A look at how some of Trump’s picks to lead health agencies could help carry out Kennedy’s overhaul
The team that President-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration includes a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans’ health —...
Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don’t lose weight
Unlike scores of people who scrambled for the blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight in recent years, Danielle Griffin had no trouble getting them. The 38-year-old information technology worker from New Mexico had a prescription. Her pharmacy had the drugs in stock. And her health insurance covered all...
Trump taps a Fox News personality, a surgeon and a former Congressman to lead public health agencies
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration, selecting a surgeon and author who gained national attention for opposing vaccine mandates and some other public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, is the...
Is your water fluoridated? Here’s where to find out
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged that one of his first acts in the new Trump administration would be to “advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.” However, water fluoridation is usually determined by local governments, and it’s uncertain whether Kennedy would have the authority to mandate...
Daylight saving time may come with the winter blues; here’s how to navigate it
The clocks have turned back and with shorter daylight hours and colder temperatures on the way, the seasonal shift can bring feelings of the blues. Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, is defined as a type of depression that often comes with the fall and winter months. These cases are considered...
Dozens are sickened and 1 person died after eating carrots contaminated with E. coli
NEW YORK — An outbreak of E. coli has infected dozens of people who ate bagged organic carrots, and one person died from the infection. Altogether, 39 people were infected and 15 were hospitalized in 18 states after eating organic whole and baby carrots sold by Grimmway Farms, the federal...
New database tracks how tens of millions in opioid settlement dollars are being spent
HARRISBURG — A first-of-its-kind database from Spotlight PA will make it easier for the public to track how Pennsylvania counties decided to spend tens of millions of dollars from their first rounds of opioid settlement payments — and whether a powerful state oversight board ultimately approved those decisions. Pennsylvania expects...
Microwave ablation at Penn Highlands Mon Valley a cancer treatment option
Microwave is not a word you think would be used to describe a medical procedure. But it is. Microwave ablation is a laparoscopic procedure for cancer therapy, said Dr. Zachary Senders, a double-board-certified surgical oncologist and general surgeon with Penn Highlands Mon Valley. A procedure not typically performed in community...
Covid outbreak hits Allegheny County’s Kane center in McKeesport
Allegheny County officials said Friday that a covid-19 outbreak has hit one of its senior centers in McKeesport, infecting 11% of the residents. The outbreak at Kane Community Living Center in McKeesport began Nov. 4. Those affected have mild symptoms, said Abigail Gardner, spokeswoman for Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato....
Working Well: The simple act of taking deep breaths can reduce stress and anxiety
NEW YORK — A simple, uncommon ritual starts each staff meeting at Myosin Marketing. When everyone is gathered on Zoom, and before they get to the meat of the agenda, CEO Sean Clayton leads his team through a deep-breathing exercise. The practice sets the tone for the meeting, and helps...
Birth control and abortion pill requests have surged since Trump won the election
Hours after Donald Trump was elected president for the second time, Dr. Clayton Alfonso had two messages from patients seeking to replace their IUDs. Over the next few days, three women inquired about getting their tubes tied. All of them said the election was the reason they were making these...
U.S. overdose deaths are down, giving experts hope for an enduring decline
NEW YORK — The decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths appears to have continued this year, giving experts hope the nation is seeing sustained improvement in the persistent epidemic. There were about 97,000 overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended June 30, according to provisional Centers for Disease Control...
What makes walking so great for your health and what else you need to do
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Janet Rapp strode briskly down a paved path through the city zoo, waving at friends and stopping briefly to greet emus she knows by name. The 71-year-old retiree starts each morning this way with a walking club. “I’m obsessed,” she said. Not only does it ease her...
Westmoreland County among 1st in state to study suicide with aim toward prevention
Sixty Westmoreland County residents died by suicide last year. Reducing that number is the aim of a new board that’s forming to study suicides in the county, especially those involving veterans, so the group can identify ways to prevent them. Findings of the review board could result in legislation and...
UPMC announces more layoffs, cuts
UPMC is laying off 100 employees and cutting an additional 200 vacant positions as part of ongoing cost-saving measures at the Pittsburgh-based health giant. This comes after UPMC cut 1,000 jobs in April. “Targeted adjustments are frequently made to improve organizational efficiencies and eliminate redundancies,” UPMC said in a statement....
Why are Pittsburgh buildings lit in teal?
Forget red — Pittsburgh is painting the town teal. Several local buildings were illuminated in the color teal Friday and joined more than 1,300 sites in all 50 states and 16 additional countries “going teal” for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s Light the World in Teal Program. It was the...
Breast cancer diagnosis in Black women and the need for early detection
Alexis Russell, 40, and her husband, through their contracting firm, Russell General Contracting, are working on the historic restoration of notable buildings across the city, including the August Wilson House, the New Granada Theater and the Greenwood Smithfield Building. Russell’s day may include meetings, contract reviews, emails and site visits...
Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh offers dental, vision and hearing care at free clinic
Michael Kirk of McKeesport got his teeth cleaned; James Pearson of Mount Washington had an eye exam; and Rev. Marshall Richbourg of Pittsburgh’s Hill District received two new hearing aids — all at no cost. They were three of the hundreds of patients to receive free dental, vision and hearing...
From faith to fashion: Squirrel Hill salon brings wigs to life for diverse community
Chami Saks wears a wig daily — for religious reasons. She is an Orthodox Jewish woman, and in her faith, women’s hair becomes sacred once they marry. While each family has their own customs based on who can see the woman’s hair, generally only the woman’s husband, children and other...
Texas hospitals must now ask patients whether they’re in the U.S. legally. Here’s how it works
Texas hospitals must ask patients starting Friday whether they are in the U.S. legally and track the cost of treating people without legal status following an order by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that expands the state’s clash with the Biden administration over immigration. Critics fear the change could scare people...
‘Life changing’: At-home dialysis allows assistant DA to focus on work while she awaits kidney
By day, Jennifer Dupilka fights for justice for crime victims as an assistant district attorney at the Westmoreland County Courthouse. At home, she has a different kind of battle — against her own body. Four days a week, her husband, Ray Dupilka, leaves his job as a county detective and...
McDonald’s E. coli case count rises as federal officials inspect an onion grower
WASHINGTON — Federal officials on Wednesday reported more cases of E. coli poisoning among people who ate at McDonald’s, as government investigators seeking the outbreak’s source identified an “onion grower of interest” in Washington state. The Food and Drug Administration said 90 people across 13 states have fallen ill in...
Apple AirPods Pro’s new hearing aid feature could help people face a problem they’d rather ignore
Some Apple AirPods wireless headphones can be used as hearing aids with a new software update available Monday. It’s a high-profile move that experts applaud, even if they only reach a small portion of the millions of Americans with hearing loss. An estimated 30 million people — 1 in 8...
Testing rules out beef patties as the source of E. coli outbreak, McDonald’s says
LOS ANGELES — McDonald’s announced Sunday that Quarter Pounders will again be on its menu at hundreds of its restaurants after testing ruled out beef patties as the source of the outbreak of E. coli poisoning tied to the popular burgers that killed one person and sickened at least 75...
State Sen. Kim Ward, a breast cancer survivor, crusades to get patients treatment they need
Kim Ward didn’t want anyone to know. When the state Senate majority leader from Hempfield was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2020, she told almost no one. Not her staff. Not her friends. Not even her mom. When she went for chemotherapy at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in...
