Pennsylvania Hospital Stories of Healing, Health, and Hope

Pennsylvania Hospital Stories of Healing, Health, and Hope: UPMC Horizon

UPMC Horizon’s Public Relations Specialist Erin Palko often represents the hospital at community events. While attending a business expo last spring in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, Palko met woman who described her experience as a patient and how the hospital and the staff saved her life. Palko recounts the conversation:

“She and her husband had recently retired and moved from Pittsburgh to Mercer County. When she suddenly fell ill, she asked her husband to take her to the emergency room. She spent about a week in our hospital and went home, but became ill again a short time later. Because she had a positive experience on her last visit, she did not hesitate to return to UPMC Horizon. She was admitted and spent six days on our critical care unit, followed by two more weeks in the acute care and step down units. “Throughout her experience, her confidence in our staff never waned. Although family members encouraged her to transfer to a larger tertiary facility, she was determined to receive her care at our community hospital. She is now fully recovered. “This patient’s story illustrates the exceptional care that is available at smaller community hospitals and how important it is for rural areas such as Mercer County to have access to quality health care. In the case of our patient, she had made the transition from city to country, but she was still able to receive the same level of care that she would have received at a larger city hospital.”

This is just one of the many examples of Pennsylvania’s hospitals providing healing, health, and hope every day to millions of Pennsylvanians.