Greene County Magazine - Spring 2024

GreeneCounty MAGAZINE

STATEWIDE BIRD

COUNT

TAKES FLIGHT

CHAMBER MEMBERS CAN HELP WITH RESOLUTIONS

CANCER TREATMENT CLOSE TO HOME KEEPS DEEP VALLEY MAN CREATING

3

Gardening harnesses the power of the sun

6

Spring into action, with help from the Greene County Chamber of Commerce

10Trying to count all the Greene County birds: Third state Bird Atlas takes flight with enthusiastic local support

13 Local cancer treatment keeps avid woodworker healthy and creating

from the editor

on the cover

Spring 2024

122 South Main Street

Washington, PA 15301

Washington & South Hills 724.222.2200

Greene County 724.852.2602

Mon Valley 412.944.5575

observer-reporter.com/publications/ greenecoliving/

tthurston@observer-reporter.com

EMBRACING CHOICES IN 2024

Right about now, many people are abandoning their resolutions set with eager optimism in early 2024. I’ve always been pretty against resolutions myself, and revisiting columns from years past around this time of year, I’ve opined on why plenty: I much prefer to focus on long-term, achievable intentions no matter what time of year it is. Or, I at least attempt to do so. My success varies. I’ve seen many adopting the practice of selecting a word for the coming year instead of picking a habit to take on or drop, which I am a fan of. I’ve picked a word that is very personal to me for 2024: choice. I want to choose to show up for my life in ways I couldn’t in 2023. There are generators and lists online with inspiration for words of the year. Blog posts, YouTube videos, Pinterest boards and more provide suggestions. If you’re interested in a word of the year, you’ve likely already got yours picked out.

We’re approaching the abandonment period if you opted for a traditional resolution instead. One poll cites that over a quarter of Americans make resolutions. A Forbes contributor chatted with researcher Dr. Michelle Rozen about her work on the 6% of people who stick with their resolutions. On average, 94% of us have moved on from our New Year’s proclamations by the end of February. The second Friday in January, too, has colloquially been deemed Quitter’s Day. Progress, not perfection. Any incremental movement towards what you want, no matter the size, is much better than staying the same. We only get what we want if we show up, yes, but showing up looks different depending on our circumstances. The ebb and flow of the daily grind gets us down. We fall into old habits, beat ourselves up and then give up. Kindness and curiosity, in my experience, lead to more lasting results than rigid resolutions with no wiggle room for life and all it throws at us. That’s my two cents when it comes to resolutions, for what it’s worth.

Of course, even though I won’t call it a resolution, I got back on my stationary bike beginning in January. I signed up for an online fitness challenge. My coworkers and I are doing a group wellness challenge, trying to curb our mindless snacking in the middle of the workday. Despite using a different framework, I’m doing many things other people are trying to do, too. I’m calling it a return to myself after some backsliding last year. Hey, whatever works, right?

Maybe you’re like me, and you’re getting back on the saddle, literally in my case. The transition from 2023 to 2024 may mean nothing to you and your sense of self. Whatever your flavor of approaching the rest of this year, I wish you well in your endeavors, whether they be resolutions or not. In that spirit, we have a roundup of Greene County Chamber of Commerce businesses that can help you with your 2024 resolutions and beyond. If one of your goals is to get out more this year, perhaps you can assist with documenting the state’s bird population. Read more about the count in C.R. Nelson’s cover story.

Thank you so much for reading. Take care, stay safe and see you in the next edition.

Photo courtesy of C.R. Nelson Bird counting is particularly important at the Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek that separates Greene and Washington counties, where the nesting birds and spring wildflowers rule.

Gardening harnesses the power of the sun

By Lisa Lewis Greene County Penn State Extension Master Gardener

Plants use the process of photosynthesis to create the fuel responsible for nearly all forms of life on our planet. Photo means light, and synthesis means to make. Plants are called autotrophs because they can use light to produce their own food source. The key ingredients a plant needs to do this are water, light and carbon dioxide. The process is most successful when temperatures are moderate; metabolic processes are degraded when there is too much heat or too little heat.

