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Rapid Heart Rate Persists for a Decade Without Evaluation

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 75-year-old woman who, for at least 10 years now, has been experiencing a rapid heart rate. My blood pressure, however, remains normal. In fact, doctors are usually surprised at how good my blood pressure is since I am borderline obese and slightly diabetic.
During this past physical, my doctor did mention my rapid heart rate but didn’t recommend treatment or referral to a cardiologist. Should I insist on a referral to a cardiologist, or would this only bring me to more unnecessary testing? — M.R.
ANSWER: I unfortunately hear about people (more commonly women) having a potentially serious medical condition that gets ignored for many years, and I fear this is the case with you.
In a person with a persistently fast heart rate (over 100 bpm), an electrocardiogram (EKG) is an essential first step. I suspect you may have had this done, but if you haven’t, this clearly needs to be done. Atrial fibrillation and some less-common heart rhythms need to be excluded.
It’s likely that you have “sinus tachycardia,” meaning that the impulse comes from the sinus node but is persistently too fast. The heart rate is supposed to be fast if you are exercising, and a fast pulse can often come on as a response to an infection or a loss of fluids. But I think that, after 10 years, you most likely have a condition called inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST).
Since you are writing to me, I assume that this is bothering you. Most people with IST note palpitations, but loss of endurance and decreased exercise tolerance are other common symptoms. Before getting treated, it’s important to make sure that there isn’t some longstanding cause, such as anemia or thyroid disease.
It’s also necessary to exclude the diagnosis of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, which can overlap with IST and seems to be much more common now, especially after a COVID infection.
I have had some success in prescribing exercise for carefully selected patients with IST. The cardiology literature recommends beta blockers or ivabradine to reduce symptoms and improve exercise ability.
Referral to a cardiologist is appropriate given your 10 years of not being evaluated. Even if you decide against therapy, making sure that there isn’t a serious problem is very wise.
***
DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 61-year-old male in excellent physical health. However, out of nowhere, I started having severe anxiety attacks when driving over 60 mph on the highway. I now have to frequently exit the highway in order to calm down, and I’m constantly worried about having additional attacks while driving. Do you have any insight on how to treat this? — P.R.
ANSWER: According to the reading I did, some people will develop a fear of driving on the highway after an accident, but it also may come out of nowhere. Highway driving does tend to be more problematic as there is greater danger due to faster speeds — but even more so because of a higher perceived danger that is sometimes blown out of proportion.
From what I have read, cognitive-behavioral therapy is one treatment, while exposure treatment (sometimes using virtual reality) is another. The sooner you begin treatment, the more likely it is to be successful.
Since it sounds like you are having panic attacks, SSRI medications like sertraline may also be helpful, but some other medicines for panic attacks are inappropriate for people who drive.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual questions, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.

NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE ADVISE NEW YORKERS TO BEAT THE HEAT

WATCH: Mayor Adams Warns New Yorkers About Coming Heat Wave

Heat Emergency Plan activated beginning Sunday through Tuesday.

Cooling centers will open across the city. To find locations, including hours of operation, call 311 or visit the City’s Cool Options Map.

New Yorkers should also take advantage of additional cool options such as museums, movie theaters, coffee shops, pools, houses of worship, or a neighbor, friend, or family member’s home.

July 13, 2024 — New York City Emergency Management Department and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene advise New Yorkers to take precautions to beat the heat. NYC Emergency Management is working closely with the National Weather Service to monitor the forecast as the city experiences the third occurrence of multiple days of consecutive high heat. The next few days are expected to have heat indices in the mid to upper 90s, through at least Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday.

“With another heat wave bearing down on New York City, we want to make sure New Yorkers stay safe and stay informed,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Our cooling centers will be open starting tomorrow through at least Tuesday, we will be closely monitoring the electric systems for any impacts, and we already have more lifeguards on staff than at our peak last year. As always, please check in on your neighbors, particularly older New Yorkers, as well as others who are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, like our four-legged friends. New Yorkers, be prepared, be safe, and stay cool.”

“New Yorkers should prepare for extremely hot weather this week, with heat indices in the mid to upper 90s,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “It’s going to be hot from Sunday through Wednesday. Remember, heat kills more New Yorkers than any other weather event. But as New Yorkers, we’re going to look out for one another. That means encouraging those around you to go to a cool option and spreading the word that heat is life-threatening. Use air conditioning, visit air-conditioned places, and avoid using major appliances during the day to protect our energy grid. If you don’t have air conditioning, check out cooling centers at nyc.gov/beattheheat or call 311. Learn the signs of heat stroke, stay hydrated, and stay safe.”

The New York City Emergency Management Department and the Health Department urge New Yorkers to take steps to protect themselves and help others who may be at increased risk from the heat. For more information, including heat-related health tips and warning signs of heat illness, visit NYC.gov/health or NYC.gov/beattheheat. In New York City, most heat-related deaths occur after exposure to heat in homes without air conditioners. Air conditioning is the best way to stay safe and healthy when it is hot outside, but some people at risk of heat illness do not have or do not turn on an air conditioner.

To help New Yorkers find relief from the heat, New York City cooling centers will be open throughout the five boroughs. Cooling center locations may have changed from last year. To find a cooling center, including accessible facilities closest to you, call 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115) or visit the City’s Cool Options Map. This year’s newly-revamped map is now available around the clock and allows New Yorkers to easily locate cooling centers, which the City opens during heat emergencies, and cool options, which include free spaces that offer air-conditioned spaces to escape the heat. New Yorkers can now also find cooling centers that welcome pets throughout the five boroughs. As a reminder, service animals are always allowed at cooling centers.

New Yorkers can access a range of outdoor cooling options, including spray showers, drinking fountains, and more. These resources can be found online at Cool It! NYC. Many of these resources are located in neighborhoods across New York City. New York City outdoor pools are open 11AM-7PM, Olympic and intermediate-sized pools will be open until 8PM from Sunday through Tuesday. State Parks, including Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park pool and Roberto Clemente State Park pool are open, call ahead to confirm.

During extreme heat, the Department of Social Services (DSS) issues a Code Red Alert. During Code Reds, shelter is available to anyone experiencing homelessness, where those experiencing heat-related discomfort are also able to access a designated cooling area. DSS staff and the agency’s not-for-profit contracted outreach teams engage with individuals experiencing homelessness 24/7/365 and redouble their efforts during extreme heat, with a focus on connecting vulnerable New Yorkers experiencing unsheltered homelessness to services and shelter.

ADDITIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY TIPS DURING EXTREME HEAT

Those most vulnerable to heat stress include adults aged 60 and older, and people with health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, mental health conditions, or people with cognitive impairment. Check on people who are at-risk and help them find a cool place to stay during heat events.
Go to an air-conditioned location, even if for a few hours.
Stay out of the sun and avoid extreme temperature changes.
Avoid strenuous activity, especially during the sun’s peak hours: 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. If you must do strenuous activity, do it during the coolest part of the day, which is usually in the morning between 4:00 AM and 7:00 AM.
Remember: drink water, rest, and locate shade if you are working outdoors or if your work is strenuous. Drink water every 15 minutes even if not thirsty (avoid beverages containing alcohol or caffeine), rest in the shade, and watch out for others on outdoor teams. Employers are required to provide water, rest, and shade when work is being done during extreme heat.
Eat small, frequent meals.
Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.
Participate in activities to keep cool, such as going to the movies, visiting museums, walking in an air-conditioned mall, or swimming at a pool or beach.
Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens and, in apartments where children live, window guards. Air conditioners in buildings more than six stories must be installed with brackets so they are secured and cannot fall on someone below.
Never leave a child or pets in the vehicle, even for a few minutes.

KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS OF HEAT ILLNESS

Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know has:

Hot dry skin
Trouble breathing
Rapid heartbeat
Confusion, disorientation, or dizziness
Nausea and vomiting

If you or someone you know feels weak or faint, go to a cool place and drink water. If there is no improvement, call a doctor or 911.

KEEPING YOUR PETS SAFE

Avoid dehydration: Pets can dehydrate quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water.
Walk your dog in the morning and evening: When the temperature is very high, do not let your dog linger on hot asphalt. Your pet’s body can heat up quickly, and sensitive paw pads can burn.
Know when your pet is in danger: Symptoms of overheating in pets include excessive panting or difficulty breathing, increased heart and respiratory rate, drooling, mild weakness, unresponsiveness, or even collapse.

IMPROPER FIRE HYDRANT USE

The improper opening of fire hydrants wastes 1,000 gallons of water per minute, causes flooding on city streets, and lowers water pressure to dangerous levels, which hamper the ability of the Fire Department to fight fire safely and quickly.

Use “spray caps” to reduce hydrant output to a safe 25 gallons per minute while still providing relief from the heat. To obtain a spray cap, an adult 18 years or older with proper identification can go to his or her local firehouse and request one.

