Latest news with #UPMCAltoona
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
UPMC Altoona teaches kids safety tips to prevent long term damage
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — UPMC Altoona gave families and kids lessons on staying safe during the summer months. The Kids Safety Day provided each family a chance to learn useful tips for their children to pick up, such as the correct ways to brush their teeth and wash their hands. Parents had their child's car seat checked for safety by UPMC Police. In addition, the hospital gave children free bike helmets to prevent head injuries and other complications later in life. 'It's what keeps them safe throughout the rest of their life,' event organizer Grace Beere said. 'If they fall and get hurt now with a bad concussion, they're they're life will be different later when they're older. The same with their teeth or their handwashing. It's important for handwashing so they don't get sick.'If you or someone you know is struggling to get car seats or helmets, you can contact the UPMC Altoona Foundation or your local authorities. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
UPMC Altoona to host annual Kids Safety Day
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) – UPMC Altoona is encouraging local families to join its annual Kids Safety Day event on Saturday, May 31. The event, which will be held from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Station Medical Center parking lot, is meant to provide education and resources to attendees on child car seat safety, as well as bike safety and dental care. Families in the community will have the opportunity to view interactive and educational demonstrations led by safety experts and state and local first responders such as the Pennsylvania State Police, Altoona Police Department, Altoona Fire Department, STAT MedEvac, and more. In addition to safety education, UPMC Altoona wants to ensure children are riding their bikes safely by handing out helmets that will be fitted on-site by the physical therapists from UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, and participants will even have a chance to win a bike of their own. Local food truck vendors will be on-site with a variety of food available to purchase, and registration for the event is not required. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Support group addresses needs of caregivers after impacts of stroke
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — UPMC Altoona offers a support group for those who've suffered from a stroke and, according to patients, it makes a positive impact on their road to recovery. Now organizers feel it's time to extend that support for caregivers. Randy Parish survived his first stroke in October 2020. He then had a second stroke only a few months later in June 2021. He lives with the lingering effects, but UPMC Altoona's Stroke and Brain Aneurysm Support Group has made his recovery easier. 'We had this educational group on the five stages of grief because you've had a major loss in your life. And some people it's physical loss. And some people, I mean like me, it's a sensory loss,' Parish said. But for the over 795,000 Americans that have a stroke each year, that loss and the struggle of recovery can also take a toll on loved ones. 'Someone always mowed the lawn. Someone always wrote the checks. And after a stroke, a lot changes. Not only physically, but cognitively as well. So this is something that they never ever had to do,' said Bryanna Shaffer, a physical therapist at UPMC Altoona. Shaffer supervises the support group. She said they're now looking to expand by offering more support and education for caregivers. 'We've had caregivers go through different situations and the fact that they can meet each other and relate with each other, keep in touch with each other, just spend time with each other — that's the most important part for our stroke patients, their caregivers and the community in general,' Shaffer said. Joleen Earnest, a physical therapist assistant at UPMC Altoona, has been with the group for 28 years. She said there's long been a need for better caregiver support and demand is growing. 'People are more open now than they used to be, and caregivers are more open with what they're going through as well,' Earnest said. The group meets at Station Medical Center in Altoona the second Tuesday of every other month at 5 p.m. The next meeting will be July 8 and it's open to everyone — stroke survivors, caregivers or anyone interested in discussion topics. Outside of regular group meetings, members also enjoy community outings, including going to next Tuesday's Curve Game, where Parish will throw out the first pitch. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Moms enjoy ‘sweetest treat' for Mother's Day at UPMC Altoona
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — Mother's Day is Sunday and to celebrate, UPMC Altoona gave new moms the 'sweetest treat.' Nurses at UPMC Altoona dressed up newborns in ice cream cone hats and matching onesies. Jaden Snyder, who is celebrating the birth of her second daughter, Emma, was born late Tuesday night. Snyder said she's looking forward to making memories with her daughter. 'Putting her in cute little clothes and taking pictures of her. The same clothes that the other baby wore. So they get to wear the same outfits and I can look at the pictures,' Snyder said. Get the latest news, weather forecasts and sports stories delivered straight to your inbox! Sign up for our newsletters. Congratulations to Snyder and family, and to all of the moms celebrating this weekend. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTAJ -
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
3 charged, 1 arrested after brawl at off-campus party in Altoona
ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — An off-campus party turned into a near-deadly medical event after a fight concluded with the victim needing CPR. Carlos Ortega, 21, of Salix, along with Maliek K. Paul, 22, and Suncire M. Flemmings, 20, both of Johnstown, have been charged with burglary, aggravated assault, simple assault, terroristic threats, reckless endangerment and lesser charges after the incident at Nittany Point in Logan Township. According to a criminal complaint, police were called to Nittany Point around 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Jan. 26, regarding a large fight and someone being in cardiac arrest. Upon arrival, the victim had a faint pulse and he was taken to UPMC Altoona. Security at the student housing community said three Black males with dreads, one with blonde tips, were causing issues and had been asked to leave, the complaint reads. The trio then allegedly started to threaten security, yelling at them while beating on the security vehicle. Witnesses said they attacked one of the people at the party who refused to let them in and then ran from the scene and got into an Audi and drove away. Multiple arrested during Altoona stakeout, drug bust Through the investigation, police said they learned from witnesses and video that the three showed up at the party and were asked to leave before coming back an hour later. According to charging documents, Paul and Flemmings allegedly grabbed the victim from the doorway of the third-floor apartment and threw them down a set of stairs then began kicking them in the head while Ortega stopped others from rushing to their aid. Ortega was identified and questioned and claimed he was there with his cousins but wasn't with them at the time the fight happened. Footage from security cameras and partygoers showed otherwise. The victim was released from UPMC and able to speak to police at his apartment, saying that he remembered being grabbed by one of the men like a bear hug, then waking up in the hospital. Investigators noted they were able to track down their identities using their database and the Facebook profiles of the suspects. Flemming allegedly had a social media picture of himself at Nittany Pointe wearing the clothes witnesses described from that to court documents, Ortega was arrested and placed in Blair County Prison Tuesday, Mach 11, with bail set at $50,000. Paul and Flemings have been charged, but not arrested as of this writing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
