Independence Health continues to narrow operating losses
Hefty losses have slowed for Independence Health System in the months leading up to its acquisition by West Virginia University Health System. The five-hospital network said Wednesday its operating losses fell to $7.3 million in the second half of last year, down from $16.3 million over the same span in...
Sprawling data center campus proposed next to old Bruce Mansfield power plant in Beaver County
The data center boom has arrived in small-town Beaver County with little of the fanfare that’s accompanied similar proposals across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Shippingport Council granted several zoning modifications last week that allow Texas-based Aligned Data Centers to build a sprawling campus — dubbed “Project Phoenix” — next to the old...
Pitt researcher studies lingering health impacts from East Palestine train derailment
University of Pittsburgh researcher Juliane Beier is a leading authority on how colorless, sweet-smelling vinyl chloride can cause cancer and worsen liver disease. Her expertise meant she feared the worst when vinyl chloride vapors — the result of a controversial vent-and-burn operation by first responders — began billowing from derailed...
Snowstorm highlights staffing struggles of Southwestern Pa. home care agencies
Perhaps no part of the health care system in Southwestern Pennsylvania faced greater challenges during Sunday’s snowstorm than already understaffed home care agencies. Their task was monumental: Keep hundreds of group homes and thousands more personal residences in the region staffed with caregivers, even as much of their workforce got...
New Pitt institute looks to space for insight on earthly illnesses
A trip to outer space can wreak havoc on the human body. Muscles atrophy, bones become porous and immune systems degrade in low gravity. These effects, as frightening as they may sound, tend to be temporary. Astronauts returning from extended stays at the International Space Station mostly recover within a...
Deadline for 2026 health insurance through Pennie is almost here
Pennsylvanians still searching for a 2026 health insurance plan are running out of time to secure it through the Affordable Care Act. Open enrollment on Pennie, the state’s Obamacare marketplace, ends just before midnight Jan. 31. Pennie officials had extended the deadline from an original cutoff of Jan. 15. The...
Former Wholey’s cold storage site in Strip District could become parking lotVideo
Demolishing the former Wholey’s cold storage warehouse in the Strip District was supposed to make way for a state-of-the-art office complex. But four years after the building came down, developer Acram Group has yet to break ground on the roughly 20-floor project. A sluggish commercial real estate market means the...
If you haven’t gotten your mail, you’re not alone
Waiting on an important letter or package? It could be a few more days. The U.S. Postal Service continues to face disruptions in Southwestern Pennsylvania after roughly a foot of snow buried the region Sunday, according to Mark Wahl, a spokesman for the agency. Carriers are skipping some homes because...
Breeze adds seasonal Pittsburgh-Louisville nonstop service
Breeze Airways is launching nonstop seasonal service between Pittsburgh International Airport and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, the airline announced Wednesday. Flights will operate on Thursdays and Sundays from May 7 to Sept. 13. Round-trip tickets are available at an introductory rate of $39. Breeze will use 137-seat, single-aisle Airbus...
If you haven’t gotten your mail, you’re not alone
Waiting on an important letter or package? It could be a few more days. The U.S. Postal Service continues to face disruptions in Southwestern Pennsylvania after roughly a foot of snow buried the region Sunday, according to Mark Wahl, a spokesman for the agency. Carriers are skipping some homes due...
Design Within Reach opens luxury furniture showroom in Strip District
Luxury furniture retailer Design Within Reach arrived in Pittsburgh on Tuesday with the opening of its Strip District showroom. The roughly 8,000-square-foot store is at 1600 Smallman St., a converted warehouse that also houses the headquarters of autonomous trucking company Aurora Innovation, Orr’s Jewelers and Argentine restaurant Balvanera. Connecticut-based Design...
Pittsburgh International Airport still pummeled by storm-related disruptions
Travelers going through Pittsburgh International Airport continued to face disruptions as about half the country digs itself out of a massive snowstorm. As of late Monday afternoon, there were 82 cancellations and 75 delays at the airport, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. That marked a significant improvement from Sunday, when...
