Pharmacies are disappearing across Pa. as operators blame a broken payment system
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. HARRISBURG — Hundreds of pharmacies across Pennsylvania have gone out of business in recent years, data obtained by Spotlight PA show, and pharmacists say legislation...
UPMC, GoHealth partner to run 81 urgent-care clinics in Pa., W.Va.
UPMC and MedExpress clinics recently got a makeover and a new name — UPMC-GoHealth Urgent Care — but services are staying mostly the same. In October, UPMC and national chain GoHealth Urgent Care partnered to rebrand and renovate 80 clinics across Pennsylvania and West Virginia, including 33 in the Pittsburgh...
The U.S. fertility rate reached a new low in 2024, CDC data shows
The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman, new federal data released Thursday shows. The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself —...
Podcast: How Medicaid cuts could affect nursing homes
Medicaid cuts may be on the horizon after President Donald Trump signed the controversial “Big Bill,” legislation aimed at eliminating fraud, waste and abuse across various government and bureaucratic systems. Many Americans are concerned about potential ripple effects on publicly funded programs. It will take time to assess how the...
Bacteria risks found at all Lake Erie beaches in Pennsylvania, report says
Health risks were found at all of Lake Erie’s Pennsylvania beaches last year, a new report says. The beaches tested in 2024 were found to be potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day, according to the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center’s latest analysis of bacteria testing titled “Safe...
Greensburg woman appointed to leadership role at Independence Health
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Kovacik Eicher always wanted to work close to her hometown. A clinical neurologist who joined Excela Health in 2019, Kovacik Eicher was named to a key leadership role last week by Independence Health, which was formed in the merger of Excela and Butler health systems in 2023....
Pittsburgh VA on pace to lose 3% of workforce by year’s end
More than 200 federal workers providing or supporting medical care for Pittsburgh-area veterans have left their jobs this year as the Trump administration pressures agencies to slim down. By its own count, the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System has lost 238 employees since January, with another 87 set to leave...
Kamins give $65M for UPMC Presbyterian tower project, medical research
Philanthropists Daniel G. and Carole L. Kamin on Tuesday continued their recent giving spree by announcing $65 million toward UPMC’s Presbyterian hospital tower and medical research. The research portion of the gift is geared toward studying the brain and heart and is specifically in response to cuts in federal research...
Overdoses lead to Pa. crackdown on nitazenes, a powerful class of opioids
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has criminalized nitazenes, a class of synthetic opioids that can be even stronger than fentanyl, as overdose deaths in the state mount. Nitazenes are temporarily labeled a Class I controlled substance as of Saturday, meaning it’s illegal to possess, distribute or manufacture them in the...
West Nile virus detected in Allegheny County, 7 neighborhoods to get sprayed
After mosquito samples tested positive for West Nile Virus, the Allegheny County Health Department announced today that seven neighborhoods will be treated this week. On Thursday from 8 to 11 p.m., residents in the Hazelwood, South Side Slopes, Arlington, Mt. Oliver, Carrick, Knoxville and Beltzhoover areas should expect to see...
More than 5.2 million pools sold across the U.S. and Canada are under recall after reports of 9 deaths
NEW YORK — More than 5.2 million aboveground swimming pools sold across the U.S. and Canada over the last two decades are being recalled after nine drowning deaths were reported. The recall covers a range of Bestway, Intex Recreation and Polygroup pools that were sold by major retailers as far...
Brown University study flags 4 Southwestern Pa. nursing homes ‘at risk’ under Medicaid cuts
Four Southwestern Pennsylvania nursing homes could be in trouble after approval of the federal spending plan described by President Donald Trump as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” according to a Brown University study. But the variation in funding formulas could limit the impact on facilities identified in the study, according...
Health care experts: Medicaid cuts threaten Pennsylvania’s nursing home industry
Zach Shamberg fears federal Medicaid adjustments approved in President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will worsen a nursing home climate already strained by insufficient care reimbursements and staffing challenges. Shamberg, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, joined a chorus of health care experts speaking out against...
What to know about chronic venous insufficiency — President Trump’s health diagnosis
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI, after he noted mild swelling in his lower legs. White House physician Dr. Sean P. Barbabella in a memo July 17 said the swelling prompted a full medical evaluation, including ultrasound tests and bloodwork. Those confirmed...
Juul can continue selling its tobacco and menthol e-cigarettes, FDA says
The Food and Drug Administration is allowing vaping brand Juul to keep its e-cigarettes on the market, providing relief to a company that has struggled for years after being widely blamed for sparking the teen vaping trend. FDA regulators said Thursday that Juul’s studies show its e-cigarettes are less harmful...
Puerto Rico bans hormone therapy and gender surgery for transgender youth
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s governor has signed a bill that prohibits hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from activists in the largely conservative U.S. territory. The law approved late Wednesday applies to those younger than 21 and calls...
Keeping animals of all sizes — from cats to horses — cool during record heat
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — With record temperatures hitting the U.S., pet owners have to protect their four-legged family members from dangers like heat stroke and dehydration. But keeping an animal the size of a small car cool isn’t as easy as bringing it inside to the air conditioning. That’s...
U.S. ice cream makers say they’ll stop using artificial dyes by 2028
Ice cream makers representing about 90% of the U.S. supply of the frozen treat have pledged to remove artificial dyes from their products in less than three years, federal health officials said Monday. The move is the latest voluntary effort by food manufacturers to heed calls from the Trump administration...
New York clerk again refuses to enforce Texas judgment against doctor who provided abortion pills
A county clerk in New York on Monday again refused to file a more than $100,000 civil judgment from Texas against a doctor accused of prescribing abortion pills to a Dallas-area woman. New York is among eight states with shield laws that protect providers from other states’ reach. Abortion opponents...
Nursing homes struggle with Trump’s immigration crackdown
NEW YORK — Nursing homes already struggling to recruit staff are now grappling with President Donald Trump’s attack on one of their few reliable sources of workers: immigration. Facilities for older adults and disabled people are reporting the sporadic loss of employees who have had their legal status revoked by...
More elderly Americans are choking to death. Are these devices the answer?
NEW YORK — It was the scariest choking incident David Palumbo had ever seen. The 88-year-old man had been dining at a Providence, Rhode Island, Italian restaurant in September 2019. Now he was unconscious, with a piece of bread lodged in his windpipe. Precious minutes went by as first responders...
AI opens new worlds for the blind
When Chris Donahue opens the door to let his dog out, he is unable to see where the animal runs. The Brighton Heights resident is blind, but he can find his dog outside via the Ray-Ban AI (artificial intelligence) Glasses he’s wearing. “Meta, I am blind,” says Donahue, 48. “Do...
AI-powered heart scans transform care at Allegheny Valley Hospital
Cardiovascular analysis that used to take hours can now be done with the click of a button at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison. As artificial intelligence seeps into almost every aspect of life, the technology is helping to revolutionize medical care at the Allegheny Health Network community hospital. “When you...
Northern Arizona resident dies from plague
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — A resident of northern Arizona has died from pneumonic plague, health officials said Friday. Plague is rare to humans, with on average about seven cases reported annually in the U.S., most of them in the western states, according to federal health officials. The death in Coconino County,...
VA insists veterans services remain robust in Pittsburgh despite staff departures nationwide
Pittsburgh-area veterans won’t see any interruption to their care or benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs claims, even as thousands of its employees head for the exits nationwide. The department is on pace to lose nearly 30,000 employees, or about 6% of its workforce, by the end of September. Already,...
