A ‘Supercharged Community Hospital’ Celebrates 20 Years
By: Autumn Bellan
This month, the first UPMC hospital built from the ground up is celebrating its 20th anniversary. UPMC Northwest, located in Seneca, Venango County, officially opened its doors on Oct. 8, 2004. The 126-bed facility and 28-bed behavioral health center brought together the hospital’s two former locations in Franklin and Oil City.
On Oct. 8, UPMC Northwest’s leaders, board, the Northwest Hospital Foundation, and others, gathered to celebrate the milestone, debuting a video, featuring Leslie Davis, president & CEO, UPMC, that highlighted the services that make UPMC Northwest such a special place.
Brian Durniok, president, UPMC Northwest and market president, Northwest Pa., and Western New York, called UPMC Northwest a “supercharged community hospital.” He touted the hospital’s excellent Emergency Department, Inpatient Telemetry unit, full array of Surgical Services, Obstetrics, Inpatient Behavioral Health, Physical Rehab, a Transitional Care Unit, Hillman Cancer Center, Imaging, and Physical Therapy services.
“Our footprint has expanded and as we continue to provide many of those services while other hospitals continue to eliminate them, it has become even more essential that we offer these high-quality services,” Durniok said. “Obstetrics is a good example of one of the services very few community hospitals offer anymore.”
Durniok said area residents can get 90% of the care they need without leaving the area, but when it’s necessary to receive more advanced care, he said it’s great to be a part of a large system like UPMC.
The last 20 years at UPMC Northwest have been full of growth, and the hospital continues to provide excellent care and service to Venango, Clarion, Forrest, Mercer, and Crawford counties and beyond.
The Backbone of UPMC Northwest
This month, some of the staff who have been with UPMC Northwest since the opening of the new building reflected on their best memories, lessons learned, and thoughts on what has changed.
George Wilbur, lead medical laboratory scientist, reflected on how much the hospital has advanced. “The use of a computer system has greatly decreased the time it takes to get results,” George said. While he has adjusted to many new methods of providing care, George’s goal has never changed: to serve every patient with quality work and respect.
Meanwhile, Tonya Myers, director, Rehab Services, has seen her unit grow rapidly since she started at Northwest Medical Center in 1996, where she worked in the Rehab unit at the Oil City campus as one of two occupational therapists. “Now, we are UPMC. We have a beautiful, all-inclusive campus, and our department has grown by leaps and bounds,” she said. “We receive 40to 50 visits a day in acute care alone.”
“Moving from Oil City to our new wing in Seneca is a wonderful memory,” she said. “All my memories are intertwined with this institution. While working here, I have passed my boards, met great friends, gotten married twice, and had three beautiful children.”
Similarly, Denise Boughner, manager, Specialty Imaging Services, has always been impressed by how UPMC Northwest works together to do what is best for their patients. “I have always felt like I am part of a huge family here,” she said. “We all come together to support each other and our patients.” At UPMC Northwest, Denise has learned to treat everyone with kindness, as you never know what people are going through.
“At UPMC Northwest, I’ve learned that it is okay to not have all the answers. There is always someone to ask who has the answers you need,” said Cheryl Siverling, unit director, Obstetrics/Nursery, who began her career at Oil City Hospital 48 years ago.
Whenever someone asks Cheryl when she is going to retire, she knows exactly what to say. “I have never gotten tired of seeing a baby being born,” she said. “I tell them I have the best job in the world, seeing miracles every day in the eyes of a newborn baby.”
According to Durniok, nothing would be possible without such a talented team. “The staff are truly the fiber and backbone of this organization, and everything we accomplish is because of them,” he said. “I could not be prouder to be associated with such a great group of people.”
On Oct. 8, UPMC Northwest’s leaders, board, the Northwest Hospital Foundation, and others, gathered to celebrate the milestone, debuting a video, featuring Leslie Davis, president & CEO, UPMC, that highlighted the services that make UPMC Northwest such a special place. 
