[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E688]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

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                         HON. WILLIAM J. COYNE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 1998

  Mr. COYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark an important 
anniversary. This year, the Western Pennsylvania Hospital is 
celebrating its 150th year of providing quality health care to the 
people of southwestern Pennsylvania.
  Founded in 1848, Western Pennsylvania Hospital was the first 
chartered hospital west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Hospital has 
grown and evolved over the years, but it has always been known for its 
quality of care and its commitment to the community. Today, the 
Hospital is a 542-bed tertiary-care medical center with a staff of 620 
dedicated health care professionals. The Hospital provides a full range 
of health care services, including treatment for cancer, high-risk 
pregnancies, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and burns. The Hospital 
supports an active medical research program and operates a school of 
nursing that has graduated over 3,500 students.
  The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is known especially for its 
treatment of brain tumors. In fact, the Hospital is one of only 13 
hospitals in the world using the Peacock System to treat such tumors. 
The Peacock System utilizes detailed computerized mapping of the brain 
to target radiation precisely at brain tumors--which prevents damage to 
the surrounding healthy brain tissue.
  Western Pennsylvania Hospital is also well known for its work in 
treating burn victims. Not only does the Hospital operate a Burn Trauma 
Center to treat burn victims; it also operates a summer camp for burned 
children and a Back to School Program for children with burns.
  The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is an outstanding institution of 
healing and learning which has served the people of western 
Pennsylvania with professionalism and compassion for the last 150 
years. I commend the employees and volunteers of the Western 
Pennsylvania Hospital for all of their good works, and I wish them well 
as they continue to provide high-quality health care services to the 
communities of western Pennsylvania in the coming years.

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