Jeffrey Shook, a Pitt associate professor of social work who has studied the lives of low-wage Pittsburgh workers over the past four years through surveys, said he found, at the start, that 64% of hospital workers faced a housing hardship and 59% faced a medical hardship like being unable to afford to see a doctor, while 59% experienced food insecurity like cutting meals or worrying their food will run out. To make ends meet, 51% reported relying on friends and family and 22% said they used pawn shops or payday loans. Read more in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Shook also testified at a Policy Hearing on the Healthcare Workforce Crisis in PA. You can read his testimony here.