Pa. joins northeast state health coalition as CDC shakeups concern experts
Pennsylvania has joined a coalition of northeastern states in an effort to develop public health and immunization guidelines amid concerns about the direction of federal health agencies. The group will meet regularly to coordinate on public health efforts such as emergency preparedness and the creation of immunization guidelines. “Pennsylvania is...
A robot programmed to act like a 7-year-old girl works to combat fear and loneliness in hospitals
Days after Meagan Brazil-Sheehan’s 6-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, they were walking down the halls of UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center when they ran into Robin the Robot. “Luca, how are you?” it asked in a high-pitched voice programmed to sound like a 7-year-old girl. “It’s been awhile.” Brazil-Sheehan...
Kennedy’s advisory panel recommends new restrictions on MMRV vaccines
ATLANTA — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hand-picked vaccine advisory committee on Thursday recommended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopt new restrictions on a combination shot that protects against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella. The panel advised that the vaccine known as MMRV...
Fetterman breaks with party over tactics to keep Obamacare subsidies
Congressional Democrats won’t get any help from U.S. Sen. John Fetterman as they risk a government shutdown in a bid to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies. The Braddock Democrat, who has a habit of breaking with his party at inopportune times, said Tuesday his philosophical opposition to shutdowns comes before his...
Amazon spends $1 billion to increase pay and lower health care costs for U.S. workers
NEW YORK — Amazon says it’s making a $1 billion investment to raise wages and lower the cost of health care plans for its U.S. fulfillment and transportation workers. The Seattle-based company said Wednesday the average pay is increasing to more than $23 per hour and said that some of...
Highmark study: Surgery beats drugs like Ozempic for those looking to lose weight
Weight loss surgery is a cheaper and more effective way than medications like Ozempic for obese patients to shed pounds, according to a Highmark Health study released Wednesday that tracked thousands of people. Patients with severe obesity lost 28% of their weight on average, compared to just 10% with the...
Fired CDC chief will testify Kennedy pressed her to endorse vaccine recommendations without evidence
WASHINGTON — Fired Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Susan Monarez will tell senators that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressured her to endorse new vaccine recommendations before seeing scientific evidence, according to a copy of the testimony she plans to give during a hearing Wednesday. According to...
FDA takes aim at Hims and other telehealth services in drug advertising blitz
WASHINGTON — For the first time, federal health officials are taking aim at telehealth companies promoting unofficial versions of prescription drugs — including popular weight loss medications — as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday posted more than 100 letters...
Parents of teens who died by suicide after AI chatbot interactions to testify to Congress
The parents of teenagers who killed themselves after interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots are planning to testify to Congress on Tuesday about the dangers of the technology. Matthew Raine, the father of 16-year-old Adam Raine of California, and Megan Garcia, the mother of 14-year-old Sewell Setzer III of Florida, are...
What is turf toe and why will it sideline the Bengals’ Joe Burrow for a few months?
Joe Burrow is the latest NFL star to be sidelined by turf toe — an odd-sounding but extremely painful injury. Its seemingly non-threatening name might cause some to downplay it. But turf toe certainly is no joking matter for anyone who has had to work their way back onto the...
Kennedy’s vaccine committee plans to vote on covid-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox shots
NEW YORK — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisory committee meets this week, with votes expected on whether to change recommendations on shots against covid-19, hepatitis B and chickenpox. The exact questions to be voted on Thursday and Friday in Atlanta are unclear. Officials at the Department...
Millions face skyrocketing health insurance costs unless Congress extends subsidies
WASHINGTON — There’s bipartisan support in Congress for extending tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the covid-19 pandemic. But the credits are in danger of expiring as Republicans and Democrats clash over how to do it. Democrats are threatening to vote to...
GOP states try new ways to target abortion pills and telehealth
In state legislatures across the country, medication abortion has emerged as the central focus of the fight over abortion rights. As Democratic lawmakers in blue states enact shield laws to protect abortion medication prescribers, their Republican counterparts — particularly in states that have banned abortion — are filing a flurry...
