Pitt Health Study Explores Disparities in LGBT Research

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on new research published today. The National Institutes of Health funded only a negligible number of studies researching the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people over more than two decades, according to an analysis led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Because of that, health […]

UPMC/Highmark – It’s a Catty New World

Friday night, our car was rear ended while we running some errands. No one was seriously hurt – it was just an accident. The car in front of us made a sudden right hand turn into a car dealership. We were able to stop, but the woman behind us was not. Most important, her son […]

Five Ways To Make Labor Day More Meaningful to the Average Person

Labor Day was officially established by Congress in 1894.  I’ve been thinking about its relevancy in today’s world – how does the FOP and the SEIU and Wal-Mart and UPMC tie together? So here are my thoughts on how Labor itself can help me understand.   First, educate us. I’d love to attend a Labor […]

Feeling Blue

I’ve been blue. It is medical in nature as most things are, but it has been exacerbated by real life situations. And my main coping/medical strategy is to “hang in there” until some med adjustments kick-in. I sleep a lot. I haven’t really been eating and I don’t have much to say. I try watching […]

Has the City of Pittsburgh Lost The Domestic Partner Registry?

What a ridiculous question. How can you lose a registry? So a few days ago, we were informed that we have less than 5 weeks to comply with an “employee dependent verification” audit conducted by a third party contracted through the City (City Council and the Mayor approved of this, unanimously.) These audits are used […]

Dear UPMC – I Am Not “Other”

I’ve been at UPMC Shadyside since 6 AM as Ledcat is having some routine procedures. Like many others, I awoke early, dealt with an already crowded parking garage and sent my better half off to “the back” with a wee bit of anxiety. Just another family member. Except UPMC says I’m not. According to their […]

Pittsburgh PrideFest 2014 and Beyond: Five Things to Consider

We were on 5th Avenue at 11 AM to line up for the Pride Awareness March and hung in until the very end of the day, trekking our way back to our car after 6. The march was terrific – we ended up at the bend where 5th turns into Liberty and so we had […]

Ignoring Our Neighbors – the Ultimate Cost

I don’t even have the right words to share this. This morning, a woman died in a fire in her own home. She was described as a “hoarder” and apparently her possessions created a nightmare scenario for firefighters who were unable to save her. That’s not the only tragedy. From WPXI: Neighbors told Channel 11’s […]