80 members of the Northwest Hospital Foundation Corporation and UPMC Northwest administrators and physicians gathered for the Foundation’s annual corporation meeting last week at Wanango Country Club, where they marked the 20th anniversary of UPMC Northwest in Seneca.
Board chair Joseph Keebler, Esq., welcomed 10 new members to the corporation: Dr. Debra Flaherty, Beverly Lawton, David and Tiffany Nolf, Joseph Pastor, Gregory and Katrina Piercy, Dr. Donna Puleio and Gary Thompson, and Tyler VanWormer.
A review of the Northwest Hospital Foundation’s financial report was presented by Joy Strain of McGill, Power, Bell and Associates, LLP who declared a clean opinion of the Foundation audit for fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, with work currently under way on the 2024 audit. Ms. Strain noted contributions and gifts were comparable to prior years while the market value of investments were up at year end.
Former Northwest Hospital Foundation board member and legal counsel Hank Gent, Esq., presented the history of the Foundation, which traces back to the founding of the Franklin Hospital Foundation in 1982 and Oil City Area Health Center Foundation in 1983. After the hospitals and Foundations merged and Northwest Health System integrated with UPMC, the Foundation became the UPMC Northwest Foundation, later renamed Northwest Hospital Foundation. The Foundation played an integral role in the construction of UPMC Northwest, donating the land on which the hospital was built and providing $10 million toward building costs.
Since UPMC Northwest opened in 2004, the Foundation has made many significant contributions to the hospital, including $3 million toward the addition of the inpatient rehabilitation unit and transitional care unit, improvements to the walking trail and courtyard, nearly $2 million in advanced technology, and over $4 million in uncompensated care assistance for patients with unpaid medical bills. Mr. Keebler additionally acknowledged the significance of patient care initiatives and staff education.
Mr. Keebler recognized grants through the PNC Trust Grant Review Committee for their support totaling nearly $750,000 to the Foundation over the last 20 years. He also thanked the Foundation’s Board of Directors for ten consecutive years of 100% giving. “This tradition of support not only demonstrates our dedication to our mission, but also serves as a powerful statement to our community and our supporters about the values we uphold as a Board,” he said.
UPMC Northwest President Brian Durniok reported on the usage of UPMC Northwest between January and August 2024, noting there have been 3,534 total admissions, 3,078 surgeries, 18,367 emergency department visits, and 107,827 outpatient visits.
Mr. Durniok thanked the Foundation for investing in patients and hospital staff. “Patients from surrounding counties and across the state come to UPMC Northwest for care,” he said. “As other hospitals are cutting services, we’re expanding. The Northwest Hospital Foundation’s support is critical. We are very fortunate for their continued partnership and look forward to what we can achieve together in the next 20 years.”
For more information about the Northwest Hospital Foundation, please visit NorthwestHospitalFoundation.org or contact Theresa Edder, Executive Director by calling 814-676-7145 or emailing edderta2@upmc.edu.
