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Elizabeth Stoner

COVID-19 INTERRUPTED CHILDHOOD ROUTINES – INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH VISITS. FAMILIES TURN TO TELEHEALTH FOR CONTINUITY.

May 8, 2020 by Elizabeth Stoner

This article was originally published in the Pittsburgh Public Source.

By Meg St-Esprit

Pittsburgh Public Source

 

Before the pandemic, 9-year-old Landon Whitewood had a packed schedule that included Cub Scouts, swimming lessons, karate and hanging out with friends. Adopted from the foster care system as a toddler, his mothers Deb and Susan Whitewood of South Fayette have also prioritized time for trauma therapy through Three Rivers Adoption Council. He also participates in family-focused therapy and art therapy through Wesley Family Services three days a week.

When Pittsburgh began to shut down as it faced the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March, all of these activities ceased for the Whitewood family — except for therapy. They knew that it would be absolutely essential to have access to mental health services during an international crisis.

On March 15, the Pennsylvania Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services issued a memorandum urging all practitioners to switch to telehealth video appointments when possible. The office loosened requirements on HIPAA-compliant software, authorized telephone sessions where technology is not available and waived the requirement of periodic face-to-face sessions when using telehealth.

Landon’s parents reduced the number of hours of therapy per week to just two hours, delivered via telehealth.“When he’s not in crisis, he is receptive to the video. His attention span is really short, and so they work hard to engage him. It is much easier to take cues from a real person,” his mother Deb said.

Prior to the pandemic, telehealth was more common for adult patients, as therapy with children and adolescents is often play-based and interactive. Telehealth sessions due to social distancing have come with a learning curve for both families and practitioners.

A 2013 review study conducted by the Telemedicine Journal and E-health found virtual sessions to be effective across multiple settings for individuals spanning from children to geriatric patients, and improve access to care amid mitigating circumstances. A 2018 studythrough the University of Michigan School of Public Health corroborated these findings and noted that the majority of participants felt telehealth was vital to to continuity of care. In the past, many telehealth services weren’t covered by insurance — COVID-19 has removed that barrier.

Kori Shearer is a licensed professional counselor [LPC] with the Psychology and Learning Center in Monaca in Beaver County. She sees clients from a variety of backgrounds but specializes in teens with depression and anxiety, suicidal or self-injurious behavior, as well as LGBTQIA-related issues.

Shearer was worried at first about the ability to shift to virtual sessions, particularly for her younger clients. She has noticed, though, that these younger clients have been excited to show her their space — often their bedrooms. It has been useful for Shearer to see them in their home environments. “I give the child a choice to have their parent leave the room or remain for the session, and we bring the parent back in if needed,” she said. “This has always worked for my face-to-face sessions and it has worked well for telehealth, too.”

Shearer recommends parents and practitioners maintain as much normalcy and structure as possible for the sessions.

Similarly to Landon, 6-year-old Patton Manion of Mt. Lebanon had a packed social schedule prior to the onset of the pandemic. Routine and predictability are important to him, and the sudden loss of his school and familiar safe spaces hit him hard. His parents, Kara and Patrick Manion, are both public school teachers and are teaching remotely while also parenting Patton and his 3-year-old brother, Marlow. They knew that continuing his weekly therapy through the Center for Pediatric Neuropsychology in Mt. Lebanon would be key to managing this stressful transition. His therapist has been able to coach his parents remotely on how to help him manage the anxiety.

The pandemic reinforces the feeling for Patton that leaving the house is stressful or bad, his mother said, even if it’s for something he wants to do. His therapist is working on activities that teach him to manage emotions, matching the size of the reaction to the “size of the problem.” His parents give him tasks that he doesn’t prefer to do, such as chores, to help him work through the emotions around being asked to do something that is not his preference.

Stephanie Azarcon is a licensed clinical social worker for the Child and Family Counseling Center of Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC. Like Shearer, she had not been using telehealth prior to the pandemic. Her clients range from ages 3 to 22, and much of her work with younger children is Parent Child Interaction Therapy. This type of therapy is usually done with Azarcon coaching parents through a double-sided mirror as they interact with their child.

A virtual platform is a huge shift, but she has found the process to be effective over the last two months. She encourages parents to help set their child up for a productive session. They should review and prepare for the therapy session such as they would do on the car ride to the therapy appointment. They can discuss with their child what they want to get out of the session.

