Beaver County commissioners proclaim awareness months; resident recounts near-fatal bleeding disorder

The Beaver County Board of Commissioners on March 12 approved proclamations recognizing April 2026 as Pennsylvania 811 Safe Digging Month, March 2026 as Bleeding Disorder Awareness Month and March 2026 as Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, and heard a personal account from a resident diagnosed with a rare hereditary bleeding disorder.

The solicitor read the proclamations citing outreach and safety statistics, including the statement that Pennsylvania 811 received more than 1,000,000 excavation notifications in 2025 and transmitted approximately 6,000,000 notifications to member facility owners and operators. Commissioners moved and approved the proclamations by voice vote.

During the public-comment portion that followed the bleeding-disorder proclamation, a resident (speaker 4) described a childhood hospitalization after routine procedures and said specialists later diagnosed "hereditary factor 10 deficiency," which the speaker described as affecting "about 1 to 2 people in 1,000,000." The speaker urged broader awareness and education, saying, "Teaching people who menstruate that periods 10 days more aren't normal." The chair thanked the speaker for sharing the personal story.

Speakers from local provider organizations addressed the developmental-disabilities proclamation, emphasizing inclusion and community supports. A BCRC representative (speaker 5) told commissioners that "inclusivity is really the goal," and another presenter (speaker 7) described two collaborative art pieces made from more than 100 individual fingerprints that will be shared with the board.

The board did not take further formal action tied to the public testimony; commissioners concluded the proclamations and moved on to routine business. The board announced the next public meeting for March 26, 2026, at 10 a.m. in Fisher's Public Meeting Room.