ENERGY-SAVING TIPS

During periods of intense electrical usage, such as on hot, humid days, it is important to conserve energy as much as possible to avoid brownouts and other electrical disruptions. While diminishing your power usage may seem inconvenient, your cooperation will help to ensure that utility providers are able to provide uninterrupted electrical service to you and your neighbors, particularly those who use electric powered medical equipment or are at risk of heat-related illness and death:

Set your air conditioner to 78°F or “low.”
Run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it is cooler outside to reduce heat and moisture in your home.
Close doors to keep cool air in and hot air out when the air conditioner is running.
Keep shades, blinds, and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows.
Turn off air conditioners, lights, and other appliances when not at home, and use a timer or smart technology to turn on your air conditioner about a half-hour before arriving home. Keep air conditioner filters clean.
If you run a business, keep your door closed while the air conditioner is running.
Tell your utility provider if you or someone you know depend on medical equipment that requires electricity.

For more information, visit NYC.gov/beattheheat. New Yorkers are also encouraged to stay informed by signing up for Notify NYC, the City’s free emergency communications program, to receive free emergency alerts and updates in your preferred language and format by visiting NYC.gov/NotifyNYC, calling 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay Service, or TTY: 212-504-4115), following @NotifyNYC on Twitter, or getting the free Notify NYC mobile application for your Apple or Android device.

THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR HIGHLIGHTS RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR MOTHERS

This Mother’s Day, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) is reminding New Yorkers there are a variety of resources available to help mothers. As recently announced in Governor Hochul’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, Sick Leave has now been expanded to cover prenatal care, a first-in-the-nation initiative, allowing pregnant people to seek the care they need without fear of taking time off work. Studies show that prenatal health care is highly correlated with improved health outcomes for mothers and infants; and that pregnant mothers who have access to regular prenatal medical visits are less likely to die in childbirth, and their newborns are more likely to be healthy.

“We know that being a mother in the workforce isn’t easy,” said New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon. “Governor Hochul’s historic move to include prenatal care in sick leave builds on our progress to improve all workplaces for mothers. I encourage all mothers to use our free resources.”

Prenatal leave is part of a series of actions by Governor Hochul to support new parents and improve maternal health outcomes. Prior innovative actions include offering 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave benefits to more than 80 percent of the state workforce and extending postpartum coverage for up to a full year after the end of a pregnancy for Medicaid and Child Health Plus enrollees.

NYSDOL found in the 2023 Gender Wage Gap Report that mothers face significant challenges in the workplace that contribute to the wage gap. The report also found the pivot to remote learning and pandemic-driven closures of childcare facilities elevated the severe impact of childcare access, which has long been a major problem for working women.

With mothers bearing the brunt of care responsibilities, labor force participation for women in New York dropped from 59.3 percent to 58.9 percent from 2019 to 2021, while the unemployment rate nearly doubled from 4.2 percent to 8.2 percent. In 2021, over 405,000 women were unemployed, a significant increase from 207,000 in 2019. The report notes that even a temporary exit from the workforce can have significant long-term financial implications. Women also face salary challenges when they become mothers. It was found in the 2018 Gender Wage Gap Report that working moms were paid just 58 cents for every dollar paid to working dads.

To ease the burden of childcare on parents, Governor Hochul increased the State’s investment to an unprecedented $7.6 billion over four years to make the childcare system more accessible and affordable.

NYSDOL also has a variety of programs available that can help mothers re-enter the workforce or elevate their careers. NYSDOL’s Career Centers provide counseling to help workers find a fulfilling and family sustaining career. NYSDOL’s Salary Negotiation Guide is also available and can help workers and job seekers advocate for themselves in the workplace.

For those looking to change or advance their careers, apprenticeships are an opportunity to earn while they learn. NYSDOL has also partnered with Coursera to allow those who are unemployed to take courses for free.

New York State law protects workers’ rights to paid sick leave — which can be used for parents to care for sick children – and nursing mothers’ rights to accommodations in the workplace.

For more information and NYSDOL’s recommended solutions to achieve pay equity, visit NYSDOL’s Gender Wage Gap Hub.

AHEAD OF NATIONAL INJURY PREVENTION DAY, ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES HOSTS CHILD INJURY PREVENTION RESOURCE FAIR FOR NYC FAMILIES

ACS & Community Partners Promote Ways to Keep Children Safe & Provide Free Medicine Lock Boxes, Car Seats, Helmets & Other Safety Tools to Families

Ahead of National Injury Prevention Day, the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) hosted a Child Injury Prevention Resource Fair for families in New York City. The event aimed to raise awareness among parents and caregivers about the leading causes of unintentional injuries and promote strategies to keep children safe from harm at home and during play.

“Parents are our children’s most important protectors and so it’s of the utmost importance that they have the support and resources to keep their children safe,” said ACS Commissioner Jess Dannhauser. “As part of our ongoing to work to set children up to thrive and reduce unintentional child injuries in New York City, ACS is hosting a National Injury Prevention Day Resource Fair where families can learn more and even go home with important safety tools.”

“Keeping the people and children of New York City safe is the top priority of the FDNY,” said Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh. “We are happy to partner with the ACS to spread awareness about the importance of fire and life safety. Working smoke alarms, fire safety education, and CPR are easy ways to keep children out of harm’s way and help them during emergencies. With an increase in fire fatalities this year, I cannot think of a more important time to take advantage of the of the free resources provided by ACS ahead of National Injury Prevention Day.”

“Guardian hearts, vigilant eyes-let’s wrap our little ones in a shield of safety. Together, as families, we build a fortress of prevention, ensuring every step is a secure journey for our children,” said Norma Saunders of The C.O.R.E. Family Enrichment Center.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unintentional injuries—such as those caused by suffocation, poisoning, burns, drowning, falls, and vehicular traffic—are the leading cause of death and disability to U.S. children and result in more deaths than all other diseased combined.

ACS has a dedicated Office of Child Safety and Injury Prevention that supports ongoing efforts to reduce or eliminate preventable child injuries and fatalities, including those related to accidental ingestion of cannabis infused edibles and prescription medications, unsafe sleep practices, a lack of window guards and more.

This year’s National Injury Prevention Day Resource Fair took place on November 16^th at the River Community Center at 16-19 East 174^th Street in the Bronx from 10AM to 1PM. The ACS Office of Child Safety and Injury Prevention partnered with Acacia Network, the NYC Poison Center, the NYC Department of Transportation, the NYC Fire Department, the C.O.R.E. Family Enrichment Center, Bronx Health Link, Tribeca Pediatrics and Tribeca Health Link. The fair included demonstrations on crib safety, CPR, and safe medication storage, as well as raffles for car seats, bicycle helmets, and portable cribs, and other free resources for families.

For more information on ACS’s child safety campaigns, click here: https://www.nyc.gov/site/acs/for-families/your-childs-safety.page

OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH RECONVENES NEW YORK STATE SUICIDE PREVENTION TASK FORCE

Task Force will Address Concerns of Social Isolation, Depression and Anxiety Arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic, Especially Among Communities of Color
The New York State Office of Mental Health today reconvened the Suicide Prevention Task Force to bolster prevention efforts statewide and with a renewed focus on helping at-risk populations such as communities of color disproportionally impacted by suicide or suicidal ideation. Established in partnership with OMH’s Suicide Prevention Center of New York, the Task Force will build on existing prevention efforts and explore the mental health challenges laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Countless New Yorkers had their mental wellness strained and profoundly impacted by the pandemic,” Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “This pandemic also highlighted the disparities in care that exist for at risk communities. This Task Force will build on existing prevention strategies and elevate the voices of individuals in these communities to develop recommendations to ensure a more equitable and inclusive suicide prevention plan in New York State.”

The Task Force will build upon the work the state’s 2017 Suicide Prevention Task Force, which delivered its final report in April 2019. These critical recommendations included strengthening foundations for public health suicide prevention approaches; building health system competencies and pathways to mental health care; improving surveillance methods, tools, and access to timely data; and infusing cultural competence throughout suicide prevention activities.

Suicide claimed the lives of 1,660 New Yorkers in 2021. It is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the age of 25 and 34, and the third leading cause of death for youth and young adults between the age of 10 and 24.

While the suicide rate in New York State has remained relatively stable since 2012, a recent report by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highlighted racial/ethnic disparities, including among black and Hispanic individuals. The report showed the suicide rate among Black individuals increased by about 19 percent and 7 percent among Hispanic individuals between 2018 and 2021.

The Task Force recommendations will build on existing efforts focused on these populations.

Earlier this month, OMH announced the availability of $15 million in suicide prevention grants for non-profit agencies and tribal organizations serving at-risk youth or young adults from historically underserved, racial and ethnic minority populations, and LGBQIA+ groups. The funding availability –part of a $1 billion effort to expand New York State’s continuum of mental health care –is aimed helping these programs incorporate unique cultural factors into their suicide prevention strategies.

