UPMC Mercy Burn Center Receives Grant from Order of Malta

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 3, 2011 – The UPMC Mercy Burn Center has received a grant for $25,100 from the Order of Malta-Federal Association, U.S.A. The grant will help fund the supply of wound care items to approximately 700 pediatric and adult patients upon discharge from the hospital, and will be administered through the Charles E. Copeland Burn Fund.

“With this generous grant, we are able to supply patients who have financial need with vital wound care supplies for use once they are discharged and throughout their outpatient follow-up care,” said Jenny Ziembicki, M.D., medical director, UPMC Mercy burn services.

In 2010, the UPMC Mercy Burn Center had nearly 300 inpatient stays and 2,700 outpatient visits. The majority of the inpatients were sent home with wound care supplies for their use until vendors could deliver the necessary items. Approximately half the outpatients had financial needs and received these important supplies to aid in the recovery from their burn injuries.

The Order of Malta is an international Catholic lay religious order founded in the 11th Century whose mission is the defense of the Faith and assistance to the poor and the suffering through the voluntary work carried out by the Knights and Dames of the Order in humanitarian assistance and medical and relief efforts. The grant request was sponsored by Hospitaller for the Pittsburgh Region, Daniel C. McGrogan.

As part of its Catholic mission, UPMC Mercy provides charitable and unreimbursed care in the community, which aligns with the Order’s mission. Another significant connection is the weekly Malta Mercy Eucharistic Ministry in which members of the Order serve patients of UPMC Mercy as Eucharistic Ministers.