Roof Garden Biz: Donation to breast health care, accreditation and new physicians

Roof Garden Biz is a monthly roundup of business happenings in Somerset County. To submit an item, email news@dailyamerican.com.

Here are some recent business-related news items from the Somerset County region.

AmeriServ Bank hires Pyle

AmeriServ Bank announced that Diamond Pyle has joined the organization as assistant vice president, sales and service manager, for the Meyersdale, Central City and Windber service areas.

Pyle has five years of experience in the banking industry and was most recently the manager of the First National Bank office in Meyersdale. In her new position with AmeriServ, she is responsible for managing the branch team, overseeing day-to-day operations and business development.

Pyle holds an associate degree in business management from the University of Phoenix. She is also a licensed property and casualty insurance agent through Pennsylvania and Maryland and has maintained that license since 2013. She serves as the vice president of the Somerset County Welfare League and will obtain the role of president in April 2024. The league supports raising funds for educational scholarships and donations to various programs in need throughout Somerset County.

AmeriServ account campaign supports breast cancer awareness

AmeriServ Bank donated $5,000 to the Windber-based Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center as part of its annual October account opening campaign. The donation will help fund financial assistance for patients in need; the latest equipment and technology needed to screen, detect, and diagnose breast cancer; and breast cancer awareness and education.

For every savings or checking account opened throughout October, AmeriServ donated $25 to the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center and continues to support the fight against breast cancer.

“This is the fourth year that we’ve held the campaign and the response continues to be outstanding,” Susan Tomera Angeletti, AmeriServ senior vice president – marketing and alternative delivery, said. “There are people within the communities we serve who need help getting the medical attention they need. If we can help someone along their journey to better health, a better diagnosis and treatment program or just providing the peace of mind of knowing funds exist to pay for a test, we are making a difference. That is why our partnership with the Breast Care Center is so important, it makes a difference to someone who needs a little extra help.”

Since introducing its account opening campaign in 2020, AmeriServ Bank has donated $20,000 to the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center.

“AmeriServ Bank’s generous support of the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center will allow us to provide services to our patients who may normally delay or skip vital screenings due to financial hardship. AmeriServ’s ongoing generosity and demonstrated commitment to the patients in our region cannot be overstated and, on behalf of the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center and our patients, I can’t thank AmeriServ enough,” said Erin Goins, director of Women’s Services for Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber.

Slezak promoted

Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber recognized

Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber (CSSMCW) Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) program has been accredited by Corazon, a national leader in services for the cardiovascular specialty based in Pittsburgh. PCI, also known as coronary angioplasty, is a nonsurgical procedure that improves blood flow to your heart through cardiac catheterization.

The accreditation proves that the program at CSSMCW has, for the fifth time, met or exceeded Corazon’s Accreditation Standards, national societal guidelines, and the requirements established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The hospital has demonstrated through its accreditation survey that it is committed to providing the highest quality level of care to its patient community. As an accrediting agency on behalf of the PA Department of Health, Corazon helps to ensure high-quality, life-saving PCI services are provided in communities across the Commonwealth.

“Our team’s dedication, hard work, and exceptional leadership have afforded us this opportunity to engage our entire hospital team, enhancing our cardiac service line, and thus allowing us to excel through achieving this accreditation, once again,” said Vice President of Nursing Sherri Spinos. “It is a testament to the high quality maintained by our program. We are pleased to be able to continue offering these life-saving services to the Windber, Johnstown, and surrounding communities.”

CSSMCW also received recognition from the American College of Surgeons as a Surgical Quality Partner. This acknowledgment follows the hospital’s recent reaccreditation by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program, a joint quality program of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Being a Surgical Quality Partner underscores a hospital's commitment to the continuous enhancement of surgical procedures and approaches, while maintaining a vigilant focus on the process at every step. The Surgical Quality Partner designation lets patients know that CSSMCW is dedicated to quality and relentless self-improvement and has been verified or accredited by the ACS.

“ACS Quality programs are grounded in more than a century of experience and participation is an important measure of a hospital’s surgical quality. As an ACS Surgical Quality Partner, Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber has shown a commitment to providing the best possible patient care, evaluating that care in a rigorous fashion, and dedicating themselves to continuous self-improvement,” says ACS Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Patricia L. Turner, MD, MBA, FACS.

Director of Surgery Taesun Moon, DO, FACOS, FASMBS, said, “We are proud to be recognized as an ACS Surgical Quality Partner. It highlights our dedication to maintaining and improving quality of care, preventing complications, and saving lives. Patients can have confidence that the surgical care our hospital provides aligns with the highest standards of quality.”

To learn more about CSSMCW’s surgical services, go to www.windbercare.org/surgery.

Portage students raise funds for JMBCC

Conemaugh Physician Group welcomes Eliza Poareo

Conemaugh Health System welcomes board-certified Family Medicine physician, Eliza Poareo, MD, to the Conemaugh Physician Group. She will be seeing patients at Conemaugh Ebensburg Outpatient Center, Ebensburg.

Poareo received her bachelor of science degree in public health from the University of the Philippines, Manila, before studying medicine at the Far Eastern University in Quezon City, Philippines. After earning her medical degree, Poareo attended Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, California, where she received her master of public health in urban health disparities in addition to a graduate certificate in public health concepts.

A graduate of the Conemaugh Family Medicine Residency program, Poareo has spent the past three years embracing the Johnstown community and contributing to the extensive care offered by the health system.

“The talented and dedicated care team provided an exceptional learning environment and treated me like family from day one,” said Poareo. “And I have felt extremely welcomed into the community.”

Specializing in chronic disease management, well and sick visits and adult preventative services, Poareo is now accepting new patients at Conemaugh Ebensburg Outpatient Center, 861 Hills Plaza Drive, Ebensburg. To schedule an appointment, call 814-471-9005.

WindberCare Physicians welcomes Elliot L. Smith, MD

Chan Soon-Shiong Medical Center at Windber welcomes Elliot L. Smith, MD, to WindberCare Physicians. He joins David Bencie, MD; J. Eric Wieczorek, MD; Ralph Aiken, CRNP; Michelle Corle, CRNP; and Jackie Springer, CRNP. Together they specialize in family and internal medicine and are dedicated to providing personalized, quality care.

The providers at WindberCare Physicians treat chronic and acute medical problems and focus on disease prevention by recommending appropriate screenings and emphasizing the importance of health education.

“I became a physician to provide a helping hand for those in need within our community; I look forward to seeing patients in the Windber and Johnstown region. I find it most rewarding to collaborate and support my patients to impact their health and well-being,” said Smith.

Smith is board-certified in internal medicine. He graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia and completed his residency at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh.

“I am looking forward to working with Dr. Smith. He brings with him a vast knowledge of preventative treatment and quality care to WindberCare Physicians which is an important part of overall patient health and general well-being,” said Physician Practice Coordinator Jaclynn Hauger.

Smith will begin to see patients in the new year. To schedule an appointment with him or any of the providers at WindberCare Physicians, call 814-254-4207.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset County business news for December Roof Garden Biz