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Leapfrog downgraded Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania to a C safety rating after changing how it grades hospitals, like HUP, that don't complete its voluntary survey.

‘Safest’ local hospitals? | Philly Health Insider

Plus, financial reports for the first quarter of FY25 for Penn, Temple, and Jefferson, and an exclusive analysis of the financial health of local private colleges.

Alison McCook and Aubrey Whelan

Mars Sharrock, at the Wardrobe a Philadelphia nonprofit thrift shop. A transgender man, Sharrock said he's worried about the effect President-elect Donald Trump will have on the LGBTQ community.

LGBTQ Philadelphians are speeding up gender-affirming care and seeking legal advice before Trump takes office

The exposed end of the boat ramp into Pitman’s Alcyon Lake in Gloucester County last month.

What the Delaware River ‘salt line’ is, and why we should care where it is

Anthony R. Wood

File: The Delaware River intake area at the Samuel S. Baxter Water Treatment Plant in Philadelphia.

Delaware River water levels at 60% as salt front increases amid drought

Tower Health has owned Pottstown Hospital, shown here in February 2023, since 2017.

Tower Health had a $14 million operating loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2025

Harold Brubaker

This photo provided by Moderna in August 2024 shows packaging and syringes for the company's updated COVID vaccine for ages 12 and older. Philadelphia health officials are encouraging residents to get vaccinated with one of three updated COVID vaccines this fall.

Some federal funding for COVID vaccines has been cut, but you can still get a free vaccine in Philly

Health officials here say they hope to encourage more residents to get vaccinated ahead of the winter “sick season.”

Federal program offering free COVID tests is now open

In late September, Americans can order free COVID-19 tests for their household. Here's how it works.

Alexandra Pompan, a customer service associate, gets vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dr. Philip Maceno, pharmacy manager at Walgreens, on Monday, October 23, 2023.

FDA approves new COVID vaccines for fall

A vial of the COVID-19 vaccine 2023-2024 formula of Comirnaty made by Pfizer and BioNTech was available at Walgreens in Woodbury, N.J., on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. The CDC recently declared COVID endemic.

COVID is now endemic, the CDC says. What does that mean for Philly?

Alexandra Pompan, a customer service associate, gets vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dr. Philip Maceno, pharmacy manager at Walgreens, on Monday, October 23, 2023.

FDA approves new COVID vaccines for fall

A vial of the COVID-19 vaccine 2023-2024 formula of Comirnaty made by Pfizer and BioNTech was available at Walgreens in Woodbury, N.J., on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023. The CDC recently declared COVID endemic.

COVID is now endemic, the CDC says. What does that mean for Philly?

Expert Opinions

Depression can affect the sex drive. Here’s how to cope.

While antidepressants can negatively affect your sex life, decreased interest is also a common symptom of depression. And not everyone who takes an antidepressant experiences sexual side effects.

Gregory Scott Brown and MD, Washington Post

Face It, founded in 2009, offers individual and group support for depression, community events and training for mental health professionals. In 2019, the nonprofit launched an unusual program pairing traditional therapy with peer support to see if that combination improved outcomes for men. (Dmitry Volochek/Dreamstime/TNS)

Face It, founded in 2009, offers individual and group support for depression, community events and training for mental health professionals. In 2019, the nonprofit launched an unusual program pairing traditional therapy with peer support to see if that combination improved outcomes for men. (Dmitry Volochek/Dreamstime/TNS)

Depression can affect the sex drive. Here’s how to cope.

While antidepressants can negatively affect your sex life, decreased interest is also a common symptom of depression. And not everyone who takes an antidepressant experiences sexual side effects.

Gregory Scott Brown and MD, Washington Post

Expert Opinion | Try these simple food swaps to reduce your colorectal cancer risk

Trisha Pasricha, Washington Post

The human colon. Colorectal cancer occurs in the colon or rectum when abnormal growths, called polyps, form and become cancerous over time.

Open enrollment help can be hard to find

Grace McCormack and Melissa Garrido, The Conversation

FILE - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks in Sacramento, Calif., Oct. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)

Philly hospitals test new strategy for ‘tranq dope’ withdrawal – and it keeps patients from walking out before their treatment is done

Kory London, The Conversation

Fighting xylazine withdrawal can be easier if some unusual steps are taken, according to some Philadelphia medical professionals.

Teen's severe abdominal pain came at her from two directions | Medical Mystery

Jonathan Ghaul and Rima Himelstein, For The Inquirer

An MRI machine provided the answers to the teen's abdominal pain.

A child explores exhibits at the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum in Mantua Township, N.J. in 2024. The park, just a 20-minute drive from Philadelphia, is opening in March 2025.

South Jersey’s ‘Jurassic Park’-like fossil park delays opening a second time to 2025

A scene from the 350-acre Shotgun Fire that began Nov. 6 in Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in the area of Stump Tavern Road in Jackson Township, Ocean County, near a gun range. Richard Shashaty, 37, of Brick Township, was charged with arson and firearms violations after allegedly firing prohibited Dragon's Breath shotgun ammunition that officials say ignited the fire.

What does ‘John Wick’ have to do with the N.J. wildfires?

A child explores exhibits at the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum in Mantua Township, N.J. in 2024. The park, just a 20-minute drive from Philadelphia, is opening in March 2025.

South Jersey’s ‘Jurassic Park’-like fossil park delays opening a second time to 2025

A scene from the 350-acre Shotgun Fire that began Nov. 6 in Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area in the area of Stump Tavern Road in Jackson Township, Ocean County, near a gun range. Richard Shashaty, 37, of Brick Township, was charged with arson and firearms violations after allegedly firing prohibited Dragon's Breath shotgun ammunition that officials say ignited the fire.