Ebola vaccine reaches epicenter of Congo’s outbreak as officials race to contain disease
KINSHASA, Congo — Limited access and scarce funds are the key challenges facing health officials trying to respond to the latest Ebola outbreak in southern Congo, the World Health Organization said Friday. It is the first Ebola outbreak in 18 years in Kasai province, a remote part of Congo with...
U.S. government to award a no-bid contract on research into vaccines and autism
NEW YORK — Federal health officials intend to award a contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to investigate if there is a link between vaccinations and autism, according to a government procurement notice. The Troy, N.Y.-based engineering school is getting the no-bid contract because of its “unique ability” to link data...
States take steps to ease access to covid-19 vaccines
The governors of Arizona, Illinois, Maine and North Carolina on Friday joined the growing list of Democratic officials who have signed orders intended to ensure most residents can receive covid-19 vaccines at pharmacies without individual prescriptions. Unlike past years, access to covid-19 vaccines has become complicated in 2025, largely because...
Australia approves world-first vaccine to save koalas from chlamydia
MELBOURNE, Australia — A regulator has approved a world-first vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia infections, which are causing infertility and death in the iconic native species that is listed as endangered in parts of Australia. The single-dose vaccine was developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland...
‘Kissing bug’ disease on the rise in U.S.
A deadly malady known as “kissing bug” disease is now an endemic illness in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The nation is seeing a rise in the illness, which is officially known as Chagas disease. It can be life-threatening and is transmitted through...
Advanced practitioners at UPMC’s Magee-Womens Hospital vote to unionize
A group of 60 advanced practitioners has voted to join hundreds of nurses at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in forming a union. The advanced practitioners — including certified registered nurse practitioners, neonatal nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and other positions — voted to join SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, following about 800 nurses...
RFK Jr.’s latest ‘Make America Healthy Again’ report calls for more scrutiny of vaccines, autism
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is imploring the nation’s public health agencies to prioritize investigations of vaccine injuries, prescription drug use and the cause of autism in a new “Make America Healthy Again” report focused on children released Tuesday. The 20-page report, overseen by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert...
Health care professionals and activists protest UPMC’s restriction of gender-affirming care
The bodies of roughly 100 UPMC providers and local community activists laid sprawled outside UPMC’s Downtown headquarters Monday, as part of a nonviolent protest against the health-care network for restricting gender-affirming care. “It is about us being told that we cannot have the health care we need to survive, to...
Giant Eagle to open pharmacies at former Rite Aid stores in Mt. Washington, Sewickley
Giant Eagle will open standalone pharmacies at former Rite Aid locations in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Washington neighborhood and Sewickley, the company confirmed to TribLive on Monday. These will be similar to traditional drugstores, according to the Cranberry-based grocery chain, with a pharmacy counter as well as a wide selection of health...
UPMC, AHN nursing schools’ growth born from affordability, convenience
UPMC and AHN are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to trying to solve the shortage of nurses. In operation for decades, the nursing schools of UPMC and AHN have reported growing enrollment over the past years. AHN operates the Citizens School of Nursing at Pittsburgh Mills...
Sewickley Heights couple owns Comfort Keepers, providing caregivers for seniors
Sondra MacArtney initially thought paying for a caregiver seemed like an unnecessary expense — but turns out it is “wonderful” to have help. “I can’t see well and sometimes I need help with choosing the right colors to wear,” said the 87-year-old, who goes by “Sondy” and resides in an...
Florida’s plan to drop school vaccine rule won’t start for 90 days, won’t cover all diseases
Florida’s plan to drop school vaccine mandates likely won’t take effect for 90 days and would include only chickenpox and a few other illnesses unless lawmakers decide to extend it to other diseases, such as polio and measles, the health department said Sunday. The department responded to a request for...
