Man receives the first eye transplant plus a new face
NEW YORK — Surgeons have performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye, an extraordinary addition to a face transplant — although it’s far too soon to know if the man will ever see through his new left eye. An accident with high-voltage power lines had destroyed most...
Butler Health System losses nearly doubled in 2023, according to financial statements
Butler Health System’s losses almost doubled in the fiscal year ending June 30, according to newly released financial documents. The system, which in January merged with Excela Health to create Independence Health System, lost $43.3 million in fiscal year 2023. Butler Health reported $22.8 million in losses in the fiscal...
Ohio just legalized recreational marijuana. What does that mean for Pennsylvania?
On Tuesday, Ohio became the 24th state to legalize recreational use of marijuana after having a medical-only program in place. Now all of Pennsylvania’s neighbors, except West Virginia, allow recreational marijuana use. Pennsylvania passed medical marijuana laws in 2016. Pennsylvania medical marijuana patients must now be diagnosed with at least...
FDA approves new version of diabetes drug Mounjaro for weight loss
A new version of the popular diabetes treatment Mounjaro can be sold as a weight-loss drug, U.S. regulators announced Wednesday. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Eli Lilly’s drug, named Zepbound. The drug, also known as tirzepatide, helped dieters lose as much as 40 to 60 pounds in testing....
Syphilis cases in U.S. newborns skyrocketed in 2022. Health officials suggest more testing
NEW YORK — Alarmed by yet another jump in syphilis cases in newborns, U.S. health officials are calling for stepped-up prevention measures, including encouraging millions of women of childbearing age and their partners to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease. More than 3,700 babies were born with congenital syphilis...
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to expand heart institute
About 600 kids come to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh each year for heart operations. The demand for care is so great that the Lawrenceville hospital is expanding its Heart Institute to handle the growing number of patients. Many patients travel from outside the state or country. “This year is...
Drugs aren’t required to be tested in people who are obese. Here’s why that’s a problem
More than 40% of American adults are considered obese, yet the medications many take are rarely tested in bigger bodies. That’s because they are not required to be included in drug studies. And often, they’re explicitly excluded. “Clinical trials and dosing instructions don’t always ensure that drugs will be safe...
Carnegie Mellon receives $25M gift for computational biology from trustee and wife
Carnegie Mellon University has received a $25 million gift from longtime Trustee Ray Lane and his wife, Stephanie, to support the institution’s Computational Biology Department. Carnegie Mellon President Farnam Jahanian announced the gift in a note to campus Monday afternoon. He called it a “monumental investment” in an expanding area...
Mind-altering ketamine becomes new pain treatment, despite little research or regulation
WASHINGTON — As U.S. doctors scale back their use of opioid painkillers, a new option for hard-to-treat pain is taking root: ketamine, the decades-old surgical drug that is now a trendy psychedelic therapy. Prescriptions for ketamine have soared in recent years, driven by for-profit clinics and telehealth services offering the...
What would recreational marijuana legalization do for Pennsylvania tax revenue?
Seven years after Pennsylvania legalized marijuana for medical use, lawmakers are debating whether to allow recreational use — and what that would look like. It has created quite a buzz in the evolving industry. “Pennsylvania has a lot of market potential,” said Brendan Mitchel- Chesebro, a marketing content manager for...
Insurance experts expect movement from lapsed Medicaid recipients to ACA plans
Insurance companies and health care advisers are bracing for an influx of customers seeking help with understanding Affordable Care Act insurance after they lost Medicaid coverage this year. April 1 saw the end of the pandemic-era extension for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage. Recipients who didn’t need...
More fruit pouches for kids are being recalled because of illnesses that are linked to lead
Federal health officials are expanding an investigation into potentially lead-tainted pouches of apple cinnamon fruit puree marketed for children amid reports of more illnesses and additional product recalls. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it has received reports of seven illnesses in at least five states possibly linked to...
