Virtual reality opens doors for older people to build closer connections in real life
LOS GATOS, Calif. — Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers...
New oral weight loss medication expected to be cheaper and more accessible
A pill version of the GLP-1 weight-loss drug Wegovy is expected to debut in the U.S. in early January. But how will the pills stack up against the already widely used injectables? Doctors in Western Pennsylvania said the pills will be a welcome addition to GLP-1 drug options for their...
U.S. regulators approve Wegovy pill for weight loss
U.S. regulators on Monday gave the green light to a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval handed drugmaker Novo Nordisk an edge over rival Eli Lilly in the race to market an obesity...
Teen drug use remains low, but survey finds small rise in heroin, cocaine use
NEW YORK — Teen use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana remains at record lows, according to national survey results released last week. They consume a lot of energy drinks, though. And there are slight, but concerning, increases in heroin and cocaine use. But overall, the findings indicate teens are drinking,...
Doctor’s orders? ‘Belly laugh at least 2 to 5 days a week’
Melanin Bee curves her spine like a stretching cat as she lets out a maniacal, forced laugh. The quick-fire pattern of manufactured giggles —“oh, hoo hoo hoo, eeh, ha ha ha”— soon ripples into genuine laughter, and she giddily kicks her feet. She’s practicing what she calls Laughasté, a hilarious...
You finally got a doctor’s appointment. Here’s how to get the most out of it
WASHINGTON — It’s not unusual for a 20-something to text Mom in a panic from the doctor’s office, seeking help answering a question. And patients of any age can struggle to recall all their medicines — or forget to mention a concern. Getting the most out of a doctor’s visit...
U.S. awards no-bid contract to Denmark scientists studying hepatitis B vaccine in African babies
NEW YORK — The Trump administration has awarded a $1.6 million, no-bid contract to a Danish university to study hepatitis B vaccinations on newborns in Africa that is raising ethical concerns. The unusual contract was awarded to scientists who have been cited by anti-vaccine activists and whose work has been...
Shapiro designates $5M to state-funded research to tackle neuro diseases
Gov. Josh Shapiro chose the University of Pittsburgh as the backdrop Friday to unveil a new $5 million research grant in the state’s 2025-26 budget — a nod to Pitt’s prominent role in neurodegenerative disease research. Scientists based in Pitt’s Biomedical Science Tower in Oakland walked Shapiro and state Health...
Squirrel Hill’s McCormick among GOP senators who urged Trump not to reclassify marijuana
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick is at odds with President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, arguing that it could adversely impact Americans’ health and safety, tax revenue and economic growth. McCormick, a Republican from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, was one of 22 GOP senators to co-sign...
Trump administration moves to cut off transgender care for children
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to block access to gender-affirming care for minors, building on broader Trump administration restrictions targeting transgender Americans. The sweeping proposals — the most significant moves this administration has taken so far...
VA disputes memo that says Pittsburgh will slash 10% of its positions
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System plans to cut nearly 10% of its positions as part of the agency’s effort to reduce its workforce nationwide, according to a memo. The memo obtained by TribLive shows the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System was allotted 4,551 positions out of about 18,000 allocated to the...
UPMC could keep gender-affirming care patient records anonymous, per DOJ request
Following a national push to collect personal information on patients receiving gender-affirming care, the Department of Justice is now asking a federal court to limit its subpoena against UPMC, revising its initial request and asking patient records to stay anonymous. In September, four UPMC patients filed a motion to quash...
Caregivers in Pa. are celebrating a rare pay boost, but long-term funding issues linger
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Public funding for child care, home services for older adults, and disability support will increase under Pennsylvania’s...
House Speaker Mike Johnson rebuffs efforts to extend health care subsidies, pushing ahead with GOP plan
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a GOP health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums millions of Americans will soon endure as pandemic-era tax credits for people who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act expire at year’s end. Speaker...
UPMC Presbyterian’s billion-dollar tower gets opening date
UPMC’s $1.3 billion hospital tower in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood finally has an opening date. On Jan. 24, 2027, scores of patients at UPMC Presbyterian will be transferred from the existing building to a new, 17-story facility right next door. Once all patients are moved, the old structure will become administrative...
FDA OKs libido-boosting pill for women who have gone through menopause
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials have expanded approval of a much-debated drug aimed at boosting female libido, saying the once-a-day pill can now be taken by women older than 65. The announcement Monday from the Food and Drug Administration broadens the drug’s use to older women who have gone through...
Highmark loses $69M through 3rd quarter, dragged down by insurance costs
Highmark Health took a $69 million net loss in the first nine months of the year as the Pittsburgh-based company struggled with more frequent and costly health insurance claims. The organization’s insurance arm, Highmark Health Plans, had a $211 million operating loss through September, according to financial results released Monday....
Amid rising questions about pet vaccines, veterinarians say risks remain rare
Jennifer Sybol keeps a cherished urn with her beloved dog Jasmine’s ashes on display in the dog room of her Penn Hills home. Sybol said Jasmine developed health complications after receiving too many vaccines when she was 5. Her white blood cell count “went way up” and began working against...
Speaker Johnson unveils health care plan as divided Republicans scramble for alternative
WASHINGTON — The Senate failed to get anywhere on the health care issue this week. Now it’s the House’s turn to show what it can do. Speaker Mike Johnson unveiled a Republican alternative late Friday, a last-minute sprint as his party refuses to extend the enhanced tax subsidies for those...
What is dry needling? More about the treatment that led to T.J. Watt’s injury
After Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt needed emergency surgery for a partially collapsed lung following a “dry needling” treatment this week, many sports fans are asking, “What is dry needling, and how could it result in such a serious complication?” The freak injury suffered at the Steelers’ practice facility,...
Highmark announces affiliation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City
Highmark is adding more than 1 million members through an affiliation with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, the health insurers announced Thursday. The deal, which is expected to close next year pending regulatory approval, will make Highmark the third largest Blue Cross Blue Shield-affiliated organization in the country...
Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year. As Republicans and Democrats have failed to find compromise, senators voted on two partisan bills instead...
What are parents to do as doctors clash with Trump administration over vaccines?
It’s normal for parents, or anyone, to have questions about vaccinations — but what happens if your pediatrician urges a shot that’s under attack by the Trump administration? That’s getting more likely: The nation’s leading doctors groups are in an unprecedented standoff with federal health officials who have attacked long-used,...
Botulism outbreak sickens more than 50 babies and expands to all ByHeart products
Federal health officials on Wednesday expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to recalled ByHeart baby formula to include all illnesses reported since the company began production in March 2022. The Food and Drug Administration said investigators “cannot rule out the possibility that contamination might have affected all ByHeart formula...
Robert Friedlander, longtime head of neurological surgery at UPMC, steps down
Dr. Robert Friedlander, longtime head of neurological surgery at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, has stepped down from his post, the hospital system confirmed Tuesday. A UPMC spokesperson offered no additional details about Friedlander’s abrupt departure from his position, which he’s held since 2010. Pitt referred TribLive to UPMC’s...