Special cells in a plant called chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, which is where photosynthesis occurs. Pores in the leaves and stems of plants called stomata allow plants to respirate or breathe — they breathe in carbon dioxide and oxygen. Sunlight causes the chlorophyll to begin a chemical process that breaks down the molecules of carbon dioxide and water and reorganizes the molecules into glucose, which is a sugar or carbohydrate. It is the fuel the plant needs to grow, repair and reproduce by producing seeds containing fruits and flowers. The excess oxygen created by the chemical process of photosynthesis is released into the atmosphere. Photosynthesis is responsible for 70 percent of the oxygen in our atmosphere. Thanks to plants, the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide buildup is reduced. Humans and other animals are not autotrophs and cannot make the food they need to live in their own bodies. Herbivores, vegetarians like deer and rabbits, rely on the plants they eat to get the energy they need to grow, reproduce and repair. And carnivores and omnivores, like bears and crows, rely on herbivores and plants for their food and air. But the sun’s light turns the wheel of photosynthesis and, thus, the wheel of life.

So, when the spring temperatures warm, you plant a seed in your garden. The rain falls, the sun shines down, the seed sprouts and the green leaves, thanks to chlorophyll, create the energy the plant needs to climb your fence and produce pea pods. You go out one morning, harvest the pea pods and use them in a stir fry that evening for dinner for your family. You are indirectly benefitting from sunlight stored in the sugar molecules in those pea pods. That energy now becomes the force that sustains you in your life endeavors. And you have the sun to thank!

WVU Medicine Primary Care in Waynesburg provides close-to-home access to WVU Medicine’s network of specialty and subspecialty care

Establishing a primary care physician and having regular check-ups is an important step in managing a person’s health.

The WVU Medicine Waynesburg Outpatient Center is committed to providing high quality primary care close to home for patients of all ages, including infants, children, adults, and seniors.

For non-emergency medical care, primary care providers are an essential part of the healthcare team. They specialize in diagnosing, treating, and helping to prevent a wide variety of conditions.

The 15,000-square-foot clinic is conveniently located off exit 14 of I-79 at 451 Murtha Drive. The facility includes 30 exam rooms, six procedure rooms, and lab and diagnostic services.

Primary care explained

At WVU Medicine Primary Care, patients can choose from the following practitioners:

• Family medicine providers, who care for patients of all ages, including infants, children, adults, and seniors;

• Internal medicine providers, who see only adults; and

• Pediatric providers, who focus on children’s health.

Primary care providers get to know their patients, their history, and their family history; can recommend screenings; and can identify and treat many minor problems before they become major ones.

For patients experiencing any undiagnosed symptoms or medical concerns, a WVU Medicine primary care provider should be the first point of contact for improved well-being.

They provide a variety of services to help improve and maintain health, including but not limited to:

Physical exams

• Vaccinations

• Routine lab work

• Management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure Cancer screenings

• Well-child exams

• Diagnosis of common and complex diseases of the respiratory, digestive, and vascular systems

“It is important, especially as you get older, to come in and get regular checkups, vaccinations, lab work, and cancer screenings so you can catch any issues before they become more serious,” Darrell Donley, MD, WVU Medicine Waynesburg Outpatient Center Internal Medicine phy-

sician, said. “Having a primary care pro vider can also be helpful when you aren’t feeling well, so you can avoid a visit to the emergency department or urgent care.”

Access to specialized care

When patients need more specialized care, primary care providers at the WVU Medicine Waynesburg Outpatient Cen ter will coordinate a referral with a WVU Medicine specialist or subspecialist, some of whom conduct appointments onsite. They will work together to provide the best possible medical management of their patient’s condition.

Specialty services offered at the clinic include:

• Dermatology

• Vascular testing

• Obstetrics and Gynecology

• Optometry Podiatry

• Urology

• Wound Care

medication prescribed by WVU Medicine doctors.

Available diagnostic services include:

Cardiac and vascular imaging

• EKG

• Lab testing

• Ultrasound

• X-ray

Referrals for pediatric specialty and subspecialty care, too

Pediatric patients requiring a higher level of care can be referred to WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital, which provides the greatest range of pediatric specialty and high-risk maternal care in the region.

It is a fully integrated facility that provides specialized, high-level care in areas such as cancer, comprehensive heart care, craniomaxillofacial surgery, dentistry, gastroenterology, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, otolaryngology (ENT), pulmonology, surgery, trauma, and urology.

Fingertip access for care team communication, appointment scheduling, and more Primary care patients at the Waynesburg Outpatient Center can join the more than 350,000 WVU Medicine patients who manage their health needs with MyWVUChart, WVU Medicine’s secure, online patient portal.

