Doctors emphasize caution amid poor air quality in Western Pa.
Western Pennsylvania’s current poor air quality, caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires, can do more than make you cough — it can exacerbate existing health conditions and irritate the lungs, according to respiratory experts. The particles carried in the smoke can irritate lung passages and make it more difficult for...
Families worry over the future of Medicaid caregiver payments that were expanded during the pandemic
Nathan Hill started receiving $12.75 an hour from a state Medicaid program to help care for his severely disabled son during the pandemic, money he said allowed his family to stop using food stamps. The program was designed to provide a continuation of care and ease a home health worker...
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh looks to expand in Lawrenceville
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh is looking to build an addition at its Lawrenceville campus to house its growing Heart Institute. Hospital leaders presented plans Tuesday to the city’s Planning Commission that showed a 50,000-square-foot addition atop an existing parking structure. Diane Hupp, the hospital’s president, said the new addition...
Malaria cases in Texas, Florida are the first U.S. spread since 2003, CDC says
NEW YORK — The United States has seen five cases of malaria spread by mosquitos in the last two months — the first time there’s been local spread in in 20 years. There were four cases detected in Florida and one in Texas, according to a health alert issued Monday...
Next big advance in cancer treatment could be a vaccine
SEATTLE — The next big advance in cancer treatment could be a vaccine. After decades of limited success, scientists say research has reached a turning point, with many predicting more vaccines will be out in five years. These aren’t traditional vaccines that prevent disease, but shots to shrink tumors and...
Former Highmark Health employee accused of draining thousands from health savings accounts
Authorities are seeking a former Highmark Health employee in South Carolina who they say used her job with the health care giant to withdraw or attempt to withdraw nearly $90,000 from eight victims’ health savings accounts. Zakayah A. Scott, 23, of Columbia, S.C., has been charged with nine counts of...
A daily pill may work as well as Wegovy shots to treat obesity
What if treating obesity could be as easy as popping an effective pill? That’s a notion that has long fueled hope for many of the more than 40% of Americans who are considered obese — and fueled criticism by those who advocate for wider weight acceptance. Soon, it may be...
Chemo drug shortages hit cancer treatment centers across Pittsburgh region
The chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and carboplatin have become difficult for hospital systems across the country to access in recent months, disrupting cancer treatments and leading health care providers and patients to worry about the future. According to the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, platinum drug shortages, including cisplatin and carboplatin, were...
NICU reunion brings together former patients of all ages to celebrate survival
Treating infants in the neonatal intensive care unit means caring for babies who are the “sickest of the sick” and the “tiniest of the tiny.” For the doctors, nurses and others treating little patients at such a fragile stage, seeing those kids grow up is a chance to celebrate. “Sometimes,...
Xylazine-laced fentanyl is causing wounds and scrambling efforts to stop overdoses
WASHINGTON — A powerful animal sedative in the illicit drug supply is complicating the U.S. response to the opioid crisis, scrambling longstanding methods for reversing overdoses and treating addiction. Xylazine can cause severe skin wounds, but whether it is leading to more deaths — as suggested by officials in Washington...
Highmark Health cuts 118 jobs
Highmark Health laid off 118 employees this week across the regional health insurer’s operations, the company said. The layoffs occurred across all departments and included a small number of management positions, said Lynn Seay, a Highmark Health spokeswoman. With the layoffs announced Wednesday, Highmark has eliminated 259 positions this year,...
UPMC partners with Florida company to develop cancer medicines
UPMC is partnering with a Florida pharmaceutical company to build a manufacturing center in Oakland to create novel medicines that could be a new way to treat cancer and other diseases. The Pittsburgh health care system is collaborating with PharmaLogic Holdings Corp. to develop radiopharmaceuticals, an emerging field in health...
