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Authors Posts by Sharon Militello

Sharon Militello

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As communications director, Sharon Militello is responsible for the design, development, and maintenance of the association website and social media pages; editing and preparation of communications; preparing and running webcasts; cultivating media relations; and maintaining relationships with technology support vendors.

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Warfel Construction: A Trusted Partner for Behavioral Health Providers

At Warfel Construction, we specialize in creating spaces that promote healing, care, and community. With over 113 years of experience, we have built a reputation for excellence in the construction industry, delivering high-quality projects across a wide range of sectors, including health care, education, commercial, and more. Proudly serving clients in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and surrounding areas, our team is committed to providing tailored, client-focused services that ensure the success of each project from start to finish.

A Proven Leader in Behavioral Health Projects

We are proud to have worked on over 500,000 square feet of behavioral health space, collaborating with top-tier organizations like Acadia Healthcare and Penn Medicine. Our expertise spans a variety of behavioral health settings, including inpatient and outpatient facilities, addiction treatment centers, mental health treatment environments, and rehabilitation spaces. At Warfel, we understand the unique requirements of behavioral health construction and design, and we are dedicated to providing safe, functional, and supportive spaces for both patients and providers.

Supporting Multi-location Clients & Comprehensive Facilities Management

Warfel’s capabilities extend beyond the initial build. Many of our clients have multiple locations, from group homes to larger behavioral health facilities. Our Facilities Management team offers consistent, reliable service as dedicated team leaders who understand your building and business needs. We provide tailored preventative maintenance plans and schedule routine visits to ensure prompt repairs through our dedicated software, ensuring that your spaces are always functioning optimally. Additionally, Warfel is equipped to handle renovations, many of which are managed internally, making us a one-stop solution for ongoing facility needs.

Building Relationships That Last

Our mission, Clients for Life, speaks to our commitment to providing exceptional service and support throughout every project’s lifecycle. Our team upholds fundamental values of honesty, integrity, accountability, initiative, and teamwork in every endeavor we undertake. We remain continually focused on nurturing our existing Clients for Life relationships and building new ones.

Excited to Partner with RCPA in 2025

As we embark on our partnership with the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) in 2025, we are thrilled to support their mission of advancing the quality of care and services provided by Pennsylvania’s behavioral health and rehabilitation providers. By joining forces with RCPA, we look forward to connecting with their network, exchanging ideas, and contributing to the ongoing success and growth of the behavioral health community. Together, we will continue to build spaces that foster positive outcomes and better serve individuals in need of care.

We are excited for the opportunity to collaborate with RCPA and its members to improve the landscape of behavioral health services in our communities. We look forward to supporting your mission and working together to build a healthier future.

For more information, visit our website at www.warfelcc.com, or reach out directly to Colleen Lynn, Director of Client Experience, to discuss how we can partner on your next behavioral health project.

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Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

Philadelphia, PA – December 17, 2024 – COMHAR Inc. Board of Directors announced that Trapeta B. Mayson has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Office (CEO) of the agency. The Board held an Executive Session, in which they unanimously voted to remove the interim tag from Trapeta B. Mayson and make her the Chief Executive Officer, effective December 16, 2024. As an experienced human service leader, Trapeta’s career spans over 25 years across nonprofit, government, and civic sectors. Trapeta’s appointment is historic as the first woman and first African American to hold the role of CEO at COMHAR [read full release].

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The Board of Directors of Martha Lloyd Community Services is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Janilyn Elias as its new President/CEO. Dr. Elias comes to MLCS with many years of leadership experience, mainly in the public education sector, most recently as a school superintendent. She also has extensive experience in the special education arena. Her tenure will begin on January 13, 2024.

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PITTSBURGH (December 17, 2024) – Pittsburgh Mercy, one of the region’s largest social service nonprofit organizations serving more than 18,000 vulnerable individuals annually, a member of Trinity Health, and serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, today announced two appointments to its 2025 Board of Directors: Denise R. Hughes, director of Public Relations at UPMC Health Plan, and Paul K. Rudoy, a tax partner at H2R CPA.

