On today’s episode of The Confluence: We find out how some disciplinary hearings have been going since the Allegheny County of Port Authority’s vaccine mandate took effect for employees; a decade after a gunman opened fire at Western Psychiatric Hospital, we speak to the program manager of the County Office of Violence Prevention about how violence is a public health concern; and we preview a new podcast from WESA, inspired by a project to answer listeners' good questions.
Four Port Authority workers fired last Friday due to vaccine mandate as service outages continue
(0:00 - 7:05)
Port Authority fired four employees last Friday for refusing to comply with the agency’s vaccine mandate. Six employees also chose to retire, and, as of the end of last week, 340 were on paid leave pending disciplinary hearings.
Prior to the mandated deadline, 80% of Port Authority workers were vaccinated.
“In the few days following its implementation, it jumped to nearly 90% as people came forward with their documentation, or went and got the first dose of a vaccine or found a Johnson & Johnson shot,” says WESA senior reporter Margert J. Krauss.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85, which represents Port Authority workers, encouraged its members to get vaccinated. But the union also said Port Authority should come to the bargaining table.
“The vaccine mandate was not negotiated, whereas all these other COVID responses have been over the last nearly two years, and they find that unacceptable,” says Krauss.
The mandate has caused service delays with some operators being on leave or protesting the mandate. Riders have expressed some frustration, and in response, the Port Authority is offering free fares through Sunday, March 27.
“Some people were like, people can ride the bus without being vaccinated, so why does the driver have to be vaccinated? Why are they losing their job?” says Krauss. “People were very frustrated to be passed up, to be late to work, all that normal stuff. But, also are just kind of like, this is now the world we live in. There was sort of a fatalistic feeling about it.”
How CURE Violence model treats violence ‘like an epidemic’
(7:10 - 14:59)
Ten years after a gunman opened fire at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, which left one dead and injured several others, UPMC Western Behavioral Health is hosting a conference about violence prevention, intervention, and recovery.
One of the presenters is Ross Watson, Program Manager of the Allegheny County Health Department’s Office of Violence Prevention, and the Site Director of CURE Violence Allegheny County.
“CURE Violence model is a public health approach to violence, [it] looks at violence as a contagious disease” says Watson. “You treat violence like an epidemic.”
The program relies on violence interrupters, individuals who attempt to prevent and de-escalate conflicts in a community. Watson explains these interrupters are members of the communities they work in because they need buy-in from their neighbors to do the work.
To determine which communities to prioritize, Watson says he looks at statistics on homicides and shootings both in Pittsburgh and outside the city limits.
“So in Allegheny County, we looked and [saw] that Wilkinsburg, a 2.3 mile radius, relatively 15,000 residents, had the highest rate out of all other communities throughout the county,” he says. Other communities Watson’s office focuses on include Braddock, North Braddock, Rankin, and parts of Homewood.
Watson says he wants those attending his presentation to better understand the work his team is doing in the region.
“They put their lives on the line every time that they step outside,” he adds. “This is not a standard nine to five job. This is a 24/7 hours a day job, 365 days. No real days off.”
WESA launches its new Good Question! podcast
(15:02 - 22:30)
WESA is launching a new podcast this week called Good Question! based on WESA’s long running Good Question! Series. The podcast is hosted by Katie Blackley, digital editor and producer, and answers listeners’ questions about Pittsburgh trivia and curiosities.
The show started in 2017 after the station began using Hearken, an online community engagement system. Blackley says the station has received more than 900 questions, and so far, has answered almost a hundred of them.
Blackley says some questions have stumped her.
“Someone asked what the weight of Pittsburgh is, and that is hard to answer,” she says. “We’ve gotten a question about this overturned boat on the Allegheny River that you can kind of see from 21st Street in the Strip District. You can see it on the other side. I don't think anyone's ever found the answer to that question.”
The first season of the podcast will focus on quintessentially Pittsburgh topics, such as the local accent, the inclines, and the 90 distinct neighborhoods that make up the city.
“Hopefully, we'll do another season, but we're going to keep answering questions regardless of if they're in a podcast,” says Blackley.
Good Question! is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
