Articles

  • 1 month ago | publicsource.org | Venuri Siriwardane

    Some new members of an Allegheny County board — which advises officials on services for some of the county’s most vulnerable residents — are asking tough questions about the county’s exploration of a controversial tool for involuntary mental health treatment. Members of the county’s Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Advisory Board — who were confirmed by County Council last month — officially met for the first time Wednesday. The previous members’ terms expired in 2023.

  • 1 month ago | publicsource.org | Venuri Siriwardane

    Allegheny County is on the brink of implementing a controversial type of involuntary mental health treatment, but it has few lessons to learn from other Pennsylvania counties. The majority have opted out of implementing the state’s law for assisted outpatient treatment [AOT] — a legal mechanism for involuntarily providing treatment in the community, often including medication, to people with serious mental illness.

  • 1 month ago | publicsource.org | Venuri Siriwardane

    After years of opting out, Allegheny County could soon adopt a controversial type of involuntary mental health treatment that takes place in the community instead of a hospital. The move sparked joy among some local advocates, who have long decried “dangerousness” as a standard for commitment, and fury among others, who point to the harms caused by forced psychiatric care.

  • 1 month ago | voiceofalexandria.com | Venuri Siriwardane |Maddy Franklin

    The shock of a Trump administration policy that would slash federal research funding is giving way to pain in Pittsburgh, with expected layoffs and career paths in jeopardy. A Feb. 7 memo, reportedly drafted by administration officials, said the National Institutes of Health would cap indirect costs -- funding for research operating expenses -- at 15% across all grants for research institutions.

  • 2 months ago | yahoo.com | Stephanie Strasburg |Venuri Siriwardane

    Lavier Pounds, a volunteer with TransYOUniting, of the North Side, rallies the crowd in the rain outside UPMC’s Downtown headquarters as they call for UPMC to reinstate gender-affirming care for people under 19, on Thursday, April 3, 2025. “It’s okay to be ourselves," said Pounds. "I’m here to help us uprise." (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)This article first appeared on PublicSource and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Journalists covering the same region

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Mark Hofmann

Reporter at Herald Standard

Mark Hofmann primarily covers news in the Pittsburgh region, Pennsylvania, United States and surrounding areas.

Hunter Muro's journalist profile photo

Hunter Muro

Writer at Freelance

Hunter Muro primarily covers news in the Greater Pittsburgh area including parts of western Pennsylvania, United States.

John Hayes's journalist profile photo

John Hayes

John Hayes primarily covers news in the Pittsburgh area, including surrounding regions in Pennsylvania, United States.

Greg Wohlford's journalist profile photo

Greg Wohlford

Photojournalist at Erie Times-News

Greg Wohlford primarily covers news in Western Pennsylvania and parts of West Virginia, United States.

Julie Grant's journalist profile photo

Julie Grant

Managing Editor at The Allegheny Front

Julie Grant primarily covers news in the western Pennsylvania region, including areas around Pittsburgh and surrounding counties, United States.