I was honored to celebrate the success of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and Health Careers Future today as we cut the ribbon for their new QIT Center. What better way to mark the holiday season than to look toward the future with hope for an organization and people focused on changing the face of health care as we know it. Through the use of new technology, QIT will be training health care professionals in the latest, most innovate ways to care for us and our families, which will lead to better outcomes.
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Contact:
Karen Poirier
Jewish Healthcare Foundation
412-594-2586 or 412-266-0392 (mobile)
Poirier@jhf.org
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Available for Interviews:
Karen Wolk Feinstein, President & CEO, JHF
Jay Costa, PA State Senator
Rich Fitzgerald, Allegheny County Executive
Other speakers upon request
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Allegheny County and Jewish Healthcare Foundation Unwrap a “Gift that Will Keep on Giving” to the Pittsburgh Region
PITTSBURGH — DECEMBER 5, 2012 —Some holiday gifts are more memorable than others. This year, Allegheny County gave funds to the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) to offer our region a present that will benefit healthcare consumers in the community: The QIT Center. JHF matched funds granted by the Allegheny County Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund to establish the Center. It is a physical and virtual space dedicated to training the frontline healthcare workforce in Quality Improvement (QI) using Information Technology (IT) for providing safe and efficient care. Pennsylvania State Senator Jay Costa and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will be on hand to cut the ribbon at the Opening Program on Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at the new facility in downtown Pittsburgh.
In an era of rapidly advancing technology, increasing complexity in medicine and escalating costs, the practical application of information technology will drive Quality Improvement. And the passage of the Affordable Care Act and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act have accelerated the need for new skills in the healthcare workforce.
Karen Wolk Feinstein, President and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation and of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, said, “Care is more complex and service providers must meet new requirements for safety and quality of care. Current and future healthcare workers at all levels of the system need new skills to use IT for QI effectively to accomplish those goals. So we built the QIT Center –Where QI meets IT – to serve that need in our region.”
A variety of programs and curricula will be offered through QIT for healthcare executives, managers, administrators, service providers, front line workers, students in health professions, as well as data analysts, health informaticists, and technology professionals who are passionate about quality improvement in health care.
Besides serving Southwestern Pennsylvania, the QIT Center aims for regional, national and global reach. Experts and thought leaders from service environments, academia, research and public health communities will come together in the physical space and in virtual communities for discussion, research, and training. The opening program on December 5th highlights the QIT Center’s national and global reach by including featured guest speakers speaking remotely from Israel and Washington, DC, in addition to regional leaders, commenting on the theme, “The Impact and Influence of Information Technology on Quality Improvement.”
A flagship program of the Center, the QIT Health Innovators Fellowship, will be announced at the event. The fellowship will satisfy a widespread interest in inventing “IT Solutions” to advance healthcare quality improvement among graduate students in the health professions. An intensive, ten-week program, the fellowship will consist of five biweekly sessions beginning in February 2013. In the final session, teams will demonstrate their proposed solution to a judging panel which will award a prize to the winning team.
QIT builds on the legacy of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and the progress it has made through its operating arms, the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and Health Careers Futures, organizations which have been at the forefront of innovation in QI. They have been recognized not only for thought leadership but also for real-world results, garnering awards from the White House and around the globe. With QIT, the missions of all three organizations converge at a time when there is an explosion of progress in healthcare quality improvement, health informatics, and a changing workforce.
The QIT Center is located on the located on the 26th floor roof garden of Centre City Tower in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It shares the space with the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, strengthening opportunities for partnership in healthcare workforce development.
About The Jewish Healthcare Foundation
The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) and its two operating arms, the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and Health Careers Futures, are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and serve a national and global audience. Collectively, they focus on improving the quality, efficiency, and safety of healthcare organizations. JHF recently matched funds granted from the Allegheny County Community Infrastructure and Tourism Fund to establish the first Quality Improvement Meets Information Technology (QIT) Center for healthcare managers, service providers, students, consumers, data and technology professionals, and governing boards who are passionate about quality improvement in healthcare.
HARRISBURG, December 3, 2012 – Edgewood Borough residents will soon benefit from a grant to fund a playground improvement project, Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) announced today. The grant was awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Edgewood Borough will receive more than $50,000 which will be used to relocate and renovate the playground at Koenig Field, known as the Koenig Field Tot Lot Playground.
“For many of us, our earliest memories were made playing with friends and family at a local playground,” Costa said. “The borough should be commended for its continued focus on investing in families and their children, which are the lifeblood and future of our communities.”
The Tot Lot playground is currently located below a sewer manhole which floods during inclement weather forcing the borough to close the area to families while the playground equipment and grounds are cleaned and sanitized to avoid health risks.
