A day after UPMC and Highmark reached a 10-year pact, patients across Western Pennsylvania are awaiting answers on precisely what the unexpected deal between the nonprofit health giants means for them. Patients who severed ties with longtime doctors are hopeful they can return to the physician teams who know them...

It’s always nice when things fall together. Especially on vacation. Our recent trip to a state park with dogs and horses in tow was a good example. After a few minor delays I won’t go into, we set out to ride and relax. Food? The same rules for nutrition (let’s...

Mindfulness is the act of being intensely aware of what you’re sensing and feeling at every moment — without interpretation or judgment. Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and...

Mysteriously slick subway poles, a sneezing colleague, the arrival of flu season: These are all reasons to be grateful for any bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitizer that’s within reach. Yet in an era of superbugs — bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics — and fears about being too clean, you...

Blood drives — 1-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 501 Fairfield Drive, Hempfield — 1:30-7 p.m. Friday, Greater Latrobe Area High School, 131 High School Road — 1:30-7 p.m., Monday, St. Bruno Church, 1707 S. Poplar St., Greensburg Appointments: 800-733-2767 or redcrossblood.org; walk-ins welcome Classes/programs • Excela Health fitness...

Walgreens is making it easier for customers to dispose of unused drugs safely. The drugstore chain said Monday that it will offer at several thousand stores packets that customers can use to turn medications into a useless gel before throwing them away at home. The DisposeRx packets will be available...

UPMC and Highmark struck a truce Monday that will allow Western Pennsylvanians to maintain access to hospitals and doctors across both rival health systems for at least the next 10 years. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro hailed the unexpected contract — inked six days before UPMC and Highmark were scheduled...

About 23,400 containers of baby formula sold exclusively at Walmart have been recalled because they could contain pieces of metal. Perrigo Company is issuing the recall of 35-ounce containers of Parent’s Choice Advantage Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron because of the “potential presence of metal foreign matter.” Consumers should...

More than two decades after Viagra revolutionized the treatment of men’s sexual health, women looking for a pharmaceutical boost in the bedroom are having another kind of Me Too moment. In the coming days, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide whether to approve a new medication for...