Mayview Land Use

Although Mayview State Hospital closed last year, it was unsure what would happen to the 240 acres of land that the former mental institution once sat on. Last month, a task force came up with some recommendations, including putting the proceeds of the sale of the land towards services for members of the mental health community. We speak with the task force members.


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Casino May Bring With It Gambling Addictions

The Rivers Casino is scheduled to open on The North Side Sunday at noon.

With it will come over a thousand new jobs and millions in tax revenue. But many say that with it will also come an increase in pathological gambling.

We speak with a number of people about the possible effects of the casino in Pittsburgh and how casinos have affected other areas.

Listen to the story here.

Infant Mental Health Conference

Chatham University will host its first Annual Infant Mental Health Conference this weekend at its Shadyside Campus.

The conference hopes to bring attention to the need for intervention during the formative early years of life and to promoting the social and emotional well-being of infants and families.

The University has an interdisciplinary Infant Mental Health Certificate Program.

The conference will bring together specialists in the field from across the state.

Hill District Behavioral Health Inititiative

An initiative in The Hill District is using clergy to address mental illness. The initiative started in 2007. It borrows from systems already in place but in many ways is a model for addressing behavioral health challenges in the black community.

It trains pastors, priests and imams to identify mental health disorders and to build referral relationships with medical providers.

Listen to a longer version of the story here.

Mayview State Hospital Closure

The state is continuing to work to secure jobs for some of the remaining employees at Mayview State Hospital, which is slated to close December 31. Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman announced in August of 2007, that the hospital would be closed to transition to more community-based services for people living with mental illness. Most of the residents have been moved to group homes, public housing or with family. But Stacy Witalec, a spokesperson for the department, says between 30 to 40 patients will remain on the grounds possibly until the end of February or March. They will be in a long-term structured residence that will be staffed and fully-owned and operated by an outside provider. She says the state was still working to finalize the provider.

State Senator John Pippy of Moon Township is the co-chair of the Mayview Land Reuse Task Force. Their job is to find the best use of the more than 300 acres that the hospital sits on in Allegheny County. He says it's going to take some time to make sure that it's consistent with what the municipalities want to see done in the area.
He would like to see proceeds of the sale of the land go to a special fund to offset transitional costs and mental health needs of the patients and their families.

Senator Pippy says some of the land is environmentally sensitive with stream beds and steep slopes. He believes there will be a list of recommendations that talk about minimizing the environmental impact and protecting some of the resources while still allowing for a top quality mixed use development.

The Mayview Land Reuse Task Force has been meeting over the past few months. Senator Pippy says their next meeting is January 14th at Mayview. He says the website MayviewLandReuseTaskforce.com has information that's been compiled from the sessions and notices of future meetings. He says it's updated regularly.