement for their prevention work.

Terry Clark, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services, said the approach is a way to help children grow up in their communities without being uprooted.

“It’s of course looking at trying to be able to help families be stronger,” Clark explained. “Strengthen those families by providing all kinds of proactive support, so that the likelihood that they’re going to be abused or neglected is really reduced. And then, of course, you don’t have to separate them from their family.”

Some evidence-based programs selected for Title IV-E include Functional Family Therapy and the Nurse-Family Partnership. The plan also includes reimbursement for kinship navigator programs, to help relatives raising children in need to access resources as they take on guardianship.

Rachael Miller, policy director at Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, said Family First has seen some unintended consequences, including limiting the programs eligible for funding. She hopes the law will allow the state to include services in non-abuse categories that sometimes lead to child-welfare placement, such as poverty.

“The law does not currently allow for federal reimbursement for programs that show promising results but might not meet the rigor of evidence-based review,” Miller pointed out. “So, expanding these types of services to be allowable for reimbursement would be beneficial for children and families that we’re serving.”

Pennsylvania’s Office of Children, Youth, and Families submitted its plans to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in August, and will implement them for the first time on Oct. 1.

(Pittsburgh) The National Aviary continues to search Pittsburgh’s Northside and surrounding communities for Kody, the Steller’s Sea Eagle. Beginning on Saturday, the Aviary launched a coordinated effort to find and bring Kody home. Animal care staff, volunteers, and even administrative staff members have been working in teams to search for Kody and respond to sightings reported by the community. Other staff members have stayed at the Aviary, caring for the other birds and animals onsite, mapping sightings, preparing snack bags for search teams, answering calls with sightings from the public, and reaching out to our community partners to help spread the word.

The Aviary said in an updated press release yesterday that they are incredibly grateful for the community’s support as they work to get Kody home safely. If you see Kody, please do not approach him. If you can keep an eye on where he is and call the National Aviary at 412-323-7235.

The National Aviary will remain closed today. The release said “We are taking this day-by-day, and hope to reopen soon.”

Photo of a Stellar Sea Eagle Provided by Aviary so everyone can see what Kody looks like)

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) The National Aviary of Pittsburgh said in a press release that they are continuing  to search for Kodiak, the Stellar Sea Eagle that escaped through a small whole in the netting of his outdoor enclosure over the weekend. The Aviary is asking for support from the community, as sightings of Kody are extremely beneficial to the success in bringing him home. Kody is a Steller’s Sea Eagle, which is a large brown bird, with a yellow beak, a white tail, and white feathers under his wings.  He is larger than a bald eagle. The Aviary  believes he is in the Northside or surrounding communities, and ask that any sightings be reported to the National Aviary by calling 412-323-7235. Please do not approach Kody if you see him. Do not open doors, windows, or make noise, as this will cause him to fly away. Maintain your position and your view of Kody and call the Aviary. The Aviary staff is extremely grateful for the community’s ongoing support during this very difficult time as they continue to focus on his safe return home.

(Photo provided by AHN)

AHN utilizes the latest innovative technology for minimally invasive head & neck surgery

PITTSBURGH (September 28, 2021) – Plastic surgeons at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), the flagship academic medical center of Allegheny Health Network (AHN), are the first in the region to perform a tongue reconstruction procedure utilizing the da Vinci® SP surgical system. The minimally invasive, robot-assisted technology is the latest advancement in the field of reconstructive surgery aimed at rebuilding hard-to-reach areas of the body often affected by aggressive cancer therapies.

 

After a stage three cancer diagnosis in the mouth and neck, a 50-year-old woman from North Huntington underwent the new robotic reconstructive surgical procedure on August 18 after a tumor was removed from the base of her tongue.

 

The da Vinci® SP surgical system’s three fully articulating instruments and camera allows AHN surgeons to perform complex cancer surgeries and reconstructions transorally. This approach eliminates the need to make large incisions to the lips, neck or split the jaw for surgical access—resulting in decreased scarring, shorter recovery times and hospital stays, reduced pain and less narcotic use. Compared to traditional methods, the technique also increases patient safety by reducing potential complications. These outcomes were recently documented in a 2021 study published in Cancers (“Current Advances in Robotics for Head and Neck Surgery—A Systematic Review” doi: 10.3390/cancers13061398).

 

The advanced procedure at AHN is performed by a team of surgeons at the hospital, beginning with the resection of cancerous tissue and tumors by AHN otolaryngologists Warren Swegal, MD,  Elias Hilal, MD, and Erik Interval, MD.  Once the tumor is removed, Daniel Murariu, MD, FACS, director of Microsurgery and Lymphatic Surgery at AHN, uses the robotic system to perform the tongue reconstruction using tissue from the patient’s thigh. This procedure improves the patient’s swallowing and speech post-surgery.