“Relocating the playground would provide better access to the facilities and save critical financial and staffing resources used to repair the area after a storm,” Costa said.
While Edgewood Borough will take the lead on the playground renovations, community partners including the Edgewood Foundation have committed financial resources to the project. The support from the foundation includes providing new playground equipment and other upgrades to promote a safe and healthy environment for kids to play.
“This project is evidence that simply one organization stepping forward to address an issue can change the world,” said Costa. “The boroughs attention to this issue has brought others forward who are ready and willing to lend a hand to see this project come to fruition for our kids.”
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HARRISBURG – Nov. 28, 2012 – A local organization focused on preserving the history of the steel industry and providing for the community will soon receive state grant funds to bolster its efforts, Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) today announced.
The Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation will receive $100,000 from a grant provided through the Community Conservation Partnerships Program within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). The funds will be used for projects at three locations, two of which are Allegheny County National Historic Landmarks: the Bost Building in Homestead and the Pump House in Munhall.
Costa said that the DCNR grants provide financial and technical assistance to organizations for the planning and development of park, recreation, conservation and greenway projects.
“The Pittsburgh area is well-established in our national history as a steel producing region and I am pleased to see grant funding provided to organizations that are committed to preserving that historic footprint,” Costa said. “As a result of these community projects, several of our most prominent historic structures will serve as an educational resource for surrounding communities and will help make Pennsylvania greener and more energy efficient.
According to Costa, Rivers of Steel plans to use the grant funds to install sustainable, renewable energy sources in the historic buildings in the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area. These historic structures will serve as a model for other heritage sites across the state.
As part of the project, Rivers of Steel also plans to create a user-friendly bike and trail eco-center that will encourage other outdoor recreation with these historic sites.
“By creating a family-friendly environment around these historic sites, organizations like Rivers of Steel are able to create educational opportunities while promoting energy conservation and land preservation,” Costa said.
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Stresses need for continued work to protect Pennsylvania children
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement in reaction to the report of the Task Force on Child Protection. The Task Force was created by resolution of the state Senate and House of Representatives:
“The Child Protection Task Force has put together an important document and a list of recommendations that will address issues that have been ignored for too long.
“Today’s recommendations are a critical first step toward improving the laws that protect our children. I applaud the work of the task force members for opening the door to the future for our children and their families and thank them for their efforts on behalf of Pennsylvania families and their children. They have done a complete and thorough job and have taken an in- depth look at where laws can be changed.
“Protecting children is not a political, religious, educational or financial issue. It is an issue of human compassion and its one we cannot and should not ever ignore.
“We all bear the responsibility of protecting children. No matter your profession, we all have to work to ensure the health and safety of our youngest citizens. While recent child abuse cases in Pennsylvania have brought to the surface examples of where our system is broken, we must never shy away from the work it will take moving forward to fix it.
“In Pennsylvania, we are fortunate to have so many organizations working together to combat child abuse. From medical professionals, to our law enforcement partners and community organizations – such as the local Children’s Advocacy Centers – there is an already established network of support from which we need to continue building.
“Each and every one of our children should be given the opportunity to grow and learn in an environment that is safe and healthy. We need to work collectively to pave the way to the future for our children so that they can be safe and able to thrive. That should be our ultimate goal.
“One thing is for sure – the recommendations of the task force are just the beginning of the conversation. We have work to do. Our kids are counting on us.”
As many of you are already aware, there has been a great deal of public discussion about PennDOT’s plans to close or meter many of the ramps along the Parkway East. I have heard from so many of you who are concerned about this project for various reasons. Please know that I too am alarmed about the potential effects of this project, and as a result, yesterday I spoke directly with Dan Cessna, executive of PennDOT engineering to express my concerns.
The safety and security of our residents and their families remains my top priority. During our conversation, I articulated my concerns for the increased traffic in our communities where children play after school and wait for buses in the morning. Diverting additional traffic to these communities puts lives at risk with little or no benefit to the motoring public, which is clearly documented in the original report.
This additional traffic also presents an environmental hazard to the families and businesses in our residential communities, significantly increasing the amount of exhaust and fumes that directly affect the health of our residents and those visiting our communities. In my view, moving forward with a plan that would be detrimental to the health and safety of the people who have worked so hard to make our community vibrant would be short-sighted and provide little to no long-term gains.
After a lengthy conversation, I am pleased to report PennDOT has decided not to pursue the project any further. Again thank you to each of you who reached out to me to voice your thoughts and opinions about this project. Working together, we can clearly make an impact on the key issues affecting our community and continue providing for the safety of our citizens.
Click here to read the full text of Sen. Costa’s letter to Dan Cessna, executive of PennDOT engineering
