Metropolitan ENT Associates Puts Patients, Community First

By Vanessa Orr

One of the secrets to any organization’s success is the ability of its people to work together as a team to deliver the best possible service to its customers. This is especially true in the case of a medical practice, such as Metropolitan ENT Associates, where the group’s many experts include physicians specializing in ear, nose and throat conditions, audiologists, speech language pathologists and an allergy department.

At the broad-based practice, physicians specialize in treating a wide range of conditions. Key services include pediatric care, thyroid and parathyroid care, sinus evaluations and treatment, management of hearing problems, allergy services and the evaluation and treatment of voice disorders. Services are provided at UPMC Passavant, Cranberry Township, UPMC Mercy and Allegheny General Hospital. The practice has satellite offices in Brentwood, Greentree, Hermitage and Robinson Township.

“If a patient has a medical issue, we work with our specialists to ensure that each patient’s needs are addressed, usually on the same day as their appointment with us,” explained Senior Audiologist Danielle Smarrella, MA, CCC-A. “We try to be a one-stop office for patients, not only seeing them in a timely manner, but arranging their visits so that they can have all of their needs met without having to make multiple visits.”

In the audiology department, patients can receive diagnostic testing for middle ear issues and hearing loss, as well as balance testing to determine the cause of dizziness. “We have in-depth experience with hearing aids and provide a broad range of hearing aid services,” said Smarrella. The department carries a variety of hearing aids and other assistive devices. Patients who purchase a hearing aid from MetroENT not only get a very flexible 45-day trial period, but free office visits related to the hearing aid for the life of the product. “Patients of all ages will feel comfortable coming to our practice for all of their listening needs,” she added.

Metropolitan ENT’s speech department specializes in voice disorders including hoarseness, excessive throat-clearing and cough. “We look at each patient as an individual with unique communication needs,” said Senior Speech-Language Pathologist Kelly Yurasko, MSLP, CCC-SLP. “One patient may have difficulty communicating with his family, another patient may be experiencing difficulty utilizing his or her voice in a professional capacity. We develop a treatment plan for each patient’s specific needs.

“It is rewarding to see the positive impact we are able to make in our patient’s lives,” she added. In addition to the treatment of voice disorders, the speech department also treats swallowing disorders (dysphagia) and provides post-laryngectomy rehabilitation.

Patients coping with environmental and seasonal allergies also benefit from MetroENT’s focus on putting the patient first. MetroENT performs allergy testing, and offers advice on how to control allergens in the environment, which helps patients manage their symptoms proactively. “We offer open injection hours so that patients can come in for allergy shots at their convenience,” said Kathy Albecker, RN. “We get to know our patients well, which adds to the quality of care we provide.”

Understanding the value of working as a team, MetroENT physicians and staff also volunteer their time outside the office at local charities, including North Hills Community Outreach. “We can’t say enough about how much we appreciate the strong support we receive from volunteers,” said Wendy Gordon, director of Communications. “In fact, two of our programs, the Family Savings Account program and the Employment Coach program, rely heavily on coaching provided by people in the community.”

NHCO is one of several agencies in the county that provide the Family Savings Account Program (FSA) through the Department of Community and Economic Development. The program is designed to help individuals and families save money toward an asset goal. “The goal can be the purchase of a first home, a car for self-sufficiency reasons, improvements to an existing home, post-secondary education or enhancing or starting a new business,” explained Resource Coordinator Harriet Gibbs. “The person makes a deposit every month of no less than $40, and if they are successful, the state will match their savings up to $2,000.” Individuals who qualify for the program have up to 36 months to complete it.

Volunteer savings coaches provide support for savers by reviewing their budget sheets, helping them identify how they spend money, and identifying areas of need. They also teach savers how to review a credit report and how to get a handle on the practice of using credit as a whole.

Volunteers also serve as employment coaches in a related program which helps laid off, underemployed or unemployed people find jobs. “In our Employment Coach program, volunteers serve as mentors for people who need help with preparing or updating a resumé, job search skills, job interview skills and more,” said Maria Christina, outreach manager, NHCO Millvale satellite. “After we do an assessment of what the person needs and determine his or her skill level, we match them with an employment coach who can help them accomplish their goals.”

In times like this, it’s important for everyone to lend a helping hand, in business and in the community. Putting others first is something that MetroENT and NHCO know a lot about. For more information on MetroENT Associates, call toll-free 1-866-827-0173 or (412) 366-3889 or visit www.metroent.org. To learn more about NHCO or to volunteer, call (412) 487-6316 or visit www.nhco.org.