Latest news with #ConemaughHealthSystem
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Outages could remain for 'days', barn destroyed in Portage area
EBENSBURG, Pa. – Cambria County's 911 Center didn't need its call logs to gauge the extent of the widespread issues caused by a Tuesday storm. Until almost noon Wednesday, the center was running on a generator – among thousands of customers in the region without power, Emergency Management Director Tom Davis said. 'We have to be prepared for the worst ... just like everyone else,' Davis said Tuesday, shortly before power was restored in parts of the Ebensburg area. The county's propane-fueled generator system enabled the county's staff to continue answering calls and dispatching incidents to local responders – and Tuesday's storm kept them busy, with widespread reports of outages, toppled trees and property damage. A steel cellphone tower was bent in half while still planted to its foundation near Sunset Road near Carrolltown. William Penn Avenue remained closed Wednesday near Conemaugh Valley High School after a large tree landed on a series of roadside power lines. A Munster Road barn north of Portage was destroyed by winds while cattle were trapped inside, Davis said. 'We must've had 10 calls – all at once,' said East Taylor fire Chief Alan Buchan said. 'There were trees on wires everywhere.' Hospital: Be 'proactive' about maintaining oxygen supplies; seek help if needed Power outages might disrupt electricity at home, but they should never stop the flow of oxygen supplies for those reliant on medical devices to thrive, Conemaugh Health System officials said. Thousands of Cambria and northern Somerset County residents weren't as lucky as the 911 center Wednesday – many of them still without power at 5 p.m. And the region's issues weren't unique. As of 9 p.m. Wednesday, Penelec reported 127,713 customers were still without power across a region that spread from Beaver County and Pittsburgh to Johnstown, Altoona and State College. More than 270,000 were without power after the storm swept through around 6 p.m. a day earlier. The utility company's online outage map was cluttered with perhaps 1,000 individual incidents across western Pennsylvania. The Cambria- Somerset region had at least 85 separate outage reports that crews were working to address. According to 9.383 customers in Cambria County were without power as of 11 p.m. Wednesday. Penelec spokesman Todd Meyers told The Tribune-Democrat late Tuesday that it will likely take days – not hours – for every outages to all be addressed. Because much of western Pennsylvania was struck, rather than one concentrated area, Penelec crews and their line repair subcontractors were forced to spread out to repair a long list of issues, he said. 2 dead as slow-moving storms flood roads across Oklahoma and Texas; outages, 3 deaths across Pa. A least two people drowned when their vehicles were caught in floodwaters in Oklahoma on Wednesday as slow-moving thunderstorms inundated roads across parts of that state and Texas. In the Pittsburgh region, at least three people were reported dead after 70 mph straight-line gusts damaged city buildings and sent live wires scattering onto roadways. The Allegheny County city's main power provider, Duquesne Light estimated 40% of the community's customers lost power – and that it may be a week before electricity was restored to some neighborhoods. 'Making the best of it' North of Johnstown, East Taylor Fire Department opened its doors for local residents Wednesday after it became clear the outage may continue through the day. Sandra Heltzel, the department's treasurer and EMS commander, said at least 10 residents stopped in at one point or another through 1:30 p.m. Some just needed a way to keep their cellphones charged, she said. One local resident needed a power supply for her portable oxygen tank. The department was also enabling residents to cook on their stove, if needed. 'We have a generator here, and we're here if people need us,' Heltzel added, noting the station will stay open Thursday, if needed. Further up Donruth Lane, John Shirk's family was taking turns using their car to charge their cellphones. But after nearly a full day without power, they weren't going to let the outage drain their outlook on the situation. 'It is what it is,' said his wife, Jennifer, as their children snacked on McDonald's cheeseburgers and played outside near the front porch. 'Fortunately, it's a nice and warm today. It's a perfect day for this.' John Shirk shrugged his shoulders in agreement. He said he planned to fire up the grill for dinner. 'You gotta make the best of it,' he said. 'More common' storm Indiana-based REA Energy Cooperative, which provides electricity to residents in across parts of central and northern Cambria County, indicated nearly 18,000 customers lost power Tuesday. By 1:50 p.m., that number was reduced to 14,900, the company wrote. Somerset County Emergency Management Director Joel Landis said this week's storm is the just the latest of several that have inflicted severe wind damage over the past two months. A previous storm destroyed barns in Somerset County. 'We (avoided) the worst of it (Tuesday) ... but this trend is getting more and more common,' Landis said. He said the public should plan ahead before traveling during or after storms and visit to look for real-time road closures that might impact their travel routes.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
'Get people from everywhere': International physicians numerous at Conemaugh, across U.S. health care industry
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A map of the world hangs at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, with pins marking the origin nations of the internal medicine department's current residents. They come from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Brazil, Libya, Türkiye and other countries. 'We have a big, diverse resident population,' said Dr. Khandakar Hussain, Conemaugh's chief medical information officer and a former member of the residency program from Bangladesh. 'We try to get people from everywhere.' WATCH VIDEO | Conemaugh's Dr. Khandakar Hussain talks modern immigration Dr. Khandakar Hussain, from Bangladesh, talks about why he decided to live in the Johnstown region during an interview at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center on March 5, 2025. Dr. Saba Waseem, the director of Conemaugh's Internal Medicine Residency Program, said foreign-born medical personnel, including residents who are undergoing postgraduate training in specialized fields, make up an important part of the hospital's identity. 