HHS Sec. Azar visits Heritage Valley Community group donating K-9 vehicle to Coraopolis police Also Inside: Cornell Edition Serving Coraopolis and Neville Island communities of Cornell School District Volume 2, Number 7 Summer 2020 One of four editions serving 17 airport area communities. www.awmagazine.com FREE Direct Mail Community Publication Allegheny West M agazine INSIDE! Official Newsletter Page 12EVERY FRIDAY @7 PM JUNE 5 - SEPTEMBER 4 ON ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS FACEBOOK & ALLEGHENY COUNTY YOUTUBE CHANNEL An online music and interview series featuring acoustic performances by local artists, including Chris Jamison from NBC’s “ The Voice”, Scott Blasey of the Clarks, Michael Glabicki of Uprooted, and Clinton Clegg of The Commonheart, in unique county park settings. 412.205.8998 | DDSWebDesign.com Websites that get results. Designed in Pittsburgh Contact us for a free website analysis. Affordable Custom Designs Responsive Sites | Content Management SEO | E-commerce | Hosting | Maintenance Imagine your website working as hard for your business as you do. 2 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020Summer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 34 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020 Allegheny West Magazine-Cornell Edition is published in Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer, four issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in Coraopolis, Neville Island and Cornell School District. Extra copies available at municipal offices, schools, libraries, stores, advertisers, hotels, and businesses. Available by mail subscription for $15 annually. Story ideas welcomed. Community events and announcements from non-profit groups must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publishing date. Announcements are limited to 30 words and must include a contact phone number. Reproduction of any artwork, photographs, or copy prepared by Allegheny West Magazine is strictly prohibited without written consent of Hughey Publications LLC. Copyright 1999-2020 Allegheny West Magazine. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers are the responsibility of the contributors and not those of the publisher of Allegheny West Magazine. P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com WE PROUDLY SPONSOR AND SUPPORT: A variety of community, school, and nonprofit organizations in our coverage areas of Cornell, Moon, Montour, and West Allegheny. We are committed to recycling our used and left- over products. We encourage our readers to be responsible and dispose of this magazine when finished enjoying it. Consider passing it along to someone else, or placing it in your neighborhood recycling bins. Thank you in advance for doing your part for our earth. Hughey Publications, LLC also publishes the West Allegheny Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Montour Edition of Allegheny West Magazine, and the Moon Edition of Alleghney West Magazine. MEMBER “GOOD NEWS ALWAYS, MAILED & DELIVERED FREE, EVERY TIME” Allegheny West Magazine - Cornell Edition, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the Cornell School District communities of Coraopolis and Neville Island to connect communities, promote people, heighten awareness about the richness of the airport region, and build pride in the western suburbs of Allegheny County. Allegheny West Magazine Now in Our 21 st Year Proudly Serving the Airport Area PUBLISHER AND EDITOR Doug Hughey WRITERS Jill Bordo Pat Jennette Jocelyn Grecko GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kizina WEBMASTER www.ddswebdesign.com FOUNDING PUBLISHER Pat Jennette Dear Readers, Thank you for picking up our Summer Cornell edition of Allegheny West Magazine. I hope this message finds you well and safe during this difficult time. Despite the significant challenges facing all of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, I continue to be impressed by our community’s response to it. For instance, Cornell still found a way to celebrate its graduating seniors despite social distancing guidelines. See the district’s special page dedicated to these seniors on page 16 in this month’s official district newsletter. On page 8, we’re bringing you an update on the Coraopolis Community Development Foundation and how it’s adjusting to continue to serve those who need it most. In this edition as well, we’re bringing you a special story about a grassroots effort that’s been assisting the Coraopolis Police Department’s K-9 unit. Read more on page 11. Then, on page 24, check out our special section on day trip and camping ideas. We’ve assembled this list of affordable mini-vacations with an eye on safety and social distancing. Look for our next edition in August, when we’ll be heading into the new school year. Hopefully, by then, we’ll have made even more headway in our response to this crisis. Doug Hughey, Publisher/Editor From the Publisher Cornell Edition Summer 2020 ~ Volume 2, Number 7 Columns ABOUT THE COVER { } Contents - Chamberlink - Locally Sourced - Around Your Town - Legislative Update 5 8 10 11 - - - - - - 6 8 11 12 16 24 HHS Sec. Azar visits Heritage Valley Coraopolis Community Development update Community group donating K-9 vehicle to Coraopolis police Cornell Today The Cornell Class of 2020 Day Trips and Camping: Your cure for cabin fever Check out Cornell’s Class of 2020 on page 16 and peruse our listing of local day trips and camping ideas, starting on page 24. DESIGN BY SARAH KIZINASummer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 5Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health Heritage welcomes HHS Secretary Alex Azar Heritage Valley Health System welcomed Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to its Beaver County campus on May 29. During the visit, Azar toured the hospital’s orthopedic wing and met with