UPMC announced a $2 billion plan last week to build three specialty hospitals focused on cancer; vision and rehabilitation; and heart and transplants. The new facilities, to be built on or near the campuses of current UPMC sites, are part of President and CEO Jeffrey Romoff's plan to make UPMC "the Amazon of health care." The announcement came two weeks after the Allegheny Health Network announced its own $700 million expansion plan.
Ben Schmitt, reporter for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Tim Schooley of the Pittsburgh Business Times discuss the implications of a new hospital boom on the region.
Coming up next…
Less than six weeks after 59 people were killed during a Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas, another mass shooting hit in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Sunday. NPR reporter Wade Goodwyn covered the attack—his latest in a long string of mass shooting coverage from Columbine to Fort Hood. We talk to him about the difficulty and sensitivity of reporting on violence and question what the recent frequency of mass shootings says about the country.
Reporter Megan Guza with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review joins next to talk about how protection from abuse orders affect domestic violence victims and how Pennsylvania legislation could affect current and future survivors.
In 2016, more than 38,000 new PFA applications were filed across the state, but in some cases, the orders are not enough. In September, University of Pittsburgh student Alina Sheykhet was granted a PFA against Matthew Darby three days before he allegedly murdered her.
And finally…
Tuesday was an off-year election in Pennsylvania, but some of the results could have implications beyond just the particular race. From the fight for a state supreme court seat to the uncontested run for mayor, to a call from the City Paper editorial board for the impeachment of Trump—what will the election mean for the 2018 contests?
We talk through Tuesday's results with New York Post reporter and columnist Salena Zito, investigative reporter for The Caucus Mike Wereschagin and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Chris Potter.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s weekly news program. Each week, reporters, editors and storytellers join veteran journalist and host Kevin Gavin to take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region.
Find more episodes of The Confluence here.
