Sierra Club Joins Broad Coalition Calling for UPMC to Undergo Community Benefits Agreement in Expansion Plan

PITTSBURGH, P.A. – At a City Council hearing on Tuesday, July 17, community members will demand that a proposed $2 billion expansion plan by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) include a community benefits agreement to serve all Pittsburgh residents.

A diverse coalition of local organizations, including SEIU Healthcare, Port Authority Retirees Association, Pittsburgh United, OnePA, Penn Plaza Action Group, Thomas Merton Center, Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, and Sierra Club, will present a list of demands to City Council to ensure the project will result in family-sustaining jobs, health equity, and fair community development. 

UPMC is one of the largest energy purchasers in the city. Among the coalition demands is a call for UPMC to be accountable to upholding clean air in Pittsburgh by both entering a large-scale clean energy power purchasing agreement and installing solar panels on the roofs of the new buildings. This would ensure that UPMC -- Pittsburgh’s top employer and healthcare provider -- is an actor and not a detractor in mitigating some of the worst air quality in the country and driving good job development in the Pittsburgh community. 

Some of the coalition’s other demands include:

• A minimum wage of $15 an hour for all jobs on the UPMC Mercy Campus

• Allowing the new Eye and Rehabilitation Center accessible to all Pittsburgh residents at in-network rates, regardless of insurance provider

• Establishing a walk-in primary care clinic on the UPMC Mercy Uptown Campus

• A substantial financial commitment from UPMC to support existing programs to fund affordable housing and equitable development in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh’s air quality is among worst in nation, according to the American Lung Association. Pittsburgh also ranks fourth in bad air days across the country. Air pollution results in higher rates of asthma for children and vulnerable communities. Investment in clean, renewable energy to power the city’s largest health institution would align with Pittsburgh’s intention to power city operations with 100% clean energy.

“As the region’s largest provider of healthcare and jobs, UPMC has a responsibility to the health of our community," said Sierra Club Ready for 100 Organizer Eva Resnick-Day. “Projects like the Mason Dixon Wind Farm (a project on Innology, formerly Everpower Wind) provide opportunities for large customers like UPMC to buy local clean energy to create more family-sustaining jobs for Allegheny County, begin to halt our elevated pollution-related deaths, and drive good job development for the community they operate and live in.”

"How can we say that the residents of Pittsburgh are being treated with dignity and respect when we live and breath in air that is among the worst quality in the nation?” said Sierra Club Ready for 100 volunteer Kelsey Salerno. “UPMC has a tremendous opportunity to address this serious concern while upholding their values and commitment to caring for our community by investing in clean energy to combat the numerous health effects of poor air quality."

On April 30th, the City of Pittsburgh Planning Commission directed UPMC to engage in additional community dialogue towards the creation of a community benefits agreement before the Amended Institutional Master Plan for the UPMC Mercy campus is considered by City Council.

UPMC currently has no plans to enter into a community benefits agreement.

Pittsburghers will march before the City Council hearing on Tuesday at 12:30pm, starting at Smithfield Street Church. Community members will then testify at the Pittsburgh City Council public hearing before the council votes on whether to approve UPMC’s plan, urging the City to require UPMC stay accountable to Pittsburgh residents by including a Community Benefits Agreement in its expansion plans.