'I think that certainly helps international graduates to be able to see that the institution is welcoming to a diverse group of very skilled physicians from all over,' said Waseem, a native of Karachi, Pakistan, a major city with a population of more than 20 million people. Dr. Saba Waseem Dr. Saba Waseem 'Within our department, we usually have 10 to 12 different nationalities that we have residents from, and our extended faculty and then obviously medical staff overall. We learn from each other, and then we learn from our local colleagues who have been here for a very long time.' 'Opportunities for everything' There are 84 residents throughout the hospital's different programs, with 40 of them being international, according to information provided by Conemaugh Health System. 'Residency-wise, it's a huge hospital for the residents,' Hussain said. 'The reason is there are a lot of small residency programs which offer opportunities for everything. 'For our program, we handle all the rotation in house. The residents come here. They stay in Johnstown and they do all of their training here – their surgery, their medicine, cardiology.' Faces of Immigration logo Conemaugh's workforce also has a strong international presence. The diversity was highlighted in 2021 when flags from across the world were hung in the hospital to celebrate the Summer Olympic Games. At the time, there were natives of almost 60 nations among Conemaugh's staff and providers. Across the United States, 'eds' and, in Conemaugh's case, 'meds' are fields that attract immigrants. The American Medical Association estimates that nearly one-quarter of the nation's active physicians are foreign graduates and international medical graduates. 'Really welcoming' Like Hussain and Waseem, Dr. Aly Husein, from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, also started his time at Conemaugh as a resident in 2019. Faces of Immigration | Dr. Khandakar Hussain Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Chief Medical Information Officer Dr. Khandakar Hussain, former member of the residency program from Bangladesh, points to a world map with pins denoting the origin nations of the internal medicine department's current residents at the hospital on Franklin Street in Johnstown on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. He described the region as an 'awesome place' with plenty of outdoor recreational opportunities, such as skiing at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County, just like back in Canada. 'It actually reminds me of home because everyone is so friendly,' Husein said. 'That's kind of how I felt growing up in Canada – very nice, polite, they help each other.' Husein, who is of Kenyan descent, is now established at Conemaugh as director of Apogee's hospitalist medicine program, which puts him in a position in which he can provide assistance to potential residents who are considering coming to Johnstown. 'If I see someone that needs help with getting them a spot, I try to tell them how I feel living here,' Husein said, 'how it kind of feels like the town is really welcoming, small town so there's no traffic at all, and the bigger cities are close by.' 'Bond' with patients Husein is a hospitalist, a physician who specializes in providing personalized comprehensive care for hospitalized patients. 'We're here all day, pretty much to monitor patients,' said Husein, who trained in primary care. 'It's kind of a more in-house physician. … I switched over to this because I don't have to worry about any of the insurance stuff. I just see my patients, treat them, and then they go to their primary care after for follow-up. I can actually take care of the patient and not worry about what I can and cannot do.' He said the job enables him to 'build a bond with the patients.' 'I like the rapport that you get,' he said. Hussain and Waseem also spoke positively about how their careers provide them with the opportunity to help their patients in their times of need, along with being part of Conemaugh Health System, the region's largest employer. 'I love my patients and my patients love me,' Hussain said. Waseem expressed that she is 'blessed and privileged and humbled to be able to provide health and care to people in our community, to make a difference in their lives.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
FACES OF IMMIGRATION
Faces of Immigration is a three-day series that takes an in-depth look at immigration history and the process, concerns, education, workforce and profiles of residents. Friday • Modern and historic immigration to the Johnstown region. • Community reactions and concerns. • An immigrant's story: Jevon Paul. Saturday • Conemaugh Health System physicians. • Post-secondary education. • An immigrant's story: Yamila Audisio. Monday • Green Cards and citizenship. • Migrant labor. • An immigrant's story: Keiko Hurst.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Conemaugh Health System teaches health professionals about the heart
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Conemaugh Health System hosted its annual Cardiovascular Symposium at the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center Friday. For 25 years, the program brings in cardiovascular professionals from around the state to hear lectures and visit booths. Over 230 attendees had a chance to learn the newest advancements in ways to help patients dealing with cardiovascular issues. These talks included introductions to new screening tools, strategies to prevent conditions from worsening, and new ways to intervene in heart problems. The main goal is to educate professionals and patients about knowing their numbers, like cholesterol levels, blood pressure and the variations of their heartbeat. American Red Cross sees a shortfall of donations in 2025 'There are risk factors that are able to be altered. You know, your diet, your exercise, things like that,' Pam Watts, the market director of cardiovascular services at Conemaugh Health System said. 'But there are others that we're not able to our age, our sex, things like that. So if the folks can get out this month and learn a little bit more about cardiovascular risk, that's a great thing.' February marks Red Heart Month, which puts a focus on preventing heart disease and keeping track of those vitals. Whether retired or starting out in the medical industry, heart health is important. 'There's a contingent of retired healthcare professionals that still keep up their competencies and are really getting that word out,' Watts added. 'Those folks help to edge all those folks, help to educate our community, and bringing that knowledge directly to them here in town locally is great.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
