Local News

Advocacy groups rally downtown calling on UPMC to start 'paying what it owes'

August 20, 2022 / 7:55 AM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh

Rally calls on UPMC to pay what they owe

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh residents took to the streets on Friday demanding UPMC "start paying what it owes."

Advocacy groups like Pittsburgh United said UPMC has been cheating the system by claiming to be a non-profit while bringing in billions of dollars and paying only a fraction of what they should in taxes.

Now, they want that money put back into the community for housing, childcare, transit, and more.

Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb sent out a statement saying UPMC provides a benefit to the region but relies heavily on city resources, calling on UPMC and Highmark to come to the table.

He said he believes residents should not be expected to bear the financial burden.

UPMC

Patrick Damp

Patrick Damp is a web producer for CBS Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native who grew up watching KDKA-TV, Patrick studied journalism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After half a decade in sports communication, Patrick decided to pursue his dream of working in journalism in his hometown and joined the CBS Pittsburgh team in 2019.