Each will serve a three-year term, effective January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027.

Rudoy served for over 20 years and Hughes served for three years on the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors. Bethlehem Haven became part of Pittsburgh Mercy and its award-winning homeless services continuum of care in 2016.

“We are thrilled to have Denise and Paul join the Pittsburgh Mercy Board. Having a strong, deeply committed, and diverse group of trustees who have hearts for our Sisters of Mercy legacy and tradition of service to the most vulnerable is core to our mission and who we are as an organization,” stated Tony Beltran, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Mercy. “In addition to bringing their own unique talents and expertise, as legacy members of the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors, Denise and Paul also will bring valuable perspectives to help our Board ensure the continued growth and success of our health ministry, our revered mission, and our renowned tradition of service to the most vulnerable in our community.”

Hughes brings to the Pittsburgh Mercy Board more than 20 years of experience and expertise as an award-winning, senior-level marketing and public relations professional in nonprofit and for-profit corporate communications. She currently leads all facets of public relations strategy for UPMC Health Plan, one of the nation’s fastest growing health plans, including public and media relations, content creation, and crisis communications. Before joining UPMC Health Plan, Hughes previously held management-level marketing-communications positions at Westinghouse Electric Company and Peoples Natural Gas and served as a communications consultant to The McCreary Group.

In addition to her service to the Pittsburgh Mercy Board and her former service on the Bethlehem Haven Board, Hughes is a board member and treasurer of the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania and a member of the Public Relations Society of America.

Hughes is the recipient of numerous business and health care marketing communications industry awards, including PR Daily’s Nonprofit PR Awards (2021, 2024), a Ragan’s PR Daily’s Social Media & Digital Awardee (2023), and a graduate of The Advanced Leadership Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program (2023).

Hughes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications at Carlow University, founded by the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy, and a Master of Science degree in leadership with a concentration in business ethics at Duquesne University.

Hughes resides in Cranberry Township, Pa.

Rudoy, who is a certified public accountant (CPA), a personal financial specialist (PFS), and a licensed life insurance and annuities agent, has more than 30 years of experience in tax, strategic consulting, and estate and succession planning for individuals and closely held businesses. He spends most of his professional time devoted to growth strategies, succession planning, tax and investment matters, and business consulting services.

Rudoy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting at Pennsylvania State University.

He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), where he served as past president and a member of the State Taxation Committee.

In addition to his past service as treasurer and a board member on the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors, Rudoy is also past president of the Pittsburgh Glass Center Board of Directors.

He also serves as treasurer of the Jewish Residential Foundation Board and a board member of the North American Board – MGI Association.

Rudoy and his family reside in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.

With the appointments of Hughes and Rudoy, the 2025 Pittsburgh Mercy Board of Directors and officers are:

Mark D. Gibbons, CPA (Chairperson)
Audit Partner, Assurance Service Practice Leader
Urish Popeck & Co., LLC

Tony Beltran, MBA (Secretary)
President & CEO
Pittsburgh Mercy

Rhonda N. Curry
Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Gateway Health Plan

Jaime C. Dircksen
Vice President, Community Health & Well-Being
Trinity Health

Denise R. Hughes
Director of Public Relations
UPMC Health Plan

Robert A. James, JD, MBA, MHA
Chief Diversity & Strategic Growth Officer
CGT Staffing

Sister Diane Matje, RSM, RN, MSN
Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy

Manzoor Mohideen, PhD
Director of Clinical Trial Operations, Academic Research Center for Hematology, Section of Benign Hematology, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Visala S. Muluk, MD
Director of Medicine
Pittsburgh Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center

Suresh C. Ramanathan
President & CEO
KORYAK

Paul K. Rudoy, CPA/PFS
Partner
H2R CPA

Jared S. Weiner
Chief Financial Officer, Western PA Hospital Division
UPMC

Olga Ziegler
Vice President, Revenue Program Management
Highmark Health Inc.

