Erika Beras

Study Finds Similar Abnormalities in the Brains of Concussion, Alzheimer's Patients

Erika Beras — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 11:26:10 +0000

A study out of the University of Pittsburgh has found similar brain abnormalities in concussion and Alzheimer’s disease patients.

Saaed Fakran, an assistant professor of neuroradiology at the University of Pittsburgh and author of the study, said it's too early to make any conclusions based on this research, but he hopes to follow up on it.

The study looked at concussion patients ranging in age from 12 to 28 who have had some sort of trauma, persistent abnormality but have a conventional CT and MRI.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse are Public Health Issues, HHS Official Says

Erika Beras — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 19:40:38 +0000

A top administrator from the federal Department of Health and Human Services came to Pittsburgh on Friday to speak to leaders in the mental health community about the push to recognize mental health and substance abuse issues as a public health issue.

“I think a lot of people, especially in the public, have viewed mental health and substance abuse as sort of a social problem,” said Pamela Hyde, administrator of SAMSHA, the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services.

City Councilman Lavelle Calls UPMC's Use of 14th Amendment in Lawsuit 'Offensive'

Erika Beras and Michael Lynch — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:15:07 +0000

A few dozen union members, civil rights activists, elected officials and others gathered at Freedom Corner in the Hill District Wednesday morning to protest UPMC’s use of the 14^th Amendment in its lawsuit against the City of Pittsburgh.

The lawsuit says it is unconstitutional for the city to challenge its tax-exempt status because of its due process and equal protection under the law.

Pittsburgh City Councilman Daniel Lavelle said he felt shocked and bewildered at UPMC’s legal technique.

When Violence Strikes, What About Mental Health?

Erika Beras — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:30:00 +0000

The last couple years have seen high profile mass shootings and terrorist attacks — Aurora, Newtown, Boston.

Here in Pittsburgh we’ve seen the same. Last year a gunman opened fire at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, killing one person and injuring seven. And in 2009, a man walked into an aerobics class at an L.A. Fitness and started shooting, killing three women and injuring nine.

There are also regular incidents of community and street violence. Last month a gunman injured two women and killed a 15-month-old in the East Hills.

Collaborative Effort Helps Seniors Avoid Nursing Homes, ERs

Erika Beras — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:30:00 +0000

Community Health Centers Spared Sequester Cuts, But Worries Persist

Erika Beras — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:32:23 +0000

After Election, City Council Remains Essentially the Same

Erika Beras — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:41:02 +0000

In the fourth district, which represents Pittsburgh’s southern neighborhoods such as Beechview and Brookline, incumbent City Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak won against Johnny Lee.

Rudiak said she has spent the last four years building the foundation for the next four years.

“I look forward to working on a united front on the relationships I’ve been building with the state representatives and state senators and (the) county executive to really actualize on some of these projects,” she said.

Some of her plans involve revitalizing business districts.

With Sequester Cuts, Head Start Programs Dealt Abrupt Budget Blow

Erika Beras — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:36:10 +0000

On a recent Thursday morning, Antoinetta Lassiter is playing with roller skates she has just gotten for her fifth birthday. She’s in her Beechview home with her mother and grandmother, asking an endless stream of questions.

Her mother Melinda Lassiter said it's nice to have her home, but if things had gone as planned, her daughter would still be enrolled in her Head Start program.

"I went to pick her up from school, and the teacher told us the school was closing on the 19th of April … and that was kind of shocking actually," she said.

Unions Respond To Ravenstahl-Backed Ads Against Peduto

Erika Beras — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:02:49 +0000

Several dozen union members who supported Pittsburgh’s prevailing wage law gathered in the City County Building Thursday to denounce advertisements Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s PAC, Committee for a Better Pittsburgh, has taken out against mayoral candidate Bill Peduto.

Peduto supported the prevailing wage law, and union members feel he has been misrepresented in the ads.

Pittsburgh Marathon Medics Prepared For Not Just Sprains, But Trauma Too

Erika Beras — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:57:45 +0000

Medical professionals usually expect heat-related injuries, heart problems or sprains at the Pittsburgh Marathon. But following the bombings at the Boston Marathon, plans have been made for more extensive medical care.

There will be 400 medical professional volunteers from UPMC, including physicians, nurses and athletic trainers, on hand. That's about a hundred more than last year.

Commonwealth Court Denies Injunction to Stop State Health Centers from Closing

Erika Beras — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:57:46 +0000

The Commonwealth Court has denied an injunction to not close state health centers, according to the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, which represents public health nurses.

The Corbett administration is planning on closing or consolidating 26 state health centers. The Department of Health has said that closing centers would allow services to be streamlined and for staff to work in a more mobile capacity. State health centers provide services such as vaccinations and STD testing.

With New Licensing for Specialists, Concern About Impact in the Autism Community

Erika Beras — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:26:57 +0000

Behavior specialists in Pennsylvania who work with autistic children have a soon-approaching deadline to apply for licenses to keep doing their jobs. But parents and advocates say that the requirements and the process to apply are arduous.

When Act 62 passed, those in the autism community saw it as a victory. The 2009 legislation required private insurance companies to pay for services for those with autism — up to $36,000 a year. But it also required the Pennsylvania Department of State to license behavior specialists.

Redefining Asperger's: With a Diagnosis, Often Comes An Identity

Erika Beras — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 07:30:00 +0000

When the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is published next month, there will be several changes to psychiatric diagnoses.

Many of these changes are controversial — especially the one made to autism spectrum disorders.

Phil Garrow has Asperger's syndrome. It's what’s written on his medical chart. He says the social struggles that come with the diagnosis is why he hasn’t been able to hold down engineering jobs despite his proficiency in the field.

