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Remembering Kevin ‘Bat’ Andrews SEE PAGES A4-5
Pittsburgh Courier NEW
www.newpittsburghcourier.com Vol. 114 No. 16 Two Sections
APRIL 19-25, 2023
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Pittsburgh’s own Amera Gilchrist named first Black EMS Chief in city history
HISTORY IN THE MAKING—PITTSBURGH MAYOR ED GAINEY, NEW EMS CHIEF AMERA GILCHRIST, FIRE CHIEF DARRYL JONES. (PHOTO BY J.L. MARTELLO)
by Rob Taylor Jr. Courier Staff Writer
Ask Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt, and the nine members of Pittsburgh City Council, and unanimously, they’ll tell you
that the perfect person to lead the city’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services is Amera Gilchrist. The mayor proudly nominated Gilchrist, who had been Deputy Chief of the Bureau of EMS since 2019, to become Chief of EMS, during a ceremony
outside the City-County Building, April 12. City Council then confirmed the nomination on Tuesday, April 18. The council vote was unanimous. Gilchrist is the city’s first Black EMS Chief. “To the citizens, I will not
let you down,” Gilchrist said. “To the bureau, I will fight for you, I will always fight for you and I will fight along with you. Some of the decisions that I make may not be popular, but the right decisions usually never are.” Gilchrist said that over
the next few months, the Bureau of EMS will “undergo restructuring to meet the modern-day needs of EMS and the needs of a new generation of EMS providers.” Gilchrist did not go into detail of what exactly will take place for the restruc-
turing. “This bureau has always been great and on the cutting edge of pre-hospital care, but we can always do better.” Gilchrist is no stranger to Pittsburgh or the SEE GILCHRIST A6
COLON CANCER — THE ‘SILENT KILLER’ Black men urged to get a colonoscopy sooner than later by Marcia Liggett
For New Pittsburgh Courier
Chadwick Boseman became the face of Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,” a character widely recognized for symbolizing racial pride and empowerment for Black America. On screen, Boseman’s character embodied unparalleled strength and seeming immortality. Off the screen, his unexpected death at age 43 from colon cancer drew national attention to the importance of engaging in routine screening tests. As with all Black men in America, Boseman falls into a high-risk category for developing colon cancer. The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that Black people have the second-highest incidence of colorectal cancer in the U.S., following the Alaska Native/American Indian population. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Colorectal cancer is a disease in which cells in the colon or rectum grow out of control. Sometimes it is called colon cancer, for short. The colon is the large intestine or large bowel. The rectum is the passageway that connects the colon to the anus.” Dr. Johanna Vidal-Phelan, a pediatrician with UPMC, explained to the New Pittsburgh Courier why Black Americans face greater risks for contracting colon or colorectal cancer.
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“According to the American Cancer Society, in 2023, an estimated 153,020 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer (CRC) in the U.S., and 52,550 people will die from the disease,” Dr. Vidal-Phelan shared. “Colorectal cancer mortality rates were historically higher in White people than in Black people but have reversed and are now 44 percent higher in Black men and 31 percent higher in Black women compared to Whites.” The 2022-2024 ACS study shows colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death in Black men and women (similar to the general population) and inciSEE CANCER A6
PITTSBURGH NATIVE GREGORY E. WOODS, 66, URGES BLACK MEN TO GET A COLONOSCOPY.