Ground beef sold at Whole Foods may be tainted with E. coli, USDA says
U.S. agriculture officials are warning that ground beef sold at Whole Foods markets nationwide may be contaminated with potentially dangerous E. coli bacteria. Officials issued a public health alert for 1-pound, vacuum-packed packages of Organic Rancher beef, produced on May 22 and May 23, by NPC Processing Inc., of Shelburne,...
Texas hospital that discharged woman with doomed pregnancy violated the law, a federal inquiry finds
WASHINGTON — A Texas hospital that repeatedly sent a woman who was bleeding and in pain home without ending her nonviable, life-threatening pregnancy violated the law, according to a newly released federal investigation. The government’s findings, which have not been previously reported, were a small victory for 36-year-old Kyleigh Thurman,...
Measles vaccination rates drop after covid-19 pandemic in counties across the U.S.
Childhood vaccination rates against measles fell in the years after the covid-19 pandemic in nearly 80% of the more than 2,000 U.S. counties with available data — including in states that are battling outbreaks this year. A Johns Hopkins University study, published in JAMA this week, illustrates where more vulnerable...
UPMC reports $237 million operating income in Q1 2025
UPMC is off to a strong financial start in 2025, with both its health care and insurance services in the black last quarter for a total operating income of $237 million. The health care network made $142 million, while the insurance side — a drag on many recent quarterly reports...
‘I’m thinking I’m going crazy’: Woman finds stranger in mom’s room at UPMC Mercy hospital
Rae Corrado walked into a room at UPMC Mercy hospital expecting to find her mother. But instead of her mother, Gloria, she came face to face on Friday with a stranger lying in the hospital bed. A nurse insisted the unknown woman was her mother, Corrado of Oakmont told TribLive....
Some tomatoes, cucumbers sold in Pennsylvania recalled
Tomatoes and cucumbers purchased at local Western Pennsylvania stores could be contaminated with salmonella, health officials said. Ray & Mascari Inc. of Indianapolis, recalled 4 Count Vine Ripe Tomatoes packaged in clam shell containers because of potential contamination with salmonella. Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young...
Kennedy has ordered a review of baby formula. Here’s what you should know
As federal health officials vow to overhaul the U.S. food supply, they’re taking a new look at infant formula. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has directed the Food and Drug Administration to review the nutrients and other ingredients in infant formula, which fills the bottles of millions of American...
From soda to white bread, ultraprocessed foods increase risk of early death, research shows
ATLANTA — People eating ultraprocessed foods might be snacking their way to an earlier death. That’s according to the latest research on some of America’s favorite foods. From white bread to soda, the hallmark features of ultraprocessed foods include added sugar, salt, hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, preservatives and starches. Ultraprocessed...
All international travelers should get measles vaccinations, CDC says
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials have changed their advice to international travelers about measles, saying that Americans should be vaccinated against the virus no matter where they’re going. U.S. residents are recommended to get measles-mumps-rubella shots, anyway. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously emphasized the importance...
Exercise boosts survival rates in colon cancer patients, study shows
A three-year exercise program improved survival in colon cancer patients and kept disease at bay, a first-of-its-kind international experiment showed. With the benefits rivaling some drugs, experts said cancer centers and insurance plans should consider making exercise coaching a new standard of care for colon cancer survivors. Until then, patients...
RFK Jr. says autism ‘destroys’ families. Here’s what those families want you to know
WASHINGTON — Emery Eversoll and her mother shared a good laugh when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that some autistic children will never write poems. The 16-year-old’s bedroom is full of notebooks featuring her prose. Sometimes, she quietly recites poetry to get through an outburst...
FDA approves Moderna’s new lower-dose covid-19 vaccine
The U.S. approved a new covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna late Friday but with limits on who can use it — not a replacement for the company’s existing shot, but a second option. The new vaccine, mNexspike, is a step toward next-generation coronavirus vaccines. It’s made in a way that...
