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...
Covid shots not yet available at CVS without prescription despite Pa. policy change
Pennsylvania officials this week authorized eligible people to get a covid-19 vaccine without a prescription. The state said the change took effect immediately. But, as of Friday afternoon, patients hoping to get the vaccines at CVS locations were still being told they needed a doctor’s order. CVS has about 500...
UPMC workers to join community groups in march for transgender health care
In response to restrictions enacted under the Trump administration, some UPMC providers will be joining community groups in a show of support for restoring gender-affirming care to transgender youth next week. On Monday, a group of UPMC workers and members of Trans YOUniting and ACT UP plan to march across...
Health care at its worst: Clinic employees fired for mocking patients on TikTok
The latest viral video of health care workers behaving badly made the rounds on Labor Day weekend. It originated in Santa Barbara, Calf., and was shared on TikTok by a former employee of the Sansum Clinic there. It was a since-deleted video that depicted former co-workers at the clinic, which...
Takeaways from RFK Jr.’s contentious hearing before Senate lawmakers
WASHINGTON — A contentious three-hour hearing between U.S. senators and Robert Kennedy Jr. devolved into multiple screaming matches on Thursday as the nation’s health secretary fended off accusations about sweeping changes he’s made to vaccines, health care policy and leadership. The oversight hearing in the Senate Finance Committee was a...
Towne Drugs Pharmacy a community fixture in Aspinwall since 1956
As some U.S. pharmacies struggle to stay afloat amid ongoing turmoil in the prescription reimbursement industry, one independent family-owned pharmacy in Aspinwall is dedicated to remaining open. Towne Drugs Pharmacy in Aspinwall is co-owned by father/son pharmacist duo Bob Akanowicz and Jon Akanowicz, both of Hampton. Both men know just...
Operation Warp Speed was one of Trump’s biggest achievements. Then came RFK Jr. and vaccine skeptics
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump launched Operation Warp Speed in the throes of the covid-19 pandemic, an effort he has credited with saving tens of millions of lives. During a Cabinet meeting last week, he likened it to “one of the greatest achievements ever.” Sitting at the table as a...
Another human West Nile virus case reported in Allegheny County
Allegheny County Health Department confirmed the second human West Nile case of this year. A person was hospitalized after developing symptoms in the beginning of August. Just a few weeks earlier, on Aug. 18, the county announced a Plum resident had been suffering from fever, malaise and digestive troubles which...
Where does Pennsylvania stand with school vaccine regulations?
After Florida’s surgeon general moved to end all state vaccine mandates, including school requirements, some Pennsylvanians may wonder if the same could happen here. As of now, every state has school vaccine mandates. If Florida follows through with the proposed plan, it would be the first state to completely withdraw...
Congo’s health ministry announces a new Ebola outbreak
DAKAR, Senegal — Congo’s health ministry on Thursday announced a new Ebola outbreak, the 16th in the central African country, after a case was confirmed in the southern Kasai province. “To date, the provisional report shows 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including 14 in Boulapé and 1 in Mweka,...
$6.2M expansion at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison creates AHN rehab hub
A $6.2 million expansion at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Harrison will boost inpatient rehabilitation space by 70% and establish it as a rehab hub for parent company Allegheny Health Network. Space for patients recovering from injuries, surgery and serious illness will increase from 17 to 29 beds. Hospital President Dr....
Kennedy tries to defend covid-19 vaccine stance in raucous Senate hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back covid-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal health agencies. Kennedy said the fired CDC director...
RFK Jr. critic and vaccine expert Paul Offit responds to his abrupt removal from the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee
Paul Offit, a prominent vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, wasn’t told why he was removed from the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee last week. He speculates it’s because of his longstanding criticism of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who was a...
No prescription? No problem: Pa. clears a barrier to covid vaccines
Pennsylvanians seeking a covid-19 shot from their pharmacist no longer need a prescription after the state Board of Pharmacy changed its policies Wednesday. The change takes effect immediately, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Those interested in getting the vaccine should contact their pharmacies about availability “while pharmacies work...
Florida plans to become 1st state to eliminate all childhood vaccine mandatesVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida plans to become the first state to eliminate vaccine mandates that have been a cornerstone of public health policy for decades in keeping schoolchildren and adults safe from infectious diseases. State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who announced the decision Wednesday, cast current requirements in...
Yes, weighted vests can help amp up your workout. Here’s what to know
In the fitness class Jessie Syfko created for a nationwide gym chain, exercisers wear weighted vests that add a challenge to their workouts. “People start to realize how good it feels to work just a little bit harder and a little bit smarter” without actually changing what they’re doing, said...
