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Public Health
Lancaster General Health invests in healthy homes
Lancaster General Health invests in healthy homes
Lancaster General’s Lead-Free Families initiative is the first of its kind in the U.S., as it is 100% funded and led by a community health system. It will identify and remediate lead hazards in Lancaster County homes and educate on the risk of lead exposure.
A mental health specialist is helping underserved moms find their way
A mental health specialist is helping underserved moms find their way
Lissette “Mitzy” Liriano, Chester County Hospital’s maternal mental health specialist, leads a support group called Moms Supporting Moms, in addition to dividing her time between the hospital and the mental health clinic, where she monitors a largely Hispanic population for mental health needs.
Lead as a social determinant of child and adolescent physiological stress and behavior
Lead as a social determinant of child and adolescent physiological stress and behavior
The association between lead exposure and children’s IQ has been well studied, but few studies have examined the effects of blood lead on children’s physiological stress and behavior, until now.
Lead toxicity risk factors in Philadelphia
Lead toxicity risk factors in Philadelphia
Two studies identify factors that correlate with high blood-lead levels in children, pointing to ongoing environmental justice issues that disproportionately fall on children of color and poorer communities in the city.
Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC
Solutions to mitigate climate change, from the IPCC
The latest assessment offers both a harsh reality check and a path forward. Experts William Braham, Peter Psarras, and Michael Mann offer their thoughts.
Providing naloxone in the emergency department can save lives
Providing naloxone in the emergency department can save lives
A survey finds that approximately half of the patients said that they were carrying naloxone after their ED visit and two-thirds planned to continue carrying naloxone in the future.
Well water, lead, and the link to juvenile delinquency
Well water, lead, and the link to juvenile delinquency
Research from Penn and other universities found that, compared to children with municipal water, those relying on private wells in the U.S. had a 21% higher risk of being reported for any delinquency and a 38% increased risk of being reported for serious delinquency after age 14.
HUP Food Pantry team innovates to address food insecurity
HUP Food Pantry team innovates to address food insecurity
Between June 2020 and November 2021, the HUP Food Pantry gave out nearly 5,000 bags of food to postpartum families with food insecurity.
COVID-19 turned everything upside down. What has Penn Medicine’s innovation team learned?
COVID-19 turned everything upside down. What has Penn Medicine’s innovation team learned?
To many in health care—including those in Penn Medicine’s Center for Health Care Innovation—the COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis from which to find the next great learning opportunity.
Leonard A. Lauder talks game-changing gift to Penn Nursing, and more
Leonard A. Lauder talks game-changing gift to Penn Nursing, and more
Lauder, a Penn alumnus and emeritus Trustee, donated $125 million to the University, establishing a new program for aspiring nurse practitioners who intend to work in underserved communities.
In the News
USA Today
Tanning salons reinvent themselves with new health and wellness services
Joel Gelfand of the Perelman School of Medicine says that skin tanning is the body reacting to DNA damage.
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USA Today
Health companies return $2.6 trillion to shareholders over time amid rising medical costs
A study led by Victor Roy of the Perelman School of Medicine finds that consumers and employers ultimately contributed to corporate health profits by paying for insurance premiums, out-of-pocket medical bills, and taxes.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
The deadly NE Philly plane crash caused a plume of smoke and a massive crater. Here’s what to know about the environmental impacts
Marilyn Howarth of the Perelman School of Medicine says that unhealthy compounds in plastics and other building materials can burn more slowly and at lower temperatures than those in jet fuel, creating a greater risk of exposure.
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The Washington Post
Got canker sores? Try switching your toothpaste
Richard Wender of the Perelman School of Medicine says that canker sores often start with a minor trauma to the mucosal lining, like a sharp edge on a tooth or a pair of prickly braces.
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CPR News
Colorado has the most cases of bird flu among dairy cows in the U.S.
The School of Veterinary Medicine has developed a bird flu vaccine that is to be tested by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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Forbes
FDA Study finds infectious H5N1 bird flu virus in 14% of raw milk samples
Patrick E. Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center says it is important that anyone planning to consume raw milk be aware that doing so can make you sick and that pasteurization reduces the risk of milk-borne illnesses.
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