With MyWVUChart, patients can:

• Manage and schedule appointments. Request appointments and look up information on previous visits. Online scheduling is available for primary care providers.

• Refill prescriptions. Request refills on

• View test results. Most lab results (excluding sensitive labs) can be viewed within days.

• Communicate with their care team. Send secure messages and photos to providers. Generally, answers are received in one-to-two business days.

• Pay their bill, view statements, and make payments online for hospital and physician services.

Local care by local providers

“I’ve served the community as a physician for 25 years now and joined WVU Medicine when this clinic opened in 2019. A lot of my patients have known me for a long time, and I know them and their families,” Dr. Donley said.

“We want to make sure that this is a place where our patients can feel comfortable talking to us about their medical needs. We want to be approachable and relate to patients on their terms.”

The clinics at the WVU Medicine Waynesburg Outpatient Center are open 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Lab services are available 7:30 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.

For more information on the WVU Medicine Waynesburg Outpatient Center, visit WVUMedicine.org/Waynesburg. To schedule an appointment, call 855-WVU-CARE.

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Spring into action, with help from the Greene County Chamber of Commerce

Are you ready to be done with the winter blues and spring headfirst into those New Year’s resolutions? No matter the resolution, the Greene County Chamber of Commerce has a member for you. Even if you already dropped your goal for the year, it’s never too late to pick back up where you left off. Studies have proven that it takes 21 days to make a new habit a routine and around 66 for it to go as an unnoticed task throughout the day. So, what’s your goal? From financial security, home improvement, learning something new to volunteering and being proactive about your health, our wide variety of member businesses can always assist you with one or another of these things. Let’s dig a little deeper into the details.

In today’s economy, everybody wants to feel a sense of financial security or improvement. Chamber members such as Community Bank, First Federal of Greene County, First National Bank of PA, Frick Financial Federal Credit Union, PNC Bank and Woodforest Bank are always one call or click away for all your day-to-day financial transactions, improvements and investments. Along the lines of long-term financial advice, you can find Matt Baculik and Tom Fetsko, Milinovich & Company, and Cory Grandel of Grandel Financial. If you’re seeking financial business advisory, don’t forget about Greene County’s very own Gatrell Business Solutions, Padgett Business Services, Primerica Advisors and Wilson Accounting Group.

When it comes to spring remodeling, home improvement or even establishing a homestead, it’s necessary to separate the businesses you’re looking for by the contractors and the places you can get what you need for your DIYs. Check out member businesses such as 4 Seasons Lawn & Garden, Bailey’s Steel & Supply, Black Diamond Equipment Rental, Bug-N-Out Pest Solutions, Hoy’s Construction, Lingis Manufacturing: Machine & Supply Co, Morris Machinery, Mountain State Waste, MR Structures, Sherwin-Williams Company, Sluggers Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, Trader’s Plumbing & Heating, Wayne Lumber & Supply, Waynesburg Electric Supply, Waynesburg Milling Co. and Xtreme Services LLC for all your needs. For those who like to play it safe and hire someone certified for their home

projects, be sure to check out All Day Excavating LLC, Amramp Pittsburgh, Andy Man General Contractor LLC, Camco Construction & Remodeling, Hot Mops Cleaning Inc, Humble Carpet & Decorating Center, McNay Excavating, New Way Excavating, PRO Comfort Heating & Cooling, Prompt Quality Painting and Design Studio, R&D Watters Septic Service Inc, Rockwell & Sons Pest Control LLC, Service Master by Zupancic, Stairlift Pros, Watson & Sons Plumbing, Watters Enterprises Inc and Wind Ridge Log Siding. Each one of these members has different services and products to offer based on what your home improvement, establishing or spring remodeling may entail. Be sure to search them on the chamber’s website with the keywords of what work must be completed.