Wear Red for Women’s heart health on National Wear Red Day® The American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women® movement in New York City launches first-ever 2025 Class of Survivors

NEW YORK, NY, January 29, 2025 — This National Wear Red Day, the first Friday in February, people and landmarks across the U.S. – from news desks to iconic buildings – will “Go Red” once again to raise awareness and education around women’s heart health as part of the American Heart Association’s American Heart Month celebration. Here in New York City the World Trade Center, Kosciuszko Bridge, Grand Central Terminal – Pershing Square Viaduct, MTA LIRR – East End Gateway at Penn Station, Moynihan Train Hall and the Mario Cuomo Bridge (just north of the City) are just some of the landmarks going red.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the No. 1 killer of women. Nearly 45% of women over age 20 are living with some form of cardiovascular disease.[1] CVD is also the leading cause of maternal death in the U.S., or more simply put, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of new moms.[2] On National Wear Red Day, February 7, the American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, Go Red for Women®, urges everyone in New York City to join us in advocating for better health and well-being for all women. Go Red for Women is asking everyone to wear red and join the movement online by sharing on social media using #WearRedDay, #WearRedAndGive and #GoRedforWomen.

The American Heart Association in New York City will also announce their 2025 New York City Class of Survivors. “The 2025 Class of Survivors represent a diverse sisterhood that shares their powerful stories to raise awareness of heart disease and stroke and inspire other women to take action to improve their health and well-being,” said Cristina Civetta a congenital heart disease survivor and along with her husband Ed Sheetz sponsored the class.

Other class members are:

Raquel Hutt, Nocole Salzano, Sharon Bond, Jen Lantini, Maddie Niebanck, Bonni Broderick, Carolina Hernandez and Danielle Cundiff.

National Wear Red Day is dedicated to raising awareness and increasing education to save more women’s lives. There are many ways to save a life, like learning Hands-Only CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) so more women get immediate life-saving help they need in an emergency, joining Research Goes Red to ensure women are represented in cardiovascular research, inviting a friend to work out, prioritizing doctor’s appointments, or taking a quiet moment alone to de-stress and practice self-care. Heart health is personal and always worth the investment.

“National Wear Red Day isn’t just about wearing red; it’s about coming together to demand more when it comes to the heart health and well-being of our communities. It’s about raising awareness so women know their risks, and supporting them in the journey to better health,” said Ms. Civetta. “I’m proud to be a part of this class of survivors to rally together and unite against the No. 1 killer of women. Together, we can ensure every woman has equal opportunities to live longer, healthier lives.”

According to the American Heart Association’s 2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update, cardiovascular disease remains the greatest health threat for women. This is why the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women® movement, nationally sponsored by CVS Health, is asking women to make bold moves today for healthier tomorrows.

Find educational resources to support women’s heart health at every age, through every stage of life at GoRedforWomen.org and learn more about National Wear Red Day at WearRedDay.org.

A snowstorm’s a-brewing — be careful out there to stay heart-healthy

The American Heart Association cautions that the extra exertion of shoveling snow in extremely cold temperatures can be deadly for many

NEW YORK, NY, January 18, 2025 — Walking in a winter wonderland may sound serene and peaceful, however, shoveling your sidewalks to take that walk could quickly change delightful to deadly. According to the American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, research shows that the exertion of shoveling snow may lead to an increased risk of a heart attack or sudden cardiac arrest.

The American Heart Association’s 2020 scientific statement, Exercise-Related Acute Cardiovascular Events and Potential Deleterious Adaptations Following Long-Term Exercise Training: Placing the Risks Into Perspective–An Update, notes snow shoveling among the physical activities that may place extra stress on the heart, especially among people who aren’t used to regular exercise. Numerous scientific research studies over the years have identified the dangers of shoveling snow for people with and without known heart disease.

“Research has found that the strain of heavy snow shoveling may be as demanding on the heart than taking a treadmill stress test. Combined with the dangers of exertion in extremely cold weather, you’re looking at a perfect storm for a heart-related event,” said Keith Churchwell, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association volunteer president and an associate clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut and adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. “The impact can be worse on those people who are the least fit.”

Churchwell noted several ways snow shoveling affects heart health:

The act of shoveling snow is mostly arm work, which is more taxing and demanding on the heart than leg work.

While straining to lift heavy loads, such a shovelful of snow, you often unconsciously hold your breath, which causes big increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

Exposure to cold air causes constriction of blood vessels throughout the body, disproportionately raising blood pressure and simultaneously constricting the coronary arteries.

“The movements of snow shoveling are very taxing and demanding on your body and can cause significant increases in your heart rate and blood pressure,” Churchwell said. “Combined with the fact that the exposure to cold air can constrict blood vessels throughout the body, you’re asking your heart to do a lot more work in conditions that are already diminishing the heart’s ability to function at its best.”

Churchwell cautioned that the impact of snow removal is especially concerning for people who already have cardiovascular risks like a sedentary lifestyle or obesity, being a current or former smoker, having diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, as well as people who have had a heart attack or stroke.

“People with these characteristics and those who have had bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty simply should not be shoveling snow in any conditions,” he said. “We often see events in people who are usually sedentary, they work at a computer all day or get little or no exercise. Then once or twice a year they go out and try to shovel the driveway after a heavy snowfall and that unexpected exertion can unfortunately lead to tragedy.”

Churchwell recommends the following tips to reduce increased risk from snow shoveling:

If you have known or suspected heart disease or risk factors for heart disease, get someone else to do your snow removal for you!

If you must shovel the snow, start gradually and pace yourself. Always cover your mouth and nose, wear layered clothing, as well as a hat and gloves.

Ideally, push or sweep the snow rather than lifting and throwing it, that action involves a little less exertion.

Be extra careful when the wind is blowing, the wind makes the temperature feel even colder than it is and will increase the effects of the cold on your body.

If you are able, use an automated snow blower rather than shoveling. While you should still proceed with caution and be mindful of how your body is feeling, research shows that using a snow blower doesn’t raise your heart rate quite as high as shoveling.

The American Heart Association urges everyone to learn the common signs of a heart attack and stroke. If you experience chest pain or pressure, lightheadedness or heart palpitations or irregular heart rhythms, stop the activity immediately. Call 9-1-1 if symptoms don’t subside shortly after you stop shoveling or snow blowing. If you see someone collapse while shoveling snow, call for help and start Hands-Only CPR if they are unresponsive with no pulse.

Learn more about cold weather and cardiovascular disease, www.heart.org.

What is cardiac arrest? Why is it so deadly?

DALLAS, January 2, 2025 — Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops abruptly with little or no warning. It is often fatal. According to American Heart Association data, 9 out of every 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die. Unfortunately, only about 40% of people who experience a cardiac arrest outside a hospital get the immediate help they need before emergency responders arrive.

What happens

Cardiac arrest is triggered by an electrical malfunction in the heart that causes an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). With its pumping action disrupted, the heart cannot pump blood to the brain, lungs, and other organs. Seconds later, a person becomes unresponsive, is not breathing or is only gasping. Death occurs quickly if the person does not receive immediate CPR.

Early recognition of cardiac arrest and quick action improves the person’s chance of survival. CPR and the appropriate use of an automatic external defibrillator (AED) to restart the heart are key to survival.

CPR can help keep the heart pumping and blood flowing to vital organs until an electrical shock from a defibrillator is available to restore the heart to a normal heart rhythm. Then the patient can be safely moved for further medical treatment, supportive care, testing to determine what the cause of the arrest may have been and recovery, including both physical and mental health resources for the person and their family.

Difference between cardiac arrest and heart attack

Cardiac arrest is an “electrical” problem in the heart. A heart attack is a circulation issue. A heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked. If not reopened quickly, the part of the heart normally nourished by the blocked artery begins to die. People often confuse cardiac arrest with a heart attack or use these terms interchangeably, but they are not the same. Heart attacks can often lead to cardiac arrest but not vice versa.

Cardiac arrest causes

Cardiac arrest can have several causes. Heart attack is a common cause. Other conditions may also disrupt the heart’s rhythm and lead to cardiac arrest.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or a thickened heart muscle – is a common cause of sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes specifically. The thickened heart can be due to a genetic condition or can be caused by athletic conditioning that thickens the muscles of the heart and can make it more susceptible to an irregular heart rhythm like ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia[1]

Commotio cordis, a rare phenomenon from a blunt impact to the chest, can cause sudden death in the absence of apparent cardiac damage.[2] The blow to the chest at precisely the wrong time in the cardiac cycle causes an electrical abnormality in the heart resulting in an irregular heart rhythm that cannot pump blood to the body.

Regardless of the cause, immediate CPR is needed and a shock to reset the rhythm can help the heartbeat return to normal function.

Resources for learning CPR

Each year in the United States, an estimated 350,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest in the community[3]. Anyone who witnesses a cardiac arrest in the community (i.e., not in a hospital) can perform CPR. Roughly 70% of cardiac arrests that do not happen in the hospital occur in homes and private residences, therefore, a friend or family member is mostly likely to be the person who needs to take action. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.