Dozens sickened in expanding salmonella outbreak linked to recalled cucumbers
Nearly four dozen people in 18 states have been sickened in an expanding outbreak of salmonella food poisoning tied to recalled cucumbers sent to restaurants, hospitals, cruise ships and grocery stores, including Target stores, federal health officials said Friday. At least 16 people have been hospitalized after eating cucumbers produced...
White House acknowledges problems in RFK Jr.’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report
WASHINGTON — The White House will fix errors in a much-anticipated federal government report spearheaded by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which decried America’s food supply, pesticides and prescription drugs. Kennedy’s wide-ranging “Make America Healthy Again” report, released last week, cited hundreds of studies, but...
Lawmakers confront crisis in senior care funding
Licensed practical nurse Carol Marol has been working at Westmoreland Manor for about 28 years, and laments that the quality of care at the nursing home is not as good as it used to be because of decreased staffing. “When we are short-staffed, and when workers are not paid competitive...
Trump administration cancels $766 million Moderna contract to fight pandemic flu
The Trump administration has canceled $766 million awarded to drugmaker Moderna Inc. to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu. The company said it was notified Wednesday that the Health and Human Services Department had withdrawn funds awarded in July 2024 and in January...
Highmark ekes out $15 million margin in first quarter of 2025
Highmark Health brought in more money than it lost in the first quarter of 2025, but just barely. Financial results released Thursday show the health care and insurance provider made $15 million in operating income on $8 billion in revenue between January and March. The success, to some extent, was...
Giant Eagle to take over prescriptions from 78 Rite Aid stores
Giant Eagle will take over pharmacy prescriptions from 78 Rite Aid stores that are closing across Pennsylvania and Ohio, the supermarket chain announced Thursday. Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month. According to Giant Eagle, transferred prescriptions will go to locations most convenient for affected customers....
New covid vaccine guidance pits ‘common sense’ vs. science, data
If pregnant women and healthy children follow new federal guidance, they won’t receive the covid-19 vaccine and will face a greater risk for complications from the disease, three public health experts told TribLive Wednesday. “This particular decision undermines years of medical research,” Dr. Syra Madad said of U.S. Health and...
Fundraising concert in Bell Acres will benefit Hair Peace Charities
Music is healing for Bonny Diver, and that’s what inspired an upcoming evening of performances by female singers to support other cancer survivors and raise money for Hair Peace Charities, which she founded. The organization helps women and girls in Western Pennsylvania with financial help to buy a wig needed...
Kennedy says covid vaccine no longer needed for healthy kids, pregnant women
The covid-19 vaccine will no longer be recommended for pregnant women and healthy children, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday. Kennedy announced the update in a video posted to the social media platform X, alongside Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and National...
U.S. measles case count climbs slightly to 1,046 cases, while Indiana’s outbreak ends
The U.S. saw a small increase in measles cases last week, an indicator that outbreaks are slowing down, though exposures at a busy airport in Colorado and a Shakira concert in New Jersey are keeping public health experts on their toes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday...
All-female psychology group offers mental health services in Indiana Township
A pair of female licensed psychologists is settling into their first year in Indiana Township after relocating their therapy practice. The Psychology Loft is owned by Chelsea Williams of Indiana Township and Corrine Fallon of Murrysville and occupies the top floor in a 100-year-old building that was formerly Dorseyville Public...
Living with lupus and the mystery of the disease
Kyleigh MacGregor plans her life five years at a time. MacGregor has lupus, an incurable disease in which her immune system attacks her body’s organs and tissue. It’s been a year since MacGregor, 31, stepped away from her altruistic work in the community. Through EMS and firefighting, her main goal...
Pa. health experts predict spike in uninsured Pennsylvanians with House bill outlining Medicaid cuts
Becky Ludwick foresees a spike in the number of Pennsylvanians without health insurance if a bill passed by the U.S. House this week moves forward. House committees have spent months developing the 1,000-plus-page legislation. It outlines a variety of House Republican priorities, including tax cuts for individuals and businesses and...
