Why doing good also makes us feel good, during the holidays and beyond
WASHINGTON — The holiday season is a time for giving thanks, giving gifts — and for many, a time for giving back. Food banks, services that deliver meals to seniors and other U.S. charities typically see a surge in volunteering between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. But there...
Vaccination rates in schools cause concern for parents, medical professionals
Lucas James relies on others to be vaccinated because, for now, he can’t be. A leukemia patient and stem cell transplant recipient, Lucas, 16, of Hempfield receives intravenous antibody treatments to help him rebuild his immune system. “(Doctors) said he may never be able to be vaccinated again if his...
ByHeart baby formula from all lots may be contaminated with botulism bacteria, tests show
Tests of ByHeart infant formula tied to a botulism outbreak that has sickened dozens of babies showed that all of the company’s products may have been contaminated. Laboratory tests of 36 samples of formula from three different lots showed that five samples contained the type of bacteria that can lead...
New strain of flu invades Western Pa. amid concerns over vaccine efficacy
A new flu virus variant has been sweeping across the United States, raising questions about the efficacy of this year’s flu vaccines. Medical professionals in Western Pennsylvania say even though they’re seeing the new flu strain permeate the region, this year’s flu vaccines can still help. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a...
They relied on marijuana to get through the day. But then days felt impossible without it
BROOKLINE, Mass. — For the past several years, 75-year-old Miguel Laboy has smoked a joint with his coffee every morning. He tells himself he won’t start tomorrow the same way, but he usually does. “You know what bothers me? To have cannabis on my mind the first thing in the...
White House circulates plan to extend Obamacare subsidies as Trump pledges health care fix
WASHINGTON — The White House is circulating a proposal that would extend subsidies to help consumers pay for coverage under the Affordable Care Act for two more years, as millions of Americans face spiking health care costs when the current tax credits are set to expire at the end of...
Scientists push back as Trump and RFK Jr. promote false links between vaccines and autism
The message is hammered over and over, in news conferences, hearings and executive orders: President Donald Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., say they want the government to follow “gold standard” science. Scientists say the problem is that they are often doing just the opposite by relying...
RFK Jr. says he personally directed CDC’s new guidance on vaccines and autism
NEW YORK — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. personally directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to update its website to contradict its longtime guidance that vaccines don’t cause autism, he told The New York Times in an interview published Friday. His comments provide clarity into who...
Flu activity is low, but experts worry about a new strain and vaccination rates
NEW YORK — The U.S. flu season is starting slowly, and it’s unclear if it will be as bad as last winter’s, but some health experts are worried as U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data posted Friday shows a new version of the virus has emerged. An early...
Pittsburgh doctors cheer removal of black box warning on hormone therapies for menopause
Pittsburgh-area doctors are welcoming the removal of a black box warning — the strongest available to the federal Food and Drug Administration — from hormone therapies used to treat menopause symptoms. The agency announced the change last week, directing drugmakers to remove prominent labels alerting women of increased risks of...
Independence hospital staffers ‘trying to piece everything together’ in aftermath of merger announcement
Butler Memorial Hospital staffer Tara Erskine is ready for change. Erskine, 30, of Kittanning has worked as a CT scan technologist at the Butler hospital for eight years. A member of the hospital’s technologists union, Erskine is optimistic about Butler Memorial being partnered with West Virginia University Health System. Officials...
Inadequate payment for services nudges small health systems like Independence toward merger, officials say
The merger of smaller regional hospital systems such as Independence Health with a larger health system — this one from West Virginia — is likely being driven, in part, by hospitals hurting from insufficient reimbursement for the cost of treating patients, a Pittsburgh-based health care consultant said. West Virginia University...
CDC website changed to contradict scientific conclusion that vaccines don’t cause autism
NEW YORK — A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been changed to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion that vaccines do not cause autism, spurring outrage among a number of public health and autism experts. The CDC “vaccine safety” webpage was updated Wednesday, saying “the statement ‘Vaccines do...
