Venuri Siriwardane

Allegheny County’s adoption of assisted outpatient treatment, or AOT, has some mental health experts worried about coercion and overreliance on medication, but the county says it has safeguards in place and an advisory group in the works. On Jan. 1, the c... See more

When care is compulsoryAllegheny County’s 302s, the push for AOT and the debate over involuntary treatment Allegheny County will use a controversial legal tool for involuntary mental health care in the community starting Jan. 1, according to a letter coun... See more

Savannah Kerns, an 11-year-old sixth grader, struggles with social anxiety. Crowds overwhelm her. “I feel like if I get something wrong, people laugh at me,” she said. Kerns recently transitioned from elementary school to Pleasant Hills Middle School in t... See more

Nearly 40 people — many of whom are HIV-positive — gathered for a meal in a former Methodist church in Bloomfield Friday evening. Some had just attended a support group in an activity room that used to be the church’s nave, where a large sign that read, “... See more

As the Trump administration makes big changes to established vaccine policies , local public health officials and health care providers have become the last line of defense against federal actions they say are sowing confusion and throwing up barriers to ... See more