Latest news with #PennsylvaniaDepartmentofHealth
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
3rd confirmed case of whooping cough confirmed at Rostraver Elementary School
The Belle Vernon Area School District notified parents on Friday about another case of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, at Rostraver Elementary School. School administrators sent a letter to parents, letting families know there has been a third case of whooping cough confirmed by state health officials. The letter said while the Pennsylvania Department of Health is not recommending any changes to school operations at this time, they want everyone to remain vigilant and be cognizant of symptoms. 'For the first 5-10 days, up to 21 days, you can have cold-like symptoms. We're talking running nose, stuffy nose, watery eyes, sometimes fever and cough,' said Dr. Todd Wolynn of the Trusted Messenger Program. If the symptoms persist for weeks or continue to get worse, Wolynn said it's a good idea to keep your kids home from school. 'If your kid is vaccinated, the chance of them getting this is low -- really low. But the deal would be if this cough is going on more than the typical week, that your symptoms aren't improving, to the point you're coughing, you're gagging, you're choking…[stay home],' Wolynn said. It's not just school-aged children at risk. Dr. Wolynn said whooping cough is especially dangerous for infants. 'This is life-threatening. Pertussis kills infants, partly because their airway is so small, so when they have inflammation and mucus that builds up in the airway, it causes the classic whoop,' Wolynn said. It's unclear if the three confirmed cases at Rostraver Elementary involve students who are unvaccinated. For more resources, click here. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
PA experiencing decline in organ donors this Donor Life Month
(WKBN) — April is National Donate Life Month, highlighting the importance of organ donation. Donate Life Month is about encouraging people to become donors and celebrating organ donors and their families. Cindy Findley from the Pennsylvania Department of Health says they're seeing a decline in organ donor registrations in Pennsylvania and nationwide. In Harrisburg on Friday, PennDOT, the PA Department of Health, and organ donation programs came together to showcase the impacts of organ donation. About 5 million Pennsylvanians are currently registered as organ donors, and more than 6,000 Pennsylvanians are currently in need of a life-saving organ or tissue transplant. One of the people who spoke to the crowd was 50 years old when she went in for pre-op for ankle surgery and found out she was having a heart attack. More tests showed she developed cardiomyopathy and eventually needed a transplant, which she eventually got from a 43-year-old woman, whom she calls her hero. 'She said, 'Yes, I want to donate my organs just in case;' she didn't know,' Lois Angelisanti said. 'It's terrible that she had to die, it's terrible that she had to pass, but in her passing, she saved me, and I don't know how many others she saved.' Another one of the people who spoke in Harrisburg told the story of her husband, who gave someone else the ability to see through organ donation. 'His gift allows someone to see the world with clarity and a wonder that he always carried in his heart,' Sarah Drummond said. 'The thought that someone now is experiencing the world through the gift he gave brings me and my daughter so much comfort.' In this effort, they're encouraging Pennsylvanians to sign up to be an organ donor when you get your photo taken for your license, or by signing up online at any time. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania Department of Health reports measles case in Lancaster County
EPHRATA, Pa. (WHTM) — A visitor to Lancaster County coming from Texas tested positive for measles, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said Sunday. The patient was visiting Lancaster County and was contagious between April 3 and April 11 and had visited after a trip from Texas. They visited the WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital Emergency Department between 9:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. April 8 and anyone who was there at the time may have been exposed. Measles exploded in Texas after stagnant vaccine funding. New cuts threaten the same across the US 'Our team took all necessary precautions when managing this patient, but outreach has been conducted and completed with any other patients that may have been in this individual's presence in our emergency department,' WellSpan Health said in a statement to abc27 News. The Department of Health said they live out-of-state and became infected after visiting Texas. The risk to the general public is low due to high vaccination rates across Pennsylvania, the department says. People who are fully immunized are at very low risk of contracting the measles. People unsure of their vaccination status should contact their health care provider. 'The best protection against measles is vaccination,' said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. 