Children’s mental health event at Latrobe Hospital focuses on caring for youth in time of need
Amidst rising mental health concerns for Pennsylvania youths, Independence Health System is bringing back an annual children’s mental health education event for therapists and other care providers for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The Children’s Mental Health Symposium, scheduled at Latrobe Hospital on Oct. 5, will...
Here’s how to get your free covid-19 tests
Beginning Monday, every household in the country can again order free at-home covid-19 tests. People can order four free rapid tests at covid.gov/tests or by calling 1-800-232-0233. The U.S. Postal Service will begin shipping the covid-19 tests to people’s homes the week of Oct. 2, according to its website. Families...
Black lung: Government, advocates eye new federal silica-dust standard to stem resurgence among coal miners
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Black lung: Advocates eye new federal silica-dust standard to stem resurgence among coal minersVideo
Mark Rankin left the coal mines, but the coal mines haven’t left Mark Rankin. Stocky and broad shouldered, the retired Uniontown-area coal miner trekked to a Washington County health clinic to see if recent coughing and tightness in his chest could be black lung. Rankin worked for years stripping coal...
Many states are expanding their Medicaid programs to provide dental care to their poorest residents
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For months, Carlton Clemons endured crippling pain from a rotting wisdom tooth. He couldn’t sleep, barely ate and relied on painkillers to get by. The 67-year-old from Nashville, Tennessee, could not afford to see a dentist on the $1,300-a-month his family gets in Social Security and disability...
Booking a covid-19 vaccine? Some are reporting canceled appointments or insurance issues
MILWAUKEE — Some people seeking the newest covid-19 vaccine are running into high demand, insurance headaches and supply delays coast to coast. Millions of the newly formulated vaccines have shipped out since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on them last week for ages 6 months and...
Biden administration announces $600M to produce covid tests and will reopen website to order them
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is providing $600 million in funding to produce new at-home covid-19 tests and is restarting a website allowing Americans to again order up to four free tests per household — aiming to prevent possible shortages during a rise in coronavirus cases...
4 free covid tests to be available, federal department says
A program that previously mailed free covid tests to households across the country will restart on Monday, allowing people to order another set of at-home tests for free, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. “Beginning Sept. 25, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive...
Blood donations fall short by two-thirds in region, nonprofit says
Blood collection organizations say donations are down at least 25% — a trend they’ve been unable to break since the pandemic. The American Red Cross announced a national blood shortage last week upon receiving 30,000 fewer donations than expected in August. That’s a 25% decrease from the 12,500 donations it...
Rural hospitals are closing maternity wards. People are seeking options to give birth closer to home
Alisha Alderson placed her folded clothes and everything she needed for the last month of her pregnancy in various suitcases. She never imagined she would have to leave the comfort of her home in rural eastern Oregon just weeks before her due date. But following the abrupt closure in August...
Free prescription discount cards from GoodRx — What’s the catch?
Americans spend more than $420 billion per year at pharmacies for prescription drugs, according to a 2022 report from the Department of Health and Human Services. Prescription discount cards help people save money on prescription drugs by offering savings at participating pharmacies. One popular company, GoodRx, offers discounts of up...
Thousands sign up to experience magic mushrooms as Oregon’s novel psilocybin experiment takes off
EUGENE, Ore. — Psilocybin tea, wind chimes and a tie-dye mattress await those coming to an office suite in Eugene to trip on magic mushrooms. For roughly six hours, adults over 21 can experience what many users describe as vivid geometric shapes, a loss of identity and a oneness with...
Clogged nose woes: Doctors weigh in on decongestant medicine declared ineffective
The over-the-counter decongestant medicine you reach for when suffering from a stuffy nose or clogged sinuses may not actually be giving you much relief, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But effective medications remain, though it may take an extra step to acquire them. FDA advisers voted this week...
North Side residents offer mixed opinions on Allegheny General Hospital’s proposed development plan
People in Pittsburgh’s North Side expressed mixed opinions about Allegheny General Hospital’s potential development plans for the next decade during a City Council public hearing Wednesday. The potential development plans, contained in AGH’s proposed 10-year institutional master plan, earned the support of the city’s Planning Commission in June. None of...
New covid booster can update protection from severe disease, Western Pa. doctors say
Western Pennsylvania doctors say the newly approved covid booster vaccine will help protect from severe impacts of the most recent variants. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration officially approved updated covid vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer on Monday. The vaccines have been tweaked to correspond to the Omicron variant XBB.1.5,...
Pittsburgh to become sanctuary city for gender-affirming care
Pittsburgh is on its way to becoming a sanctuary city for gender-affirming health care, under legislation approved Tuesday by City Council. Councilwoman Barb Warwick, D-Greenfield, sponsored a measure that will shield gender-affirming health care providers, recipients and legal guardians from out-of-state prosecution or investigation. A second, related bill will deprioritize...
Missouri clinic halts transgender care for minors in wake of new state law
ST. LOUIS — At least two Missouri health care centers stopped prescribing puberty blockers and hormones to minors for the purpose of gender transition, citing a new state law that the clinic says “creates unsustainable liability” for health care workers. Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital on...
Helping mothers and babies survive childbirth is a personal goal, says Melinda French Gates
NEW YORK — Melinda French Gates says she takes personally the deaths of hundreds of thousands of women and babies during child birth each year and believes more people should get involved in the fight for improving maternal health care. French Gates, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-founder and...
Popular nasal decongestant doesn’t actually relieve congestion, FDA advisers say
WASHINGTON — The leading decongestant used by millions of Americans looking for relief from a stuffy nose is no better than a dummy pill, according to government experts who reviewed the latest research on the long-questioned drug ingredient. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Tuesday against...
U.S. approves updated covid vaccines to rev up protection this fall
WASHINGTON — The U.S. approved updated covid-19 vaccines Monday, hoping to rev up protection against the latest coronavirus strains and blunt any surge this fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration decision opens the newest shots from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to most Americans even if...
Dr. Richard Moriarty, founder of Mr. Yuk sticker, dies at 83
When people found out Dr. Richard Moriarty was the man behind the Mr. Yuk sticker, they would say how the sticker saved them from drinking something that could have killed them. Or that the 1970s commercial, where a narrator with a menacing laugh warns kids that “Mr. Yuk is mean...
Edibles unsafe for Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program, officials say
Officials tasked with monitoring the state’s medical marijuana program said this week edibles don’t belong in Pennsylvania’s marketplace. Concerns about safety, efficacy and legal enforcement gave members of the Medical Marijuana Advisory Program pause. Six abstained from voting on the recommendation at all during its Wednesday meeting. Only two members...
Neuroscience Institute facility planned on Allegheny General Hospital campus
A five-story building at Allegheny General Hospital will be converted into a Neuroscience Institute for the acute treatment and long-term holistic management of neurological diseases. Construction at James and Hemlock streets on Pittsburgh’s North Side is underway and expected to be completed late next year. The project in the 80,000-square-foot...
Angel wings: Young Ariel to be remembered at the Butterfly Ball in Ross
Ariel Silvaggio loved animals, including bugs, spiders and worms. When her mom would pick her up from daycare, she would see the little girl playing in the dirt. Teachers would often send her mother pictures of Ariel digging to see what living things she could find outside. “She would come...
To mask or not to mask? Biden goes both ways after first lady tests positive for covid-19
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden turned up in a mask for the first time in months on Tuesday, a day after his wife tested positive for covid-19. But the president quickly ditched it during a ceremony honoring an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran, and the two unmasked octogenarians shared a hearty handshake...