For adults and adolescent children, compression-only CPR, known as Hands-Only CPR

can be equally effective as traditional CPR in the first few minutes of emergency response and is a skill everyone can learn. It is as simple as calling 911 if you see a teen or adult suddenly collapse and then push hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute. Hands-Only CPR participants learn the correct rate and depth of compressions and how to use an AED.

Traumatic stress for responders, observers

The skill to perform CPR and use a defibrillator are the foundational components of preparing bystanders to respond to cardiac arrest. People also need to feel emotionally prepared to respond and be able to cope with the aftermath of actually performing CPR.[4]

Witnessing and responding to a cardiac arrest can be a very traumatic event and may cause lingering psychological impact regardless of the outcome. Bystanders and witnesses may need support and resources to help process their experience.

Responders have cited exhaustion, guilt, flashbacks, sleep disturbances, self-doubt, anger, sadness and fear. A positive outcome to performing CPR can mitigate some of the emotional responses; however, psychological responses are wide-ranging and individualized. In situations with a failed resuscitation attempt, PTSD symptom scores were twice as high for responders as those for non-witnesses.

Advocacy and action

Last week President Biden signed the bipartisan Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Research and Training in Schools (HEARTS) Act into law. The new law will help ensure students and staff in schools nationwide are prepared to respond to a cardiac emergency with cardiac emergency response plans, CPR training and AEDs, and other critical resources.

With over 100 years of lifesaving service, the American Heart Association is building momentum across the country to turn bystanders into lifesavers, with more people than ever saying they are willing to perform CPR in the event of an emergency. Learning CPR is the skill needed to join the Association’s Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, led by National Ambassador Damar Hamlin, cardiac arrest survivor and professional football player for the Buffalo Bills. The Association is the worldwide leader in resuscitation science, education and training, and publishes the official scientific guidelines for CPR. The organization intends to double survival rates from sudden cardiac arrest by 2030.

Additional Resources:

Multimedia may be downloaded from the right column of the release link.
Understanding the Importance of the Lay Responder Experience in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Difference in Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack
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Set yourself up for success with heart-healthy tips for making New Year’s resolutions It’s not too late to make resolutions or to get back on track

NEW YORK, NY, January 6, 2025 — Making New Year’s resolutions is a time-honored tradition and sometimes those resolutions are easier to make than to keep. The American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, has tips and resources to help you set goals you can keep all year long.

“The new year is a time many people commit to making a new, healthy start – we want to eat better, exercise more, lose weight, quit smoking – the list goes on. However, for many of us, the stress of trying to live up to those lofty goals can be too much,” said American Heart Association volunteer cardiologist John A. Osborne, M.D, Ph.D., director of State of the Heart Cardiology in Grapevine, Texas. “The most important thing is to set realistic expectations and start with small changes that you can amp up over time. And if you get off track, don’t be discouraged or give up. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle takes time, so be kind to yourself and realize that making a new, healthy start doesn’t always need to coincide with Jan. 1.”

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Start small: Set yourself up for success by gradually adding in a healthy habit. Look for opportunities to make a healthy swap during at least one meal each day for a week or try to walk for five minutes instead of scrolling through social media as a break between meetings or tasks.
Think lean when it comes to protein: Plant proteins like nuts and legumes, fish or seafood, low fat or non-fat dairy and lean cuts of meat are the best bet when picking protein. Research shows that replacing red and processed meat with other protein sources is associated with lower death rates from cardiovascular disease. 
Keep moving: Balance food and calorie intake with physical activity to maintain a healthy weight. Take a walk after a meal or play fetch with your pet.  
Reduce stress: Chronic stress can keep you from feeling your best, so incorporate scientifically proven stress relief activities each day like meditation, physical activity or spending time with your pet.
Make a plan: Take a few minutes each week to write out a list of meal ideas and grocery needs and you’ll be less likely to make impulse purchases. The American Heart Association’s Heart-Check mark identifies certified heart-healthy foods if you need inspiration.

Learn more about living heart-healthy year-round at heart.org/healthyliving.

Northwell Health Chief Medical Officer leads movement to improve women’s heart health in New York City

Jill Kalman, MD, to chair the American Heart Association New York City 2024-25 Go Red for Women® initiative

New York, NY, December 5, 2024 — Nearly half of women ages 20 and older are living with some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the No. 1 killer of women.[1] Because of her life’s work as a global leader improving women’s heart health, Jill Kalman, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Northwell Health will serve as the 2024-2025 volunteer chair of Go Red for Women in New York City. Launched more than two decades ago to increase women’s heart health awareness, Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association’s global movement designed to serve as a catalyst for change to improve the health of women. As the American Heart Association enters its second century of lifesaving work, Dr. Kalman will play a critical role in women’s health by leading this movement.

Dr. Kalman is Northwell’s first woman to hold its top clinical role. Dr. Kalman joined Northwell in May 2014 as associate medical director in the office of the chief medical officer, and as the associate medical director at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. She later served as executive director and medical director of Lenox Hill Hospital, where she was responsible for the quality of patient care, safety and day-to-day operations.

Under Dr. Kalman’s leadership, Lenox Hill elevated its reputation as a regional, national and global destination for top quality tertiary care. She was instrumental in leading the Lenox Hill response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its recovery efforts. She is an expert in congestive heart failure and has tremendous experience managing patients with advanced heart disease. She has been published extensively on the subject and has dedicated her career to improving the quality of life for patients at all stages of heart disease.

CVD is the leading cause of death in women, claiming more lives than all cancers combined, and continues to be women’s greatest health threat.[2] According to the American Heart Association, as women grow and change so does their risk for CVD. Unique life stages like pregnancy and menopause can affect that risk. The good news is the majority of cardiovascular disease incidents can be prevented through lifestyle changes and education. Through Go Red for Women, the Association calls on all women to take charge of their health and encourages other women to do the same. Because when it comes to their health, women have the best resource: they have each other.

“I am inspired to chair Go Red for Women this year because heart disease continues to impact so many women in our community, said Dr. Kalman. “As women, we often put others first. Through Go Red for Women, the American Heart Association encourages us to prioritize our own heart health. I’m honored to lead this effort to raise awareness, provide education and inspire action to help women of all ages take control of their heart health and support each other in this vital mission.”

“We are incredibly grateful for Dr. Kalman and her unwavering passion and dedication to the Go Red for Women movement,” said Brian Kingston, CEO of Brookfield’s Real Estate business and Chair of the American Heart Association New York City board of directors. “She leads by example through her commitment to raising awareness and advocating for women’s heart health, and because of this Dr. Kalman has made a significant impact on our community.”

Go Red for Women is a global movement with impact across the United States and in more than 50 countries around the world. This year’s Go Red for Women movement and its local achievements will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at the 2025 New York City Go Red for Women Celebration.

Go Red for Women is nationally sponsored by CVS Health and locally by platform sponsors Northwell Health, Pfizer, Bettina Equities.

Drinking coffee may help prevent mental decline in people with atrial fibrillation

Having up to five cups of coffee daily may help cognitive function in people with the irregular heart rhythm, finds a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association

Research Highlights:

A study of more than 2,400 people with atrial fibrillation, who had an average age of 73, found that drinking more than five cups of caffeinated coffee daily was associated with better performance on an array of cognitive tests than drinking less than one cup or avoiding coffee altogether.
Based on screening tests for cognitive impairment, heavier coffee drinkers were estimated to be 6.7 years younger in cognitive age than those who drank little or no coffee.
People with atrial fibrillation are at increased risk for mental decline. This study indicates that current coffee drinkers with atrial fibrillation should not be discouraged from drinking coffee and might benefit from it.

DALLAS, Dec. 19, 2024 — Drinking multiple cups of coffee a day may help prevent cognitive decline in people with atrial fibrillation (AFib or AF), according to new research published on Dec. 14, 2024 in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

“Many myths are around, but our study found no reason to discourage or forbid a patient with AFib from drinking coffee. Instead, say, ‘Enjoy, it may even be good for you!’” said Jürg H. Beer, M.D., senior author of the study and professor of medicine and hematology at the University of Zürich in Switzerland.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in adults, affecting more than 5 million people in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. The 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Atrial Fibrillation noted that abstaining from caffeine to prevent heart rhythm disturbances is of no benefit to people with AFib. The guideline also notes that abstaining from coffee could reduce symptoms in patients who report that caffeine triggers or worsens their AFib symptoms, which can include rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fatigue and more.

“It is known that regular coffee consumption benefits cognitive performance among healthy people. The most frequent cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, is known to independently increase the risk of dementia,” said Massimo Barbagallo, M.D., lead author of the study and a resident in the neuro intensive care unit at the University Hospital Zürich. “Thus, the question is whether coffee might offset the increased risk of cognitive impairment in people with AFib.”

