Annual Hospital Profile
PITTSBURGH AREA OFFERS WORLD CLASS
HEALTH CARE
Tremendous Medical Resources Within Easy Reach
Compiled By Cyndy McGrath
It is no secret to anyone living within 100 miles of Pittsburgh
that the “Steel City” is no longer a smoke-filled industrial town,
reliant upon steel and heavy manufacturing for its economic base.
Instead, Pittsburgh has developed a new identity as a hotbed for
technological advances, especially in the field of medicine.
“We
don’t have to travel far throughout the western part of the state to
find an expert in any particular field, and that’s very reassuring,”
said A.J. Harper, president of the Hospital Council of Western
Pennsylvania (HCWP), a trade association representing hospitals and
medical centers in 27 Pennsylvania counties. HCWP is located in
Warrendale.
“We have with the University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center,(UPMC),an internationally-known research facility,” said
Harper. UPMC is also the region’s largest employer, with a workforce
of more than 40,000 in 19 hospitals and care centers. “In addition,
you add to the mix the West Penn Allegheny Health Systems, and Mercy
Hospital,” said Harper. “Both are excellent academic teaching
centers.”
Western Pennsylvania’s medical success story does not end
with the medical centers within the city limits. The other part of the
region’s healthcare equation is a strong focus on the medical
attention suburban residents can receive just a short drive from their
homes.
“We really do have the best of both worlds, here,” Harper
said.
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