To fund the establishment of the food pantry at Family House’s four locations – McKee, Neville, Shadyside and University Place – and enhance the Guest Services program.

Helping to address dental needs of the indigent.

To support SOS Pittsburgh, a program that provides comprehensive case management and emergency aid to families in crisis in Allegheny County helping them overcome the hardship that threatens their health and welfare.

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Support given to promote interest in biomedical research in the area of women’s and infants’ health by promoting hands-on laboratory experience mentored by seasoned researchers.

Supporting the Meal Subsidy Program which subsidizes tenants with low incomes who are having difficulty meeting their expenses.

Helping to enrich the lives of children with mental and physical disabilities, ages 21 and under, in southwestern Pennsylvania by providing enabling equipment (wheelchairs, van lifts, house ramps, adaptive bicycles and tricycles), assistive technology devices and communication system.

On August 9, 2007, the Family House located at 233 McKee Place in Oakland experienced serious flood damage due to rainwater run-off from the street behind the house and parking lot next to the house. The flood damage resulted in the need to replace floors, walls, furniture, fixtures and to perform extensive mold remediation work. These rooms have not been suitable to occupy for many months which has resulted in families being turned away from access to affordable housing. LHAS financially supported the restoration.

LHAS made a difference by helping fund Squirrel Hill Health Center’s (SHHC) coordinated outreach and marketing campaign. This campaign broadened its patient base and connect neighborhood residents with quality healthcare. The SHHC seeks to provide quality health care to the region’s most under served and impoverished individuals, with a special focus on immigrant populations and religious minority groups. This comprehensive primary healthcare facility offers patients without insurance an income-based sliding fee scale which applies to all on-site services. SHHC offers its patients a comprehensive set of medical services, on site mental health services, lab services, and access to low cost prescription medications. No patient is ever turned away for lack of insurance or inability to pay.

LHAS supported Riverview Towers by helping fund its’ synagogue services. Riverview Towers’ synagogue, located in the Ratner-LHAS Tower, attracts a daily minyan for Mincha and Maariv. On Shabbat, many seniors attend services followed by a traditional Kiddush. Since there are no membership fees for these services, Riverview Towers relies on private funding.

LHAS helped make a difference in the lives of Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) Patients by funding the development of an XP patient registry for XP patients and their families in Pittsburgh. Diagnosis and treatment of XP are hampered by the lack of hospitals in the United States that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to make the clinical diagnosis of XP and the lack of a centralized XP patient registry and web site that disseminates accurate medical information.

XP is a rare genetic disorder that impairs skin cells’ ability to repair damage from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Because of their acute sensitivity to the sun and dramatically heightened risk of skin cancer, XP patients with the most severe forms of the disease are confined to sun-free lives because even brief UV exposure can produce irreparable damage. Undiagnosed and untreated, XP leads to skin cancer by the age of two and death due to metastatic cancer in the early teens. In addition, approximately 20% of XP patients develop progressive neurological disease, causing deafness and difficulty walking, talking and swallowing.

Early diagnosis of XP is imperative in order to minimize patient exposure to UV and the resulting risk of skin cancer and blindness; such early care can extend the life span of XP patients by decades.

LHAS supported Vesta, a nationally acclaimed play that dramatically portrays a multi-generational family’s challenging experience with aging, loss and grief. With the support of LHAS, staged readings of Vesta are possible in community settings that are comfortable and conducive to dialogue and reflection. People will be encouraged to attend Vesta with a loved one or other person who has a prominent role in their lives in hopes of encouraging open dialogue about their own values and hopes for themselves and for their loved ones who approach the end of life.

LHAS financially supported the Matilda Theiss Child Development Center implement a new parenting program within their existing therapeutic nursery program. The therapeutic nursery program (Program for At-Risk Kids – PARK) is the only one of its kind in the area. Unlike most programs addressing mental health issues in children, the PARK program serves young children deemed at risk as opposed to disordered in the hopes of preventing future behavioral or mental health issues. By providing a therapeutic school environment for children and comprehensive parent support and education for families, Matilda Theiss seeks to improve their quality of life and prevent significant behavioral health problems from emerging down the road.

The Matilda Theiss Child Development Center (a cornerstone of early childhood mental health services at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic) provides behavioral health services to young children and their families. The overarching goal of Matilda Theiss is to intervene early in development, providing children with the support they need to reach their fullest potential. To this end, Matilda Theiss provides a comprehensive array of services and supports that build on natural and community supports unique to each individual and family.

Magee-Womens Foundation’s High School Biomedical Research Experience Program engages bright and motivated students in a mentoring program to pursue interest in a biomedical research career specifically focusing on health issues of women and infants. Through LHAS funding and these unique programs, high school students participated in hands-on laboratory research at its finest. The primary focus is on problem solving and data interpretation. Students worked with Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI) research faculty for a four-week period to experience various research related activities in a scientific laboratory or clinical environment. Hypothesis-driven research projects are designed to compliment ongoing research studies. Students perform experiments under close supervision by a mentor and participated in data analysis and interpretation.