According to the U.S. federal dietary guidelines, three to five 8-ounce cups of coffee per day can be part of a healthy diet, but that only refers to plain black coffee. The American Heart Association warns that popular coffee-based drinks such as lattes and macchiatos are often high in calories, added sugar and fat.

The Swiss Atrial Fibrillation Cohort Study (Swiss-AF) follows more than 2,400 people in Switzerland diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. Patients were enrolled between 2014 and 2017, completed several cognitive tests, and reported how many cups of caffeinated coffee they drank during the last 12 months—regardless of added sweeteners, creams or flavors. Cup size was not standardized.

In this study, researchers analyzed those cognitive assessments and examined whether drinking coffee might avoid the cognitive decline that is a known hazard of AFib. Because Alzheimer’s disease and AFib are associated with systemic inflammation, researchers also analyzed markers of inflammation.

The study found:

Overall, higher cognitive test scores were associated with higher coffee consumption.
Specifically, scores for processing speed, visuomotor coordination and attention improved significantly by 11% among coffee consumers compared to non-consumers.
Cognitive age was calculated to be 6.7 years younger among those who drank the most coffee compared to those who drank the least.
Inflammatory markers were more than 20% lower in participants drinking five cups daily than in participants drinking less than one cup daily.
Researchers did not find any interaction between age, sex and coffee consumption.

“There was a very clear and consistent “dose-response” association between drinking more coffee and doing better on several different sophisticated cognitive tests,” Beer said. “Inflammatory markers decreased with higher coffee consumption, an association that remained after considering variables such as age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, physical activity and a history of stroke.”

Researchers noted that previous studies suggest that the protective effects of regular coffee consumption against cognitive decline in the elderly may be attributed to caffeine and other active ingredients including magnesium and vitamin B3 (Niacin); or, that it may be due to coffee’s role in reducing chemicals that cause inflammation.

José A. Joglar, M.D., FAHA, chair of the 2023 joint guideline on the management of atrial fibrillation, cautioned that this observational study cannot conclude that coffee actually prevents long-term cognitive decline.

“Other studies have shown coffee has cognitive-enhancing functions across the board. This, however, is not specific to the AFib population. We cannot conclude that coffee prevents long-term cognitive decline,” said Joglar, professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. “Coffee does not seem to worsen AFib so there is no need to stop drinking it. However, we cannot say starting to drink coffee would prevent AFib or prevent long-term cognitive decline.”

The study’s limitations include the fact that researchers measured participants’ cognitive ability and coffee consumption at the same point in time. This means that the study could not evaluate differences in cognitive decline with age, and that the reported current coffee drinking may not reflect changes in consumption over the previous years. As a cross-sectional study taking place at one point, it cannot establish a cause-and-effect relationship between drinking coffee and cognitive performance. Additionally, the study may not be generalizable to other populations as it included a mostly white population in Switzerland, where people tend to drink espressos.

“To detect a relevant cognitive decline, a follow-up of at least 5-10 years is required. However, the nutritive habits including coffee consumption reported by participants reflect exposure over many years and we likely see here the results of this,” Barbagallo said.

Study details, background or design:

The study included 2,413 people (average age 73; 27% women) with atrial fibrillation enrolled in Swiss Atrial Fibrillation Cohort Study (Swiss-AF) between 2014 and 2017. Swiss-AF is ongoing at 14 centers across all language regions in Switzerland.
Participants had undergone at least eight years of monitoring for stroke, mini-stroke, inflammation blood markers and blood-clotting, brain imaging and repeated cognitive testing. Patients were excluded from the analysis if they had experienced only brief episodes of AFib that had resolved without treatment, or if they were unable to give informed consent.
At enrollment, participants reported their caffeinated coffee consumption over the past year, with responses summarized as less than one cup a day, one cup a day, two- to three-cups a day, four- to five-cups a day and more than five cups a day. Size of cup or concentration of caffeine per cup was not quantified. The addition of creams, sugars or flavors was not considered.
At enrollment, participants completed various cognitive tests measuring verbal skills, executive functioning, memory, processing speed, visual-motor coordination and attention. These were combined into an overall rating of cognitive ability called the Cognitive Construct (CoCo). Participants also completed a 30-point screening test for cognitive impairment, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, gauging visuospatial and executive functions, naming objects, memory, attention, language and abstraction abilities.
Participants were also evaluated for depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale so researchers could evaluate whether cognitive performance had likely been altered by depression.

Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.

Studies published in the American Heart Association’s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association’s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific Association programs and events. The Association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and biotech companies, device manufacturers and health insurance providers and the Association’s overall financial information are available here.

NYC takes bold step to save lives with bill that would eliminate menthol tobacco products

NEW YORK CITY, December 19, 2024 — The American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service as the world’s leading voluntary organization focused on heart and brain health, issued the following statements in response to today’s announcement of INT 1152-2024 which would eliminate the sale of all menthol flavored tobacco and nicotine products within the five boroughs through the following advocates:

Shanequa Charles, American Heart Association community partner and Executive Director of Miss Abbie’s Kids
Natalia Cineas, DNP, MSM-N, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, FADLN, President of the American Heart Association New York City Board of Directors
Robin Vitale, American Heart Association vice president of community impact

Shanequa Charles, American Heart Association advocate and Executive Director of Miss Abbie’s Kids:

“Imagine the horror of watching your mother’s skin peel off her body before your eyes, ravaged by the cancer caused by menthol cigarettes. Imagine having to explain to your innocent child why their grandmother is no longer here, stolen away by an industry that knowingly peddled addiction and death to Black communities. Big Tobacco targeted us with the lie that menthol cigarettes were cool, knowing menthol makes them 80% harder to quit. This was a calculated attack on our families,”

“Menthol cigarettes are engineered addiction. How many more loved ones must we lose? City Council members, which side of history would you like your legacy to reflect, end the sale of menthol. Choose life. Choose our children’s future. Choose to give our children the gift of grandparents.”

“This bill isn’t about penalizing individuals who use these products. It’s about holding retailers and Big Tobacco accountable for decades of targeted harm. Passing this law will save lives—not just in the Bronx, but across our city.

“I refuse to stand by as yet another generation of melanated people are targeted and harmed by menthol cigarettes. I’m calling on our city’s leaders to act now and pass this life-saving legislation. We owe it to our children, our families and our communities to stop this cycle of addiction and disease.”

“That’s why I’m urging all New Yorkers to support and the New York City Council to pass Intro 1152 to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and nicotine products.

Natalia Cineas, DNP, MSM-N, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, FADLN, President of the American Heart Association New York City Board of Directors:

“Menthol-flavored tobacco time and again has been cited as a gateway to life-long cigarette addiction among teenagers, women, and communities of color. As a result of decades of targeted marketing of menthol-flavored tobacco to communities of color, these groups suffer the highest rates of tobacco-related illness and death in the U.S. City administration needs to hold the tobacco industry accountable and pass legislation to restrict access of menthol-flavored tobacco to these susceptible populations in order to improve the overall health outcomes of city residents.”

Robin Vitale, American Heart Association vice president of community impact

“Intro 1152 is a monumental step forward for public health and health equity in New York City. By eliminating the sale of menthol cigarettes, we are taking a stand to protect the next generation from ever starting to smoke, helping those already addicted to quit and addressing the decades of harm caused by Big Tobacco’s targeted marketing to Black and Brown communities.

“This legislation is more than just a public health measure—it’s a long-overdue act of justice for communities disproportionately affected by tobacco-related disease and death. We urge the City Council to pass this life-saving bill and protect the health of all New Yorkers.”

Recognizing stroke symptoms early can save lives The American Heart Association stresses the urgency of calling 911 at the first warning signs

DALLAS, Dec 11, 2025 — A stroke can happen to anyone at any age. Actor and comedian Jamie Foxx recently shared in his Netflix special “What Had Happened Was,” that he experienced a brain bleed. Reports of this experience highlight the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of stroke early and seeking immediate medical attention.

Strokes caused when a blood vessel ruptures, resulting in bleeding in the brain, are known as hemorrhagic strokes, which make up 13% of all strokes[1]. They are often more severe and result in greater disability than ischemic strokes, which are caused by a blockage in a brain blood vessel.

The American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, emphasize the importance of acting quickly at the first signs of a stroke. The acronym F.A.S.T. helps identify stroke symptoms:

Face drooping: One side of the face may droop or feel numb.
Arm weakness: One arm may feel weak or numb.
Speech difficulty: Speech may become slurred or hard to understand.
Time to call 9-1-1: If you observe these signs, seek emergency help immediately.

Although not called out in the F.A.S.T. acronym, a “thunderclap” or sudden, very severe headache, as has been mentioned in recent news stories, is associated with hemorrhagic stroke.

“Personal stories of stroke survival remind us how critical it is to recognize the warning signs and act quickly,” said Mitchell S.V. Elkind, M.D., M.S., FAAN, FAHA, chief clinical science officer, stroke neurologist, and past volunteer president of the American Heart Association. “Understanding the symptoms and seeking immediate help are critical to recovery.”