hospital leadership, including president and CEO Norm Mitry and board members. Azar also met with members of the Allegheny County Conference on Community Development and Beaver County Commissioners to discuss the needs of local governments, healthcare facilities and other regional employers as the country begins to reopen. During remarks to the press, Azar first thanked the hospital’s front-line workers who have continued treating patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. He then discussed the importance of reopening hospitals for preventative health screenings and elective procedures. “Here at Heritage Valley, we’ve heard about a particularly concerning aspect of this crisis - how measures that we needed to slow the spread of the virus may actually be impacting our health, including drops in important healthcare services,” Azar said. Azar pointed out that, at the state of the crisis, the federal government asked hospitals like Heritage to cease conducting elective procedures so as to conserve personal protective equipment and prioritize treating patients infected with COVID-19. With those restrictions now relaxed, Azar expressed concern that people have not been getting the healthcare that they need. “We have to balance the health risks of the virus against the health risks of foregoing all of this necessary medical care, as well as the health risks of social isolation and the economic downturn,” said Azar. “The right way to think about reopening isn’t health versus the economy. It’s health versus health.” Particularly concerning to the Health and Human Services secretary were the number of Medicare-funded procedures conducted in western Pennsylvania over the past couple of months. Azar said vital cancer screenings were down 90 to 95 percent between March and April, as were a number of other procedures. “Some weeks in April our data shows zero knee replacements paid for by Medicare across the entire Pittsburgh area, when pre-pandemic there were roughly 50 per week,” said Azar. “These numbers have begun to recover in May but they are still down significantly from what they were pre- pandemic.” On the other hand, Azar said that Medicare funded upwards of 5,000 telehealth visits with primary care physicians per week in April, whereas prior to the pandemic there were none. Azar said the Trump administration has been actively facilitating this arrangement, which allows patients to communicate with their physicians remotely. “We’ve been proud to support that with higher amounts of payment and regulatory flexibility,” said Azar. However, total PCP visits were still down by about half, the secretary said. Like all hospitals in Pennsylvania, Heritage Valley Health System has been working with the state to ensure the safety and wellbeing of its patients during the COVID-19 crisis. The hospital has been taking additional screening measures when admitting patients, including temperature checks. With restrictions now relaxed on screenings and elective surgeries, the hospital is urging patients to reach out to their PCP and to receive the care they need, whether it be cancer screenings, MRIs or elective surgeries. “The COVID-19 pandemic led many individuals to delay necessary healthcare services. Now that we are moving into the green phase of re-opening, we want people to know that Heritage Valley hospitals, Medical Neighborhoods, ConvenientCare clinics, Physician practices, outpatient rehab sites and other services are open and ready to serve you,” said Norm Mitry, president and CEO, Heritage Valley Health System. “We’ve taken additional measures to ensure patients are safe at all our locations. There’s no need to delay care any longer.” Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks at Heritage Valley Health System in Beaver County on May 28. 6 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020Heritage Valley Health Heritage Valley Health Summer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 7%Locally SourcedLocally Sourced Neville Green hosted its annual flower planting on May 16. Members of the nonprofit and six volunteers planted four flower beds located at busy intersections on Grand Avenue along with 32 planters. In all, the group planted 800 flowers during its annual effort to beautify Neville Island. The cost was paid for with donations from residents, businesses and industry located on the island. Their support has been ongoing for the last 27 years. Neville Green holds annual planting STORY SUBMITTED PHOTOS BY DOUG HUGHEY The Coraopolis Community Development Corporation is continuing to serve the Coraopolis community during this difficult time through various efforts. Those include: • The Coraopolis Food Pantry is continuing to operate its service on the first and third Sunday of each month. In May, the Coraopolis Food Pantry served 1,100 people, which is its highest number in a single month. Bags filled with essential food products like milk, eggs, cheese, cereal, canned goods, meats and vegetables were either delivered or handed out via drive-by to people in the Coraopolis, Moon Township, Neville Island, Crescent and Groveton areas. • As Allegheny County has moved into the yellow reopening phase, the food pantry switched back to a more normal operational format June 7. As such, food delivery is no longer being offered. The CCDC asks that clients continue to wear masks and stay inside their vehicles as volunteers place items inside their trunk or backseat. • Kelly Willard and Crystal Stadnik have been working diligently to ensure that 54 children each week continue to receive a five-pound bag of food through the Snack Pack program, despite school being out of session. • Volunteers of the Coraopolis Community Garden have remained committed to adopting plots to sow and care for vegetation. Careful scheduling allows for volunteers to maintain their appropriate social distance