It’s never too early to be preparing for the long-term future. Whether that be insurance or ensuring that everything is set in place for after you pass, there are a wide variety of members to help you spring into action on your future. Funeral homes such as Behm Funeral Homes, Kesterson-Rush Funeral Home, Milliken & Throckmorton Funeral Home, Waynesburg Memorial Sales and Yoskovich Funeral Home can assist with the process of what you want beyond this life so that your loved ones will not have to. When it comes to wishes and possessions, well-known attorneys in downtown Waynesburg, such as Kirk King, attorney at law, Logan & Gatten Law Office, Meyer Law Office, Peacock Keller, Phillips & Ross LLC, Pollock Morris Belletti & Simms LLC and Stepp Law Office will gladly help you dip your toe in the water for all your long-term legal matters. Just as funeral homes and lawyers are important, it’s crucial not to forget to ensure you have insurance. Whether you are seeking life, vehicle or homeowners’ insurance, chamber members Baily Insurance Agency, Chuck Carnahan State Farm Insurance, Lisa Brown Agency - Allstate Insurance, Marthinsen & Salvitti Insurance Group and Yingling Insurance Agency all can help with whatever best suits you. Amedisys Home Health & Hospice, Bridge Street Commons, Bright Star Care, Metis Long Term Care Consulting, Pento Homecare Agency, Respi Center, Senior Life Greene and WeCare of Waynesburg are many options for care when loved ones can no longer be independent.

Maybe long-term future planning isn’t the resolution you had in mind. How about proactively taking care of your health to increase your longevity? Located in Waynesburg, you can join Anytime Fitness or the EQT Rec Center to stay physically fit using their workout facilities. Bella Family Dentistry, Burns Orthodontics and Toothman Dental Center have all your preventative oral care. Beltone Audiology & Hearing Aids is “here” to help you “hear.” Southwestern Pennsylvania Eye Center and Vision Services of Washington-Greene are available to assist you in seeing more clearly. Centerville Clinics, Cornerstone Care, Washington Health System Greene and WVU Medicine are here for all your annual check-up needs. In terms of recuperating to strengthen yourself, Better Performance Physical Therapy, NovaCare, OSPTA Physical & Hand Therapy, Pennsylvania Chiropractic & Rehab Center, Rumbaugh Back In Action Chiropractic and Therapeutic Healing Services: Mind & Body Wellness are just a phone call away to get you back into tip-top shape! For the naturopath route towards physical health, be sure to check out our members Roman’s Acupuncture & Wellness and Specialty Herbal Products for all their treatments and products.

Greene County United Way, Humane Society of Greene County, Rotary Club of Waynesburg, Save a Horse Stable, The Salvation Army of Greene County, Veterans Day Parade Committee of the Greene County Veterans Council, Washington City Mission and Waynesburg Lions Club are always looking for volunteers throughout different times of the year for various events and fundraisers to give back to the community.

If your resolution is learning something new, there are plenty of places in Greene County to do that as well! Members such as Bowlby Public Library, Cornerstone Genealogical Society, Flenniken Public Library and Greene County Historical Society & Museum are great places in our area to expand your knowledge through reading or learning the history of our region. You’re never too old to learn something new!

Maybe your resolution is to volunteer more. Did you know that there are 191 different nonprofit organizations in Greene County? If you call the chamber, we can find the right fit for you! Members such as Blueprints, Catholic Charities, Corner Cupboard Food Bank, Dress for Success Pittsburgh, Greene County Habitat for Humanity,

The last resolution might be changes in physical appearance. Need a new hair-do? Be sure to check out Beauty & Amazing Grace, Cut to the Chase, High Street Hair, Mankind Gentleman’s Cuts, MK Beauty Room and Salon Diem for all your salon or barber shop needs. If you want a change and are on the fence about chopping the locks, a new wardrobe might be the way to go. Members such as the Fashion Shop, Mickey’s Men’s Store, and Shoe Sensation could be the stores you’ve been needing to get to!

No matter what goal you’re working towards in 2024, the Greene County Chamber of Commerce will surely have a member who will fulfill your needs. Be sure to check out our website at greenechamber.org for more information, or call us at 724-627-5926, and we will be glad to point you in the right direction. It’s never too late to spring into action on those already-forgotten resolutions!

Trying to count all the Greene County birds: Third state Bird Atlas takes flight with

enthusiastic local support

Story and photos by C.R. Nelson

“The Third PA Bird Atlas has officially fledged.”

When my freshly minted copy of this year’s official “Pennsylvania Bird Atlas 3 – 2024 -2029” appeared in my email in mid-February, the chipper image of a titmouse perched on an orange cutout of the state was a welcome sighting. At last! Titmice have been feasting at feeders and foraging in forests across the state all winter. Now, this little bird will be the PBA 3 mascot for the next five years — from breeding season to the newly added Atlas Winter bird count. Counting in winter will allow titmice and oth-

er native species to be documented for a complete cycle as they mate, raise their young, winter over or just pass through Penn’s Woods.