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts or ruptures. It is the fifth leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the U.S., despite stroke being largely preventable, treatable and beatable. Black Americans have a disproportionately higher prevalence of stroke and higher death rate from stroke compared to any other racial group[2].

Treatment options depend on the type of stroke. Aspirin may make bleeding worse for patients having hemorrhagic stroke. Individuals experiencing symptoms should seek emergency treatment by calling 911 to receive appropriate testing and treatment. Brain imaging, such as a CT scan of the head, is needed to distinguish bleeding strokes from those caused by blockages.

To learn more about lowering your risk for stroke, visit www.stroke.org.

You have your mother’s eyes and your father’s heart disease – now what?

The American Heart Association warns that family history can play an important role in heart disease and offers tips for reducing risk

DALLAS, Nov. 25, 2024 — Research shows that as much as half of your risk for heart disease can come from your family genes. Experts from the American Heart Association, celebrating a century of lifesaving service as the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, say knowing your family health history is an important step to reducing your risk for a heart attack or stroke.

“In coming weeks as people gather for family holiday festivities, there will be lots of trips down memory lane and stories shared from past generations. As you’re reminiscing, it’s a good time to find out more about your family health history. Did Great-Grandma Agnes pass away from a heart attack? Did Uncle Bob survive a stroke? Knowing that you have a history of cardiovascular disease among your relatives is important, because it can mean you are at an increased risk of also having a heart attack or stroke,” said Keith Churchwell, M.D., FAHA, American Heart Association volunteer president and an associate clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut and adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. “Once you recognize you may be at increased risk, you can take some important steps to stay healthy.”

Churchwell said that having a family history of heart disease or stroke isn’t a death sentence, but it should be a wake-up call. While you may be genetically predisposed to cardiovascular disease, there are a lot of factors that are within your control to lower your overall risk.

“Not smoking or vaping, making sure you are eating healthy and staying physical active are all good ways to keep heart disease or stroke at bay,” he said. “Even then, you may find that high cholesterol or high blood pressure are just in your genes and there’s no way around it. That’s when early diagnosis and proper lifestyle modifications and even medications, if necessary, are going to be especially important to you.”

Churchwell notes that genetics isn’t the only way your family’s health and health habits may impact your risk.

“Many times, family prevalence of cardiovascular disease can be driven by the environment in which people live,” Churchwell said. “If parents smoke, their children may also develop that habit early on. Unhealthy family eating habits can certainly be generationally shared. And if the family spends most free time in front of a TV or engaging in other screen time rather than sharing more physical activity, even just a walk in the neighborhood after dinner, that could chart the course of a lifetime of sedentary behavior.”

A study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, found people with high genetic risks for heart disease could significantly lower that risk if they adhered to the Association’s prescription for ideal cardiovascular health, now known as Life’s Essential 8™.

Life’s Essential 8 comprises five health behaviors and three health factors:

Eat Better
Be More Active
Quit Tobacco
Get Healthy Sleep
Manage Weight
Control Cholesterol
Manage Blood Sugar
Manage Blood Pressure

Along with following Life’s Essential 8, Churchwell offered some other helpful tips for people with a family history of cardiovascular disease:

If you don’t know your family’s full history, start with your immediate family. Find out if your brothers, sisters, parents or grandparents had heart disease or a stroke and how old they were when these developed.
Share your family history with your health care professional as soon as possible
Get a baseline on important routine health screenings like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and weight.
Schedule routine checkups with your health care team and follow their instructions for good health, including taking any medication as prescribed.
Recognize the signs of a heart attack and stroke, and if you experience any symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.
Learn Hands-Only-CPR — most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home, know how to save a loved one if needed.

New York City School District 75 superintendent named to new initiative championing health in schools

Superintendent Louissaint supports critical work to improve student well-being through the Eastern States Superintendent Council

NEW YORK, NY, December 3, 2024 — Ketler Louissaint, superintendent of New York City’s School District 75, is working with the American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service in 2024, and 16 other superintendents to improve the health and well-being of students, families and educators. Louissaint was selected to serve as a volunteer leader for the Association’s Eastern States Superintendent Council.

The Eastern States Region encompasses 13 states, along with Washington, D.C., from Maine to Virginia. The new Superintendent Council is aimed at helping to strengthen the work of the American Heart Association across school districts in the Eastern States Region. The Council will share, inform and help shape the work of the American Heart Association, leading to greater impact across the region. The Council members will help shape solutions and responses to current issues facing schools and districts.

“We are incredibly proud that Superintendent Louissaint, a trusted voice in our community, is lending his expertise as we work toward combatting issues that are affecting student well-being and overall health,” said Matthew Fernandes, Regional Vice President, School Engagement NYC, NJ, DE, American Heart Association. “The Superintendent Council plays a critical role as we work to improve the lives of everyone in the Eastern States Region and we’re excited to see the transformational impact the council will make on students within our community.”

The Superintendent Council is an elite group of American Heart Association volunteers comprised of superintendents from a diverse mix of urban and rural public-school districts across the Eastern States Region. Council members serve a two-year term, participating in stakeholder sessions and offering their individual and collective expertise to assist the American Heart Association in creating a culture of health in school systems and communities across the region.

The council complements the work of the American Heart Association’s in-school programs, Kids Heart Challenge™ and American Heart Challenge™, where volunteers with different backgrounds and perspectives focus on improving the health and well-being within their local communities and are committed to efforts that will help children achieve healthier, happier and longer lives.

Eastern States Region Superintendent Council members:

Chairman Dr. Aaron Spence, Loudoun County Public Schools, VA
Co-Chairman Mark Laurrie, Niagara Falls City School District, NY
Dr. Brian Brotschul, Sommerset Hills School District, NJ
Dr. Peter Cummings, Narragansett School System, RI
Ketler Louissaint, School District 75, NYC, NY
Dr. Joseph Massimino, Woodbridge Township School District, NJ
Dr. Amy Martell, Canton Area School District, PA
Dr. LaTanya D. McDade, Prince William County Public Schools, VA
Dr. Salvatore Menzo, Goodwin University Magnet School System, CT
Dr. Michele Mitchell, Newport News Public Schools VA
Dr. Meredith Nadeau, School Administrative Unit 21, NH
Dr. Patricia Saelens, Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, MD
J. Douglas Straley II, Louisa County Public Schools, VA
Dr. Bill Stropkaj, Keystone Oaks School District, PA
Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Hartford Public Schools, CT
Eddie Vincent, Barbour County Schools, WV
Dr. Tamara Willis, Susquehanna Township School District, PA

“It is a great honor to sit on this committee with very esteemed colleagues to make sure our children are healthy and strong now and into the future,” said Superintendent Louissaint. “We will make District 75 the healthiest school district in New York City.”

The work of the American Heart Association, to save and improve every child’s life, is rooted in the organizational vision that all children, regardless of gender, race, location or economic status, should be able grow to their full potential. Efforts are being made around the country, including through this council, to make the places where kids live, learn and play to support their physical health and mental well-being, because according to the American Heart Association, only 29% of children have high cardiovascular health¹ based on Life’s Essential 8 measurements.

For 100 years the American Heart Association has saved and improved lives, pioneered scientific discovery and advocated for healthy communities. To learn more about American Heart Association youth-based programs visit www.heart.org/getstarted.

You have your mother’s eyes and your father’s heart disease – now what?

The American Heart Association warns that family history can play an important role in heart disease and offers tips for reducing risk

Churchwell notes that genetics isn’t the only way your family’s health and health habits may impact your risk.

Life’s Essential 8 comprises five health behaviors and three health factors:

Eat Better
Be More Active
Quit Tobacco
Get Healthy Sleep
Manage Weight
Control Cholesterol
Manage Blood Sugar
Manage Blood Pressure

Along with following Life’s Essential 8, Churchwell offered some other helpful tips for people with a family history of cardiovascular disease:

If you don’t know your family’s full history, start with your immediate family. Find out if your brothers, sisters, parents or grandparents had heart disease or a stroke and how old they were when these developed.
Share your family history with your health care professional as soon as possible
Get a baseline on important routine health screenings like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose and weight.
Schedule routine checkups with your health care team and follow their instructions for good health, including taking any medication as prescribed.
Recognize the signs of a heart attack and stroke, and if you experience any symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately.
Learn Hands-Only-CPR — most out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the home, know how to save a loved one if needed.

How voting plays a role in health – and how health plays a role in who votes

By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association News

The act of voting is at the heart of a healthy democracy. A growing body of research is building the case that voting also plays an important role in physical health – which affects who votes.

Experts on this back-and-forth say the connections are a weave of cultural, political and other factors that studies are just starting to unravel. But it’s far from a fringe concept. Groups such as the American Medical Association, American Heart Association and American College of Physicians have endorsed the idea that voting plays a role in health, making voting access something that health care professionals should be addressing.