Jeannette woman to lead international pharmacist group
A Jeannette pharmacist is taking her seat as the leader of an international pharmacy advocacy organization that works to care for senior patients. Deborah Milito of Diamond Pharmacy Services was installed as president of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists on Oct. 26, after having spent a year as the...
AGH, nurses strike deal on 3-year contract
After a final 26-hour negotiation meeting, unionized nurses at Allegheny General Hospital struck a deal with hospital management on a new contract. The three-year agreement between the 1,200 nurses and nurse practitioners represented by SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania and AGH’s parent company, Allegheny Health Network, will make significant investments in wages...
How daylight saving time can seriously affect your healthVideo
CHICAGO — Brunch dates and flag football games might be a little easier to get to this Sunday, when phones grace early-risers with an extra hour of rest before alarm clocks go off. The downside: Next week across most of the U.S., the sun will set well before many folks...
‘One of a kind’ parking cashier at West Penn Hospital sets tone for patients, visitors
Most patients and family members visiting West Penn Hospital — especially those who park in the Liberty Avenue parking garage — pass Cora Brandon. The parking cashier, who started working at the Bloomfield hospital 17 years ago in the cafeteria, holds court behind her glass window to greet visitors or...
Excela Health reports $36.2M loss for fiscal year ending June 30
Westmoreland County-based Excela Health, which merged with Butler Health System in January to form Independence Health, lost $36.2 million in the fiscal year ending June 30, according to a new disclosure report. That’s $15 million more than losses reported in the previous fiscal year ending in June 2022, when it...
Inflation, end of additional covid-era SNAP benefits increase need for food pantry assistance
Every month, volunteers at the Mt. Pleasant Area Food Pantry see more and more unfamiliar faces. “This is the busiest we’ve ever been. Not just my pantry but every pantry,” said Marie Ochaba, head coordinator of the pantry at Church of God on West Main Street. “I’m probably signing up...
It’s time to buy health insurance through the marketplace. Experts suggest doing your research first
It’s time to pick health coverage for next year on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces, and experts caution against focusing your choice on price alone. In order to prevent thousands of dollars in financial surprises, buyers should know what a plan covers, how it works and what costs you...
What to know about the latest eyedrops recall
John Shields expects more calls to Allegheny Eye Associates in Lower Burrell from concerned customers after federal regulators issued another recall on eyedrops. The Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings for 26 over-the-counter eye care products because of the potential for infection that could result in partial vision loss...
U.S. infant mortality rate rose last year — CDC says it’s the largest increase in 2 decades
NEW YORK — The U.S. infant mortality rate rose 3% last year — the largest increase in two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White and Native American infants, infant boys and babies born at 37 weeks or earlier had significant death rate increases. The CDC’s...
Maryland man who received 2nd pig heart transplant dies, hospital says
WASHINGTON — The second person to receive a transplanted heart from a pig has died, nearly six weeks after the highly experimental surgery, his Maryland doctors announced Tuesday. Lawrence Faucette, 58, was dying from heart failure and ineligible for a traditional heart transplant when he received the genetically modified pig...
Women who lost children help lead effort to reduce Black infant mortality rate in Allegheny County
Jenea Edwards sometimes feels a twinge of sadness when she sees a little girl. There was a time when Edwards looked forward to matching mother-daughter outfits and making visits to the nail salon together. Now it’s a reminder of what could have been. With one big kick on the way...
Raw dog food recalled after it tests positive for salmonella
Blue Ridge Beef of North Carolina is recalling raw dog food that has tested positive for salmonella. Breeders Choice dog food was distributed to retailers in five states including Pennsylvania, according to an announcement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The dog food was distributed in 2-pound logs between...
List of nursing homes cited for abuse can be incomplete, arbitrary, experts say
A review of state nursing home inspection reports reveals no mention of two patients who died about a year ago at Quality Life Services-Chicora after being given fatal doses of insulin. Registered nurse Heather Pressdee, who is charged in the killings, told investigators “she felt bad for their quality of...