Why an Atlas?

The news release and its accompanying handouts let us know that of the 285 species in the state, 190 of them nest here, and 20 are endangered. The Atlas 3 project will help detect the changes in avian populations, and this data will be used to inform the “conservation of birds and protection of habitat in PA.”

Pennwest California professor David Argent helps fellow club members use eBird to send data to PBA 3.

And yes, “The Atlas is for everyone! New and experienced birders can all participate.”

This five-year count is in its third 20-year cycle, documenting Pennsylvania’s bird populations. For many veteran birders, from backyard enthusiasts to scientists, ornithologists, teachers and students, the count was already on before the official word arrived.

Eagles and owls begin nesting before the New Year, and by February, birders across the state, including Greene County, had been reporting them to Atlas 3, along with rock doves and house sparrows. Many of this year’s veteran birdwatchers also participated in Atlas 2, which finished in 2009. The 2009 numbers provided the first two-decade measure of population and species decline against what was gathered by the first Atlas in the mid1980s. Before Internet access, reports were filed on paper. Paper maps, gridded to mark the 77 “blocks” that create Greene County’s count zones, were used for reference.

At the February meeting of the Ralph K. Bell Bird Club, longtime member Kathy Kern unfolded the big paper map of Greene County that she’s used for years and pointed to one of the gridded three-mile squares near her home. “I

worked on the first Atlas with Ralph Bell, and I still bring my maps with me because you can’t always get a signal where the birds are!”

We members had come this evening to enjoy our monthly potluck dinner, then get down to the business of learning to use eBird as a portal to PBA 3. Using the geo-positioning and data-gathering power of the Internet allows volunteers to relay numbers anchored in time and place instantly. Not to worry — for those with no coverage, the paper trail is still available to be substituted and submitted online by others, club president Marjorie Howard assured us. “We’re here to learn to use eBird, and it’s not that hard. It just takes practice.”

Member David Argent, professor in the biology, Earth and environmental science department at Pennwest California, had Howard’s laptop open, and every smartphone was out as he fielded questions and helped members connect their eBird apps to the PBA 3 portal. Argent also pulled up maps and diagrams that explained the code letters for sightings and the months in which the bird was nesting. Members gathered around the table to take screenshots to decipher later. Howard passed out copies of the PBA 3 volunteer handbook and scheduled another learning session for March 18. By all means, bring others with you, she said. “We need more birders. None of the

Club member Kathy Kern points to one of the 77 blocks to be counted in Greene County.

RKB Club President Marjorie Howard shows the contour map of the block, which includes Waynesburg.

blocks in West Greene have been taken by a Principal Atlaser but remember, you can submit sightings in any block you’re birding in.”

I took my volunteer handbook home and, the next morning over coffee, searched for the birds whose declining numbers have placed them in Appendix D — “Documenting priority and sensitive species.” Learning to identify these birds seemed like a good place to start.

Greene County is of particular interest to the Atlas project, Howard pointed out later when we met in Waynesburg to continue working on this story. “We’re one of the most under-birded counties in the state. That’s why PSO came here last year. We need more people to get involved. We just don’t have enough volunteers yet to cover all the blocks for the most accurate count.”

When members of the Pennsylvania Society of Ornithology took a field trip to Greene County on May 1, 2023, they came to do a pre-Atlas nesting count at the Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek that separates Greene and Washington counties. Bird club members and wildflower enthusiasts from Greene and surrounding counties joined them — we were eager to learn more. As we trekked among wildflowers, watching and listening as warblers courted in the canopy and an osprey chased an eagle above the big creek, our network to grow Atlas 3 in Greene County found its wings.

Support for this important environmental project comes from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, using resources offered by Cornell University with eBird, the flagship app for counting birds across the nation and around the world.

The popular app Merlin can also be helpful as a backup for new birders.

Merlin on a smartphone will capture images and sounds that can be verified later by more experienced volunteers, Atlas coordinator Amber Wiewel told me when I contacted her at the sanctuary in Kempton, Pa.

