West Penn Burn Center

07/02/2025

Please stay safe this weekend (and every weekend!) https://triblive.com/local/regional/how-to-avoid-fireworks-injuries-this-july-4th-weekend/?

The Fourth of July weekend brings a surge of cookouts, fireworks and celebrations — and with it, a busy stretch for fire safety and health officials preparing for the holiday’s potential hazards. Brad James, fire chief at Eureka Fire Rescue in Tarentum, said the holiday weekend tends to....

07/01/2025

This Fourth of July, Please be safe!!!

Fireworks Safety Tips
Use the following safety tips to keep your fireworks celebrations safe and fun:
1. Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks. Instead, consider safe alternatives, such as glow sticks, silly string, popping streamers and confetti cannons.
2. Always supervise children, including when using sparklers. Sparklers can cause a serious burn as they reach temperatures of about 2,000°
3. Avoid purchasing fireworks that are packaged in brown paper. This often indicates the devices are made for professional displays, and therefore, could pose a danger to consumers.
4. Light fireworks one at a time.
5. Don’t twist fuses together as this can become very dangerous.
6. Don’t place any part of your body directly over a firework device.
7. Maintain a safe distance after you light fireworks.
8. Keep a bucket of water, garden hose or fire extinguisher nearby. These are a safety precaution in case of fire mishaps.
9. Never shoot fireworks off in metal or glass containers.
10. Avoid carrying fireworks in your pocket, as well.
11. Don’t try to re-light or pick up fireworks that haven’t ignited fully. It could go off while attempting to relight it, causing serious injury.
12. Wear hearing protection when participating in firework activities. Fireworks can exceed 150 decibels and cause immediate hearing damage.
and most important:
Never use fireworks while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

06/21/2025

There is a major heat wave hitting the Pittsburgh Area.. Please be careful out there! Sunscreen with SPF 30 or above (We recommend 50 or above to burn survivors)and stay hydrated!

06/16/2025

West Penn Burn Center sponsored our annual Camp KOALA (Kids Overcoming, Adapting, Learning and Achieving) last week. More photos to follow but the Post Gazette visited camp and publicized this story:
https://www.post-gazette.com/life/goodness/2025/06/16/camp-burn-victims-kon-o-kwee-allegheny-health/stories/202506090056?fbclid=IwY2xjawK9jMpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFMSmhlUkhtbHhpaFE2NXFMAR5WjribR4qp7-hgnp7xeQUBjNmh1sUbaBiHLriDkp5hABmgQ12d_vWJVdV_QQ_aem_WLMyTrksw59xkKkAQkwNHg

More than just a getaway, Allegheny Health Network West Penn Burn Center’s five-day immersive experience at Camp Kon-O-Kwee Spencer in Fombell offers a safe, supportive space where many kids say they’ve begun to heal mentally and physically from the trauma of their injuries.  

05/23/2025

This summer, West Penn Burn Center would like you stay safe. Here are some burn/fire safety tips for you.

05/21/2025

On May 12, the "Balls of Fire" Memorial Golf Outing was held at the Wildwood Golf Club. Balls of Fire is a memorial golf fundraiser in honor of volunteer firefighter Dan Stack. It benefits Camp KOALA,(Kids Overcoming, Adapting, Learning and Achieving) a free five-day summer camp for children in the region who have suffered burn injuries. This year camp will be held June 7-11.
Thank you very much for your generosity!

04/26/2025

Staff from the Outpatient Burn Clinic participated in outreach Friday, April 25! They were at the West Mifflin Area second annual Color Fun Run. They provided ducks to check bath water temperature to participants.

04/12/2025

Now that spring and summer are coming, here are some tips to keep you and your family safe!

04/04/2025

Thank you to everyone who attended our Bowling with Burn Concern event on March 22! We had about 40 attendees including a lot of burn camp kids. The bowling and arcade games were a hit!
Special thanks to all the first timers who joined us today. Welcome to the family!
Thanks to Matthew Iwaniec and Keith Gmiter for helping Vanessa Rossi organize this event. The folks at Mt Lebanon Lanes were great hosts--they kept the drinks and pizza coming!
We hope you all met someone new and will stay in touch until our next event!

03/23/2025

This week William W Jr Crawford and Vanessa Rossi presented Burn Concern's quarterly Ambassador Award to a very deserving occupational therapist. Joann Lyon always has a smile on her face as she helps patients regain the skills needed for their daily activities.
Congratulations, Joanne!

The goal of this award is to recognize those in the burn unit who help connect patients with additional forms of support and resources that Burn Concern offers.

If you are an adult burn survivor or family member and would like to find out more about Burn Concern, please go to their page: Burn Concern of Western Pennsylvania.

03/11/2025

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world, but it's also preventable. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective at preventing measles. In this episode of By the Numbers, we talk with Dr. Nathan Boonstra, a pediatrician at Blank Children's Hospital and chair of Iowa Immunizes, about the recent measles outbreaks in the U.S. and the role of immunization in keeping communities safe.

Listen on your favorite podcast platform, or by visiting: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2389255/episodes/16766348

03/04/2025

This Sunday is Daylight Saving. Remember to change your clocks. Also, Fire Departments recommend you check/change your smoke detector batteries as well. Stay Safe!!!