Millie, a beautiful Golden Doodle therapy dog, has joined the Heritage Valley Senior Living family! Millie comes to work with Niki Waugaman, Director of Senior Living, and visits residents in Personal Care, Independent Living and Memory Care. Millie is a gentle and friendly girl who willingly accepts hugs and pats... and the occasional treat!

Therapy dogs, sometimes called comfort dogs, have proven to elevate people’s moods and provide relaxation, helping to calm anxiety. According to Niki, Millie is the perfect fit for Senior Living, as she showers everyone she meets with love and affection!

For more information about the Heritage Valley Senior Living Community (located at 30-32 Heckel Road in Kennedy Township), or to schedule a tour, please click here to visit our website or call 412-331-6139.

Maybe you’ll see Millie on your tour. But if you do, please don’t tell her that she’s actually working. She just thinks she’s having fun with her new friends!

These cute little Easter bunnies born at Heritage Valley have hopped their way right into their parents’ hearts!

Along with 50 North of Christ Church at Grove Farm, Heritage Valley Health System is proud to help sponsor Wellness Expo 2023! Although the event is geared toward those “north of 50,” guests of all ages are welcome to attend demonstrations, hear from medical professionals, browse products and services, and receive various health scans. The event will be held tomorrow, April 15, from 10 am – 2 pm at the Christ Church of Grove Farm, located at 249 Duff Road in Sewickley.

Heritage Valley will have a Medical Nutrition Therapist at the event to provide education on nutrition and diabetes; offer glucose testing; provide heel screenings for bone density; and have ConvenientCare staff on site for questions and education. In addition, Dr. Chris Morgan of the Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Center will be speaking on Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Morgan participates in Heritage Valley’s Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) program and has an interest in endovascular management of peripheral arterial disease. Dr. Karen Jerome-Zapadka, a Gastroenterologist on staff at Heritage Valley, will discuss Insulin Resistance, Metabolic Dysfunction and Liver Disease.

The Wellness Expo 2023 is free; however, registration is required. Please visit https://www.ccgf.org/50north/50-north-upcoming-events/wellnessexpo/ for more information and to register.  

Congratulations to the Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Center team on the successful placement of one of the first Edwards Lifesciences’ SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA TAVR valves in our region! The SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA valve builds on Edwards’ 40 years of leadership in tissue technology by combining advancements in tissue science with the industry-leading SAPIEN 3 Ultra valve. 

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) is an innovative, minimally invasive procedure for patients suffering from severe aortic stenosis. It is a less invasive alternative to open heart surgery and is a viable option for patients who cannot have surgery or for whom surgery is too risky. Heritage Valley Beaver is one of only five hospitals in Southwestern Pennsylvania to offer the revolutionary procedure.

During a TAVR procedure, a catheter is used to implant a new valve within the damaged valve. A small incision is made in the patient’s leg and the catheter is inserted, giving access to the patient’s heart through the femoral artery. The new heart valve is compressed onto a balloon, placed in the delivery system, and then guided to the patient’s aortic valve. Once it reaches the damaged valve, the balloon is inflated and expands the new valve into place. The leaflets of the damaged valve will hold the new valve in place and it will begin working immediately.

You may be a candidate for TAVR if you have been diagnosed with severe aortic stenosis; you cannot have open heart surgery due to age or other risk factors; or your symptoms have not improved with medical therapy. For more information regarding TAVR, please click here to visit our website.