I described our ongoing efforts to network with area universities, school districts, scout groups and libraries to include students in this five-year project, along with spreading the word to anyone wishing to go beyond their backyard feeders. Wiewel texted an enthusiastic reply. “We are so excited to have the support of birders and educators in Greene County who are not only contributing data to the Atlas but also incorporating birding and Atlasing into their educational programs to help produce the next generation of birders and environmentalists!”

For more information, search for Pa Atlas 3 for an extensive list of web pages and organizations connected to this program.

To register for the March 18 eBird training for PBA 3 with Ralph K. Bell Bird Club, email Marjorie Howard at rkbellbirdclub@yahoo.com.

Bird counting is particularly important at the Enlow Fork of Wheeling Creek that separates Greene and Washington counties, where the nesting birds and spring wildflowers rule.

Local cancer treatment keeps avid woodworker healthy and creating

By Emily King

Photos courtesy of Matt Shuck Photography

When Harry Rhodes discovered that he had prostate cancer, it was an accident. He had been undergoing a PET scan to investigate some suspicious findings in his lungs. But doctors found something else concerning instead.

Rhodes has lived in southwestern Pennsylvania for many years. He owned a print shop in Waynesburg, Rhodes and Hammers Printing. After selling the business to MPB Print & Sign Superstore with his business partner, he retired and moved to Deep Valley, a small town near the West Virginia border.

“If you blink, you’ll miss it,” he says, describing his hometown. Despite his early retirement, Rhodes has kept busy. He and his wife, Pam, own a woodworking business, creating various projects from furniture to beautiful hand-crafted wooden bowls. They have shipped their creations as far as Rome. The husband and wife make the perfect team. Rhodes says his wife acts as his eyes, as his vision has been impaired for some time.

Though he still had to travel over an hour to WHS Washington Hospital, Rhodes says that traveling to Pittsburgh or another city was out of the question.

“If I would have had to go to Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t have gotten the treatment,” he states matter-of-factly.

Fortunately, Rhodes and others living in the area have access to some of the most advanced cancer care close to home. For over a decade, Washington Health System has partnered with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center to bring state-of-theart radiation therapy, improved diagnostic capabilities and other support services to cancer patients right in their own communities. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is one of the largest integrated cancer networks in the nation, with more than 70 treatment facilities located in local communities in Pennsylvania, western New York, northern Maryland and eastern Ohio. This partnership provides area doctors and patients local access to the latest and most advanced treatments from expert radiation oncologists.

“I have to admit, at first, my wife and I did have a bit of concern about the partnership with UPMC and being part of a big healthcare system,” says Rhodes. “But we worked closely with our WHS urologist, Dr. Damon Hoffman, and he relieved all of my concerns.”

The team of doctors was deciding on a course of treatment for Rhodes and had differing opinions on whether he should undergo a hormone treatment, often used to supplement radiation treatment for prostate cancer. His doctor consulted with other doctors from UPMC, and they decided to move forward with the hormone treatment as

an additional safeguard to treat his cancer. After seeing the thoughtful consideration that went into this recommendation and the collaboration among doctors, Rhodes was fully confident in his care team and their decisions.

Rhodes’ treatment plan included placing fiducial markers, which are tiny metal objects about the size of a grain of rice. These markers are positioned in the prostate to provide a target for the provider to line up the beams of radiation. This ensures that the treatment focuses highly on the tumor and can help avoid affecting healthy tissue. It also acts as a blueprint so that each radiation treatment is delivered the same way each time. The fiducial markers can remain in the patient’s body for the rest of their life without risk to their health.

In addition to fiducial marker placement and hormone treatments, Rhodes received external radiation treatments at Washington Health System Radiation Oncology, in partnership with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center,

five days a week for five and a half weeks for a total of 28 treatments. Technological advancements in radiation oncology have reduced treatments for patients. In the case of Rhodes, the standard would have been nine weeks. Despite the daily travel required to get to his treatments, Mr. Rhodes says it was much more convenient than driving every day to Pittsburgh. He praises his team of doctors and nurses, commending them on going above and beyond to make his treatments as comfortable as possible and helping answer all his questions.

Today, Rhodes is several weeks out from the end of his treatment and is cancer-free. He credits his treatment’s success to his doctor’s expertise and the collaboration of other medical experts. The partnership between WHS and UPMC allowed doctors to determine the best course of treatment, resulting in the best outcome, all while allowing the patient to remain close to home. Rhodes looks forward to many more years of using his creative gifts and perfecting his woodworking with his wife.