Attorneys Make Opening Arguments in Suit Challenging Act 80

Erika Beras — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 19:18:13 +0000

A panel of Commonwealth Court judges in Pittsburgh heard opening arguments Wednesday from attorneys challenging the way Act 80, a law that affected various human service programs statewide, was enacted by the Pennsylvania General Assembly last year.

The lawsuit Billie Washington vs. The Department of Public Welfare was filed last fall. Washington is a Philadelphia woman and one of more than 60,000 Pennsylvanians whose $200-a-month general cash assistance was eliminated as part of Act 80.

How to Talk to Kids About Traumatic Events

Erika Beras — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:04:09 +0000

For children who have seen the images of death and destruction and have heard the heartbreaking stories surrounding Monday’s terrorist attacks in Boston, there may be a lot of confusion and fear. They may wonder if they are safe, if their caregivers are safe and how this will affect their daily lives.

Jeff Magill, Project Coordinator for Emergency Management at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic at UPMC, said children’s responses will vary according to their age and the perspective in which they have been exposed.

Corbett Meets With Sebelius: No Decision Made on Medicaid Expansion

Erika Beras — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:03:36 +0000

Gov. Tom Corbett met with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday night to discuss, among other things, potential Medicaid expansion in the state.

Expanding Medicaid, the federal-state medical assistance program, would cover thousands more people in Pennsylvania. Part of the Affordable Care Act, governors have the option to decide if they will expand coverage in their states.

Corbett has said he won't because he doesn't think the state can sustain the costs of the program over time.

As Sequester Cuts Kick In, Hospitals to See Less Revenue from Medicare Payments

Erika Beras — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:59:34 +0000

Starting April 1, Medicare payments to hospitals, doctors and other health care providers will be reduced by 2 percent as sequestration cuts kick in.

These cuts come after a slew of other cuts and subsidy reductions for under- and un-compensated care in preparation for the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement the cut, reimbursing Medicare claims at 98 cents on the dollar. Medicare already reimburses less than most private health insurance plans.

In Pittsburgh, an Effort to Bring Down the Black Community's Infant Mortality Rate

Erika Beras — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:24:27 +0000

When Sarah Murphy found out she was pregnant, she was initially shocked.

"I didn’t think I would have kids, and then I ended up having him when I was 39," she said.

Her advanced age led to a medically complicated pregnancy. Her income wasn’t as high as she thought it should be to cover the associated costs.

And as the child of a black woman living in Allegheny County, Murphy’s baby was three times more likely than a white woman’s child to die before reaching his first birthday.

Pennsylvanians Eligible for Health Insurance Tax Credits

Erika Beras and Jared Adkins — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:07:39 +0000

A new report from Families USA, a nonprofit group that advocates on behalf of health care consumers, says that 896,000 Pennsylvanians will be eligible for new health insurance premium tax credits in 2014.

These tax credits will pay for health coverage under the terms of the Affordable Care Act. Families will no longer have to pay for more than a set percentage of their income for health coverage.

“The lower your income, the higher your tax credit subsidy,” said Ron Pollack, Director of Families USA, “so it's tailored to help the people who need it the most.”

Group Pushes for Sustainable Agriculture in Southwest Pennsylvania

Erika Beras — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:32:21 +0000

The PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center recently released a report on the economical and environmental benefits of sustainably produced, local agriculture. The organization also offered a blueprint of policies they hope state legislators will adopt and introduce in Pennsylvania.

The report, "Healthy Farms, Healthy Environment: State and Local Policies to Improve Pennsylvania’s Food System and Protect our Land and Water," highlighted programs, such as Vermont’s Farm to Plate Initiative, which pushed for developing sustainable agriculture methods.

In Pittsburgh Visit, NOW President Encourages Women to Pursue STEM Fields

Erika Beras — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 22:17:12 +0000

Terry O’ Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, was in Pittsburgh on Wednesday to tour STEM education facilities at Community College of Allegheny County, deliver a speech and participate in a panel discussion with women who work in STEM-related fields.

O’Neill said STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education is important not just for women but also for the competitiveness of the country.

Report: Pennsylvania Fails When It Comes to Hospital Transparency

Erika Beras — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:36:55 +0000

A new report out this week says Pennsylvania fails when it comes to making hospital fees transparent, resulting in patients not knowing what their hospital fees are until they are billed.

Pennsylvania, along with 28 other states, got an "F." Seven states got a "D." Only 2 states got an "A."

The report was compiled and released by The Catalyst for Payment Reform, a consortium of health care providers and the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute, a nonprofit that works to improve the affordability and quality of health care.

Lawsuit Filed on Behalf of PA Prisoners with Serious Mental Illness

Erika Beras and Erik — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:47:30 +0000

The Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Corrections on behalf of prisoners with serious mental illness alleging prisoners were not given adequate treatment in solitary confinement.

The lawsuit alleges the Department of Corrections violates the Eighth Amendment rights of prisoners with serious mental illness such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder by isolating them in solitary confinement and not offering them sufficient or proper treatment.

Corbett Proposal: Close State Health Centers, Save Millions

Erika Beras — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:54:43 +0000

As part of Governor Tom Corbett’s proposed 2013-2014 budget, about half of the state’s sixty health centers will be shuttering, consolidating or morphing.

A "Victory for the Working Poor"

Erika Beras — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:31:05 +0000

A day after a Commonwealth Court judge ruled that the Corbett administration has to spend tobacco settlement proceeds on health care programs such as adultBasic, plantiffs celebrated what they call a victory for the working poor.

AdultBasic, a health insurance plan, launched in 2002 for low-income people earning too much to qualify for Medicaid. Two years ago, when the Corbett administration cancelled the program, 41,000 people lost their health insurance coverage.