“I think there’s a clarity that’s growing” about the connections, said Dr. Anita Chandra, vice president and director of RAND Social and Economic Well-Being, which is based in Arlington, Virginia. Chandra co-wrote a 2019 report on how civic engagement, which includes activities such voting and volunteering, is linked with physical and mental health and overall well-being.

Just a decade ago, the idea of linking voting and health was controversial, said Chandra, whose background is in public health and child development. Today, she said, voting and other forms of civic engagement are increasingly seen as an essential element of health.

Researchers describe the process as a kind of loop: Health can affect someone’s ability to vote. Voting has a direct effect on public policy. That, in turn, influences people’s health.

“It’s not just about making sure people who are not in optimal health are engaged and voting,” Chandra said, but how voting affects things such as access to parks, construction of safe sidewalks and other public policies that affect health.

In one historical example, after women in the U.S. won the right to vote in 1920, elected officials enacted public health measures championed by women, and child deaths fell by 20,000 a year, according to a 2008 study in the Quarterly Journal of Economics.

Dr. Ross Arena, a professor who is head of the department of physical therapy at the University of Illinois Chicago, has co-written several studies that look at connections between regional culture, voting and health.

One study, published in Public Health in Practice in August, found that counties with low voter turnout fared worse on a health index that included items such as physical activity, mental health, heart disease and whether a person currently smoked. The findings suggest “poor health may be a powerful contributor to lower participation in the voting process,” Arena and his colleagues wrote.

Other factors that influence voter participation include age, race, education and income, as does access to voting methods, which varies by state.

Another article, published in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas in 2023, found that better access to voting correlated with better health as measured by an index of 12 factors such as premature mortality, infant mortality, active physicians and poverty.

Dr. Julianna Pacheco, a professor of political science at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, said that while the connections between voting and health are “pretty clear,” there are also nuances.

“If a person has physical limitations, it might be harder to get to the polls and especially burdensome to navigate the process of obtaining an absentee ballot,” depending on where they live. “For a person who is depressed, politics may not be something that is on their minds, and it may be extra difficult to learn about the candidates in a way to inform the vote.”

While some researchers have found that early civic engagement is associated with less depression later in life, Pacheco’s work has shown how depression is linked to a lower likelihood of voting later in adulthood. Her research also found that poor self-rated health at the end of adolescence is associated with a lower chance of someone voting in their first election.

Work by Pacheco and her colleagues shows that being in an educated family might mitigate the effect of poor health on voting among young people. Other research suggests poor health depresses turnout among low-income voters but not wealthier ones.

The correlations vary by disease. One 2015 study, published in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, looked at data from eight states in the 2008 election and found that people with cancer were more likely to vote than their peers without cancer, whereas people with heart disease were less likely to vote than those without heart problems.

“Different health issues sometimes create community,” Chandra said, and some of those communities might be more supportive of political activity.

That sense of community, whether around a health condition or something broader, can be another piece of the puzzle in how voting contributes to health. Social isolation is a well-established risk factor for poor heart health and other problems. But voting, Chandra said, is an act of participation that provides a sense of connection as well as a “sense of agency” that a person has a voice.

Some researchers have suggested that if unhealthy people don’t have access to the polls, it could lead to a “health bias” in public policy, favoring the needs of healthier people.

The U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion includes increasing voter participation among the objectives of its Healthy 2030 project, a collection of data-driven goals aimed at improving public health.

While recent national elections have had the highest turnout in decades, a 2023 Pew Research Center report found that only 66% of those eligible voted in the 2020 presidential election and only 46% turned out for the 2022 midterms. In the nation’s largest cities, participation in local elections is even lower – a median 20% for municipal elections, according to researchers at Portland State University.

Arena is among those who say health care professionals at all levels have an important role to play in boosting voter access. “It should be considered part of your professional responsibility to advocate for voting rights and access to voting,” he said.

One effort to register people in waiting areas at two Bronx clinics in New York City during a 12-week period in 2012 successfully registered 114 people – 89% of those who were eligible. The effort was written about in the Annals of Family Medicine.

Arena and Pacheco noted the success of nonpartisan efforts that give physicians and nurses badges with QR codes that link patients to voter registration information or let them request absentee ballots as local laws allow.

“A lot of people do not vote simply because nobody asks them to,” said Pacheco, who said federal law gives community health care centers the discretion to support nonpartisan voter registration efforts.

Some politicians consider such efforts to be partisan. But the work of Arena and his colleagues showed that the strength of the connection between poor health and low voter turnout was similar in Democratic and Republican regions. That suggests the influence of health on participation transcends political affiliation.

“The correlations are pretty consistent,” he said. And once anyone has poor health, it could be a barrier to voting “no matter what your ideology.”

Arena’s long-term goal in exploring the connections is to find ways to reach people who, for partisan or cultural reasons, have tuned out messages about public health. “We’re not resonating with big parts of the country,” he said.

But, he said, “if, in fact, political ideology impacts health decisions, and poor health impacts voter turnout, then there’s an opportunity to have a bi-directional conversation. It’s my responsibility as a health professional to start thinking about how to improve voter access, and hey, let’s talk about how your culture and political ideology impact your health care decisions.”

Chandra also said the discussion about voting and health shouldn’t be partisan.

“Unfortunately, it, at times, has become one,” she said, “but it really shouldn’t be.”

To her, the focus should be on improving lives by helping people engage with their communities. “If we’re trying to enhance life expectancy, enhance life satisfaction, enhance optimism and reduce the diseases of despair, then I would say engagement as a general principle is certainly nonpartisan.”

Peter Riguardi, Chairman and President of JLL Leads American Heart Association’s New York City Heart Challenge

NEW YORK, October 21, 2024 — Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in New York City and Peter Riguardi, Chairman and President, New York Region of JLL is working hand-in-hand with the American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, to change that. Riguardi will serve as chair for the 2024-2025 New York City Heart Challenge™, a community campaign focused on engaging local companies, corporations and their employees to join the fight against heart disease and stroke.

Throughout his career, Peter has been a part of defining and at times, redefining the New York City skyline. He has led transformative projects in New York’s most pivotal moments from the rebuilding of Downtown after 9/11 to the redefining of Midtown west by way of the Hudson Yards development and other new developments across New York City. Many of his transactions are ranked as New York’s largest and most complex, including some of the only transactions completed during the pandemic. As Chairman and President, Peter additionally co-leads JLL’s Tri-State region, with responsibility for 2,700 professionals across seven offices. An innovative leader, Peter has been instrumental in shifting JLL from the traditional brokerage model to an advisory model, similar to the function of an investment bank. That new ethos and dedication to deep, strategic relationships with investor and occupier clients, along with recruitment of top talent in key disciplines, and investments in new technology and services catapulted JLL to the market leader in the New York Metropolitan area.

“I am honored to serve as chair of the New York City Heart Challenge. I hope to bring greater awareness to the devastating effects of cardiovascular disease and contribute to positive changes that will help my community live longer, healthier lives,” said Peter Riguardi.

As chair of the Heart Challenge™, Riguardi will lead a team of New York City executives to recruit companies and organizations to take part in various Heart Challenge™ initiatives including the Wall Street Run & Heart Walk®, New York City CycleNation™, and Executives with Heart. Through these initiatives, the leadership team and supporting organizations will raise funds for the American Heart Association while leading action-oriented conversations about employee health, corporate engagement, community health and community transformation.

This year, companies participating in the Heart Challenge will play a crucial role in the American Heart Association’s Nation of Lifesavers™ initiative, a national effort aimed at doubling cardiac arrest survival rates by 2030.

“We envision a future where at least one person in every household and colleagues in every business know CPR,” said Riguardi. “The impact of having trained and confident lifesavers across New York City cannot be overstated. By joining the American Heart Association’s Heart Challenge, companies are helping to turn our community from bystanders into lifesavers, ensuring that when a cardiac emergency occurs, there is someone ready to step in and make a difference.”

Heart disease and stroke are largely preventable and how you eat, move and manage stress impacts your well-being, physically and mentally. Heart Challenge™ provides resources, tools and activities to support both mental and physical well-being for employers and employees.

“We are incredibly grateful to Peter Riguardi who is stepping up to move the needle when it comes to heart disease and stroke” said Meg Gilmartin, Senior Executive Director, Regional Senior Vice President, American Heart Association in New York City. “Through the various Heart Challenge initiatives, we are able to drive maximum impact through employee engagement and corporate fundraising. Together, we can save lives in New York City.”

Heart Challenge in New York City is sponsored by Brookfield, Citi, JLL, NYU Langone Health and Scotiabank.

