INDUSTRY INSIGHT
in
the
attended the 2013 gala which was voted
one of Pittsburgh’s best parties of the year.
For ticket or sponsorship information,
contact the western Pennsylvania chapter of
JDRF at 412.471.1414, extension 7, or visit
westernpa.jdrf.org.
LOOP
What’s
news in
Woodland Hills
JDRF’S ANNUAL RAINBOW
GALA
JDRF’s 22nd annual Rainbow Gala will be
held Saturday, April 12, 2014, at the Westin
Convention Center Pittsburgh. This year’s
Gala will honor Arthur J. Rooney, II, president
of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Corporate chairs
are Leo W. Gerard, international president
of United Steelworkers and David J. Malone,
president and CEO of Gateway Financial.
JDRF is the leading global organization
focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.
The goal of JDRF research is to improve
the lives of all people affected by T1D by
accelerating progress on the most promising
opportunities for curing, better treating, and
preventing T1D. Over the years, the Rainbow
Gala has raised more than $16 million for
promising T1D research. Nearly 800 people
4 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Woodland Hills
NO VETERAN DIES
ALONE PROGRAM
SHOWS ULTIMATE CARE
AT TIME OF PASSING
As part of the recently launched No
Veteran Dies Alone (NVDA) Program,
volunteers give “the most precious gift,”
according to VA Pittsburgh Chaplain Alan
Morris –their presence to veterans who may
not have anyone to be with them in their
final hour.
Volunteers can speak, read or hold the
hand of a veteran and be a comfort to them.
They are on call when needed and often stay
longer than required – because they want to.
Susan Rogers of O’Hara and George
Coppola of Collier are two volunteers who
graduated from the first class of NVDA
training in August. Since then, they have
been on two vigils each with dying patients.
Coppola, a Vietnam veteran, has extensive
hospice experience with his mother and
other loved ones in his life. He’s also known
other veterans who died alone and wants to
prevent that from happening to anyone else.
Rogers has a 92-year-old World War
Two veteran father who lives in Ft. Wayne,
Indiana. She knows that if unable to be at
his bedside should the time come, she’d like
somebody to be there.
Those who want to be on the NVDA
team must first become registered VA
Pittsburgh volunteers and train in the
hospice or palliative care functions at the
hospital before receiving additional NVDA
training. All interested candidates will be
evaluated through Chaplain Alan Morris,
BCC, who can be reached at: Alan.Morris@
va.gov or by calling 412.822.1861. I
SPONSORED CONTENT
Macular
Degeneration
Treatment
A
GREAT AMERICAN
CLEANUP PENNSYLVANIA
Join over 4 million volunteers in the nation’s
largest annual community improvement
program! Get involved in your community and
register your event today.
Registered events receive FREE cleanup
supplies which includes, bags, gloves and
vests, donated by PennDOT, the Dept. of
Environmental Protection and Keep America
Beautiful.
Free disposal is also available during Pick
It Up PA Days, April 12 – May 15, sponsored
by the Dept. of Environmental Protection,
Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association and
participating landfills.
To register, visit the Great American
Cleanup of Pennsylvania website at gacofpa.
org, or contact Michelle Dunn at 877.772.3672
x113, or [email protected].
Eye Care
re you experiencing blurring or a blind spot in the center of
your vision? Are you seeing blurry areas on a printed page? Do
some straight lines appear wavy? Are there dark spaces in the
center of your vision? It might be age-related macular degeneration
(ARMD).
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss in
people over age 60. It occurs when the central portion of the retina
that gives us our detailed vision, known as the macula, deteriorates.
The retina is the light-sensing nerve tissue in the back of the eye.
Because the deterioration develops as a person ages, it is often referred
to as age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Although macular
degeneration is almost never a totally blinding condition, it can be a
source of significant visual disability.
There are two forms of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).
Each damages vision in its own way and can be detected in a routine
eye exam. The two forms are:
Dry ARMD: Accounts for most cases (about 90%), however, it is
responsible for 10% of ARMD related vision loss.
Wet ARMD: The situation with wet ARMD is exactly the opposite:
Accounts for only 10% of cases, but is responsible for 90% of all
ARMD related vision loss.
In the dry form of macular degeneration, a yellow material begins
to collect beneath the retina. This yellow material accumulates in
tiny spots called drusen. A few small druse