Pittsburg, PA
UPMC dropping mask mandate tomorrow
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Masks will no longer be required inside UPMC facilities, starting tomorrow.
In a note provided to employees, UPMC says that as there has been a decreased risk of transmission of COVID-19, the flu, and RSV, masks will be optional inside patient-accessible areas of clinical facilities, but will still be encouraged to be worn.
In late December, UPMC had required masks to be worn.
UPMC says that the requirements will be reinstated if transmission of the viruses increases again in the future and that staff members will be given advanced notice of any new mandates.
Staff members who did not get a flu shot for the 2023-24 season will be required to wear a mask through the end of the flu season.
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Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh postal worker goes above and beyond to return a lost wallet | On A Positive Note
It’s something most people have experienced at one time or another: losing your wallet.
With so much in our wallets, IDs, credit cards, and even cash, going through the hassle of replacing all of that can be a massive headache.
Just a few days ago, in Coraopolis, a wallet was lost while the piles of snow still covered the ground, meaning the wallet truly could’ve been anywhere.
Thanks to the effort and spirit of one U.S. Postal Service worker going above and beyond, this lost wallet found its way home.
At 25, Bruce Armah is a new postal worker, and when he found a wallet buried in the snow on a frigid winter morning, he tucked it away until he could look for an ID card or anything with an identifying address.
After he finished his workday, on his own time, he got into his car and began driving to the address.
“It was my father’s good deeds,” Armah said. “If you find someone’s property, and you return it. He lost his wallet, and someone returned it to him, so I was just returning the favor. I was happy to return the wallet.”
However, the story doesn’t end with Armah pulling up to the house and returning the wallet. Once he arrived, he learned the owner of the wallet had moved away – and not just a few blocks away.
The owner of the wallet lives in McDonald, and so Armah drives there, because that’s what his father would’ve done.
Armah then finds the new address and knocks on the door. That’s when Matt Bryan came to the door, knowing his wife was sick over losing her wallet somewhere earlier that day.
“There was $100 cash in there, credit cards, ID, healthcare cards,” Matt recalled. “He wanted nothing in return; he just said it was the right thing to do.”
In all, Armah drove from Coraopolis to Clinton, to McDonald, and to Ambridge, 52 miles in total, on his own time, in his own car, making his father proud as well as his fellow postal workers.
“They’ve got 8,000, 9,000 deliveries, and they’re walking 13 miles per day, then they get put on overtime, which is another two hours, and another five miles every day, so at the end of the day, they’re pretty spent,” said Thomas Redlinger, a safety specialist at USPS. “With the weather, I know we’re getting a bad rap right now, but with the weather, I think we’re doing a tremendous job.”
Armah is a quiet mail carrier who did this all on his own and told no one about it.
Matt Bryan, however, told a postal worker friend, who told another, and another, until it ended up becoming a legend.
“I was complimenting him to some of his coworkers who mentioned it up the chain, which gets us to this point,” Bryan said. “I can’t thank him enough; it’s great to see that young people are doing the right thing.”
“He asked me why I returned the wallet, and I was like, it’s my father’s good deed,” Armah added.
In spite of the snow, in spite of the sub-zero temperatures, Armah went above and beyond to do a good deed he learned from his father.
Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh EMS sees increase in unplanned out-of-hospital births
Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services crews are seeing an increase in out-of-hospital births in the field, such as in a car on the side of a roadway.
One of the city’s paramedics has now taken it into her own hands to tackle a common issue they face during those births: the cold.
“I’ve crocheted two hats for each unit, just in case you have twins,” paramedic crew chief Briana Kramer said.
She’s made 36 in total for the newborns.
“They are a precious little population. They’re a population I find near and dear to my heart,” Kramer said.
But she said the beanies aren’t just a cute accessory, especially when a birth happens on the side of the road.
“I had a little bit of anxiety with the cold temperatures being negative 10 degrees a lot of nights,” she said.
She pointed to a field delivery last January that she was on hand for.
“Perfectly healthy baby. Their only issue was that they were hypothermic,” Kramer said.
They didn’t have hats in their kits then, so a small towel was placed around that newborn’s head. That specific instance, and the lack of hats, inspired her to start making the beanies.
“It is already such a unique and difficult thing to be born out of hospital,” Kramer said.
EMS officials said they’ve gone from around eight pre-hospital births a year to 12 per year. Kramer said she believes the reason for the increase comes down to the health care system still recovering from COVID.
“It’s hard for people to get in touch with primary care,” Kramer said. “The economy is really hard, just transportation for people to get to their appointments, to get to the hospital when it’s delivery time.”
It means people are waiting until the last second to go to the hospital. She’s also noticed an increase in winter out-of-hospital births.
“It’s a little concerning. Changes the way we prep for things a little bit,” Kramer said.
She hopes the beanies will go home with the newborns, and families will keep them as a reminder of how Pittsburgh EMS helped bring them into this world.
“It’s a little emotional,” Kramer said. “It’s a little piece of me that is going home with them.”
Pittsburg, PA
Scrambling for Valentine’s Day plans in Pittsburgh? There are plenty of last-minute options
Friday and Saturday night, restaurants will be packed full of people celebrating love, but it also means if you’re one of those people who wait until the last minute to make plans…you’re likely out of luck.
Taking a look online at some of the more popular spots for Valentine’s Day, a lot of them are either booked full or the prime time spots are gone.
If your significant other thinks you’re all booked and ready for a romantic dinner, but you find yourself panicking internally, take a deep breath, and don’t worry, there are still plenty of options.
Of course, there’s always the age-old option of cooking at home, but for most, a night out feels more special.
“Don’t stress, you’ve got plenty of options, and the most important thing is that you’re with the person you’re with, and you make it a special day,” said Hal B. Klein, a food writer and dining critic in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh’s food scene is no doubt booming, which means those reservations were probably gone a month ago, but according to Klein, just because it’s booked doesn’t mean those places won’t have bar seating or walk-ins available.
Nothing is guaranteed on Valentine’s Day, but your best friend will be flexibility.
“What might happen is you’ll go in at 5:00, and they’ll say, ‘Awesome, we can get you into a bar seat at 6:15,’” Klein said.
Always, always have a backup plan.
Just because it’s Valentine’s Day, it doesn’t mean it has to be a white tablecloth and a fixed menu. Pittsburgh is known for its diverse food scene, and thinking outside of the box could be your best bet.
“This city is full of immigrant-owned restaurants,” Klein said. “Go there, you’re going to find an experience that is warm and welcoming. Maybe something you’ve never had before, and that’s going to create a whole new set of memories.”
That’s really what it’s all about, making memories with the person you love. That could mean going back to your first date spot or even hitting your favorite fast-food drive-thru.
“Go there, love the places that you love, stop by your favorite neighborhood spot,” Klein said.
If all else fails, Klein recommended an at-home, indoor picnic.
“It’s cold right now, remind yourself of the warm season, get cozy, light some candles instead of sunlight,” he said. “We’re here in the Strip, there are all these shops to go to, Penn Mac, many more, get some meat, get some cheese.”
There’s also always the option of grabbing takeout, which can save you a few bucks and avoid the Valentine’s Day rush.
So, if you’re feeling the pressure, don’t worry too much about it; there are still plenty of ways to make it special.
Finally, you can always just go out to dinner on another day.
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