“Try to talk with them beforehand to explain the expectations of a virtual/video therapy session,” Azarcon said. “The more confined, the more focused they will be. You can still sit them on a yoga ball or let them fidget with things while doing therapy.”

Both Shearer and Azarcon are unsure if the state will continue to allow such flexibility to use remote services once life shifts back toward “normal,” but they both have seen a benefit in learning how to treat children remotely. Azarcon has been able to see behaviors occur in the home setting that she would not see in her office, such as conflict between siblings or oppositional and defiant behaviors. She is able to offer support to the parents in the moment instead of at a later time when discussing at the office.

Shearer added that she has had fewer missed sessions since she has been able to use telehealth. “At this point, insurance companies are covering services with the contingency that it lasts during the pandemic, so we may not be able to provide it with the same degree of availability for a bit,” Shearer said. “I think it would be fantastic to be able to provide both.”

Deb Whitewood also feels that the continuation of virtual sessions could be beneficial. It provides a way to maintain consistency even when life becomes unpredictable and serves as one more useful tool her son can have in his repertoire. “Would it be more helpful to have sessions in person? Yes,” Deb said. “But exposing him to telehealth at this stage is good; he will always have it in his backpack, so to speak.”

Meg St-Esprit is a freelance journalist based in Bellevue. She can be reached at megstesprit@gmail.com or on Twitter @MegStEsprit.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

HIGHLIGHTING THE HELPERS: FEEDING SENIORS – BODY AND SOUL

May 1, 2020 by Elizabeth Stoner

This article was originally published in the The Incline. 

By Colin Deppen

Deborah Trammell has been helping Allegheny County seniors for more than a decade. She’s never seen anything like this.

“They need food,” she told The Incline by phone. “It’s just a dearth of food.”

A longtime volunteer with the In Service of Seniors program, Deborah says this pandemic has upended supply lines and support systems. Demand for the program’s food delivery service has spiked. Social isolation has been compounded by social distancing and, for some seniors, new technological hurdles for medical appointments and services.

For many, this has been a crisis without the comfort of human contact. But volunteers like Deborah, a part-time real estate agent and full-time West Mifflin steelworker, remain human buoys for their senior participants, even if from afar.

“We’re only supposed to put the (food) items we deliver inside the front door or leave them on the porch. We ask (the participant) to stay in the other room, and almost all the time they want to draw you into conversation because you might be the only person they see for weeks.”Deborah added: “The hardest thing to not do now is hug somebody. Almost every time I would visit somebody or take them something before it was ‘Give me a hug’ as I left.”

Another program volunteer, Carol McCord, added: “I have been making calls to 17 seniors each week to check on them and assess their needs and well-being. … Some have many family members and friends that check on them and make sure they have what they need and others are not as fortunate. … They are definitely lonely and look forward to my calls. I will let them talk as long as they want.”

In Service of Seniors is a volunteer-based program from Wesley Family Services, and it provides “neighborly” support — normally this means rides to appointments, check-in calls, and accompanied shopping trips — free of charge to Allegheny County residents 60 and older. (These days the program is focused primarily on delivery and telephonic touchpoints.)

The 60-and-up demographic is at greater risk, both from COVID-19 and from the side effects of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Sarah Papperman, a team leader with In Service of Seniors, said during the pandemic the program has seen:

  • A 60 percent increase in phone intakes.
  • Food pantry deliveries increase from an average of <1 per week to an average of 16 per week.
  • Food access trips double from an average of 12.7 per week to an average of 24 per week.

Papperman said prior to the COVID-19 crisis, volunteers were visiting with an average of four participants per week by phone or in-person.

“We now have volunteers matched with 189 participants to make weekly check-in phone calls,” she added.

But the program’s volunteer numbers have also grown, with 46 added in the last month and a half.

For volunteers like Carol, who’s been with the program for over a year, the work is particularly rewarding: “You feel like you are making a contribution, and they are grateful beyond measure.”

Deborah recalled her start with the program more than 10 years ago.

“This isn’t a story I tell a lot of people, but at 57 I was baptized. And this work is my testimony. I woke up one day and said ‘What do I do with this gift?’ and I was spoken to and God said give back. That same day in the Post-Gazette there was an ad for In Service of Seniors and I called and that was it. … I’ve always loved older people. I had a bunch of aunts and uncles who lived into their 90s, and older people were just fun to be around — they were no-nonsense and I enjoyed being around them.”

