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Fran Sheedy Bost Retires From RCPA Member Devereux/TCV Community Services
Announcement from RCPA Member Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health:
Fran Sheedy Bost Retires From RCPA Member Devereux/TCV Community Services
After more than five decades in the behavioral healthcare industry, Devereux / TCV Community Services Executive Director Fran Sheedy Bost will retire from her position, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
While a bittersweet decision, Sheedy Bost is excited to place greater focus on her family – including her six grandchildren.
“Instead of creating business plans, I am looking forward to helping my grandchildren with their homework, volunteering in their schools and cheering them on from the sidelines during sporting events and dance recitals,” said Sheedy Bost.
She began her career in 1973 as a direct support professional. For the last 16 years at TCV, Fran has served as an unwavering beacon of hope and staunch advocate for countless individuals and families in the Mon Valley. Through her leadership, TCV is one of Allegheny County’s most-respected nonprofit organizations providing treatment, care and services to individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and behavioral health challenges.
Sheedy Bost also gave back to her profession, serving on various RCPA committees, including the RCPA Workers Compensation Trust Board.
In 2020, Sheedy Bost began having conversations with Devereux about a possible affiliation and, on Jan. 1, 2021, she and the TCV Board took a significant leap to trust Devereux, and its people, to support her organization, while sharing her expertise in various areas, including recovery-focused behavioral health services to individuals who want to lead a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle.
“On behalf of all of us at Devereux, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Fran for her incredible dedication and leadership to TCV,” said Devereux Vice President of Operations – Children’s Services Mel Beidler, M.S. “She was critical to forming the partnership between TCV and Devereux, as well as the opening of our new location in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and I cannot thank her enough for the time and effort she has put into making this a successful partnership.” A national search is currently underway for the Devereux / TCV executive director position.
Added Sheedy Bost: “The affiliation with Devereux is now entering the third year and our combined strength will ensure that the mission of TCV will continue for the next 50 years and beyond.”
Congratulations to Sheedy Bost on her well-deserved retirement – she will be missed by us all!
RCPA Shares Third Party Liability Member Survey
In an effort to gain a better understanding of providers’ ongoing needs and challenges in addressing third party liability (TPL) claims, RCPA is requesting that our members complete the following TPL Survey. This survey was designed to capture critical barriers so as to develop strategic pathways to ensuring access and equity.
In January 2024, Governor Shapiro announced that commercial insurers would be required to meet their obligations under Pennsylvania law to provide coverage for autism benefits by categorizing autism services as a mental health benefit. With this action, all autism services will be treated as mental health services, leading to greater mental health parity for those with autism spectrum disorders. The goal of the Shapiro Administration’s legislation is to improve much-needed access to services for individuals diagnosed with autism, a challenge that the Commonwealth has faced for decades.
As providers of mental health, autism services, and substance abuse disorders, our members treat a vast array of individuals who are insured by either commercial insurance, Medicaid insurance, or both. For those who have just Medicaid, billing is simple: providers bill the Medicaid payor, and they pay the claim. The same is true for those who have just commercial insurance if the provider is in network with the commercial insurance carrier.
Complications occur when an individual has both commercial insurance and Medicaid. Coordination of Benefits (COB) requires that the commercial insurance is billed first, and then Medicaid pays what is not covered. Services like the delivery of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) or Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) are two good examples of services that can fall into this category.
With this survey, we hope to gather information that will assist RCPA and members in addressing the barriers in insurance coverage for children, families, and individuals in Pennsylvania. We thank you for taking the time to complete the survey so that we can continue to seek solutions to access services in our communities.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.
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RCPA Member Pittsburgh Mercy Announces Two Appointments to 2025 Board of Directors
PITTSBURGH (December 17, 2024) – Pittsburgh Mercy, one of the region’s largest social service nonprofit organizations serving more than 18,000 vulnerable individuals annually, a member of Trinity Health, and serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy, today announced two appointments to its 2025 Board of Directors: Denise R. Hughes, director of Public Relations at UPMC Health Plan, and Paul K. Rudoy, a tax partner at H2R CPA.
Each will serve a three-year term, effective January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2027.
Rudoy served for over 20 years and Hughes served for three years on the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors. Bethlehem Haven became part of Pittsburgh Mercy and its award-winning homeless services continuum of care in 2016.