Hospitals, ambulance services brace for snow set to blanket Western Pa.
When a massive snowstorm descended on Erie late last year, it threatened to snarl operations at Allegheny Health Network’s Saint Vincent Hospital. The Great Lakes city is no stranger to harsh winter weather. But 5 feet of snow between Black Friday and the following Sunday was extreme, even for Erie....
Colorectal cancer leads cancer deaths among younger people for 1st time
For the first time, colorectal cancer is the top cause of cancer deaths among people younger than 50 in the U.S., according to a study from the American Cancer Society. Researchers relied on National Cancer Institute data from nearly 1.3 million people in this age group who died of cancer...
Trump faces tough political, market hurdles in his bid to erode Fed independence
The Federal Reserve’s independence is under threat by the Trump administration, but experts say the central bank is built to resist executive influence better than most U.S. institutions. In his quest to gain more control over the Fed, Trump will have to jump though hoops in the Supreme Court and...
Poor insurance reimbursements place Pa. hospitals at risk of closure, report says
Insufficient insurance reimbursements could drive more than a dozen Pennsylvania hospitals to close within five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The industry group hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to create the report. In its analysis, the New York City-based firm focused...
RH brings its luxury furnishings, design services to Shadyside
RH — the upscale furniture store formerly known as Restoration Hardware — welcomed shoppers for the first time Friday in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood. The company took over a four-story, 15,000-square-foot building at the corner of Walnut and Ivy streets, which housed clothing retailer Banana Republic until its closure in March....
Nemacolin confirms layoffs
Nemacolin confirmed Wednesday it has laid off an undisclosed number of employees. A statement from the Fayette County resort said the workforce reduction followed changes in available room inventory that have impacted guest volume and operational demand. “While difficult, these adjustments are intended to position Nemacolin for long-term stability, and...
Congress funds agency investigating Clairton Coke Works blast
The federal Chemical Safety Board, which has been targeted for elimination by President Donald Trump, is likely to keep its funding and continue investigating a deadly explosion in August 2024 at U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works. An appropriations bill passed by Congress earlier this month would give the board $14...
Staffing is top priority as UPMC Magee-Womens nurses head into 1st contract talks
The newly formed nurses unions at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital will get to flex their power at the bargaining table for the first time Wednesday. Their priorities for their inaugural contracts include stronger health insurance, longer paid parental leave and better pay for experienced staff. But their top ask is improved...
Pittsburgh International Airport adds nonstop flight to Los Angeles on United
United Airlines announced Friday it’s reintroducing daily nonstop service between Pittsburgh International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport, with flights starting March 29. United — which last flew a direct connection between the airports in 2014 — will become the third airline offering this route. Breeze Airways has done so...
Pa. gets $193M from federal rural health fund amid warnings it won’t offset Medicaid cuts
Pennsylvania has big plans for its $193 million award from a federal rural health fund, including investments in telehealth, recruiting health care workers and supporting ambulance services. But the nine-figure infusion from the Rural Health Transformation Program, announced last month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is overshadowed...
Pitt study underscores chance for independence after severe brain injury
When Gabe Brown woke from a coma last January at UPMC Mercy hospital, he could do little more than tilt his head and shift his eyes. The 28-year-old suffered a severe traumatic brain injury nearly four months earlier while on a honeymoon in Jamaica with his wife, Lauren Esper. The...
‘Stunning victory’: Report trumpets record survival rates for cancer patients
A record 70% of cancer patients are living five years past their diagnosis, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Cancer Society. The annual analysis of cancer statistics says early detection and improved treatment have helped pull five-year survival rates up from just 49% in the mid-1970s. “This...
Allegheny Health Network promotes West Penn Hospital head to run regional doctors group
Allegheny Health Network tapped West Penn Hospital’s top official Monday to lead a regional affiliation of doctors and their practices. Dr. Brian Johnson, who’s been president of West Penn Hospital since 2020, was named medical director and chief population health officer at Physician Partners of Western PA. He succeeds Dr....
