I am running because I have deep ties to rural communities like the one I seek to serve. I know how to help these communities, and most importantly, I want to help. I have always taught my children, and my students, that if you see a problem, it is not enough to simply talk about it; we must do something about it. That does not only apply to them, but to myself as well. I realized that if I wanted to see the kind of change that requires government support and funding, I need to take my passion and commitment to Harrisburg and work to solve the problems with a willingness to listen and work together.

I am running for office because I truly understand what the people of rural Pennsylvania need--and I won't quit until I bring us the help we have paid for with our sweat and taxes, to claim our fair share of this great country’s wealth. I am running because I believe in progress for all, and I mean it.

What expertise makes you suited to a spot in the PA Senate?

I am the most experienced person in this race, by far. In 1993, I directed the Parent Education Program, a home-based, crisis intervention program whose purpose was to provide intensive, short-term services to support families in crisis that were at risk of losing their children to placement. I began partnering with a team led by a county commissioner to find ways to improve services for at-risk families. I rapidly learned that nearly all the problems I dealt with involved deep poverty and a human service system that did not work well for those the programs serve. I discovered that the issue is how policy determines the structure of funding, which in turn determines the structure of the services. So, I returned to school to learn more about how policy works and how it might be used to create the social change needed at the local level.

In 1998, at the age of 39, with 3 young children at home, I enrolled in a Ph.D. program specializing in

Three generations of Susan’s family with extra furry kids.

Human Service Studies, in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University. For my research study, I directed a project to develop a mechanism for funding mental health and addiction treatment in a way that made better sense for rural counties. Working hand in hand with a team of local government officials, human service providers, and people who used human services, we designed a model for a nonprofit entity under local control that would be a source of funding. I was the Project Director at the Southern Tier Regional Special Needs Project. I was responsible for facilitating a community-based, participatory action research project regarding how Medicaid was funded in rural counties in New York.

It had to do with the feasibility of a multi-county, integrated Medicaid managed care project for behavioral health services under local, multi-sector governance. Community partners included the local government offices responsible for public health, mental hygiene, and social services of four rural counties; the non-profit providers of behavioral health services; the local hospitals; a regional psychiatric center; and local consumer groups. I was responsible for the project oversight and all operations, including all research needed to determine the service system strengths and needs.

Drawing on research findings, I facilitated a participatory process to develop a demonstration project for a rural, integrated Medicaid managed care plan for primary care and behavioral health services. This included a benefit package and rate design, development of bylaws, contracts and protocols, securing legislative authorization, evaluation design, and integration with presently existing human service system and primary health care system. I was also responsible for the grant writing that secured project funding. Authorizing legislation to implement this pilot project was secured in 2001.