while working the 4,000 square-foot lot. All plots are currently reserved, but there is still space for volunteers looking to donate, plant and care for flowers for bees. • The CCDC’s Art Walk that was to take place May 16 has been rescheduled for Oct. 17. Details will be posted on the CCDC Facebook page and on the AWMag Events app. The CCDC is grateful to its team of volunteers and partners as it continues to adapt to the changing needs of the community that it serves. Thanks goes out to Coraopolis Borough leaders; the police department; Mayor Shawn Reed; Magisterial District Judge Michele Santicola; state Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik; Cornell School District; the Sewickley Valley YMCA; Coraopolis United Methodist Church; local business owners Tiffany Battaglini-Leitner and Ray Kinneman; and countless community groups and volunteers for donating, packing, delivering, and serving people in need during these trying times. Anyone looking to volunteer or who is in need of assistance should call (412) 329-8247. Contributions to the food pantry that help with the growing demand are both needed and appreciated. Donations can be made by visiting the CCDC’s website at www.corycdc.org or its Facebook page @CCDC247. Donations can be mailed to: PO Box 40, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Coraopolis Community Development update ABOVE: Coraopolis Food Pantry volunteers have been delivering bags of food curbside during the COVID-19 crisis. BELOW: Volunteers are also helping with the community garden. STORY AND PHOTOS SUBMITTED 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • Summer 2020 LEFT: Tyler Faust, Glenda Wehrli and Marissa Fiedler plant flowers in a bed at the intersection of Neville Road and Grand Avenue. ABOVE: Gwen Brown, MaryAnn Tussey and Sue McCoy plant flowers in another bed on Grand Avenue adjacent to the I-79 ramp. %Locally SourcedLocally Sourced With the COVID-19 pandemic there have been many changes to the day- to-day operations of businesses, not the least of which includes a visit to the veterinarian. Nearly all veterinary hospitals are no longer allowing clients entry into their facilities due to safety precautions related to the virus. This is particularly difficult for families taking their pets that are either sick or dying. Thankfully, some hospitals are making special exceptions when performing euthanasia, but even then there are certain restrictions for family members. It is impossible to predict how soon or to what extent these safety procedures will continue at veterinary hospitals. The service that Dr. Ferris and his team at Peaceful Goodbyes provide to owners with dying pets alleviates some of the heartache and stress of a trip to the veterinary facility. The thought of saying goodbye to their beloved pet on a cold stainless steel table in unfamiliar surroundings with strange smells and noises is one that many owners would prefer to avoid. In 2016, after 20 years of ownership, Dr. Ferris sold his veterinary practice in Burgettstown (Hilltop Animal Hospital) and started Peaceful Goodbyes, which offers pet euthanasia in the privacy of one’s own home. Dr. Ferris is continuing to offer in- home euthanasia throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and taking the necessary precautions to protect against the spread of the virus during house calls. There are no time constraints with a typical house call and pet owners are given as much time as needed to say their goodbyes. Dr. Ferris will bring a veterinary technician with him and, after the pet has passed, provide cremation options, if requested. When individual cremation is preferred, he will personally transport the pet to the crematorium and, a few days later, return the cremains to the family in a beautiful wooden urn with engraved nameplate and a clay paw print keepsake. Peaceful Goodbyes is not an emergency service, but Ferris is generally available seven days a week until 7 p.m. Dr. Ferris will also, if requested, visit with the family prior to a scheduled euthanasia to meet the pet, assess the patient, and try to answer the many questions concerning their loved one’s failing health. There is no fee or obligation when a client requests this introductory visit. Dr. Ferris says the response he’s gotten over the past couple of years has been overwhelming. He’s posted a number of testimonials to his website at: www.peacefulgoodbyes. comtestimonial.html. Among them are recollections of how grateful pet owners were not to have put their dying pet through the stress, anxiety and pain of one final visit to the veterinary clinic. Area veterinarian continuing to help pet owners through euthanasia process during COVID-19 pandemic In part due to the numerous referrals from families that Peaceful Goodbyes has helped in the past, Dr. Ferris has found an increased interest and use of his services. The territory that he covers has expanded greatly in the past year, and it is not uncommon for him to get requests from the Wheeling and Pittsburgh areas. Due to this increased demand, Dr. Ferris is proud to announce the addition of Dr. Bryn Kreider to his dedicated veterinary team. Dr. Kreider is an associate veterinarian at VCA Five Points Animal Hospital and will be doing house calls on a limited basis when Dr. Ferris is unavailable. Her passion, kindness and empathy for families struggling with end of life issues for their pets make her a perfect addition to the Peaceful Goodbyes team. Dr. Ferris is currently making house calls throughout Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties, as well as part of Ohio and West Virginia. For more information, visit peacefulgoodbyes.com or text/call (412) 671-3773. If unavailable to take your call, Dr. Ferris prefers you send a text message over leaving a voicemail. Dr. Mark Ferris CONTENT SUBMITTED Summer 2020 • www.awmagazine.com • 9Next >