Pennsylvania is facing a dire shortage of direct support professionals who help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities bathe, get dressed, eat, exercise, socialize, and perform many other fundamental tasks.
Search results
Posted inHEALTH
Crisis of Care: The coming crisis in dementia care and why Pa. is woefully unprepared
A lack of beds and staff, soaring costs, and action plans gone unheeded have left Pennsylvania, one of the oldest states in the nation, in a perilous position.
Posted inPUBLIC SAFETY
‘Change the narrative’: A new crew of ‘interrupters’ aims to curb the violence in McKeesport
A driver of a white hatchback rolled down the window and stuck his head out into the hot August air. “Another shooting?” he asked, nonchalant, as if he had just requested the score of a youth baseball game or inquired about the likelihood of rain. Yellow tape was strung between a stop sign and a […]
Posted inCOVID-19
COVID-19 brings unprecedented mental health challenges. Here’s what I learned from past tragedies.
The virus and the responses to it are finding the cleavage points in our society, highlighting areas of division and conflict.
Posted inDEVELOP PGH
Pittsburgh commuters face more than frustration. Research says lengthy commutes can impact your health.
While plenty of people fret long commutes, the path from home to work isn’t only a matter of convenience. Experts say lengthy commutes can take a toll on physical health and negatively impact mood and mental health.
Posted inEquity, HEALTH, On the beat, posts
Pennsylvania wants more housing for the homeless, aging and poor. Here’s the state’s plan.
Overlooked communities Homelessness is expensive. In Pennsylvania, it’s become more common.
To combat this and to increase housing for Pennsylvanians who can’t afford average market-rate rent and residents in government-assisted nursing homes, the state’s Department of Human Services [DHS] today announced a five-year plan to make affordable housing easier to find.
Posted inHEALTH, IN-DEPTH, Single moms
Going it alone: Low-income single moms struggle to find help, escape judgment
Rochelle Jackson had three kids and was pregnant with a son. She was also scared. Her boyfriend, the father of her children, had grown increasingly abusive during her pregnancy.
It was 1998 when she decided to press charges for physical and sexual assault, and her boyfriend went to jail. She was finally free, but now she was on her own with a growing family.
Posted inDATA, DEVELOP PGH, ECONOMY & HOUSING, EDUCATION, Equity, HEALTH, IN-DEPTH
Racial disparities in PA increased in 50 years
Jomonna Smith, a 30-year-old woman, held her last job in 2008 as a store cashier.
She is a single mother of three children, making ends meet with government assistance, styling hair on the side and a bit of family help.
