OAKLAND—At a press conference on Monday, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced a $25 donation to the city of Pittsburgh. The gift was applauded by Mayor O’Connor as a win for his plan to solicit donations from the city’s nonprofits to avoid increased taxes.
UPMC Spokesperson William “Bill” Levy told reporters that the group would like to see the donation used to improve the city’s ambulance services. Levy suggested buying a quarter tank of fuel, or lunch for a couple of EMTs, adding, “we can’t char—treat patients that don’t make it to us on time.”
When asked why the medical monopoly chose to donate to the city, Mr. Levy provided The Pitiful News with a written statement from CEO Leslie Davis, who was not able to attend the conference from her private jet: “This contribution reflects who we are at UPMC — a mission-driven institution committed to Pittsburgh’s well-being.” Davis has a long history of humility. In 2024, she accepted only $12m in compensation, compared to her predecessor’s $18m, that is, 9.6 and 14.4 JTAGs, respectively.*
This gift comes at a critical time for Pittsburgh, as dozens of snowplow failures during the recent winter storm brought issues with maintaining the city’s aging fleet into the public discourse. As the city could not raise property tax revenue from UPMC’s more than $2 billion in tax-exempt land, it was forced to let infrastructure deteriorate. This generous donation marks the start of a new chapter in Pittsburgh, in which nonprofits work in harmony with the city to make life better for residents every day. Other large nonprofits like Pitt and CMU may even follow UPMC’s lead.
*One Joan TA Gabel (JTAG) is approximately $1,250,000.