Abortion debates happening this week in U.S. courts and statehouses
Lawmakers in South Carolina passed an abortion ban while a judge in Montana was weighing restrictions there in the latest developments in the shifting landscape of law since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to abortion. Here’s what to know. Back to...
Feeling lonely: An epidemic of isolation has expanded area mental health needs
Editor’s note: This is the first of two stories on loneliness and its impact on mental health. Part 2: The negative impacts of too much screen time. Greensburg resident John Herrmann has a suppertime appointment each Thursday at the city’s Otterbein United Methodist Church. Helping to hand out meals to...
8 tips for parents and teens on social media use
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. surgeon general, is calling for “immediate action” by tech companies and lawmakers to protect kids’ and adolescents’ mental health on social media. But after years of middling and insufficient action by both social media platforms and policymakers, parents and young people still bear most of...
Car seats and baby formula are regulated. Is social media next?
The U.S. surgeon general is warning there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for children and teens — and is calling on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now.” With young people’s social media use “near universal” but its...
Jockey suicides bring attention to stress and mental health of the job
BALTIMORE — Eurico Rosa da Silva was in a dark place. On the track, the jockey in his early 30s was winning races and making money. At home, he was fighting suicidal thoughts every day. “I got to the point where I have no more choice but to go for...
RSV vaccine for pregnant women protects their newborns but is it ready for U.S. sale?
WASHINGTON — A first-of-its-kind RSV vaccine for pregnant women guards their newborns against the scary respiratory virus —- and federal health advisers debated Thursday if Pfizer’s shot is ready to roll out. RSV fills hospitals with wheezing babies each fall and winter, and the virus struck earlier than usual and...
Excela-Butler health system sees further financial losses
The merged Butler and Excela health systems reported losses of more than $62 million over the nine-month period ending March 31, according to disclosure reports released this week. The combined health system, which laid off 13 manager-level staff members in March, officially formed from Excela Health and Butler Health System...
Unions contend UPMC’s market dominance suppresses workers’ wages
Two labor organizations filed an antitrust complaint against UPMC with the Department of Justice accusing the health care giant of using its market dominance to tamp down wages and trap workers in low-paying, unsafe conditions. In a 55-page complaint filed Thursday, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and the Strategic Organizing Center contend...
Allegheny County ends covid vaccine requirement for employees
Allegheny County government is ending its requirement that current employees and new hires be vaccinated against covid-19. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced Thursday the lifting of the mandate. The move comes a week after the federal government ended its covid health emergency. Fitzgerald said it is time for Allegheny County...
New Alzheimer’s drugs raise hopes and questions
The Alzheimer’s Association is stepping up public pressure on the Biden administration, hoping to convince the government to pay for a new class of promising but expensive Alzheimer’s drugs. To date, the advocacy group’s campaign has been intense but low-tech, featuring everything from critical statements in the media to a...
Transgender rights: What to know about bills in the U.S. statehouses
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has highlighted efforts by Republican governors and statehouses across the country to embrace proposals limiting the rights of transgender people, signing new restrictions as he moves closer to a presidential bid. The restrictions are spreading quickly despite criticism from medical groups and advocates who say they’re...
U.S. drug overdose deaths slightly increased in 2022, CDC says
NEW ORLEANS — Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. went up slightly last year after two big leaps during the pandemic. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the numbers plateaued for most of last year. Experts aren’t sure whether that means the deadliest drug overdose epidemic...
Millennial Money: What’s concierge medicine? Is it worth it?
My primary care doctor recently left her practice and invited me to join her at her new gig — a concierge medicine group. There, for a membership fee, I’d have better and more personal access to her services: same-day appointments and long conversations! Concierge medicine — a model in which...
WHO: Artificial sweeteners have no weight-loss benefit, may raise health risks
The World Health Organization has come out against the use of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) as a means to control weight or limit noncommunicable sickness. “The recommendation is based on the findings of a systematic review of the available evidence which suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term...
Detecting cancer earlier: Doctors celebrate, discuss change in mammogram recommendations
A new recommendation for mammograms could speed up the timeline for breast cancer screening. It also might improve the chance of saving lives, according to local medical experts. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent volunteer panel of medical experts, changed its previous policy last week to advocate for...
Vending machines are the latest tool for fighting opioid overdoses
WASHINGTON — Vending machines that have long been stocked with snacks are getting repurposed to distribute life-saving supplies to help fight the opioid epidemic. A growing number of cities and local governments are making so-called “harm reduction” items, including the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, available for free via machines. Interest in...
Charleroi native opening fitness studio in Rostraver
Natalie Raitano has lived in New York and Los Angeles. The fitness expert has acted on television shows and trained numerous celebrities. But for her, there’s no place like home. Raitano moved back to Charleroi, Washington County, right before the pandemic in 2020 to be closer to her family. “I...
Former TV actress opening SUPERBODIES by Nat in Rostraver
Natalie Raitano has lived in New York and Los Angeles. The fitness expert has acted on television shows and trained numerous celebrities. But for her, there’s no place like home. Raitano moved back to Charleroi, Washington County, right before the pandemic in 2020 to be closer to her family. “I...
Washington & Jefferson to start offering bachelor’s degree in nursing
Washington & Jefferson College plans to start offering a bachelor’s degree in nursing starting in the fall of 2024. W&J leaders say the move makes sense, with nurses in high demand and the school able to partner with nearby Washington Health System’s Washington Hospital. The college plans to enroll 24...
New blood donation rules allow more gay men to give in U.S.
WASHINGTON — Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can donate blood in the U.S. without abstaining from sex, under a federal policy finalized Thursday by health regulators. The Food and Drug Administration guidelines ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. The agency announced plans for...
As public health emergency ends, pandemic-era support programs have already been fading away
WASHINGTON — The formal end of the national Public Health Emergency on Thursday is largely a symbolic and psychological step, representing the country’s formal emergence from the covid-19 pandemic. But behind the scenes, several core aspects of America’s pandemic-era emergency safety net are also coming to a close, from extra...
Annual health fair in Unity livens up wellness, safety education
The excited shouts and laughter of third graders filled the halls of Charter Oak Church as students from four area school districts gathered Wednesday to learn from local health care professionals and community members at the annual Latrobe Area Hospital Aid Society Children’s Health Fair. The event, which began in...
Duquesne now allowed to recruit students to planned osteopathic medical school
Duquesne University is allowed to begin recruiting students to its planned college of osteopathic medicine, a significant step toward opening in the fall of 2024. The college rising along Forbes Avenue on the Bluff now has pre-accreditation status from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation, campus officials said Wednesday. The...
FDA panel backs over-the-counter birth control pill
WASHINGTON — Federal health advisers said Wednesday that a decades-old birth control pill should be sold without a prescription, paving the way for a likely U.S. approval of the first over-the-counter contraceptive medication. The panel of FDA advisers voted unanimously in favor of drugmaker Perrigo’s request to sell its once-a-day...
Start mammograms at 40, not 50, a U.S. health panel recommends
Women should start getting every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that...
