(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Kate Lowery is the Single County Authority Administrator for Beaver County Behavioral Health, and she joined Matt Drzik on the May 4 edition of A.M. Beaver County to discuss the work that BCBH does for those struggling with drug and substance abuse.

“In each of the 67 counties across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, there’s a single county authority program which is the recipient of federal and state block grant funding,” Lowery said. “We’re tasked with the responsibility of setting up a full continuum of care for persons with substance abuse disorders.” Lowery said that her job is to connect many different outlets and services to help those with those disorders, which consists of 600 citizens per year in Beaver County.

One of the newer initiatives with BCBH is the Magisterial Diversion Program, initially started in Beaver Falls. The initiative allows those with minor or first-time drug offenses–those who BCBH deem to be dealing with a substance abuse issue–to enter a “very rigorous” rehabilitation program to help combat the issue. “If they’re demonstrating that they’re substance-free, and they’re moving toward the goals of their treatment program at the finale of 150 days,” Lowery added, “the magistrate would waive those charges and the person would graduate from the program.”

“I think the community of Beaver Falls has a lot to be very proud of,” Lowery exclaimed in regards to the Diversion Program, which she mentioned has similar models in Aliquippa, Hopewell Township, and New Sewickley Township.

For more information, you can contact the BCBH administrative hotline at 724-847-6225 or call 724-847-6620 for direct behavioral health evaluations. They can also be found at the Behavioral Health or System of Care websites.

To watch the full interview with Kate Lowery, click on the Facebook feed below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The push to connect Pennsylvanians to one another has taken a grand step forward.

The Southwest Pennsylvania Commission–in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University, Allies for Children, and other organizations–has created a Connectivity Roadmap to showcase the current state and future goals when it comes to broadband connectivity across ten counties in southwestern Pennsylvania (including Beaver). Andy Waple, the SPC’s Deputy Executive Director for Programs, and consultant Jeremy Jurick spoke with Matt Drzik on the May 3 edition of A.M. Beaver County to discuss this new intiative.

To hear the full interview, click on the player below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“When we talk about cameras, they have pros and cons…but there’s quite a few things that they help.”

The cameras are the newly installed security cameras located in the Borough of Ambridge, set up to locate major criminals through license plate detection or general surveillance. Ambridge mayor Gerald “Duke” McCoy joined Matt Drzik on the May 2 edition of A.M. Beaver County to talk about the new system, along with several other updates regarding the businesses and future plans for Ambridge.

To see the full interview with Mayor McCoy, click on the Facebook feed below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The future for Beaver Falls is pushing forward.

Beaver Falls city manager Charles “Mick” Jones joined Matt Drzik on the April 28 edition of A.M. Beaver County to discuss the latest developments in the 15010 zip code. The city adopted a home rule charter government in January, and Jones says that the transition has been moving smoothly so far: “Surprisingly it’s gone very well. I had the uniqueness of not just having a unique style of government change, but a whole government change within the same period of time. But everything’s been working great.”

Jones also pointed out that the city is gearing up for several events throughout the warm-weather months of 2022. The Beaver Falls Car Cruise is returning on June 11 and has been in planning for several months, and Jones showed his support for the city staff who help put it all together. He also is hoping that there will be community events at the new Library Park when construction and development are finally completed later in 2022. “Even if it’s starting to have flurries,” Jones stated, “we’re going to do something here,” hinting at the possibility of hosting Christmas events in Library Park.

To watch the full interview with Charles Jones, click on the Facebook feed below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photo by Mark Peterson)

The warmer weather might lead to more outdoor activity, but those who deal with peripheral neuropathy might find such activity nightmarish and painful.

Dr. Shawn Richey & Dr. Jared Yevins of Tri-State Neuropathy centers (including one in Beaver) joined Matt Drzik on the April 27 edition of A.M. Beaver County about the need for those who are either aware of neuropathy or concerned about it to make plans to visit their offices to see if they qualify. The duo spoke about how those who get treated for neuropathy may experience pain relief from 50% all the way to 100%, and that their plan is drug-free and FDA-approved. Tri-State Neuropathy has treated over 9,000 patients in the tri-state area, and their approval rating is 90%.

To hear the full interview with Drs. Richey & Yevins, click on the player below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

The community has pushed forth to support the “North”.

Located in Beaver Falls, Neighborhood North: Museum Of Play is a center for creative learning for kids and teenagers alike, operating as an entity since 2018 but opening its doors to a brick-and-mortar facility in late 2021. Christine Kroger, the executive director for Neighborhood North, joined Matt Drzik on the April 26 edition of A.M. Beaver County and said that the response from the community has provided “overwhelming” feedback from the citizens and local leaders from Beaver Falls and the rest of the county.

The facility is currently located at 716 14th Street in Beaver Falls, but Kroger plans to move the facility to a permanent home located in the old News Tribune building next to the Carnegie Free Library on 13th Street. A boost towards that may be coming in the form of grant money that was recently applied for and submitted to Congressman Conor Lamb. Kroger stated that, within the 10 days allotted for completing the grant application, 2,000 signatures were collected in support of Neighborhood North to pursue it. The next move lies in the hands of the government, but Kroger noted that the plan to move to 13th Street is within the frame of completion by 2025.

Until then, the focus remains on the activities and learning taking place at Neighborhood North, and Kroger spoke extensively about the upcoming summer programs and possible expansion of summer hours. There will be nine “camps” covering different subjects for each of the nine weeks and cover subjects from podcasting to music and “everything in between”, as Kroger stated. Neighborhood North is also continuing their after-school programs that are available to kids throughout the county. To contact them, you can go to their website of neighborhoodnorth.com or find them on Facebook.

And speaking of Facebook, click on the Live feed below to check out the full interview with Christine Kroger.

Christine Kroger, the Executive Director of Neighborhood North: Museum Of Play in Beaver Falls, joins Matt Drzik to talk about the latest plans and updates following the 8:30 news on A.M. Beaver County.

Frank Sparks gets the morning started with news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“Seize the moment. Seize the opportunity.”

That message was echoed from Dr. Chester Thompson numerous times throughout his April 22 appearance on A.M. Beaver County with Matt Drzik. Thompson is the CEO of the Midland Innovation & Technology Charter School, whose doors plan to open in September 2022. The MITCS recently announced additional information sessions for students and families who may be interested in joining one of the charter school’s many programs.

Dr. Thompson passionately spoke about the opportunities that the MITCS had to offer–not just in the realm of learning how to do, but how to act. “You can be smart in mathematics, computer science, engineering… [that’s] wonderful,” Thompson said. “But if you don’t know how to communicate and engage people and work with people from different backgrounds, that limits your ability to really succeed in life. We want to make sure we’re not only providing students with necessary skills, but equally lifelong adult skills that they need to survive.”

To watch the full interview with Dr. Thompson, click on the Facebook feed below!