Health category
U.S. life expectancy hit an all-time high in 2024, CDC says
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. life expectancy rose to 79 years in 2024 — the highest mark in American history. It’s the result of not only the dissipation of the covid-19 pandemic, but also waning death rates from all the nation’s top killers, including heart disease, cancer and drug overdoses....
South Carolina measles outbreak surpasses Texas’ 2025 total, with little sign of slowing
The South Carolina measles outbreak has surpassed the recorded case count in Texas’ 2025 outbreak, as health officials have logged almost 600 new cases in just over a month. The outbreak centered in northwestern Spartanburg County is showing little sign of slowing down, with health officials saying Tuesday that 789...
American Academy of Pediatrics releases childhood vaccine schedule that’s at odds with federal recommendations
As an alternative to new federal vaccine recommendations, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its own childhood vaccine schedule Monday with the backing of a dozen of the nation’s most prominent medical groups and associations. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule differs from the new federal one in a...
What to know about breast self-awareness and how it fits into cancer prevention
NEW YORK — What does it mean to have breast self-awareness? It’s a more general, flexible approach to breast cancer prevention that involves staying familiar with how your breasts look and feel. It goes along with other early detection measures like getting regular mammograms. Doctors suggest breast self-awareness as an...
Hospitals, ambulance services brace for snow set to blanket Western Pa.
When a massive snowstorm descended on Erie late last year, it threatened to snarl operations at Allegheny Health Network’s Saint Vincent Hospital. The Great Lakes city is no stranger to harsh winter weather. But 5 feet of snow between Black Friday and the following Sunday was extreme, even for Erie....
Colorectal cancer leads cancer deaths among younger people for 1st time
For the first time, colorectal cancer is the top cause of cancer deaths among people younger than 50 in the U.S., according to a study from the American Cancer Society. Researchers relied on National Cancer Institute data from nearly 1.3 million people in this age group who died of cancer...
Poor insurance reimbursements place Pa. hospitals at risk of closure, report says
Insufficient insurance reimbursements could drive more than a dozen Pennsylvania hospitals to close within five years, according to a report released Wednesday by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. The industry group hired consultancy Oliver Wyman to create the report. In its analysis, the New York City-based firm focused...
Point Park to expand mental health initiatives, suicide prevention
Expansion of Point Park University’s initiative to improve mental health and suicide prevention on campus aims to be more proactive and meet a growing need. “We want to make mental health more visible, accessible and more a part of everyday campus life,” said Cassandra Moffat, director of the university’s counseling...
The U.S. is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status. Here’s why that matters
It’s been a year since a measles outbreak began in West Texas, and international health authorities say they will meet in April to determine if the U.S. has lost its measles-free designation. Experts fear the vaccine-preventable virus has regained a foothold and that the U.S. may soon follow Canada in...
How abortion coverage threatens to prevent a congressional deal on health care subsidies
WASHINGTON (AP) — There is broad bipartisan support in the House and Senate for reviving federal health care subsidies that expired at the beginning of the year. But long-standing disagreements over abortion coverage are threatening to block any compromise and leave millions of Americans with higher premiums. Despite significant progress,...
Staffing is top priority as UPMC Magee-Womens nurses head into 1st contract talks
The newly formed nurses unions at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital will get to flex their power at the bargaining table for the first time Wednesday. Their priorities for their inaugural contracts include stronger health insurance, longer paid parental leave and better pay for experienced staff. But their top ask is improved...
Pa. gets $193M from federal rural health fund amid warnings it won’t offset Medicaid cuts
Pennsylvania has big plans for its $193 million award from a federal rural health fund, including investments in telehealth, recruiting health care workers and supporting ambulance services. But the nine-figure infusion from the Rural Health Transformation Program, announced last month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is overshadowed...
Pitt study underscores chance for independence after severe brain injury
When Gabe Brown woke from a coma last January at UPMC Mercy hospital, he could do little more than tilt his head and shift his eyes. The 28-year-old suffered a severe traumatic brain injury nearly four months earlier while on a honeymoon in Jamaica with his wife, Lauren Esper. The...
The debate that never ends: Washington’s constant health care fight
WASHINGTON — The president was barely a year into his administration when a health care debate began to consume Washington. On Capitol Hill, partisan divides formed as many Democrats pressed for guaranteed insurance coverage for a broader swath of Americans while Republicans, buttressed by medical industry lobbying, warned about cost...
Trump administration slashes funding for substance abuse and mental health programs nationwide
NEW YORK — The Trump administration has made abrupt and sweeping cuts to substance abuse and mental health programs across the country in a move that advocates said will jeopardize the lives of some of the country’s most vulnerable. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on Tuesday night...
Cheese recalled in Pa. classified as potentially deadly by FDA
Pecorino romano cheese products sold in 20 states — including Pennsylvania — have been recalled from stores nationwide due to the risk of serious illness or even death. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration updated the status of the recall on Jan. 6 to Class I, meaning there is a...
Pennsylvania health care professionals react to NYC nurses strike
Nearly 15,000 nurses from New York City’s top hospitals entered their second day striking on Tuesday, in what could be one of the largest labor clashes in the city’s health care industry in decades – and Pittsburgh’s health care workers are showing their support. The New York State Nursing Association,...
House passes bill to extend health care subsidies in defiance of GOP leaders
WASHINGTON — In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as 17 renegade GOP lawmakers joined every Democrat in support. The tally, 230-196, signified growing political concern over Americans’...
‘Stunning victory’: Report trumpets record survival rates for cancer patients
A record 70% of cancer patients are living five years past their diagnosis, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Cancer Society. The annual analysis of cancer statistics says early detection and improved treatment have helped pull five-year survival rates up from just 49% in the mid-1970s. “This...
Allegheny Health Network promotes West Penn Hospital head to run regional doctors group
Allegheny Health Network tapped West Penn Hospital’s top official Monday to lead a regional affiliation of doctors and their practices. Dr. Brian Johnson, who’s been president of West Penn Hospital since 2020, was named medical director and chief population health officer at Physician Partners of Western PA. He succeeds Dr....
Judge says she’ll hold a limited hearing on seizure of Luigi Mangione’s backpack
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Monday said she will hold a short hearing in the next two weeks on procedures that police said allowed them to seize and look through Luigi Mangione’s backpack when he was arrested in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. U.S. District Judge...
Some flu measures decline, but it’s not clear this severe season has peaked
NEW YORK — U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked. New government data posted Friday — for flu activity through last week — showed declines in medical office visits due to...
Planned Parenthood announces temporary closures in Pittsburgh, region
Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania announced Friday that it is temporarily closing two regional health centers for the next three to six months, following a similar closure last month. In a news release on the Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania website, the network of nonprofits said staffing issues were responsible...
Why whole milk is back, and what local providers say
Alianna Anselmi was surprised to see the pyramid structure make a comeback when the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines this week. Anselmi, lead dietitian for medical weight loss at Allegheny Health Network, said the MyPlate visual has been used since 2011, when it replaced the MyPyramid model as a...
House passes bill to extend health care subsidies in defiance of GOP leadersVideo
WASHINGTON — In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday, 230-196, that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as renegade GOP lawmakers joined essentially all Democrats in voting for the measure. Forcing the issue to a...