Deborah continued: “Humans need humans. We have got to help each other. And if knowing a food delivery you made will keep someone going for two weeks or more … if that doesn’t bring you some joy, I don’t know what will.”

If you’re also interested in volunteering to help seniors through the In Service of Seniors program, head here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

WESLEY FAMILY SERVICES IS PROUD TO SUPPORT REP. DAN MILLER’S DISABILITY AND MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT

March 3, 2020 by Elizabeth Stoner

Pittsburgh, PA—State Representative Dan Miller (D-42) will host the annual Disability & Mental Health Summit on Tuesday, March 3 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. The Summit is free and open to the public. This year’s Summit is particularly special because 2020 marks the 30th Anniversary of passage of the Americans with Disability Act. This will be the seventh year Rep. Miller has hosted the Summit, which provides individuals, families, and professionals with access to the largest collection of disability and mental health resources in western Pennsylvania at any one time. The Summit will feature educational sessions, speakers, resource fair, a bipartisan legislative panel, and continuing education classes.

Link to Full Media Advisory

Filed Under: Uncategorized

WOMEN IN POLITICS: EVENT PROVIDES DISTINCTIVE NETWORKING, PHILANTHROPIC OPPORTUNITY

March 1, 2020 by Elizabeth Stoner

This article was originally published in the Observer-Reporter.
Observer-Reporter

They’re not exactly of the same generation, but Betty Copeland and Bethany Hallam have something in common that most of us never will experience.

Both are elected officials, with Copeland serving as Bridgeville Borough’s mayor and Hallam, half a century her junior, representing Allegheny County Council at large.

They joined a group including state legislators, school board directors and municipal leaders for a “Women in Politics” event hosted recently by South West Communities Chamber of Commerce as part of its ongoing Impactful Women program.

“Every time that we do an Impactful Women event, we pick a different topic that is a good topic for women: something you can learn from, something in which you might get to know people you would not in real life,” chamber executive director Mandi Pryor said. “Tonight, in the election year, I thought it would be great to kind of intermingle people from different areas, and our elected officials to get to know what’s going on in the region, get to know each other and maybe just figure out who’s on your ballot, because sometimes you just don’t know.”

Held at Bella Sera in Cecil Township, the event featured networking opportunities and what ostensibly was a 50/50 raffle. But those in attendance agreed that all the proceeds should go to Wesley Family Services, the beneficiary selected for the evening.

Heidi Buckley, Wesley’s senior manager for community engagement, provided some background about the nonprofit, which has locations in Washington and South Fayette Township, and operates the former Johnston School in Upper St. Clair.

“Wesley Spectrum and Family Services joined together about two years ago to be Wesley Family Services, which means that our growth has enabled us to help 30,000 clients,” she said. “We have 1,200 employees doing wonderful work in behavioral health and other areas.”

Those include aging services, justice and child welfare, community empowerment programs, foster care and adoption, and programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“We are the largest provider of autism services in the Western Pennsylvania area,” Buckley noted, “and very proud of that work that we do.”

Another nonprofit represented at the chamber event was She Deserves, with founder Susan Miller on hand to provide information about the organization’s efforts on behalf of survivors of domestic abuse.

“We help identify what their strengths are and help them build entrepreneurial skills based on their strengths, so that they can become financially self-sustainable,” she said. “What we see most common with all of these women is they give up control, and they have trouble gaining that control back. Once they get out that situation, they have to learn how to take control of their lives again.”

Launched in 2018, She Deserves offers four areas of programming focusing on empowerment, peer support, business development and business grants.

“We don’t give them money, but if they need a website of laptops, we can get that taken care of for them,” Miller said about the grant program, which operates through strategic partnerships with area businesses.

She Deserves serves women from the startup level to seasoned entrepreneurs.

“The most common that I’m seeing coming through the programs are women who already have businesses, but they’re struggling with their businesses because they have to go through the healing. They have to become empowered again. And so their businesses are suffering as a side effect of the trauma they’re going through,” Miller said.

“I’ve talked to women 35 years later who are still dealing with the trauma that they’ve gone through, and it continues to impair their lives and their businesses because they haven’t worked through those issues.”

