A former Sister of Mercy, pioneer in public health

Joanne Marie Andiorio, the former chief executive officer of Mercy Hospital who continued serving in health services roles after stepping away from that post, died July 7 at UPMC Magee-WomensHospital.

The cause of death was lung cancer, said a cousin, Lois Rebich, of Cecil, who was at her bedside along with another cousin, DoloresMichaels, of Oakmont.

Ms. Andiorio was 83, but according to Ms. Michaels, she was by no means an “old” 83, touting her spunk andability to make her cousins laugh in her last moments.

Born on April 19, 1938, in Oakland to a family valuing religion and serving the community, Ms. Andiorio was what she called an “only” to Joseph and Josephine (Colosimo) Andiorio. As an only child, her parentsinstilled their values in her, and immediately she took to guiding and caring for all of the “onlys” in the neighborhood.

Being that her father owned his own business as a beautician, Ms. Andiorio wasintroduced to public service at a young age. According to Ms. Rebich, the business allowed Mr. Andiorio to give back to his communityfinancially.

“[Her parents] were very committedto helping others. Back then times were sort of tough. They were very good about making sure that family, close friends, neighbors were taken care of, and I think that sparked her life of service. She committed at a very early age to a God-centeredlife,” Ms. Rebich said.

For all of her childhood, Ms. Andiorio was interested in the mission of the Sisters of Mercy and attended schoolunder their teachings starting in elementary school. She then joined the convent after graduation at age 18 and attended Mount Mercy College, now Carlow University.

According to Ms. Rebich, public health wasn’t the focus of Ms. Andiorio’s “first life,” as she originally received a degree in speech pathology from Mount Mercy and one in library science from Rosary College in Illinois. She went on to work at local high schools staffed by theSisters of Mercy.

Recognizing her enthusiasm and intelligence on these assignments, the Sistersof Mercy guided her into public health, and after that, Ms. Andiorio couldn’t be stopped — with her “get it done” attitude, Ms. Rebich said.

After receiving her master’s in public health from theUniversity of Pittsburgh, at age 39 she became one of the youngest CEOs of the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System in 1978 and shortly thereafter received her doctorate in public health, also fromPitt.

“She was not an administrator that ever sat in an office. She knew the doctors and respected them, but she also knew who parked the cars, who worked in her labs, who the cafeteria workers were. She always would call everyone by name and was so attuned to everyone who worked,” Ms. Michaels said.

She also was much attuned to Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods: During her 20 years as the CEO of the Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, the organization increased its presence in Uptown and expanded services acrossthe city.

Inher first year as CEO in 1978, she started a set of renewalprojects within Mercy buildings, including additions to the southeast wing of the main hospital and restorationof the rest of the hospital.

Later, in 1984, she began a $39 million renovation project that also cut hospital beds by nearly 100. During that period, Mercy Hospital reorganized its cardiac care center, physical medicine and rehabilitation center, cancer center, short-stay medical treatment center, and patient registration and dischargeareas.

The renovations also included a new trauma center that allowed for an urgent care facility. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette then, Ms. Andiorio called the renovations to the 10-year-old emergency/ trauma center necessary because of advancements in techniques.

Ms. Andiorio faced some criticism as well, including in 1991, when contracts for trauma and burn center surgeons were cut due to contractualagreement issues.

“She could get angry if she needed to. She demanded a lot from her personnel and expected a lot from the Mercy [staff], but she expected even more from herself. Whatever she asked them to do, she asked herself to do more,” Ms. Michaelssaid.

Ms. Andiorio stepped down as CEO in 1998. She also parted ways with the Sisters of Mercy to pursue other public health endeavorsin the region.

She became executive director of Mt. Nazareth Learning Center, president/ CEO of Holy Family Manor, chief operating officer of Vincentian Collaborative Systemand administrator of health and wellness at St. Joseph Center and ProvidenceManor.

At many of these locations, she worked primarily with the elderly, whether in the community or within sisterhoods. According to Ms.Rebich, she believed this was Ms. Andiorio’s calling: working directly with patients.

“Many times people would say she took the time to actually meet these elderly sisters, got to know them, and was able to better establish a treatment plan for them. They certainly appreciated that,” Ms. Rebich said.

In addition, Ms. Andiorio served on many boards and was the recipient of at least 20 local and national awards recognizing her executive skills and commitment to service, including the Vectors Pittsburgh 1991 Pittsburgh Woman of the Year awardin science.

And at the time of her death, she was an associate of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Although seemingly all business, Ms. Andiorio was fun and spunky outside the workplace. Over the years she developed hobbies such as skeet shooting, golfing and, one of her favorites, gambling.

Donned the “Holy Roller” by of her godson, Eli Rebich, she and Ms. Michaels would go to the casino in the evenings, betting and keeping up with sports teams the same way she kept up with peoplein the community.

And then, “They found out the cancer had returned and spoke to her about end oflife plans. She said to them at the very end, ‘Hey I need a few more days! I have things to do!’ and she made sure that she tied up all the loose ends in the few days that she did have,” Ms. Michaels said.

Her cousins said her compassion and generosity are partof the legacy that she left behind to the community andespecially to her family.

Engraved on the inside of herring during her time as a Sisterof Mercy, a quote written in French encapsulated thelife that she lived:

“In the evening of life, I willbe judged by love alone.”

Her funeral was July 12. Remembrances may be made to Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, P.O. Box 3000, Nazareth,KY 40048.