 

 

The improved surgical access afforded by the da Vinci SP enables the AHN team to treat cancers more effectively in the tongue, tonsils and voice box, among other areas.

 

“Very few surgical programs in the country have developed the expertise to perform reconstructive surgery with the da Vinci system, particularly transoral procedures like tongue reconstruction,” said Dr. Murariu. “The single-port robotic technique can significantly improve a patient’s quality of life post-surgery and that is immensely important to us.”

 

The da Vinci® SP robot is widely recognized as a pioneering technology in the field of laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery. AHN surgeons have used the system for more than two decades to advance surgery across many disciplines, including heart surgery, urologic procedures, general surgery, gynecologic surgery and more. The new generation single port da Vinci technology is currently being used at AHN for urology, ENT, colorectal and plastic surgeries.

 

In 2021, more than 54,000 Americans were diagnosed with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, which includes cancer in the tongue, tonsils, oropharynx, gums and other parts of the mouth[1]. Most patients in need of specialized reconstructive surgeries are currently undergoing cancer treatment that includes chemotherapy, radiation and/or surgical treatments. While head and neck cancers are rarer, making up about 4% of cancers in the U.S., AHN’s Cancer Institute has extensive experience caring for patients with these diagnoses.

 

AHN cancer patients are cared for by a compassionate, multidisciplinary team of oncologists and other caregivers from the AHN Cancer Institute. Clinicians from various cancer disciplines, including medical, surgical and radiation oncology, work together closely to determine the most effective course of treatment to meet a patients’ long-term health goals and needs.

 

For more information on the AHN Cancer Institute or AHN Plastic Surgery division, visit ahn.org.

(File Photo of Hopewell High School Paint the Plow from Nov. 2019)

 

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is inviting the public to attend a recruitment event on Wednesday, September 29 to learn about winter maintenance positions the department offers in Beaver County.

The recruitment event will be held at PennDOT’s Rochester Maintenance Building located at 155 Stewart Avenue Rochester, PA 15074 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29.

Recruiters will be available to discuss current and future openings within the Commonwealth. On the spot applications and interviews will take place for individuals with their CDL license for winter equipment operator positions. Individuals interested in winter clerk positions can also apply onsite.

Laptops and staff will be available to assist interested participants navigate the new electronic application system.

PennDOT is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer promoting workforce diversity. To learn more about jobs, please visit www.employment.pa.gov.

Follow PennDOT on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PennDOTNews and like the department on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDepartmentofTransportation and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pennsylvaniadot/.

(File Photo)

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Hopewell, Twp., Pa.) The Hopewell School Board approved the hiring of  Kathryn Lopez as head varsity swim coach effective, Wednesday, September 29, 2021. She will be paid a stipend of $4,432.00. Greater Pittsburgh Physical Therapy Services  was hired to provide assistant athletic trainer services  to support  AD/Trainer Don Short. The assistant will be paid $30,500.00 from August 1, 2021 through the spring sport season 2022.

(Photo Courtesy of AHN)

WEXFORD, Pa. (Sept. 29, 2021) – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) announced today that AHN Wexford Hospital will officially open to patients tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 30 at 9 AM. The state-of-the-art, all-private 160-bed hospital will bring a full range of high-quality, innovative health care services to residents of communities north of Pittsburgh.

Located along U.S. Route 19, the 345,000-square-foot hospital includes a 24-bed emergency department including pediatric capable rooms with dedicated pediatric hospitalists, state-of-the-art operating rooms with minimally invasive robotic surgery capabilities, a cardiac catheterization lab and hybrid OR for advanced surgical procedures, a short-stay observation unit, an adult intensive care unit, advanced diagnostic imaging, and more.

 

AHN Wexford will also provide comprehensive women’s and infants’ care, including the only labor and delivery unit based in northern Allegheny County, as well as high-risk obstetrical services and a Level II neonatal intensive care unit. Other services for women include gynecological oncology, advanced breast care, urogynecology and minimally invasive techniques for women’s surgical procedures.

 

The hospital will also offer specialty care in cancer, neurology, cardiology, radiology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, endocrinology and orthopaedics, among other disciplines. Its large, all-private patient rooms include recumbent sleeping options for loved ones and plenty of natural light. Patients also can control their own room temperature, lighting and entertainment with the touch of a button, and select their meals from a room service menu.

 

AHN Wexford is connected to the AHN Wexford Health + Wellness Pavilion which offers a wide array of outpatient health services, including primary care and multiple medical and surgical specialties. The pavilion hosts comprehensive centers for cancer treatment and women’s health. It also includes an ambulatory surgery center, breast center, comprehensive cardiovascular services, advanced imaging and laboratory testing, walk-in express care and an onsite pharmacy.

 

To learn more about AHN Wexford Hospital, visit www.ahn.org/wexford.