Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The following is a statement from Bruce A. MacLeod, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and a practicing emergency medicine physician from Pittsburgh. Dr. MacLeod’s statement is made in response to research on Pennsylvania and heroin use. Today, Senator Gene Yaw (R-23) and the Center for Rural PA Board released findings from four public hearings that researched heroin abuse in Pennsylvania. The findings confirm what many strongly believed – Pennsylvania has a growing problem that’s at an epidemic level. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet to solve this problem, and it will take great effort of many individuals and organizations. Closely related to the heroin epidemic is prescription drug abuse, which also can no longer be ignored. Two years ago, the Pennsylvania Medical Society started its “Pills for Ills, Not Thrills” campaign to raise awareness of prescription drug abuse. Since then, our organization has been at the forefront of projects that can make a d...

Dr. Livingston Alexander, president of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, has been appointed to the board of directors for the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. Alexander will represent the University of Pittsburgh, a role that had previously been filled by Dr. Robert Pack, who is retiring from the university as vice provost for academic planning and resources management. The center is the second oldest state-level rural research policy center in the nation. It is a bipartisan legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The center works with various government groups and organizations to maximize resources for Pennsylvania’s 3.4 million rural residents. In part, it sponsors research projects, collects data on trends in rural Pennsylvania and publishes information and research results about diverse people and communities in rural Pennsylvania. The group is led by Pennsylvania ...