Health category, Page 109
UPMC to present updated plans to Jefferson Hills planning commission
UPMC will present updates to its plans for a new 63-bed hospital that it hopes to build in Jefferson Hills to the borough’s planning commission in January. Residents for more than a year have fought plans for the new hospital and the zoning permit to allow the project to proceed...
Century-old TB vaccine may work better if given in a new way
WASHINGTON — Scientists think they’ve figured out how to make a century-old tuberculosis vaccine far more protective: Simply give the shot a different way. In a study with monkeys, injecting the vaccine straight into the bloodstream dramatically improved its effectiveness over today’s skin-deep shot, researchers reported Wednesday. “This offers hope,”...
2 more Pa. deaths reported as flu cases continue to increase
The past week saw another sharp increase in confirmed influenza cases across Pennsylvania and two additional flu-associated deaths, according to data released Tuesday by the state Health Department. As of the week ending Dec. 28, a total of 17,349 laboratory-confirmed flu cases have been reported this season. That’s up 56%...
Study: Structured, salary-only plan for physicians is a model for pay equity
Gender pay equity in the field of medicine remains elusive. Gender-based pay differences have been shown to persist, even when controlling for experience, clinical productivity, academic rank and other factors. These inequities result in significantly lower lifetime earnings, job burnout and negative attitudes toward work, and adverse effects on the...
For most people, drinking plain water is the best way to stay hydrated
Question: I’ve heard that alkaline water is better at rehydrating your body than nonalkaline, or plain, water. Is this true? Answer: In short, for most people, plain water is better. But first, it’s important to understand the definition of alkaline water. Scientists use pH to describe how acidic or basic...
Take it outside: Winter exercise is a snap with the right gear
It’s New Year’s Eve — time once again to make a resolution to do something better in the new year. Starting with Halloween candy, continuing with the Thanksgiving feast and finishing off with holiday indulgences in December, it’s no wonder that many of our resolutions have to do with getting...
Health Happenings: Week of Dec. 30
Classes/programs • Excela Health offers classes to aid people with diabetes in meal planning. Classes meet 1- 3 p.m. Jan. 7 in Excela Square at Latrobe. Details: 724-537-1049 • Excela Health fitness classes for the mind, body and spirit at Westmoreland Hospital, 532 W. Pittsburgh St., Greensburg, unless otherwise noted: —...
Greensburg’s MedCare Equipment expands with new Somerset affiliation
Greensburg-based MedCare Equipment Company is expanding its service area and adding about 20 employees through a new affiliation with Somerset Med Services. On Wednesday, the Greensburg firm, which provides home medical equipment and respiratory therapy services in affiliation with the local Excela Health health care system, is set to conclude...
With births down, U.S. had slowest growth rate in a centuryVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — The past year’s population growth rate in the United States was the slowest in a century because of declining births, increasing deaths and the slowdown of international migration, according to figures released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. grew from 2018 to 2019 by almost...
Dry January curious? Alcohol-free pop-up bar to open in Pittsburgh
Mel Babitz hopes drinkers will take a shot at attending an alcohol-free happy hour in Pittsburgh. Starting Jan. 15, and continuing every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday throughout the month, she’ll host a boozeless pop-up bar at Creative Coffee & Supply on Smithfield Street, Downtown. From 4 to 7 p.m., guests...
Thank singer Lizzo for making 2019 the year of body positivity
Whether we’re talking the end of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show or the rise of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie, 2019 will be remembered as the year of body positivity. Not only were fleshy frames regularly advertised in the once-skinny-only world of lacy unmentionables. They also were lauded at awards...
New ‘smart gym’ in Mt. Lebanon gets people movingVideo
Diane Closser of Upper St. Clair received a postcard in the mail inviting her to try a new gym. After just her second workout, she’s the one sending the message about The Exercise Coach. “I love it,” she says. “The results I have seen are phenomenal. I don’t love working...
‘Tough year’ for measles and other infectious diseases in U.S.
