Children's Hospital Receives Safety Award

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh has received the Top Hospital Award from the Leap Frog group. The award goes to hospitals that demonstrate excellent patient safety records and who meet four critical guidelines that include the implementation of a computer program that monitors and ensures patient medications won't cause adverse reactions because of past medical history, allergies or multi medication reactions. The hospital was only one of seven chosen nationwide and was selected out of a pool of over 1,220 hospitals.

Tech Council Goes for a Ride

The Pittsburgh Technology Council is taking advantage of the Pittsburgh 250 Legacy Ride to promote the livability of the region to outsiders and to promote the depth of the technology Pittsburgh sector to the world. The Council has sent Jonathan Kersting on the Washington to Pittsburgh ride as a way to highlight one of the amenities of the region that might help to attract new companies and young workers. At the same time he is carting a slew of products from local tech companies in an effort to show their usability in the real world. Kersting is blogging about his trip. While on the trail he is also meeting with members of the media to show off the products and talk about the region’s tech sector. The ride ends Saturday in Point State Park.

Childrens Hospital Works To Stop Sudden Infant Deaths

In Allegheny County sudden unexplained infant death is the leading cause of death among infants, with African American families losing two thirds more infants than white families. Many of the causes of infant deaths are because of a lack of education on proper sleeping habits for infants. A baby must be placed on its back and have no pillows or stuffed animals in the crib with them. Also, infants should not sleep with their parents because of the risk of being smothered by the adult. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh along with the Allegheny County Health Department have teamed up in October to try and educate families on how to properly put to sleep an infant.

Grant Available For Low Income Families Who Struggle To Pay Utilities

The Dollar Energy Fund will start providing assistance to low income families who need help paying their utility bills on Wednesday, October 1st. The maximum amount of money available to a family in a single grant is $500 per utility so a family can receive up to $1,500 to pay for gas, electric, and water bills. Dollar Energy funds the grant program through a dollar for dollar match with participating utility companies. To qualify a family must be low income and in danger of losing their utility service or be without service.

Richard Louv Interview

Since the 2005 publication of "Last Child in the Woods", more research has come out about the important role of nature in child development. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the "No Child Left Inside Act". DUQ's Charlee Song talked with author Richard Louv when he was in Pittsburgh last week to address the International Urban Parks Conference.

Listen to the full-length story here.

Medicare's new policy takes effect

Medicare has stopped paying for treatment for hospital-acquired infections, taking effect today. The new policy is estimated to result in a $20 million savings for Medicare over the next year, according to Karen Folk Feinstein, CEO of the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative. She added that Medicare spent approximately $20 billion on such avoidable infections in 2007. Feinstein says it is the beginning of a new era, with commercial insurers and Medicaid offices in some states following suit. Medicare's goal is to improve patient care because hospitals are no longer getting paid for preventable conditions such as bed sores or urinary tract infections.

Pittsburgh increases cycling rank

In the annual American Community Survey, Pittsburgh ranked in the 11th cities in the country in 2007 for the percentage of city residents that commute by bike. The percentage went up from .8 percent in 2006 to 1.1 percent in 2007.

Scott Bricker, Executive Director of Bike Pittsburgh, thinks there are many reasons why more locals have been commuting by bike. These reasons include saving in gas money, being healthier and more green conscious, and easy commuting through Pittsburgh's dense neighborhoods. Bricker adds that bikes are also very stylish. "Bikes are the new black," he says.

Bricker says with Mayor Ravenstahl's biking initiatives to create more biking lanes and to place bike racks in the city will also bring increase rates in the future. With the mayor's initiatives and more investments, Bricker hopes for Pittsburgh to be a Top 5 biking city in the future.

According to the same survey, Pittsburgh remained in second place next to Boston with 12 percent of locals commuting by foot. Walking commuters also include people who use transit, because they technically walk for parts of their commute.

Audio Taping on School Buses Debated

Under current Pennsylvania wire tap laws you are able to videotape individuals but are not able to audio tape them without their consent. Exceptions have been made for police stops. The law says the prohibition on taping does not extend to locations where people do not have an expectation of privacy. There has been a debate for the last decade over weather that extends to school buses. District attorneys across the state have been weighing in on their level of willingness to file criminal complaints. Some say they will prosecute and others say they will not. However that does not speak to any civil suits that could be filed. State Rep Don Walko has introduced legislation in the house that would place a stipulation in the law that would allow for the use of audiotape along with videotape in school buses. However before it can be installed the school board must first give its approval, notify parents and students and post clear warnings on the bus. One operator testifying asked that his “hands be untied.” The state police say such a unifying law would also help their enforcement efforts. Walko says he has spoken to the ACLU and heard no objections.

Coal Conference Underway in Pittsburgh

The 25 annual International Pittsburgh Coal Conference kicked off Tuesday morning by focusing on coal’s potential impact on a looming power crisis, energy independence and greener energy. Carbon sequestration was the buzzword for many of the conference speakers. The department of energy has identified enough CO2 storage capacity in the US to hold 3 and a half trillion tons and Eastman Chemicals Vice President Gregory Nelson says their project using sequestration is helping lower demand for imported energy but eliminating the need for 10-20 million gallons of imported oil every year.
Other speakers noted technologies that reduce carbon emissions from coal-fired plants by more than 90-percent are available today but opposition to new coal fired plants is stronger than ever before. Others opined that wind, solar and other renewable sources cannot be brought on line fast enough to cover the nation’s growing demand. The conference continues through Thursday.

Ravenstahl Shines Light on Contracts

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has created the “Pittsburgh Contracting Best Practices Commission” with the charge tat it study the city’s contract and bidding system. The Mayor has filled it with not only members of the administration and city council but also executives from the private sector. He says it is important to have that third party prospective. Ravenstahl says this is not a result of the recent controversy involving contracts let by the urban redevelopment authority but he wants to make sure questions brought up then are not brought up again. Ravenstahl says he will implement all the recommendations from the commission even if it includes campaign donation disclosure rules similar to the ones that prompted him to veto a council bill earlier this year. Ravenstahl has already signed an executive order requiring a justification form to be filed out every time a contract is awarded and that the forms be posted on the Internet. The commission is expected to meet in the next 30 days and issues a report within 6 months. Ravenstahl says he hopes the commission will also look at ways to open the contract process to more new bidders including companies owned by minorities and women.