As some people push to make profound autism its own diagnosis, this family is raising twins with it
AYER, Mass. — Connor Murphy walked in circles around his dad, then flopped down on the kitchen floor, got up and walked in circles again. His dad turned the 9-year-old’s repetitive behavior into a chance to connect. “Want me to pick you up?” Matthew Murphy asked, lifting, tickling and spinning...
Graduation marks 5 years preserving Freedom House Ambulance Service in Pittsburgh
Shannon Smith developed a passion for helping others while caring for her father, whose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease made breathing difficult. Although Smith’s father died in August, the caregiving experience inspired the 39-year-old to begin working in home health care and enroll in a six-week program that introduces participants to...
Moderna says FDA refuses its application for new mRNA flu vaccine
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is refusing to consider Moderna’s application for a new flu vaccine made with Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology, the company announced Tuesday. The news is the latest sign of the FDA’s heightened scrutiny of vaccines under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., particularly...
Health care workers want ICE out of hospitals, and blue states are responding
Last month, the parents of a 7-year-old girl whose nose wouldn’t stop bleeding took her to Portland Adventist Health in Portland, Oregon, for urgent care. Before the family could get through the doors, federal immigration agents reportedly detained them in the parking lot and took them to a detention center...
Boil water advisory lifted in parts of Allegheny, Washington counties
A weekend boil water advisory for roughly 95,000 Pennsylvania American Water customers in Allegheny and Washington counties has been lifted after testing showed no signs of bacterial contamination. The notice went into effect Saturday after a power surge interrupted pumping, causing a 4-foot-wide water main to break near the Aldrich...
‘Take the vaccine, please,’ a top U.S. health official says in an appeal as measles cases rise
WASHINGTON — A leading U.S. health official on Sunday urged people to get inoculated against the measles at a time of outbreaks across several states and as the United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status. “Take the vaccine, please,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for...
TrumpRx aids some who seek lower drug prices, but experts say impact is limited
President Donald Trump is touting the federal government’s new direct-to-consumer drug platform, TrumpRx, as a health care revolution. The reality is more complicated, with only a narrow set of consumers poised to benefit from reduced prices on dozens of medications. Some of the markdowns are eye-popping. Injectable weight-loss drug Ozempic...
Trump administration launches TrumpRx website for discounted drugs
NEW YORK — The Trump administration on Thursday launched TrumpRx, a website it says will help patients buy prescription drugs directly at a discounted rate at a time when health care and the cost of living are growing concerns for Americans. “You’re going to save a fortune,” President Donald Trump...
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...
Hims & Hers launches copy of Wegovy pill, prompting legal threats from drugmaker Novo Nordisk
WASHINGTON — Telehealth company Hims & Hers said Thursday it will launch a cheaper, off-brand version of the weight-loss pill Wegovy, just weeks after drugmaker Novo Nordisk launched its highly anticipated reformulation of the blockbuster medication. The announcement from Hims is the latest example of the company’s efforts to capitalize...
Pandemic disruptions to health care worsened cancer survival, study suggests
NEW YORK — During the early years of the covid-19 pandemic, experts worried that disruptions to cancer diagnosis and treatment would cost lives. A new study suggests they were right. The federally funded study published Thursday by the medical journal JAMA Oncology is being called the first to assess the...
A newborn’s death likely linked to the mom drinking raw milk while pregnant
A newborn baby died from a listeria infection likely linked to the child’s mother drinking raw milk during pregnancy, health officials said. New Mexico officials this week warned people to avoid consuming unpasteurized dairy products following the death. Interest in and sales of raw milk have been rising in recent...
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...
Sewickley counselor shares tips to beat the winter blues
If the shorter days, frigid temperatures and cloudy skies are starting to affect your mood, you’re not alone. The midwinter months often correlate with spikes in seasonal depression, according to Kristen Lundquist, licensed professional counselor and owner of The Heights Counseling Wellness. “One of the first signs of seasonal depression...
House lawmaker raises new concerns over FDA’s ultra-fast drug review program
WASHINGTON — A Democratic lawmaker is raising new concerns about a Food and Drug Administration program designed to drastically shorten the review of certain drugs, including whether senior officials involved in the effort are complying with federal ethics rules. In a letter sent Tuesday, Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts took...
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...
U.S. life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2024, CDC says
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024 — the highest mark in American history. It’s the result of not only the dissipation of the covid-19 pandemic, but also waning death rates from all the nation’s top killers, including heart disease, cancer and drug overdoses....
South Carolina measles outbreak surpasses Texas’ 2025 total, with little sign of slowing
The South Carolina measles outbreak has surpassed the recorded case count in Texas’ 2025 outbreak, as health officials have logged almost 600 new cases in just over a month. The outbreak centered in northwestern Spartanburg County is showing little sign of slowing down, with health officials saying Tuesday that 789...
American Academy of Pediatrics releases childhood vaccine schedule that’s at odds with federal recommendations
As an alternative to new federal vaccine recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its own childhood vaccine schedule Monday with the backing of a dozen of the nation’s most prominent medical groups and associations. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule differs from the new federal one in a...
What to know about breast self-awareness and how it fits into cancer prevention
NEW YORK — What does it mean to have breast self-awareness? It’s a more general, flexible approach to breast cancer prevention that involves staying familiar with how your breasts look and feel. It goes along with other early detection measures like getting regular mammograms. Doctors suggest breast self-awareness as an...
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...
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...
