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Another brain tumor case reported amid Massachusetts nurse cluster

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOSTON — Another Newton-Wellesley Hospital staffer who worked in the maternity wing has reportedly been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

This sixth tumor case on the fifth floor of the Mass General Brigham facility comes as officials continue to assure staff and patients that there’s “no environmental risk” at the hospital.

Meanwhile, the...Read more

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Mass. Democrats rally behind bill to 'fortify' protections for transgender, reproductive health care

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

BOSTON — Top Democrats in the Massachusetts Senate pledged to advance sweeping legislation Monday that they argue protects reproductive and transgender health care from “attacks” by entities in other states where some practices have been deemed illegal under local laws.

The proposal, filed by Sen. Cindy Friedman of Arlington and Attorney ...Read more

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Fired FDA communications staff worry about impact on public health

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

WASHINGTON – Vera Rosenthal, a health communications specialist at the Food and Drug Administration, woke up to an email April 1 informing her that she had been affected by the Trump administration’s “Reduction in Force” effort and no longer had a job at the agency.

About a half hour later, she got out of bed to take her border collie ...Read more

Pennsylvania may be short 20,000 nurses by 2026

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Imagine nearly every seat in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center − over 20,000 seats − are empty. That’s the scale of Pennsylvania’s projected shortfall of registered nurses by 2026, according to the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania.

Hospitals in the state report an average 14% vacancy rate for registered ...Read more

How the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service protects public health at home and abroad

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When the Trump administration announced in February 2025 that it was cutting 10% of staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it seemed that a small but storied program within it called the Epidemic Intelligence Service – also known as the CDC’s disease detectives – would also be cut. A few days later, the program was ...Read more

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A fifth of Americans are on Medicaid. Some of them have no idea

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Some Americans who rely on Medicaid to pay for their health care don’t realize their insurance is funded by that very program, which congressional Republicans are looking to shrink.

One reason is that state programs aren’t always called “Medicaid.” Many states have rebranded their programs with consumer-friendly names such as SoonerCare...Read more

Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune/TNS

Minnesota addiction and mental health providers fear federal cuts will hurt 'life-saving' services

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Substance abuse services in schools and a help line intended to prevent people’s mental health issues from escalating are among Minnesota programs scaling back amid an attempt to cancel federal funding.

The Trump administration wants to rescind $27.5 million in COVID-era grants for 85 mental health and addiction programs across the state, ...Read more

Lydia Zuraw/KFF Health News/TNS

Trump's immigration tactics obstruct efforts to avert bird flu pandemic, researchers say

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Aggressive deportation tactics have terrorized farmworkers at the center of the nation’s bird flu strategy, public health workers say.

Dairy and poultry workers have accounted for most cases of the bird flu in the U.S. — and preventing and detecting cases among them is key to averting a pandemic. But public health specialists say they’re ...Read more

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Ask the Pediatrician: Is baby formula safe?

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Many families feed formula to their infants in the first year of life as an alternative to human breast milk. They trust that it will be safe and provide the nutrients their baby needs.

Still, you may have heard about a report that found heavy metals or other contaminants in some infant formula products. There are also new plans at the federal ...Read more

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Mayo Clinic Q and A: 4 health benefits to cutting back screen time

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I catch myself constantly nagging my kids and spouse to put down their devices during dinner, in the evenings and on weekends. I feel burned out by screens by the end of the workday. How can I encourage tech-free time for my family and reduce screen time?

ANSWER: Smartphones, gaming systems and screens are everywhere. They ...Read more

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California's El Camino Health implements AI, robots in hospitals to improve efficiency

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Robots are roaming the hallways at El Camino Health, helping to deliver medications and take samples to the laboratory. They are among the new technologies implemented to improve efficiency while allowing clinicians to focus on patient care.

These technologies, which include artificial intelligence, are designed to help staff with menial tasks....Read more

DREAMSTIME/TNS

Pitt research points to solution for growing problem of bacteria resistance

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Daria Van Tyne didn't expect to see changes in a population of bacteria taken from a UPMC hospital. Her hunch was wrong, but the results of her recent study point to a potential solution for antibiotic resistance.

Bacteria are ancient creatures that have learned advanced evolutionary behaviors over billions of years. The particular strain Van ...Read more

Katharine Gammon/KFF Health News/TNS

Public health risks of urban wildfire smoke prompt push for more monitoring

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

When the catastrophic Los Angeles fires broke out, John Volckens suspected firefighters and residents were breathing toxic air from the burning homes, buildings, and cars, but it was unclear how much risk the public faced. So, the professor of environmental health at Colorado State University devised a plan to get answers.

Volckens shipped 10 ...Read more

Aneri Pattani/KFF Health News/TNS

For opioid victims, payouts fall short while governments reap millions

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Christopher Julian’s opioid journey is familiar to many Americans.

He was prescribed painkillers as a teenager for a series of sports injuries. He said the doctor never warned him they could be addictive. Julian didn’t learn that fact until years later, when he was cut off and began suffering withdrawal symptoms. At that point, he started ...Read more

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CDC's cruise inspectors laid off as ship arrives in Florida with a norovirus outbreak

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — All full-time employees in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program were laid off this week, even as a cruise ship arrived in Miami with another norovirus outbreak among passengers and crew.

The CDC employees whose jobs were cut were responsible for monitoring, tracking and assisting...Read more

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Amazon turned drivers into first responders in Europe experiment

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Amazon.com Inc. equipped some delivery vans in Europe with defibrillators to see if drivers crisscrossing residential areas could speed up aid to heart-attack victims.

The world’s largest online retailer tested a program, called Project Pulse, as a pilot in Amsterdam in November 2023, and expanded it to London and Bologna, Italy, according to...Read more

Pornography may be commonplace, but a growing body of research shows it causes lasting harm to the brain and relationships

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

While pornography has been present throughout human history in various forms, such as ancient erotic art to more modernized motion pictures, research shows an increase in use over recent decades given the rise of technology and accessibility.

Pornography, meaning any media intended to depict or describe sexual content to heighten ...Read more

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Slashed federal funding cancels vaccine clinics amid measles surge

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

More than a dozen vaccination clinics were canceled in Pima County, Arizona.

So was a media blitz to bring low-income children in Washoe County, Nevada, up to date on their shots.

Planned clinics were also scuttled in Texas, Minnesota and Washington, among other places.

Immunization efforts across the country were upended after the federal ...Read more

VA research stalls under hiring freeze

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

PITTSBURGH — One hundred years ago, scientific research began at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, eventually yielding discoveries like the implantable pacemaker, the nicotine patch and the concept of a CT scan.

This spring, the National Association of Veterans' Research and Education Foundations thought it would be prioritizing ...Read more

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Tax time triggers fraud alarms for some Obamacare enrollees

Health Advice / Health & Fitness /

Because of past fraud by rogue brokers, some Affordable Care Act policyholders may get an unexpected tax bill this season.

But that isn’t the only potential shock. Other changes coming soon — stemming from proposals by the administration of President Donald Trump — could affect their coverage and its cost. And sorting out related problems...Read more