Cheers & Jeers
Cheers: We鈥檇 like to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to Dr. Mary Jo Podgurski, whose unflagging commitment to the youth in our region serves as an inspiration to all. Many know Mary Jo for her 鈥淎sk Mary Jo鈥� column that appears weekly in this newspaper. She wears plenty of other hats as well, and as founder of the UPMC Washington Teen Outreach, Mary Jo has spent half of her life passionately working to close the gap between kids in crisis and the care they need. Now, to address the very real issue of teen suicide, she is expanding one of Teen Outreach鈥檚 education programs, the Road to Mental Health Education. 鈥淚鈥檓 seeing more depression and anxiety than I have ever seen,鈥� she said in a story earlier this week. She said she was compelled to act after the deaths of four Washington County teens aged 15 or under in a short span. 鈥淭hat was my catalyst. When I found out about those suicides, I said, 鈥榃hat am I waiting for?'鈥� The expansion includes three educational programs available in Washington County schools, including SOS Suicide Prevention and Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA). 鈥淚 think we are going to save kids with these programs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat is my goal now. Even if we save one life, it will have been worth it. The thought of a young person鈥檚 life ending at 13 is appalling. Every young person matters.鈥�
Cheers: Vincenzo Lopez expressed his gratitude this week to the emergency responders who rescued him from a trench that collapsed Aug. 28 in Charleroi. The Belle Vernon man spent five hours trapped chest-deep in dirt in the 800 block of McKean Avenue, in front of Davies Ford in the borough鈥檚 business district. Thanks to the coordinated effort of some 40 first responders and organizations, the 28-year-old suffered only minor injuries in the ordeal. 鈥淲ithout all of you, without all of your collected efforts, I would not be here,鈥� he told the first responders gathered earlier this week in Carnegie. 鈥淚 would not be standing here. The sacrifices you make every day, they matter. I鈥檓 glad I can be a representation of how much that matters. I owe you my future every day.鈥�
Cheers: A friendly reminder: Flu season is just around the corner. It鈥檚 time to roll up a sleeve and protect yourself 鈥� and others 鈥� from the misery that accompanies the virus. The vaccine cuts a person鈥檚 risk of getting the flu by 40% to 60% and, if a person does end up with the flu, their symptoms probably won鈥檛 be as severe. During last year鈥檚 flu season, the state Department of Health recorded more than 234,000 confirmed cases resulting in 1,049 deaths. Across the United States, there were 24,000 deaths, and about 280 children died during the 2024-25 flu season, half of whom had no underlying medical condition, according to the DOH. Said state Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen, 鈥淣ot only are we protecting ourselves, we鈥檙e protecting our friends and family and neighbors because people who are vaccinated are less likely to pass the infection to others, especially people who are at an increased risk of severe outcomes due to respiratory illnesses.鈥� Bogen urges people to talk to their health care providers, who can provide information regarding the flu vaccine that鈥檚 targeted specifically to them.