UPMC plans to acquire Washington Health System
UPMC is acquiring Washington Health System, adding to the Pittsburgh health care giant’s massive footprint. WHS announced the deal on Tuesday, saying the two health care providers have signed a nonbinding letter of intent to integrate the Washington-based health system into UPMC. “Our primary focus is to ensure the residents...
More than 1 million people are dropped from Medicaid as states start a post-pandemic purge of rolls
More than 1 million people have been dropped from Medicaid in the past couple months as some states moved swiftly to halt health care coverage following the end of the coronavirus pandemic. Most got dropped for not filling out paperwork. Though the eligibility review is required by the federal government,...
Suicides and homicides among young Americans jumped early in pandemic, study says
NEW YORK — The homicide rate for older U.S. teenagers rose to its highest point in nearly 25 years during the covid-19 pandemic, and the suicide rate for adults in their early 20s was the worst in more than 50 years, government researchers said Thursday. The Centers for Disease Control...
UPMC contractor detects patient data breach
A contractor for UPMC said it discovered a data breach that could have impacted customer and patient information. Tennessee-based Intellihartx LLC said it found that its secure file transfer service provider, Fortra, “experienced a data security incident.” The company undertook an investigation to figure out the scope of the incident....
Few rehab centers for addicted teens offer recommended medicine
Only 1 in 4 residential treatment centers for teens offers a recommended medicine for opioid addiction, according to a study that exposes an important gap in care. Posing as an aunt or uncle seeking help for a fictitious 16-year-old who survived a fentanyl overdose, researchers called U.S. rehabs and asked...
‘Obamacare’ will still cover prevention for HIV, other illnesses amid court battle
The government can keep enforcing “Obamacare” requirements that health insurance plans cover preventative care — such as HIV prevention, some types of cancer screenings and other illnesses — while a legal battle over the mandates plays out, under a court agreement approved Tuesday. The pact approved by the 5th U.S....
Here’s the skinny on the diabetes drug Ozempic and its popularity as a weight loss wonder
For Diane Lang, the big push to focus on her health and weight came from her grandchildren. “I was exhausted,” she said. “When they would visit, I would just try to keep up with them. I want to run with them and play with them. I want to be here...
Despite financial turbulence, Independence Health CEO holds optimistic perspective for merged system
The CEO of the merged Excela Health and Butler Health systems is committed to keeping the organization’s five hospitals operating, despite currently enduring millions of dollars in losses. “We are taking a look at all the assets across the system. Every one of the five hospitals is very important to...
UPMC doctor steps aside as head of cardiothoracic surgery after false billing settlement
A cardiothoracic surgeon at UPMC who was at the center of a federal investigation is stepping aside as chair of the health system’s Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Dr. James Luketich will continue to have a role within the health system, according to UPMC spokesman Paul Wood. Luketich will continue to...
Newer heart transplant method could allow more patients a chance at lifesaving surgery
WASHINGTON — Most transplanted hearts are from donors who are brain-dead, but new research shows a different approach can be just as successful and boost the number of available organs. It’s called donation after circulatory death, a method long used to recover kidneys and other organs but not more fragile...
American Red Cross: Shortfall of blood donations last month
American Red Cross officials said they experienced a “concerning shortfall” in blood donations last month, collecting 26,000 fewer donations than needed to meet patient needs in May. World Blood Donor Day is June 14, and Red Cross officials are offering a $10 gift card for donors through the end of...
It’s Global Running Day, here’s where to run in Pittsburgh all summer long
Wednesday is Global Running Day, a day that encourages people to get out and go for a run worldwide. Global Running Day’s beginning The holiday began in the United States as National Running Day in 2009. It continues to promote being physically active and the benefits of running for exercise...
Dementia, Alzheimer’s have out-sized impact on Black community, leaders say
As senior pastor at Destiny of Faith Church, the Rev. Brenda Gregg often listens to the struggles of her congregants and offers support. Sometimes, she hears about their troubles even before their doctors do. “One of the things we believe that the church is a trustful entity in the neighborhood....