'With two MMR vaccines, residents are at low risk of getting and spreading the measles. Knowing the signs of sickness and places people may have been exposed will help protect individuals and communities from this disease.' People who believe they were exposed to measles and are experiencing symptoms should contact their health care provider or call the Pennsylvania Department of Health toll-free hotline at 877-PA-HEALTH. All residents are encouraged to monitor for symptoms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) people most at-risk are: Infants less than one year old who are too young to have received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine; Individuals who are unvaccinated; and Individuals from parts of the world where there is low vaccination coverage or where there is circulating measles. Earlier this week, a measles case was reported in Philadelphia County. The Philadelphia Department of Health reported that a patient tested positive for measles and had visited the Pennsylvania Hospital Emergency Department in Philadelphia on Sunday, April 6 between 3:55 p.m. and 11:20 p.m., and the Holy Redeemer Hospital Emergency Department in Meadowbrook on Tuesday, April 8 between 6:05 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. 'As vaccination rates across the country continue to drop, there are more and more opportunities for people who cannot be vaccinated to be exposed to this deadly disease,' said Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson, Commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Public Health. 'However, because Philadelphia has high rates of immunity against measles, we are hopeful that this case won't spread further. For us to keep that protection, it is critical for everyone who isn't already immune from measles and can be vaccinated, get vaccinated as soon as possible.' Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices That case in Philadelphia County came while travelling abroad and is not connected to the outbreak out west. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Donate Life month recognized at Pennsylvania State Capitol
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — April is Donate Life Month and, at the state capitol Friday, emotional pleas for all to consider the gift of life. PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Department of Health urged Pennsylvanians to become organ donors. There are 6,000 across the Commonwealth on waiting lists. Sarah Drummond lost her husband Scott. Their daughter held his photo as Sarah honored Scott's life, love, and legacy with a story full of heart and a little humor. 'He spent his life seeing the best in others, fittingly, he gave the gift of sight after he passed,' Drummond said. 'Honestly, he was probably thrilled at the idea of giving someone a fresh set of eyes, because lets face it, he said I rolled mine too much. Knowing him, he's probably looking down and saying 'See, I had a vision and someone else literally has one too.' Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices In Pennsylvania, you can become an organ donor when getting or renewing your driver's license or ID card. It will have a red heart and your donor status is recorded with PennDOT. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Legislative Roundup: Long-term care employees support proposal on quality care for older adults
Mar. 30—WILKES-BARRE — Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2025-26 budget proposal allocates $7.5 million for quality investment projects (QIP) in Pennsylvania's long-term care facilities to improve care for older adults. Funding would support facilities in areas affecting workforce development and retention, infection prevention and emergency preparedness, as well as infrastructure. More than 80,000 Pennsylvanians reside in over 700 nursing homes throughout the state. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided federal funds to the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Long-term Care Transformation Office (LTCTO) to implement quality investment pilot projects at facilities across the state. Over the past two years, QIP investments led directly to significant improvements in participating long-term care facilities, such as: —27% reduction in staff vacancies; —35% decrease in the average number of residents evaluated at medical facilities; and —56% decrease in skilled nursing home health citations. The Governor's office said 37 facilities in rural areas have benefited from QIP initiatives, accounting for $3.1 million of the total amount spent in QIP initiatives, in just one year. AG Sunday: 'jam' contraband cell phones in prisons Attorney General Dave Sunday this week joined a bipartisan coalition of 26 state attorneys general calling on Congress to pass H.R. 2350 and S. 1137 — federal legislation allowing states to deploy cell phone "jamming" systems in prisons. "Jamming" involves the interruption of cell phone signals, which would disable non-emergency calls. The legislation regards contraband phones — devices that incarcerated individuals are not permitted to have. The legislation would not impact individuals' usage of landline phones at prisons. Cell phones are typically smuggled into prisons and commonly used by incarcerated individuals to direct drug trafficking efforts, concoct escape plans, or coordinate acts of violence. "The reality is that some incarcerated individuals continue with their criminal activities while behind bars — be it orchestrating a drug or firearms trafficking organization or intimidating a witness in their case to not cooperate with authorities," Sunday said. "This legislation will help keep our communities safer by eliminating crimes aided by the use of contraband cell phones." The bill was introduced by Tennessee U.S. Rep. David