April 2019
In this month's edition:

  • DHS, Pitt child welfare partnership receives workforce excellence grant
  • Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids event (photos)
  • DHS strengthens partnerships with local universities through RFQ process
  • Stand Together (photos)
  • Kudos: Marc Cherna
  • Home visiting press conference (photo)
  • Research and reports

News articles are uploaded to the DHS website as soon as they become available. For the most up-to-date news, visit  DHS News online . 
DHS, Pitt child welfare partnership receives workforce excellence grant

The Department of Human Services (DHS) and University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work have been selected as one of eight partnerships nationally to take part in a new Workforce Excellence initiative through the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau . 
Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids event

DHS was one of several organizations that participated in PA Family Support Alliance’s Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids event on April 10. The event featured the planting of 4,693 blue flags along Grant Street to represent the number of Pennsylvania children hurt by abuse or neglect in the span of just one year; performances by students from Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School (CAPA); moving speeches from special guests; and a memorial to the lost children, which included a reading of the names of the 40 children who were killed as a result of child abuse and neglect in Pennsylvania in a year. Two local individuals were presented with the PA Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids award: Dr. Mary Carrasco, director of A Child's Place, and Kristen Glass, social worker at Jeremiah's Place.
DHS strengthens partnerships with local universities through RFQ process

Recently, DHS qualified a handful of local universities to participate in a university/government research partnership. The universities were selected through an RFQ process that was conducted last fall . 
Stand Together

Nearly 300 people attended the 2019 Stand Together recognition event on April 10 at the Heinz History Center. During the event, youth from 14 participating schools presented the innovative ways they have worked to decrease stigma around mental illness and substance use disorders in their schools. This year, 18 schools were trained through Stand Together: Allderdice High School, Avonworth High School, Creative and Performing Arts Academy, Linton (Penn Hills) Middle School, Montour High School, North Allegheny High School, Oakland Catholic High School, Perry High School, Propel-Braddock Hills High School, Science & Technology Academy, Shaler Area Middle School, Shaler Area High School, South Allegheny Middle School, South Park High School, Steel Valley Middle School, West Allegheny High School, West Mifflin High School, and Woodland Hills High School.
Kudos: Marc Cherna

Marc Cherna, DHS director, was recently honored with the African American Strategic Partnership (AASP) Leadership Award .
Home visiting press conference

Representatives from DHS, Allegheny County’s Department of Health, and nearly a dozen non-profit organizations joined state legislators to hold a press conference on March 29 to reveal evidence-based information regarding home visiting needs.
Research and reports

The following have been posted to the DHS Research and Reports website, www.alleghenycountyanalytics.us .

  • Arrest Trends in the City of Pittsburgh: Analysis of arrests over time provides valuable insights about a city and its changing crime trends and law enforcement policies. This series of three reports uses data from the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Allegheny County Data Warehouse to look at arrests since 2001 and the people who were involved.

  • Locations of Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Facilities in Allegheny County: This interactive dashboard displays information about the locations of licensed substance use and mental health treatment and support facilities located in Allegheny County. Users can search by type of provider (substance use, mental health, buprenorphine) as well as by license type, provider name and geographic location. Data comes from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and was current as of August 2018.
We welcome your story ideas, employee news and comments. If you’ve got news you’d like to see in DHS News, please contact Mark Bertolet at mark.bertolet@alleghenycounty.us or 412-350-3439.