Latrobe Area Hospital Aid Society Shines Lights of Love

LATROBE, PA, November 1, 2023 … The Latrobe Area Hospital Aid Society (LAHAS) continues the Lights of Love holiday tradition in 2023, with donations accepted for this special event which honors and memorializes loved ones.

This year marks the 36^th year of trimming an exterior tree near the main entrance of Latrobe Hospital, now part of Independence Health System-Westmoreland area, with each light a reminder of loved ones.  The event began in 1988 and has raised more than $235,000 to benefit Latrobe Hospital patients and programs.  

Each sparkling light on the outdoor evergreen at the main entrance of the hospital will represent a person who has been remembered or honored. The tree will be illuminated at the conclusion of Light Up Night to be held 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, in the Robindale Auditorium, 1501 Ligonier Street, Latrobe. The public is invited. The event will include holiday music, the Ceremony of Remembrance and Honor, live streaming of the Lights of Love tree illumination, and light refreshments. 

For a suggested $8 per name, individuals can remember and honor the family members and friends who impacted their life but have passed away. Donations also can honor the people who bring meaning and joy to the contributor’s life now. 

There are several ways to participate. Individuals may donate by credit card at bit.ly/lahaslove or on Facebook by searching Latrobe Area Hospital Aid Society and scrolling to find the Lights of Love link. 

 Contributors may mail a completed Lights of Love brochure along with a check made payable to Lights of Love, LAHAS, Latrobe Hospital, One Mellon Way, Latrobe, PA 15650.  Brochures are available at Independence Health System’s Latrobe Hospital and The Square at Latrobe, Adams Memorial Library, Commercial Bank & Trust, Terry Way, DeNunzio’s Italian Chophouse, Frederick Funeral Home, Hartman-Graziano Funeral Home, Latrobe Art Center, Lopatich-Brinker Funeral Home, Studio 30 Hair Graphics and Westmoreland Federal Savings. Individuals who wish a pre-printed “Lights of Love” brochure or LAHAS membership application also may call 724-537-1733.

Gifts are welcome through year’s end and donors may designate people to whom the auxiliary will send or email “Lights of Love” acknowledgement cards. Donations postmarked by November 30 will appear in the initial online honor roll booklet.  Those donations received after that date will be included in an honor roll addendum posted later in the holiday season.

Lights of Love is one of many community outreach activities initiated by LAHAS, whose mission is to support the hospital and the communities it serves through education, fundraising and volunteer service.   

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Nationally recognized for quality care, Independence Health System comprises Butler Memorial, Clarion, Frick, Latrobe and Westmoreland Hospitals with a combined bed count of 925.  With more than 1,000 physicians and advanced practice providers and 7,300 employees, the System is now the third largest in western Pennsylvania serving a population base of 750,000 in a footprint spanning more than 10 counties.

The System includes tertiary programs that are rated among America’s best for cardiac care and surgery by Healthgrades in its Top 100 and Top 50 designations, and one of only five in Pennsylvania to achieve a five-star rating in cardiac surgery. In similar fashion, the prestigious Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) bestowed its top three-star rating. Historically, less than 10 percent of programs within the STS data base achieve this elite standing. The hospitals of Independence Health System also have earned a host of accolades from such prestigious outlets and sources as US News and World Report, Newsweek Magazine, the American College of Radiology, the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Surgeons, the Joint Commission, Leapfrog and the American Heart/Stroke Association.

Locally owned and locally controlled, Independence Health System offers its patients low-cost, high-quality care across the care spectrum in such specialties as cardiology, cardiovascular and thoracic surgery, orthopedics and sports medicine, minimally invasive and robotic surgery, women’s health and obstetrics, emergency medicine, behavioral health and primary care. Its network of outpatient centers sees more than 1.2 million visits annually. The homecare division further supports patients at all stages of life with home health and hospice services. 

Independence Health System continues to change the healthcare landscape in western Pennsylvania by meeting patient needs through superb physician expertise, outstanding nursing, the latest in technology and programmatic depth.

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