Kustoff and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton. The coalition sent a letter urging congress to pass the bill. In the letter, the coalition highlights how inmates exploit contraband phones to: —Direct drug trafficking operations —Orchestrate violence inside and outside prison walls —Run sophisticated fraud schemes preying on vulnerable citizens —Intimidate witnesses and terrorize victims' families —Plot escape attempts endangering law enforcement and the public Federal law bans states from using cell phone jamming technology, leaving correctional facilities defenseless against an escalating threat. A 2020 survey of 20 state corrections departments uncovered 25,840 contraband cell phones in a single year, a stark reminder of the scale of the crisis, according to the letter. Fetterman leads effort to expand VA burial benefits U.S. Senators John Fetterman, D-PA, Kevin Cramer, R-ND, and Dave McCormick, R-PA, this week introduced the Dennis and Lois Krisfalusy Act — a bipartisan bill to permanently expand the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) burial benefits. This legislation would allow the VA to provide memorial headstones or markers for veterans, their spouses and dependent children, regardless of when they passed away, ensuring military families are properly honored together. "We can never repay the debt we owe our veterans and their families for their sacrifices to keep our country safe. We have a responsibility to honor those sacrifices regardless of when a family member died," Fetterman said. "Lois Krisfalusy should be honored with her husband, Dennis — but arbitrary barriers are preventing that. It's common sense that families like theirs deserve to be laid to rest together, and I'm proud to lead a bipartisan effort to correct this injustice." "Our veterans put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, and we owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid," McCormick said. "Bureaucracy should not stand in the way of our veterans and their families being laid to rest honorably while also recognizing their service." The bill is named in honor of Dennis "Denny" Krisfalusy, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Washington County, Pennsylvania, who served during the Vietnam War. In 1985, Dennis and his wife, Lois Krisfalusy, tragically died during an earthquake in Mexico City, with neither of their remains recovered. Though Dennis received a memorial headstone at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Pennsylvania, Lois was ineligible to have her name added under VA regulations due to an arbitrary date restriction. The Dennis and Lois Krisfalusy Act removes these restrictions, allowing spouses like Lois to be memorialized alongside their veteran loved ones. Under law, only spouses who died after November 11, 1998, and before Oct. 1, 2025, are eligible for VA burial markers. Watro, Argall to co-host Concealed Carry Seminar To help residents better understand Pennsylvania's firearms laws and how to be more responsible gun owners, Rep. Dane Watro, R-Hazleton, and Sen. Dave Argall, R-Pottsville, will co-host a free Concealed Carry Seminar from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, at the West Hazleton Borough Building, 100 S. 4th St. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. "Anyone interested in learning more about their rights under the Commonwealth's firearms laws is encouraged to attend our seminar," the lawmakers said. "We are co-hosting this event to present the facts, with the help of our local experts who will lead the discussion." The seminar will feature presentations by Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce and Luzerne County Sheriff Brian Szumski, who will discuss Pennsylvania's gun laws and answer questions. Due to limited seating, attendees are asked to register for the event at or by calling 570-453-1344. The reservation deadline is Wednesday , April 2 . Pashinski to host senior fair at mall State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, this week announced he will host a senior fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 22, at the Wyoming Valley Mall in Wilkes-Barre. This free event will provide local seniors with important resources, information and services that are specifically designed to help them improve their quality of life. The senior fair will feature a wide range of exhibitors and vendors, including representatives from state and local agencies, health care providers, insurance companies, senior living communities, and more. Seniors and their families will have the opportunity to speak directly with service providers to get answers to their questions and learn about available programs. Highlights of the senior fair include: —Information on health care services and insurance options —Senior discount programs —Resources for care-giving, housing and transportation —Educational materials on state and federal assistance programs —Free health screenings and wellness tips Pashinski will be on hand to welcome attendees, provide assistance and connect people with the resources they need. The event is open to seniors, their families and caregivers, and attendees can take advantage of the many services available at no charge. "This Senior Fair is an important opportunity for seniors in our community to learn about the resources that can help them live healthier and more fulfilling lives," Pashinski said. Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