NEW YORK — This year, the germs roared back. Measles tripled. Hepatitis A mushroomed. A rare but deadly mosquito-borne disease increased. And that was just the United States. Globally, there was an explosion of measles in many countries, an unrelenting Ebola outbreak in Africa and a surge in dengue fever...
‘Tough year’ for measles and other infectious diseases in U.S.
NEW YORK — This year, the germs roared back. Measles tripled. Hepatitis A mushroomed. A rare but deadly mosquito-borne disease increased. And that was just the United States. Globally, there was an explosion of measles in many countries, an unrelenting Ebola outbreak in Africa and a surge in dengue fever...
Unity woman touts importance, ease of donating stem cellsVideo
While attending a Goo Goo Dolls concert at the Palace Theater in 2016, Cassandra Nedelco of Unity didn’t think twice about getting her cheek swabbed at a booth run by nonprofit DKMS, an international group that seeks to match stem cell and bone marrow donors with patients in need. It...
Health officials warn of possible measles exposure at 3 airports after infected traveler’s holiday flights
A person who traveled through multiple U.S. airports during the holidays was infected with measles, officials said. Health officials have warned travelers that an unidentified flier, who contracted measles in Europe in late November or early December, had flown on United Airlines from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas,...
Officials: Flu continues to slam Western Pennsylvania
State health officials are concerned about the growing number of confirmed flu cases in Allegheny County and all of Western Pennsylvania, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Western Pennsylvania is the hardest hit region of the state so far this season, which began Sept. 29, spokeswoman Brittany Lauffer said. Laboratory-confirmed flu cases...
To battle opioid crisis, some track overdoses in real time
Drug overdose patients rushed to some emergency rooms in New York’s Hudson Valley are asked a series of questions: Do you have stable housing? Do you have food? Times and location of overdoses are noted, too. The information is entered into a new overdose-tracking system that provides near real-time glimpses...
Pre-existing conditions can cost you, even if you don’t know about them yet
Peter LaFrance was getting winded. The 57-year-old plumber initially dismissed his shortness of breath as an inevitable consequence of getting older and having smoked as a younger man. But when his symptoms worsened in early 2017, he went to his doctor, who told him to go to the hospital immediately....
Mayo Clinic Q&A: LASIK eye surgery — understanding the risks, complications
Dear Mayo Clinic: What are the risks of LASIK surgery, and will my vision deteriorate again over time, even after surgery? Answer: It is not typical for a person’s vision to regress after LASIK, or laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis, and complications that result in a loss of vision after LASIK are...
Health Happenings: Week of Dec. 23
Blood drives • American Red Cross will host these blood drives: — 12:30-5 p.m. Thursday, Greensburg Country Club, 309 Pleasant Valley Road, Jeannette. — Noon-4:30 p.m. Friday, Export Italian American Club, 5930 Kennedy Ave. — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 31, Frick Hospital, 508 S. Church St., Mt. Pleasant Appointments: 800-733-2767...
To battle opioid crisis, some track overdoses in real time
ALBANY, N.Y. — Drug overdose patients rushed to some emergency rooms in New York’s Hudson Valley are asked a series of questions: Do you have stable housing? Do you have food? Times and location of overdoses are noted, too. The information is entered into a new overdose-tracking system that provides...
‘Vast majority’ of vaping illnesses blamed on vitamin E
Health officials now blame vitamin E acetate for the “vast majority” of cases in the U.S. outbreak of vaping illnesses and have changed their advice to doctors about monitoring patients more closely after they go home from the hospital. Vaping illnesses can get worse, even deadly, after patients leave the...
What if you knew a cookie would take 20 minutes to run off?
NEW YORK — Would you put down that bag of chips if you saw it had 170 calories? What if the label said it would take 16 minutes of running to burn off those calories? Health experts for years have pushed for clearer food labeling to empower people to make...
O’Hara woman honored with national caregiver award
For Heather Bailey it’s not about the paycheck. She says the payoff is in the things money can’t buy. “I don’t do it for the money or the praise, because I have something burning inside me, a passion inside of me,” says Bailey of O’Hara, a home health aide for...
