Hand & UpperEx Center Provides Care for Patients, Support to Community

By Vanessa Orr

Located in Wexford with a satellite office in the South Hills, the doctors at the Hand & UpperEx Center have been evaluating, diagnosing and treating patients with conditions affecting the nerves, bones, tendons, joints, skin and vascular supply of the hands and upper extremities for more than 25 years.

Originally formed by Dr. Joseph E. Imbriglia as the only practice in the area devoted exclusively to hand care, the practice became the Western Pennsylvania Hand Center when Dr. Glenn A. Buterbaugh joined it in 1985. Over the next 15 years, more surgeons, including Dr. William C. Hagberg, Dr. Marshall L. Balk and Dr. Aaron Grand joined the practice, which was later renamed the Hand & UpperEx Center.

All of the Hand & UpperEx Center’s physicians have completed residency programs in orthopaedic surgery or plastic surgery and have also undergone a one-year fellowship program in hand and upper extremity surgery. “People come to us because of our additional training and our subspecialty focus. Our services include care of the shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist,” explained Dr. Buterbaugh.

“While the majority of our patients are over the age of 50 and suffer from arthritis or nerve injuries, we treat issues ranging from carpal tunnel to trigger finger to rotator cuff disease,” he added.

The practice also provides very efficient delivery of care, with the majority of ancillary services available at the Hand & UpperEx Center. “Most often patients receive X-rays, nerve conduction studies and occupational therapy the same day as their doctors’ appointments,” said Dr. Buterbaugh. “MRI and CT scan capabilities are also located within the building, as well as outpatient lab services. Patients can undergo surgery in an outpatient setting at the Western PA Surgery Center, located on the first floor, which provides another level of high-quality care.

“We want to make it as convenient as possible for our patients, because patient satisfaction is extremely important to us,” he added.

So is being involved in the community. Hand & UpperEx Center’s doctors and staff are involved with a number of nonprofits, including North Hills Community Outreach, the Rotary Club and the Pine-Richland Youth Center (PRYC).

Since 2001, the Hand & UpperEx Center has provided annual support to the PRYC, originally known as the Richland Youth Foundation, in the form of banner advertising, donations for raffles, scholarships and through the volunteer services of board member Denise Buyna. The PRYC was established in 1950 by Walter Hirth and his wife, Aurelia Mesta Hirth. “Walter Hirth was an attorney living in the city, and he wanted to build a facility for the Boy Scouts and for servicemen coming home from the war,” explained Executive Director Larry Bracco. “People in the area provided materials and labor, and Hirth donated $30,000 to the project, creating a spirit of volunteerism and cooperation that is still prevalent at the Youth Center today.”

When the Youth Center started, it served Richland, Hampton, Mars and Deer Lakes. Now the facility, which underwent two renovations in 1985 and 1999, is a regional asset with a constituency well beyond municipal borders. PRYC works with 40 school districts in seven counties as well as 12 private and Catholic schools, and serves more than 14,000 people a year, 80 percent of whom are under the age of 18. The basketball program alone has grown from eight teams to 127 teams today.

“We have quite a number of programs including preschool classes, afterschool and summer camps, basketball leagues and clinics, soccer, T-ball, dance, karate, volleyball, flag football, and art and music classes,” said Bracco. “We also have noon hoops, floor hockey, middle school dances, babysitting classes, a Princeton Review class, yoga, Tai Chi, athletic training and more. We run the gamut.” Three years ago, the Youth Center also embarked on an afterschool program for special needs children, which has since been expanded to run in the summer months.

To provide so many programs, the Youth Center counts on donations from individuals and businesses, as well as the rental of its facility and membership and program dues. “One of the things that people need to understand is that the Youth Center receives NO public subsidies,” said Bracco. “We don’t receive regular funding from the state, county, township or school districts.”

For this reason, it is extremely important that organizations like the Hand & UpperEx Center help the Youth Center meet its goals. “Part of the money we raise goes to the Rich-Mar Rotary Scholarship Fund, a fund at the PRYC, which allows children who do not have the financial means to participate in a program to get involved,” said Bracco. “We will never turn a child away who wants to take part in a wholesome activity.
“Because of the great organizations and businesses who step up year after year to support us, we can provide a safe haven where children can come and be kids and play,” he added.

For more information on the Hand & UpperEx Center, call (724) 933-3850 or visit www.handupperex.com. To learn more about PRYC, call (724) 443-3796 or visit www.pryc.org.