Editor’s note: Color headshots of Denise R. Hughes and Paul K. Rudoy accompany this release. Kindly credit: Photos courtesy of Pittsburgh Mercy.

About Pittsburgh Mercy

Pittsburgh Mercy is one of the largest community health and social service providers and employers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We offer help – and hope – to 18,000 of our community’s most vulnerable in 60+ locations:

  • People who have complex behavioral and physical health challenges.
  • People who have intellectual and developmental disabilities
  • People who are experiencing homelessness
  • People who need wrap-around services to live safe, healthy, and well in the community.

We are the largest Integrated Community Wellness Center (ICWC) in Pennsylvania and the only one in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We are a five-time awardee of Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) expansion grants. Pittsburgh Mercy is a member of Trinity Health, serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy. Our mission is to be a compassionate and transforming, healing presence within our communities. To learn more about Pittsburgh Mercy or to donate in support of its important work in the community, please visit www.pittsburghmercy.org. Follow Pittsburgh Mercy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.

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    A message from TrueNorth Wellness Services:

    TrueNorth Wellness Services is excited to share that its senior directors have been selected for two different poster presentations at National Council’s NatCon in May! Cori Reed and Erin Glenn will be presenting Connecting Communities: Unique Collaborations in the Keystone State. Michelle Shearer and Cori Reed will be presenting Sitting in the Discomfort: A Tool for Professional Growth and Development. We are proud to see our leaders sharing their expertise on a national level, and encourage you to check out their presentations if you attend the conference.

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    Article reprinted with permission from OPEN MINDS. To sign up for a free OPEN MINDS news feed on https://www.openminds.com/market-intelligence/, go to https://www.openminds.com/membership/.

    November 18, 2024 | Monica E. Oss

    Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved New Hampshire’s Medicaid state plan amendment for community-based mobile crisis intervention teams to provide services for people experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis (see CMS Approves New Hampshire’s Request to Provide Essential Behavioral Health Services Through Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams). The agency also approved a similar crisis program in Maryland (see State Plan Amendment (SPA) #: 24-0021). In January, Alabama also commenced a CMS-funded crisis mobile service (see Alabama Adds Medicaid Mobile Crisis Services) [read full article].

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    A Texas federal judge has struck down a US Department of Labor rule that would have expanded overtime eligibility to four million new workers. The new rule, which began July 1, was issued under the Biden administration and tweaked the test used to determine whether a worker should be subject to an exemption to overtime pay requirements.

    Judge Sean D. Jordan of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted summary judgment against the rule Friday, finding that it went beyond the agency’s authority and exceeded its statutory jurisdiction.

    The decision is a win for the State of Texas and a coalition of business groups who sued over the rule, arguing that the policy would drastically increase payroll costs for employers, resulting in fewer jobs and fewer shifts for workers. This order now applies nationwide.

    Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, certain “white-collar” workers can be exempt from overtime pay requirements if they are salaried, make more than a certain amount each year, and work in a “bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity.”

    The new Biden rule updated the salary portion of the test so that workers making less than $58,656 a year would be automatically eligible for overtime pay any time they worked more than 40 hours a week. It also would update that salary threshold every three years.

    The DOL said the rule was necessary to ensure the lowest earning workers were being properly paid for their time.

    Ultimately, the court found that the overtime rule set the salary piece of the test so high it made other pieces of the analysis irrelevant, like the consideration of a worker’s job duties. That same legal argument was used by Eastern District of Texas to sink an Obama-era DOL rule in 2017, that similarly sought to expand overtime pay eligibility to more workers.

    The court ruling landed just weeks before the second and largest phase of the rule was due to take effect on Jan. 1.

    The first phase of the rule, which went into effect July 1, increased the salary threshold for overtime eligibility to $43,888 from its current $35,568. That number was then scheduled to go all the way up to $58,656 in the new year.

    RCPA will continue to apprise members of any updates related to the FLSA overtime regulation as more details emerge, including potential retroactivity as well as responses from the Federal Department of Labor and State entities.

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