“We are thrilled to have Denise and Paul join the Pittsburgh Mercy Board. Having a strong, deeply committed, and diverse group of trustees who have hearts for our Sisters of Mercy legacy and tradition of service to the most vulnerable is core to our mission and who we are as an organization,” stated Tony Beltran, president and CEO of Pittsburgh Mercy. “In addition to bringing their own unique talents and expertise, as legacy members of the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors, Denise and Paul also will bring valuable perspectives to help our Board ensure the continued growth and success of our health ministry, our revered mission, and our renowned tradition of service to the most vulnerable in our community.”
Hughes brings to the Pittsburgh Mercy Board more than 20 years of experience and expertise as an award-winning, senior-level marketing and public relations professional in nonprofit and for-profit corporate communications. She currently leads all facets of public relations strategy for UPMC Health Plan, one of the nation’s fastest growing health plans, including public and media relations, content creation, and crisis communications. Before joining UPMC Health Plan, Hughes previously held management-level marketing-communications positions at Westinghouse Electric Company and Peoples Natural Gas and served as a communications consultant to The McCreary Group.
In addition to her service to the Pittsburgh Mercy Board and her former service on the Bethlehem Haven Board, Hughes is a board member and treasurer of the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania and a member of the Public Relations Society of America.
Hughes is the recipient of numerous business and health care marketing communications industry awards, including PR Daily’s Nonprofit PR Awards (2021, 2024), a Ragan’s PR Daily’s Social Media & Digital Awardee (2023), and a graduate of The Advanced Leadership Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program (2023).
Hughes earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications at Carlow University, founded by the Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy, and a Master of Science degree in leadership with a concentration in business ethics at Duquesne University.
Hughes resides in Cranberry Township, Pa.
Rudoy, who is a certified public accountant (CPA), a personal financial specialist (PFS), and a licensed life insurance and annuities agent, has more than 30 years of experience in tax, strategic consulting, and estate and succession planning for individuals and closely held businesses. He spends most of his professional time devoted to growth strategies, succession planning, tax and investment matters, and business consulting services.
Rudoy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting at Pennsylvania State University.
He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA), where he served as past president and a member of the State Taxation Committee.
In addition to his past service as treasurer and a board member on the Bethlehem Haven Board of Directors, Rudoy is also past president of the Pittsburgh Glass Center Board of Directors.
He also serves as treasurer of the Jewish Residential Foundation Board and a board member of the North American Board – MGI Association.
Rudoy and his family reside in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.
With the appointments of Hughes and Rudoy, the 2025 Pittsburgh Mercy Board of Directors and officers are:
Mark D. Gibbons, CPA (Chairperson)
Audit Partner, Assurance Service Practice Leader
Urish Popeck & Co., LLC
Tony Beltran, MBA (Secretary)
President & CEO
Pittsburgh Mercy
Rhonda N. Curry
Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer
Gateway Health Plan
Jaime C. Dircksen
Vice President, Community Health & Well-Being
Trinity Health
Denise R. Hughes
Director of Public Relations
UPMC Health Plan
Robert A. James, JD, MBA, MHA
Chief Diversity & Strategic Growth Officer
CGT Staffing
Sister Diane Matje, RSM, RN, MSN
Pittsburgh Sisters of Mercy
Manzoor Mohideen, PhD
Director of Clinical Trial Operations, Academic Research Center for Hematology, Section of Benign Hematology, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Visala S. Muluk, MD
Director of Medicine
Pittsburgh Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center
Suresh C. Ramanathan
President & CEO
KORYAK
Paul K. Rudoy, CPA/PFS
Partner
H2R CPA
Jared S. Weiner
Chief Financial Officer, Western PA Hospital Division
UPMC
Olga Ziegler
Vice President, Revenue Program Management
Highmark Health Inc.
Editor’s note: Color headshots of Denise R. Hughes and Paul K. Rudoy accompany this release. Kindly credit: Photos courtesy of Pittsburgh Mercy.
About Pittsburgh Mercy
Pittsburgh Mercy is one of the largest community health and social service providers and employers in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We offer help – and hope – to 18,000 of our community’s most vulnerable in 60+ locations:
- People who have complex behavioral and physical health challenges.
- People who have intellectual and developmental disabilities
- People who are experiencing homelessness
- People who need wrap-around services to live safe, healthy, and well in the community.
We are the largest Integrated Community Wellness Center (ICWC) in Pennsylvania and the only one in Southwestern Pennsylvania. We are a five-time awardee of Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) expansion grants. Pittsburgh Mercy is a member of Trinity Health, serving in the tradition of the Sisters of Mercy. Our mission is to be a compassionate and transforming, healing presence within our communities. To learn more about Pittsburgh Mercy or to donate in support of its important work in the community, please visit www.pittsburghmercy.org. Follow Pittsburgh Mercy on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.
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