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In the News

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PITTSBURGH (January 19, 2026) – McAuley Ministries, the grant-making foundation of Pittsburgh Mercy, is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Sister Susan Welsh Good Neighbor Award: Erikka B. Grayson and Belinda “Ms. Bee” Upsher.

Established in 2019, the award honors residents of Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Uptown, and West Oakland, the three communities historically served by the Sisters of Mercy and now envisioned as the Mercy Corridor. The award recognizes individuals who exemplify what it means to be a “good neighbor” through volunteerism, community organizing, and acts of kindness. Each year, two honorees are selected – one young adult (ages 18-39) and one adult (ages 40 and over) [read full release].

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Photo by Markus Winkler from Pexels

The Venango Training & Development Center, Inc. is pleased to announce that Joanne McGuire has been appointed Chief Program Officer for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD).

With over 20 years of experience in both direct care and management within the special needs field, Joanne brings a broad range of professional and programmatic expertise to her new role. After spending 14 years as a co-owner and program operator of an IDD residential program, she joined VTDC in 2022.

As a testament to her dedication to the individuals VTDC serves, Joanne chose to return to her roots in direct care, beginning her tenure at VTDC as a Community Employment Program Specialist. In this role, she supported individuals with intellectual, mental health, and physical disabilities in obtaining competitive employment through personalized coaching supports.

VTDC quickly recognized Joanne’s strengths and leadership abilities. Over the past four years, she advanced through several supervisory positions that capitalized on her organizational, programmatic, and administrative skills.

In response to the evolving landscape of the human services field, VTDC recently reorganized to enhance support for its IDD and employment programs. As part of this initiative, the position of IDD Chief Program Officer was created within the Executive Management Team.

VTDC is excited to welcome Joanne into this leadership role and looks forward to her continued collaboration with the community to ensure high-quality programming, stability, and growth.

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On January 28, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14187 (Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation), directing federal agencies to cut off federal funding and support for gender-affirming care for people under age 19, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgery.

On December 18, 2025, health officials from the Trump administration announced several additional policy changes that, if finalized, will have the effect of essentially banning gender-affirming care for transgender young people, even in states where it remains legal.

One rule would prohibit Medicaid from covering any medical care provided to transgender patients younger than age 18 and prohibit reimbursement though CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) for gender-affirming care for patients under 19.

Additionally, all Medicare and Medicaid funding would be blocked for any services at hospitals that provide pediatric gender-affirming care. This means that hospitals and doctors that perform gender-affirming care on minors will have to forgo federal Medicare and Medicaid funding under the new proposed rules. Virtually every hospital in the country relies on this funding, so the rule would have a wide-ranging impact and could likely make gender-affirming care inaccessible nationwide.

The proposed rules would exclude gender dysphoria not caused by physical impairment from civil-rights health care protections, reducing legal safeguards against discrimination in medical care.

This multi-pronged plan from DHS is part of the Trump Administration’s efforts to limit gender-affirming care, and if finalized, could have a profound impact on care delivery for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.

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