Health Care
With a rise in overdose deaths, how is Pa. combating the opioid epidemic?
Preliminary data from the state Department of Health show a 14 percent increase in overdose deaths in 2020, compared to 4,458 deaths the year before.
Wolf admin. officials push for tick-borne illness awareness
“This summer, don’t let a tick make you sick,” acting Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson said Tuesday.
States and schools should reinstate mask mandates | Trish Zornio
If we don’t act now, masks could become a long-term fashion accessory.
Delta Variant 101: What you need to know to protect yourself | Thursday Morning Coffee
Here's how the rapidly spreading Delta variant might change your behavior.
Wolf admin. announces its first round of fixes to Pa.’s nursing home regs
The first package of proposed regulations will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin by July 31. This will begin a 30-day public comment period
My daughter is enrolled in Pfizer’s vaccine trial because I don’t trust COVID | Opinion
I decided to enroll my daughter in the trial because I trust scientists and doctors. I do not trust a virus that kills some and leaves others unmarked.
Pa. GOP lawmaker eyes constitutional amendment to avoid veto, limit top health official
The latest effort to avoid a gubernatorial veto comes from Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Fayette, who announced plans for an amendment in a Friday memo to colleagues that would curtail the Pennsylvania secretary of health’s emergency powers.
Kids aren’t just littler adults. Here’s why they need their own clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine | Opinion
Children are not just littler grownups; their bodies differ from adults’ in important ways.
Pgh is getting its first drive-thru medical marijuana dispensary
The Healing Research Center in Robinson Township is expected to officially open on Fri., July 30 and will operate Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Black Americans are more likely to be harmed by high drug prices. How one Pa. lawmaker is trying to help | Tuesday Morning Coffee
Nearly 30 percent of people who take prescription medications struggle to afford them. The burden is disproportionately borne by Black Americans, a new report concludes.
Medicare is headed for a crisis. We’re not ready – but there’s still time | Ray E. Landis
It is past time to shore up Medicare’s finances and reverse the drift toward its privatization.
Pa. to receive $225M from Sackler family opioid settlement
This story was updated at 2:50 p.m. on 7/8/21 to correct a spelling error. Pennsylvania is poised to receive $225 million over the next nine years in damages related to the opioid epidemic in a bankruptcy settlement with the family who owned Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin. The settlement comes after 24 states, including […]