PITTSBURGH, PA (February 2, 2021) – Allegheny Health Network (AHN) and Johns Hopkins Medicine announced today the first successful lung transplantation as part of a unique collaboration launched last year between the two organizations.

A 65-year-old woman from Pittsburgh with level D chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) underwent a bilateral lung transplant at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in September 2020 as part of the program. According to body-mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) rating, level D is the most severe form of COPD, often leading to lung transplantation being considered.  After a week in the hospital and six weeks of post-operative care in Baltimore, the patient returned home to Pittsburgh where she is continuing her care at AHN, with regular follow up by the Johns Hopkins team as well.

In 2020, AHN and Johns Hopkins Medicine announced plans to collaborate on the study and treatment of COPD, utilizing the Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Analytics Platform.  As part of this effort, the two organizations formed a partnership so that AHN patients with advanced lung disease could receive streamlined access to the Johns Hopkins Medicine lung transplant program, a pioneering leader in the field for nearly 25 years.

Pre- and post-lung transplant care programs aligned with the Johns Hopkins’ lung transplant team have been established at AHN’s Allegheny General Hospital, providing patients with convenient, local access to care needed prior to and after surgery. Anil Singh, MD, an AHN pulmonary and critical care specialist and Executive Medical Director of Clinical Solutions, Design and Implementation, leads AHN’s collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine and oversees patient care in Pittsburgh.  Dr. Singh and his team refer patients into the program, and then co-manage their care and progress with the Hopkins Lung Transplant Team when they return to Pittsburgh.

“We are excited to be working with one of the world’s preeminent lung transplant programs to make this lifesaving care more readily accessible to our patients with complex, end-stage lung diseases like COPD,” Singh says. “Our first patient spent a relatively short time on the waiting list for transplant and is doing extremely well in her recovery.”

AHN patients choosing The Johns Hopkins Hospital for their lung transplant are guided through every step of the process by a personal patient navigator. Additionally, Highmark-insured patients requiring lung transplantation can utilize specific in-network benefits to better accommodate them and their families during their time at Johns Hopkins.

“The shared care model with AHN, allows us to provide the comprehensive transplant care for our patients while reducing travel disruptions from frequent health care visits to Baltimore,” per Pali Shah, M.D., Medical Director of Hopkins Lung Transplantation. “Our teams communicate on a weekly basis to provide seamless care.”

Johns Hopkins’ median time from waitlist to transplant is 2.8 months, compared to a national average of 3.1 months. AHN’s first lung transplant patient as part of the collaborative was on the waitlist for just one month. The Hopkins program is committed to the highest quality and at the leading edge of technology, with programs for ex vivo lung perfusion to expand the donor pool, novel techniques for monitoring rejection, and participating as a member of national scientific consortiums to advance the science of lung transplantation.

An estimated 30 million people in the United States have COPD, with as many as half unaware that they have the disease. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COPD is known to increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19. While treatments such as medications and oxygen therapy can improve quality of life for patients, there is no cure for COPD.

For more information about the AHN Breathing Disorders Center and pulmonology services, visit AHN.org or call 412-DOCTORS to schedule an appointment.

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Keystone State News Connection

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Fighting climate change could be key to rebuilding the Pennsylvania workforce that’s been devastated by the COVID pandemic, a new report says.

The Keystone State has lost a half-million jobs in the past year.

According to the report from the Political Economy Research Institute, following the “ReImagine Appalachia Blueprint” would create thousands of jobs and make it possible to meet the goal of a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.

Report co-author Bob Pollin, the institute’s co-director, said the job creation would be driven by investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as rebuilding and repairing damage from the past.

“If you combine the programs, the clean energy and the land restoration, agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing,” he said, “we’re looking at about 240,000 to 250,000 jobs.”

He added that the blueprint would drive federal resources to some of the most economically depressed parts of the state, creating good, union jobs with strong wages and benefits.

Rob Bair, business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers’ Local 143, noted that the plan will require significant public and private investment. He predicted that with state and federal support, Pennsylvania can become a national leader in green energy.

“We can create careers. We can create manufacturing. We can bring the economy of Pennsylvania back to where it was in its heyday,” he said. “And we can do this and save the environment.”

He pointed out that executive orders issued by the Biden administration support many of the policies included in the ReImagine Appalachia Blueprint.

Pollin acknowledged that the shift to clean energy would displace about 2,000 workers from fossil-fuel industries in the state each year. So, the report also focused on making sure they and their communities get a fair transition to a cleaner economy.

“We have to guarantee pensions, health-care coverage, guarantee re-employ them, guarantee the job will pay what they had been getting in the fossil-fuel industry,” he said.

The CCBC Players of the game are picked for each game that is broadcast on Beaver County Radio by the broadcast team and announced during the post game.

The CCBC Players of the Game for Aliquippa vs. New Brighton girls on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, from Aliquippa High School,  Amaya Walker , and from New Brighton High School, Anala Landis , The game was heard live on Beaver County Radio 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, 99.3 FM and beavercountyradio.com 

You can see all of the past CCBC Players of the Game for High School Sports by clicking on the CCBC Logo Below:

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Center Twp.,Pa.) Gateway Rehab founder Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski passed away Sunday at the age of 90 after battling COVID-19. according to a statement released by the facility

(Rochester Twp., Pa.) Kevin  Foltz has been a police officer in Rochester Township for  almost 21 years, and Richard Lockhart  has served the department  for 18 years, The 2 men.  were promoted  at the township’s January meeting. Police Chief George Yaccich, Jr . said on Monday.

Due to COVID-19, Beaver County has only two warming centers open for those in need of relief from cold temperatures.

The Cornerstone of Beaver County, located at 600 Sixth St. in Beaver Falls, is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Salvation Army, located at 378 Jefferson St. in Rochester, is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Masks are required to be worn at all times at both facilities.