IN THE KNOW
Outstanding Performance =
Better Patient Care
For the third year in a row, a commitment to quality and teamwork at UPMC McKeesport
has led to prestigious recognition by The Joint Commission as a Top Performing Hospital.
What are the best measures of quality a
patient can use when choosing a hospital?
That’s a question often asked by The Joint
Commission, the leading accrediting body
of health care organizations in America. Its
mission is to continuously improve health
care for the public by evaluating hospitals
and other organizations on their ability to
provide safe and effective care.
DID YOU KNOW?
Joseph Wambaugh –
father of the
modern police
novel
By Pamela Palongue
J
oseph Wambaugh, a prolific writer
often identified as the “Father of the
Modern Police Novel,” was born and
raised in East Pittsburgh. Despite the fact
that he moved from the area as a teenager,
his work was influenced by his early days
in western Pennsylvania.
Wambaugh was an only child, the son of
a policeman. At age14, he and his parents
traveled to California for the funeral of a
relative. During the visit they decided to
stay, no doubt lured by the warmer weather of the west coast as
compared to Pittsburgh’s snowy winters.
After graduating from high school, Wambaugh did a stint in
the U.S. Marine Corps. Though he was far from the Pittsburgh
area in Fontana, California, in an odd twist of fate, Wambaugh
ended up working at a steel mill in the area. He attended college
on a G.I. Bill and majored in English, earning his degree at 22.
He fully intended to become an English teacher, but applied for
a police job in Los Angeles, almost on a whim, after learning
that police officers made more money than teachers.
As a police officer, Wambaugh saw plenty of action in the
barrio section of Los Angeles and began moonlighting as a
writer, detailing the crime he witnessed on the streets.
Soon, his novels became best-sellers. Though he was an
accomplished author, he continued to work as a police
officer through the first three best-sellers. His fame as
an author eventually made his work as a police officer
virtually impossible. He resigned from the force after 14
years, but never lost his love of police work.
Some of the crime stories where you may have seen
Wambaugh’s work include, “Police Story,” a TV series
that ran on NBC from 1973 – 1978, and “The Blue
Knight,” another weekly series which aired 1975 – 1976.
He was the screenwriter for “The Onion Field” in 1979,
a feature-length film, and “The Black Marble” in 1980.
His novel The Choirboys, was adapted as a movie by
Universal Pictures in 1977 and an HBO movie was
made from his novel The Glitter Dome. He has authored over
20 books.
For more information, visit JosephWambaugh.net.
Did You Know? We are looking for little-known facts, history or
other interesting stories about your community. Please send
your ideas to [email protected]. Thank you! I
For the third consecutive year, The Joint
Commission has selected UPMC
McKeesport as a Top Performer on Key
Quality Measures®. This program annually
recognizes hospitals that are leading the
way nationally in using evidence-based
clinical processes that are shown to be the
best treatments for certain conditions.
The award recognizes UPMC McKeesport’s
exemplary performance in four key areas:
•
•
•
•
Heart attack
Heart failure
Pneumonia
Surgical care
“We’re very proud of our role as a patientcentered community hospital. This award
tells our patients that the quality of our care
is at the very best national standards,”
says Cynthia Dorundo, hospital president.
“It’s especially impressive that UPMC
McKeesport is among only a few hundred
hospitals throughout the country that have
been recognized every year since this
program’s inception in 2011.”
“Today’s patients are taking an increasingly
active role in their health care choices, so
independent measures of quality are very
important to the decision-making process,”
adds R. Curtis Waligura, DO, UPMC
McKeesport’s chief medical officer and
vice president of medical affairs. “The Joint
Commission’s recognition is especially
helpful because its unbiased approach is
based on very specific performance
indicators.”
According to Dr. Waligura, many of the
goals set by The Joint Commission were
well established at UPMC McKeesport.
“Our medical leaders were already
committed to the high levels of care
required for this achievement,” he says.
“We’re strong b [Y]