POMA NEWS ARTICLES These are a few news articles from the past week that have been selected for their relevance in the February 7 issue of Under the DOme.
02-06-2020 Allegheny County records 2 more flu-related deaths Two more Allegheny County residents have died from flu complications, bringing the county’s total flu-associated deaths this season to seven, the Allegheny County Health Department said Wednesday. Department spokesman Ryan Scarpino said one of the residents was in their... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
02-06-2020 ‘Fail first’ no more: Pennsylvania moves to expand coverage of treatments for advanced cancers HARRISBURG — Patients in Pennsylvania facing the most serious stage of cancer will no longer be forced to try cheaper drugs before their insurance covers other, more expensive treatments. The state House on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill that would abolish... - Philadelphia Inquirer
02-06-2020 New Lebanon health clinic aimed at underserved residents A new health center focused on treating Lebanon residents who can't afford primary care is opening later this month. The WellSpan Dixon Foundation Health Center, on Fourth and Willow streets, will serve as a primary care and integrated behavioral health care provider... - Lebanon Daily News
02-06-2020 Vape experiment finds more CO at higher levels LEWISBURG — What exactly is in those popular vapes and e-smokes? - Milton Standard
02-05-2020 Pa. budget winner: Human services get a boost in Gov. Wolf’s spending plan At a glance: The proposed human services budget calls for $14.4 billion in state spending, up from $13.2 billion. The human services budget contains substantial federal funds. All told, the budget calls for $40.1 billion in spending, up from $39.4 billion. What it means: The human services budget covers many major health-related... - Penn Live, Patriot-News
02-05-2020 Ellwood City Medical Center loses license ELLWOOD CITY — No license, no hospital. The Ellwood City Medical Center officially no longer can operate after its current provisional license with the Pennsylvania Department of Health expired last week without response. It is unclear if this will impact any of the approximately 20 employees... - Beaver County Times
02-05-2020 Your Call: How did LVHN and St. Luke's become so competitive? This story is part of The Morning Call’s new initiative called “Your Call,” which allows you, the readers, to ask the questions you want answered. Today’s story received the most votes in an online poll as we give you a greater voice in what news is covered in the Lehigh Valley region. Have... - Allentown Morning Call
02-04-2020 Pa. universities ‘prepare for an outbreak,’ support students from China as coronavirus spreads When Queenie Fan went looking for protective surgical masks in State College, she found that they were mostly sold out, and she said the same has been true across the region, the state and, she suspects, the country. It’s been that way, Fan said, since she and other Chinese college... - Penn Live, Patriot-News
02-04-2020 Unity nurse anesthetist begins new legislative advocacy role with state association Unity resident Jessica Poole is among more than 3,700 nationally board-certified registered nurse anesthetists in the state represented by the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA). If she’s successful in her new role of government relations director... - Pittsburgh Tribune- Review
02-04-2020 Unity Township doctor charged with accepting kickbacks for opiate prescriptions A Unity Township doctor was charged in federal court with taking kickbacks to prescribe fentanyl, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Western District of Pennsylvania. Dr. Thomas Whitten, of Westmoreland Pain Management, allegedly prescribed the fentanyl-based drug Subsys to people without a “legitimate medical... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
02-04-2020 Pittsburgh police officers will carry specialized gauze to control bleeding Pittsburgh police officers will now be carrying special gauze that can help control bleeding in cases of gunshot wounds or other injuries, thanks to a donation from Allegheny Health Network. Each Pittsburgh police officer will be provided with a NuStat Tactical... - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
02-04-2020 Health officials: Flu posing greater immediate threat than coronavirus HARRISBURG – While the spread of the coronavirus is attracting international attention the flu has, thus far, continues to have a much greater public health impact in Pennsylvania this winter, health officials said Monday. There have been no cases of coronavirus confirmed in... - Johnstown Tribune- Democrat
02-04-2020 Depression May Elevate Dementia Risk People with depression are at increased risk for dementia, researchers report, and the risk may persist for decades. Using the Swedish National Patient Register, scientists identified 119,386 people over 50 with depression and matched them with an equal number of... - New York Times
02-04-2020 Highlights of Gov. Tom Wolf's state budget proposal Highlights of Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s spending plan for the 2020-21 budget year that starts July 1:... - AP
02-03-2020 This addiction treatment medicine is often sold on the streets — and may be preventing overdoses It’s a refrain dealers chant every day up and down Philadelphia’s Kensington Avenue, the city’s largest drug marketplace: “Subs — subs — subs!” They’re referring to Suboxone, one of the brand names for the opioid-based addiction treatment medicine buprenorphine, prescribed by... - Philadelphia Inquirer
02-03-2020 Monday Update: Lackawanna County overdose study to ramp up this month Work on a long-term study of every opioid overdose death in Lackawanna County is slated to begin in earnest by the end of this month, District Attorney Mark Powell said. On Feb. 26, a meeting will take place with representatives of the study’s key players — the University of Pittsburgh, state police,... - Scranton Times
02-03-2020 Better control of PBMs vital Among the major players in any pharmacy drug transaction, drug manufacturers, insurers and big pharmacy chains have substantial power. Only the consumer is on his own. Drug prices in the United States aren’t the highest in the world by accident. They are the result of a system designed to make it so.... - Scranton Times
02-03-2020 Cold and flu medicine recalled because of 'microbial contamination’ Efficient Laboratories is voluntarily recalling one lot each of Rompe Pecho EX, Rompe Pecho CF, and Rompe Pecho MAXliquid because they have been found to contain microbial contamination. The lots recalled, according to an announcement on the U.S. Food and Drug... - Penn Live, Patriot-News
02-02-2020 FDA approves first treatment for kids with peanut allergy The first treatment for peanut allergies is about to hit the market, a big step toward better care for all kinds of food allergies . but still a long way from a cure... - AP
02-02-2020 Science event for girls held at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Trisha Patel, 13, a seventh grader at Northeast Intermediate School, walked into a Girls in Science program Saturday at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine with her sights set on two potential careers. “I had two things in mind. First was being an astronaut. After that, it was... - Scranton Times
02-02-2020 Teens Find a Big Loophole in the New Flavored Vaping Ban The Food and Drug Administration is banning most flavored e-cigarettes, but that isn.t keeping banana ice, sour gummy or cool mint out of the hands of McCracken County High School students. Blame a policy loophole. When the Trump administration decided to prohibit... - New York Times
01-31-2020 St. Mary Medical Center first in region to perform aortic valve replacement procedure with new 'LOTUS' Edge Valve MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP >> St. Mary Medical Center is the first hospital in the region to successfully use a LOTUS Edge Aortic Valve System during a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure outside of a clinical trial. The St. Mary Heart and Vascular team of experts uses the new device to... - Bucks Local News
01-31-2020 Rural America's Health Crisis Seizes States' Attention Dr. George Pink is a professor who studies rural health, not a doctor who tries to provide it. For the sake of his own blood pressure, he’s grateful. “Not a day doesn’t go by that I don’t thank God I’m an academic and not the CEO of a rural hospital,” Pink, a health policy... - Stateline.org
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