For more information, visit Wesley Family Services at wfspa.org, She Deserves at shedeserves.yolasite.com and South West Communities Chamber of Commerce at southwestcommunitieschamber.org.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

WESLEY FAMILY SERVICES’ $18.2M COMPLEX IN NEW KENSINGTON ON TARGET TO OPEN AUGUST 1

February 25, 2020 by Elizabeth Stoner

This article was originally published in the Tribune Review.
By Kevin Smith
Tribune Review

Herb Hughes of New Kensington sees the positives of working on the Pioneer Apartments project in New Kensington.

It’s close to Hughes’ home, and the project by Wesley Family Services aims to inject life into the city’s business district.

The $18.2 million apartment building is being built on the site of a former parking lot, between 10th and 11th streets and Fourth Avenue and Cherry Alley. Mistick Construction is handling construction, and the apartments are on target for an Aug. 1 opening.

Stephen Christian-Michaels, chief strategy officer of Wesley Family Services, said the building will house 36 two- and three-bedroom apartments, with rent ranging from $200 to $800 a month, and nine apartments will be equipped for people with disabilities who qualify for federal Section 8 housing.

Wesley has received 185 applications for the regular apartments and 25 for the handicapped-accessible ones, according to Christian-Michaels.

Wesley Family Services also will move all of its staff from its New Kensington and Tarentum offices into the building. That will mean the move of between 80 and 100 employees to start. The plan is to expand that to 125 in the next seven years.

At Pioneer Apartments, Wesley Family Services will offer programs and services to the building’s residents and local residents.

Pioneer Apartments is funded largely through two tax credit programs — new market tax credits from the nonprofit Corporation for Supportive Housing and low-income housing tax credits through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Authority. It also received grant funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, as well as a no-interest loan from the housing finance authority.

Christian-Michaels said area workers were guaranteed jobs when the project was announced.

There are now more than five workers with ties to the Alle-Kiski Valley on site each day, according to Christian-Michaels.

“It’s beneficial to the project and having these local workers here is beneficial to the community,’’ Christian-Michaels said. “Mistick has done a great job getting all these people hired.

“We started this on May 26. It was a rainy June, but we have had perfect weather this winter and we should be right on target.’’

The effort to hire local workers and improve New Kensington has not gone unnoticed by Hughes.

“It’s long overdue to see a project like this in New Kensington,’’ he said.

Tuesday was Hughes’ third day on the job. He recently graduated from Triangle Tech, where he was trained in general contracting, drywall, plumbing and electrical work.

Another recent Triangle Tech graduate, Adrian Bell, grew up in New Kensington until ninth grade. He graduated from Kiski Area High School and now lives just past the Lincoln Beach neighborhood of Upper Burrell.

“It’s just five or 10 minutes away,’’ Bell said. “Having the ability to get a job here will help my career.’’

Wendell Green, also of New Kensington, is working with the plumbing crew.

“It’s a nice opportunity for us,’’ Green said. “You can get out, and it’s close by and easy to get to.’’

New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo said this is what was envisioned when the project came together. He said the addition of jobs was critical and fits in with the work being done by the Penn State New Kensington “Corridor of Innovation,’’ Knead Community Café and the Voodoo Brewery.

“It’s important to employ people here in New Kensington,’’ Guzzo said. “And it’s important to hire people from not only New Kensington, but from throughout the Alle-Kiski Valley.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized

TEENS VAPING DANGERS TOPIC OF NORTH HILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT’S UPCOMING TOWN HALL

February 24, 2020 by Elizabeth Stoner

This article was originally published in the Tribune Review.
By Tony LaRussa
Tribune Review

The North Hills School District will host a Town Hall meeting March 19 that will focus on the dangers teenagers face from vaping.

The program, which runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the North Hills Middle School auditorium, will feature a panel of experts from law enforcement and the medical community.

The schedule includes presentations from the Ross and West View police departments, District Judge Richard Opiela and other experts.

Allegheny Health Network pulmonologists Dr. Briana DiSilvio and Dr. Meilin Young will discuss the dangers of vaping and how it pertains to lung health.

Maggie Conrad of Wesley Family Services will do a presentation titled “A Stash Room Experience” that explores the places teens typically hide vaping devices and paraphernalia.

This is the third year the district has convened a town meeting to discuss issues of importance to the community. The first two town halls in 2018 and 2019 focused on the opioid epidemic.

The middle school is located at 55 Rochester Road in Ross Township.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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