Erin McClelland (D-Lower Burrell, PA) is a candidate for the 12th Congressional District in Pennsylvania (Covering Beaver, Allegheny, Cambria, Somerset, Lawrence and Westmoreland Counties). She is running against Congressman Keith Rothfus, and has earned endorsements from the Beaver County Times and Pittsburgh Post Gazette, as well as Vice President Joe Biden and the IBEW, PSEA, PA AFL-CIO, SEIU, USW and Lilly Ledbetter. Erin McClelland is a healthcare professional, behavioral healthcare expert and devoted wife and mother. She has over 17 years of experience in the behavioral health field and has worked as an Executive Director, researcher, process improvement specialist, policy representative and entrepreneur. She and her husband of 15 years, John, are lifelong residents of the Alle-Kiski Valley where they live with their son Tristan. Erin and her brothers were raised by her father, an active member of the IBEW, and her mother, a registered nurse at Citizens General Hospital and member of UFCW. Erin graduated from St. Joseph High School in Natrona Heights and attended the University of Pittsburgh, earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She started her professional career researching alcohol and smoking addiction at the University of Pittsburgh and substance abuse wrap around services at St. Francis Medical Center. Erin went on to work in outpatient behavioral health programs and specialized in services for women, families and prevention. In 2002, Ms. McClelland began a private practice in which she developed a community based prevention model designed to reach parents and educators through school and community seminars and home sessions. She also began developing a more holistic treatment approach that included addiction biochemistry, family support and diet and exercise evaluation. In 2003, Erin received her Master of Science in Counseling Psychology degree from Chatham University. She was then hired as the Practice Improvement Collaborative Manager at the Institute of Research Education and Training in Addiction (IRETA) in Downtown Pittsburgh. In her time at IRETA, she was trained by the Pittsburgh Regional Healthcare Initiative (PRHI) under the direction of former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to implement forward-thinking systems in healthcare settings in order to reduce waste and errors, improve performance and decrease costs. She also served as a prevention and opiate addiction expert on the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's 25 Cities Initiative, which worked to help cities demonstrating the 25 worst heroin problems in the country (including Pittsburgh). In 2006, Erin conceived and developed Arche Wellness, the first Department of Health licensed orthomolecular addiction treatment program in Pennsylvania. Her model is now one of the most advanced and intensive addiction treatment processes in the world. Erin’s experience and unique education in process improvement strategies have helped to make Arche Wellness a state-of-the art learning organization dedicated to achieving cost-effective, successful patient care. Arche Wellness has been featured twice as a case study in Industrial Engineer Magazine and recognized for its extraordinary approach, which uses engineering based problem solving to address highly challenging issues such as addiction, mental health issues and morbid obesity. Erin has been published as a health writer in multiple magazines and has been featured as a healthcare expert on numerous news and radio broadcasts. In the community, Erin served on the Board of Directors of the Pittsburgh Urban Magnet Project (PUMP) and was chairperson for the PUMP Futures Committee, which worked to establish data-driven policy goals for the Greater Pittsburgh region. She also serves on the advisory board of Aging in Place and consults on medication issues facing seniors, such as medication errors, overmedication, drug interactions and side effects. Erin is running for Congress because she, like so many tax-paying Pennsylvanians, believes that not only is there a lack of leadership from our elected officials in Washington, but also a misguided set of priorities by politicians who instead of spending our tax dollars wisely and investing in our country by making pragmatic decisions based on hard data, make decisions based on politics. Erin believes that as middle class families find it harder and harder to make ends meet, Congress continues to grow even more out of touch with the struggles and values of hard working Americans as they are beholden to the special interests who contribute to their re-election efforts.

• published: 03 Nov 2014
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