What does ‘John Wick’ have to do with the N.J. wildfires?

The exposed end of the boat ramp into Pitman’s Alcyon Lake in Gloucester County last month.

What the Delaware River ‘salt line’ is, and why we should care where it is

Anthony R. Wood

File: The Delaware River intake area at the Samuel S. Baxter Water Treatment Plant in Philadelphia.

Delaware River water levels at 60% as salt front increases amid drought

The exposed end of the boat ramp into Pitman’s Alcyon Lake in Gloucester County last month.

What the Delaware River ‘salt line’ is, and why we should care where it is

Anthony R. Wood

File: The Delaware River intake area at the Samuel S. Baxter Water Treatment Plant in Philadelphia.

Delaware River water levels at 60% as salt front increases amid drought

Reproductive Health

Four Philly abortion providers talk about the calling that drives them to do emotionally challenging work

“If abortion is legal but there’s nobody to provide them, we don’t have legal abortion,” said Lisa Perriera, medical director of The Women’s Center’s five clinics.

Sarah Gantz and video by Lauren Schneiderman

6:44

6:44

Four Philly abortion providers talk about the calling that drives them to do emotionally challenging work

“If abortion is legal but there’s nobody to provide them, we don’t have legal abortion,” said Lisa Perriera, medical director of The Women’s Center’s five clinics.

Sarah Gantz and video by Lauren Schneiderman

Post-Roe, contraceptive failures carry bigger stakes

Sarah Varney, Kaiser Health News

Birth control failures can have big consequences in a post-Roe United States.

Planned Parenthood is America’s largest abortion provider. Most Philadelphians who go there aren’t ending a pregnancy.

Bobbie Trotenberg, a patient escort, watched as a patient entered Planned Parenthood in Center City after she walked her to the door in Philadelphia on July 20.

How overturning ‘Roe v. Wade’ will affect abortion access in Pa., NJ

People gather outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building for the Bans Off Our Bodies rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, October 2, 2021. The rally is part of demonstrations happening across the country defending women’s rights to seek abortions.

Pa. could see a surge of 8,500 abortion patients from other states

High schoolers from Philadelphia walk through the north portal of Philadelphia's City Hall to meet up with other students to protest for abortion rights on May 25, 2022.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle A. Henry last month.

Health & Pharma

Pa., N.J. join settlement with generic drug firms accused of price-fixing. Consumers may be eligible for refunds.

A woman holds two boxes of at-home COVID-19 test kits in Washington on Dec. 22, 2021.

Federal program offering free COVID tests is now open

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle A. Henry last month.

Health & Pharma

Pa., N.J. join settlement with generic drug firms accused of price-fixing. Consumers may be eligible for refunds.

A woman holds two boxes of at-home COVID-19 test kits in Washington on Dec. 22, 2021.

Federal program offering free COVID tests is now open

The Opioid Crisis

A staffer dispenses methadone from a mobile clinic in Lisbon, Portugal. Philadelphia health officials say they are on track to spend $1.2 million on a similar program before the end of this year.

The Opioid Crisis

Philly’s first mobile methadone van is on track with $1.2 million spending plan, city says

In this June file photo, one of the buildings at 7979 State Rd. was undergoing renovations. Officials say the facility to treat people who use drugs could open as early as this fall.

Philadelphia Politics

Mayor Parker’s signature drug treatment facility could open this fall, documents say

A staffer dispenses methadone from a mobile clinic in Lisbon, Portugal. Philadelphia health officials say they are on track to spend $1.2 million on a similar program before the end of this year.

The Opioid Crisis

Philly’s first mobile methadone van is on track with $1.2 million spending plan, city says

In this June file photo, one of the buildings at 7979 State Rd. was undergoing renovations. Officials say the facility to treat people who use drugs could open as early as this fall.

Philadelphia Politics

Mayor Parker’s signature drug treatment facility could open this fall, documents say

Special Reports

Lily Walker (left) with her cousin Peter Cellucci on the steps of the Washington Monument fountain at Eakins Oval at the 20th annual CHOP Parkway Run & Walk on Sunday in Philadelphia.

A medical mystery: Why two Philly-area cousins, just miles apart, got rare brain cancers

Pediatric cancer is rare. Malignant brain tumors in kids are even rarer. But these two cousins are in treatment for different, though equally aggressive, types of brain cancer — at the same time.

Hazel Rollerson, mother of Elwood Porter, who died of an overdose in the summer of 2021, shown here with the ashes of her son, in her home in Sicklerville, New Jersey, Tuesday, August 16, 2022.

Overdoses are killing a record number of Philadelphians as deaths soar among Black residents

Aubrey Whelan and Kasturi Pananjady

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.

Philadelphia News

From August 2022: Philly FOP picked problematic doctors for police ‘injured on duty’ benefit

Barbara Laker, David Gambacorta, and William Bender

6:44

Four Philly abortion providers talk about the calling that drives them to do emotionally challenging work

Sarah Gantz and video by Lauren Schneiderman

Mary Adamson (center), an ICU Nurse at Temple University Hospital, with other Temple nurses. Adamson wrote a piece about all of the nurses that remain in the profession.

5 medical professionals on why they stay as hospital workers flee post-COVID

Mary Adamson, Maureen May, Uhura Free Russ, Latoya Charise Nesbitt, Carlos Aviles, and Jonathan Ley

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