Dave Patton, president, UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson, recently shared how UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson continue to enhance access to advanced health care services locally across Mercer and Lawrence counties and beyond at UPMC Horizon’s annual public meeting.
“I am honored to announce that we will be opening a UPMC Western Behavioral Health adult inpatient unit inside UPMC Jameson in New Castle,” said Patton. “UPMC serves an essential purpose — to increase access to advanced, specialized health care and treatments that are available locally. We are grateful that residents continue to put their trust in the unique expertise of UPMC.”
Access to behavioral health services is within the top three defined community health needs for the region served by UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson, according to the hospitals’ 2022-2025 Community Health Needs Assessment.
UPMC has partnered with Southwest Behavioral Health Management, Inc., for a $9.5 million project to develop an 11-bed inpatient behavioral unit serving adults aged 18 and older. Scheduled to open in late 2025, the UPMC Western Behavioral Health unit will be located inside UPMC Jameson as new construction within existing space on the hospital’s fifth floor.
“We prioritize our resources, we leverage the expertise of UPMC and we respond to best care for the residents of Mercer and Lawrence counties,” said Patton. “We expand and enhance the services that are needed by the people we serve.”
Local health care advancements by UPMC over the past year include:
- UPMC Horizon Emergency Department Expansion: A $1.5 million investment that added 1,300 square feet of space and five more beds, allowing 40 more people to be cared for per day in the ED.
- UPMC Horizon Family Medicine Residency Program Expansion: UPMC is supporting continuity of care for people treated in any of the three UPMC emergency departments in the region who do not have an established primary care physician (PCP) by scheduling a follow-up for them with a local family medicine resident. This resident becomes their new PCP, ensuring ongoing preventive care and consistent treatment. Additionally, the UPMC Horizon Family Medicine Residency program has expanded with a new practice in New Castle and will increase the number of Family Medicine residents from 12 to 18.
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Expansion: UPMC Horizon-Shenango Valley broke ground on construction of a new vault for a second linear accelerator (LINAC) for radiation oncology treatments, expected to be completed early 2025.
- UPMC Children’s Rehabilitation Therapies at UPMC Jameson: Bringing local access to nationally ranked UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh rehabilitation specialties, with 64 new active patients and more than 1,600 treatments from February to August of this year.
Also this year, UPMC Horizon-Greenville and UPMC Jameson have opened additional inpatient beds in response to a growing demand for care and services. Surgical services capacity at UPMC Jameson is expanding with operating room renovations and advanced robotic surgery capabilities.
The hospitals welcomed nearly 25 new physicians in a variety of specialties — many fueled by UPMC Horizon’s general surgery and family medicine residency programs, which currently have 24 residents combined.
Patton concluded the annual meeting by thanking the UPMC Horizon & Jameson Health Foundations.
“We greatly appreciate our foundation whose contributions and partnership help us provide excellent care to our community,” said Patton, highlighting the Medical Equipment Recycling Program (MERP) that expanded this year to serve both Mercer and Lawrence counties.
“Our accomplishments would not be possible without our excellent staff,” Patton continued. “Our team members are the backbone of UPMC Horizon and UPMC Jameson. They make our hospitals feel like a community inside the community we serve.”
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