Targeted ultrasound gives Pittsburgh-area doctors new tool against prostate cancer
Men diagnosed with prostate cancer have traditionally faced two choices: Do nothing and hope the tumor doesn’t grow between scans or start aggressive treatment. Those with certain types of medium-risk cancers have lacked tailored care, caught between a surveillance strategy geared toward slow-growing tumors and drastic measures known for their...
As infant botulism cases climb to 31, recalled ByHeart baby formula is still on some store shelves
As cases of potentially deadly botulism in babies who drank ByHeart infant formula continue to grow, state officials say they are still finding the recalled product on some store shelves. Meanwhile the company reported late Wednesday that laboratory tests confirmed that some samples of formula were contaminated with the type...
Independence Health announces merger with WVU Health System
Independence Health System — with hospitals in Greensburg, Latrobe and Mt. Pleasant — announced Wednesday that it will join West Virginia University Health System beginning in fall 2026. The agreement includes an $800 million commitment from the WVU system over the next five years to strengthen Independence Health System’s five...
Artificial heart kept Collier man alive until he could get a transplant
When Landon Shaw was 16, a big, bulky machine sat by his bed. Twelve-foot hoses with attachments connected to both sides of his heart, pushing air to pump blood throughout his body, making a loud whooshing sound. For 17 days, the biventricular assist device, known as a BiVAD, an artificial...
South Carolina looks at most restrictive abortion bill in the U.S. as opponents keep pushing limits
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sending women who get abortions to prison for decades. Outlawing IUDs. Sharply restricting in-vitro fertilization. These are the strictest abortion prohibitions and punishments in the nation being considered by South Carolina lawmakers, even as opponents of the procedure are divided over how far to go. The bill...
North Carolina resident stops in Pittsburgh advocating for lung cancer patients
For Dusty Donaldson, one journey led to another. After navigating the emotional path of a lung cancer diagnosis, operation, chemotherapy and recovery, Donaldson decided to travel down another road. She purchased a Ford Transit Connect van and drove across the country to create awareness for early detection of lung cancer....
Formula recalled in Pa. after infant botulism outbreak
Pennsylvania is one of 12 states included in an outbreak of infant botulism — linked to ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. Parents and caregivers should stop using any ByHeart infant formula products “immediately,” Allegheny County said Friday in an announcement, as all of its products have been recalled. The recall...
Pa.’s independent home care workers get pay raise in state budget but agencies miss out
Pennsylvania lawmakers granted $21 million in additional funding to a sliver of in-home caregivers in the state budget passed Wednesday. Workers directly hired by the people they care for will see their per-hour state payments rise to more than $15 from $13.51, an increase that could make a small dent...
UPMC Altoona attack spurs demand for enhanced workplace safety
Pennsylvania’s top health care union launched a petition drive Wednesday for improved workplace safety after the beating of a worker at UPMC Altoona hospital last week. Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania argues the assault of Travis Dunn should be the catalyst for UPMC and other health systems to invest...
FDA removes the black box warning on hormone therapy for menopause
For the past decade, Dr. Heather Hirsch has tried to convince women that hormone therapy drugs are the best way to treat symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. But warning labels on estrogen have scared many women away from getting the care they need. Now the Food and Drug Administration is...
Phages to the rescue? Pitt lab develops viruses to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Bacteria-killing viruses built from scratch in a University of Pittsburgh lab could be a breakthrough in the battle against fearsome antibiotic-resistant infections. Pitt biotechnology researcher Graham Hatfull spearheaded the development of the viruses made entirely of synthetic genetic material in a study set for publication this week in the Proceedings...
U.S. government launches program to lower Medicaid drug prices
The U.S. government on Thursday unveiled a new program to cut prescription drug costs for Medicaid patients by tying prices to those paid in other countries. The announcement follows previous agreements between the White House and pharmaceutical companies to reduce drug prices for Americans, who often pay significantly more for...
