Author: Elizabeth B

Data, data and more data! These days, we can measure everything. Health is no exception. There are devices that can measure everything from your daily steps to your body fat percentage. While not all health gadgets are necessary, some are essential. Consumer Reports has a look at some devices to consider.Having a few medical devices on hand can help you track basic health metrics and give you important information to discuss with your doctor. These tools are no substitute for a trusted clinician, but they can give you more data about your health in between doctor’s appointments.Blood pressure monitors are…

Caleb Coleman, an eighth-grader at Wangenheim Middle School in Mira Mesa, said he’s struggling with stress.”For example, if you have a big test coming up or something’s going wrong at home, you might get really stressed and dread going to class because you might have a panic attack.”But for 13-year-old Coleman, seeing a counselor wasn’t easy.”My previous school only had one counselor and she was always busy,” Coleman said. “Since coming here in sixth grade, I’ve been able to talk to all three and feel more open to asking for help.”Last school year, California’s student-to-counselor ratio was 464 to 1,…

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Stormont Vail Health has announced the hiring of Dr. Zane Foster, who will support patients with neurological disorders that affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves. Dr. Foster will join Stormont Vail Neurology at the Cotton O’Neill Nerve and Spine Centre. Dr. Foster studied anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and then earned his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. “Neurology is an extension of anthropology. It is the medical science of the brain and its functions that make us human. One of the reasons I chose to study neurology…

Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have received nearly $4 million in cumulative grant funding through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review Award and Career Development Program to support research into diabetes, dermatitis, cancer and aging. The Merit Review Awards Program supports investigator-initiated research conducted by eligible VA researchers at VA Medical Centers or approved facilities. The program is VA’s primary vehicle for funding basic, preclinical, and behavioral biomedical and clinical research into diseases and disorders that have a significant impact on Veterans’ health. The goal of the Merit Review Award program is to provide grant funding for…

Health insurance will be extended for Greenbriar employees through Aug. 31, the Greenbriar Workers Union Council announced in a news release Friday afternoon. Earlier this week, Greenbrier employees received a letter from lawyers representing the Amalgamated National Health Fund informing them that the Greenbrier Hotel Corporation is four months behind on its health fund contributions. The company is about $2.4 million in arrears, with another $1.2 million due soon. The Greenbrier’s past-due contributions include contributions that were deducted from employees’ paychecks and not transferred to the health insurance fund, the lawyers wrote. If the payments weren’t made, the company was…

A third arrest has been made in connection with the sex trafficking of teenage girls by a licensed mental health counselor at a Miami hotel, police said. Hermes Mejia, 29, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of indecent assault and indecent exposure of a child, records show. Mejia’s arrest follows that of 45-year-old Maria Ximena Duarte and her boyfriend, 46-year-old Jason Mojica. Duarte was arrested Sunday on suspicion of human trafficking, indecent assault and interference with custody. Miami-Dade police officials said Wednesday that Mojica faces charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and interference with custody. Miami-Dade Corrections Hermes Mejia, Maria Duarte,…

Hamilton County Public Health is urging residents to be on the lookout for symptoms of Cryptosporidium (or Crypto for short) as it continues to spread in the area over the past few weeks. This comes after the city of Wilder, Kentucky, temporarily closed its community splash pad on Friday to prevent the spread of the parasite in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. “There has been quite a bit of discussion recently about increased rates of gastrointestinal illness caused by Cryptosporidium (Crypto) in the area,” said Hamilton County Health Department Director Greg Kesterman. “With Labor Day weekend approaching, which typically marks the…

Lee County and Lee Health have posted an updated proposed mission agreement outlining the proposed transformation of Lee Health from a publicly managed nonprofit organization to a private nonprofit organization. The 2023 legislation that made the conversion process possible provides for at least 45 days for public review of the documents and supporting materials before a final vote by the County Commission, scheduled for Oct. 11. At their regular meeting on Aug. 20, Lee County commissioners voted to make the updated draft agreement available on the county’s website, and at a special meeting on Aug. 21, the Lee Health board…

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — The Kern County Public Health Department has announced the first confirmed case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Kern County in 2024.According to public health officials, WNV is a disease spread by mosquitoes and is most common during the summer and early fall, when mosquitoes that carry WNV are most active.”While many mosquito-borne diseases, such as WNV, cause only mild symptoms in most people, some infections can cause severe illness and, in rare cases, death,” the public health department said in a statement.Up to 20 percent of people infected with WNV experience symptoms such as fever,…

More than 5 million children have lost Medicaid coverage since states began the process of winding up Pandemic Continuation Insurance Protections. And recently released National Health Insurance Survey (NHIS) data for the first quarter of 2024 further intensified concerns that children are losing access to the health care they need to succeed. According to the NHIS, the number of uninsured children increased by one percentage point to 5.2%, which equates to 800,000 children. As my colleague Joan Alker tweeted, NHIS data for the first quarter of a given year typically reflects the highest coverage rates for that year. If past…