New York City entrepreneurs addressing health disparities make finalist in nationwide American Heart Association initiative

New York City entrepreneurs addressing health disparities make finalist in nationwide initiative

The American Heart Association announces business accelerator finalists vying for $75,000 in support

NEW YORK, NY September 26, 2024 — New York business founders, dedicated to closing the health equity gap, have been chosen as competitive finalists for a nationwide American Heart Association initiative. The program offers financial and technical assistance to local companies focused on addressing health disparities within the community. Three companies – Balto, FibriCheck and TheraMotive have applied for $75,000 in funding to benefit New Yorkers.

Across the United States, start-up businesses are igniting impact in their communities by founding enterprises designed to help people improve their quality of life. Evidence suggests that innovative solutions from health technology to farming can help close health equity gaps resulting from barriers to the availability of health care resources and services.[1] The American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years as a global force for longer healthier lives for all, has selected 11 business founders across the country to participate in the EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator™ program. The accelerator provides technical training, evaluation and funding to enhance their local business models.

The finalists include:

Daniel Wolkowitz, founder, Balto
Balto is building a remote-first work marketplace that enables near real-time personalized patient care from anywhere in the U.S., helping solve the physician shortage, driving down hospital admissions and making it easy to get quality care from home. The marketplace will connect Rural hospitals struggling to hire for Physicians of all types, with a remote workforce of Physicians who can solve critical, non-in person, care work that takes place in hospitals. By 2034, our health care system will consist of 77 million patients over the age of 65, while simultaneously experiencing a shortage of 125,000 physicians. Balto aims to alleviate these issues, all while helping U.S hospitals to stay revenue efficient, through preventative care.

Lars Grieten, founder of FibriCheck
FibriCheck is a digital health platform focused on revolutionizing heart-health monitoring through innovative mobile technology. By providing users with a simple yet powerful tool to detect heart rhythm disorders, FibriCheck aims to enhance early diagnosis and improve overall health outcomes. The company’s mission is to make heart-health monitoring as easy and accessible as checking your pulse, ultimately contributing to a healthier, more informed society.

And

Lola Omishore, founder of TheraMotive
TheraMotive is building the future of physical therapy with mobile clinics powered by AI, virtual reality and wearable technology. Driven by its mission to break free from geographic barriers to care, TheraMotive designs clinics to adapt, evolve and move with their clients to deliver care where they live, work and play.

This year, the 11 finalists were selected from nearly 300 nationwide applicants based on the strength of their existing business models as well as their ability to impact health equity barriers at the local level. The finalists will be formally evaluated by the Association’s professional science health metrics evaluation experts and scored based on a variety of evidence-based criteria — health impact, innovation, and scalability. The winners will receive business development financial grants of $75,000.

Finalists must identify and address a specific, measurable, health impact case study. Finalist candidates will incorporate their company story with the practical business models taught as part of the program. Final grant recipients will ultimately be selected by an independent panel of judges that includes tech entrepreneurs and small business investment experts at the virtual finale on October 9, 2024.

“With the knowledge gained in the EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator, these local change makers will be well suited to take the next steps to improve health and wellness where they are needed most in New York City,” said Meg Gilmartin, Senior Executive Director, Regional Senior Vice President, American Heart Association in New York City. “We are eager to see the innovative breakthroughs that will come from this experience.”

Now in its eighth year, the Business Accelerator has engaged and celebrated the work of more than 160 individuals, non-profits and for-profits, who are developing innovative ways to impact the health of the communities where they live, work and play.

To see more information on the finalists please visit: https://www.empoweredtoserve.org/en/business-accelerator-program/national/finalists

The New York Blood Center announced a blood emergency this week. The long term impact of the pandemic has resulted in a year of virtually no youth first-time donors, 3000 fewer blood drives and 100,000 New Yorkers that have yet to return to donate since before the pandemic. Complicating matters, recently there has been a surge in blood usage as hospitals perform surgeries and patients seek medical care that was postponed during the pandemic. The increased need and lag in donors has created a chronic gap in blood donations.

“As the region reopens, hospitalizations are going up and far outpacing the number of donations we are receiving,” said Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Executive Director Recruitment and Marketing. “Through our new media campaign, we must raise awareness and encourage lapsed donors who have not donated since before COVID-19 to return and to attract the next generation of blood donors to help us build a healthy blood supply.”

https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/zip

BYLINE: By Lucie Winborne

* The Climbing Gourami is a fish that can climb out of water, breathe oxygen and even walk for short distances.
* India has 454 living languages and 16 official ones.
* During her 1982 restoration, the Statue of Liberty’s head was accidentally installed 2 feet off-center.
* General George S. Patton believed he was reincarnated from either a military leader from Napoleon’s army or a Roman legionary, claiming to have seen combat multiple times in previous lives, and also believed that after he died he would return to again lead armies onto the battlefield.
* Only deceased people can appear on American currency.
* When put under a microscope, tears produced by grief, hope or onions were unique in form from each other.
* Viking names included such gems as “desirous of beer,” “able to fill a bay with fish by magic,” “lust-hostage” and “the man who mixes his drinks.”
* North Korea accidentally hit one of its own cities during a 2017 failed missile test.
* In 1916, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution would have put all acts of war to a national vote. Anyone voting “yes” would have to register as a volunteer for army service.
* Dynamite was originally going to be called “Nobel’s Safety Powder.”
* Singer James Brown was such a strict bandleader that he had signals arranged with his manager to let him know if a musician made a mistake during concerts. After a performance, band members’ errors were deducted from their paychecks.
* Ostriches are the only birds with a bladder.
* In 1872, sitting president Ulysses S. Grant was pulled over and fined $20 for exceeding the Washington speed limit … on a horse.
* Aristotle believed that plants had souls.
***
Thought for the Day: “Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

MOMENTS IN TIME: The History Channel

* On March 10, 1948, the communist-controlled government of Czechoslovakia reported that noncommunist Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk had died after jumping out of a window. The story was met with suspicion in the West, but nothing to the contrary was ever definitively proved.
* On March 11, 1903, accordion-playing musician and entertainer Lawrence Welk, aka the “King of Champagne Music,” was born on a farm in rural North Dakota.
* On March 12, 2020, after New York state and city leaders placed Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings of more than 500 people, the Broadway theater district announced it would go dark for an unprecedented 32 days, the longest shutdown of its history. The closure ended up being extended to the end of May 2021, however, costing billions of dollars in tourism losses.
* On March 13, 1865, the Confederacy reluctantly approved the use of Black troops, its last source of fresh manpower, as the main Rebel army faced long odds against much larger Union counterparts. The measure did not help to save the Confederacy, since the several thousand Black men who were enlisted could not balance out the nearly 200,000 Black soldiers fighting for the Union.
* On March 14, 1924, John “Jack” Mack, who co-founded Mack Trucks, Inc., then known as the Mack Brothers Company, with his brothers Augustus and William, was killed when his car collided with a trolley in Pennsylvania.
* On March 15, 2021, Deb Haaland was sworn in as Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Indigenous person to serve as a cabinet secretary in American history. A few years before, she was also one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress.
* On March 16, 1881, 40-year-old Francisco “Chico” Forster met an untimely end in downtown Los Angeles, courtesy of his former lover, 18-year-old Lastania Abarta. Forster had promised to marry the girl after she performed at a party, but failed to return to their hotel with either a ring or a priest. Abarta tracked him down and tried to force him to church, but when he hopped out of his cab, she fatally shot him. After her attorneys defended her on the grounds of “female hysteria,” she was acquitted and left town.

Lung Association Report Calls on New York State to Increase Tobacco Control Funding to Reduce Death and Disease from Tobacco Use American Lung Association “State of Tobacco Control” report gives New York a failing grade for its lack of adequate funding for tobacco control

Albany, NY – (January 29, 2025) – A new report from the American Lung Association urges New York lawmakers to focus on increasing funding for the New York state tobacco control program to reduce the continued overwhelming human and financial burden of tobacco use. The 2025 “State of Tobacco Control” report evaluates state and federal policies on actions taken to eliminate tobacco use and recommends proven-effective tobacco control laws and policies to save lives.

The “State of Tobacco Control” report grades states and the District of Columbia in five areas that have been proven to prevent and reduce tobacco use and save lives. In the 2025 report, New York received the following grades:

Funding for State Tobacco Prevention Programs – Grade F
Strength of Smokefree Workplace Laws – Grade A
Level of State Tobacco Taxes – Grade B
Coverage and Access to Services to Quit Tobacco – Grade B
Ending the Sale of All Flavored Tobacco Products – Grade D

The report follows New York State Governor Hochul’s budget proposal, in which she included level funding for tobacco and asthma programs. In addition, the budget included the ability for pharmacists the right to give cessation medication, which is an evidence-proven measure to help people quit tobacco. While the Lung Association acknowledged the positive momentum, more is needed to reduce the burden of tobacco on New Yorkers.

“In addition to grading New York’s tobacco control policies, this year’s ‘State of Tobacco Control’ report examines the tobacco industry’s increasingly aggressive actions to addict a new generation to tobacco and hinder proven public policies to prevent and reduce tobacco use. Here in New York, we are seeing tobacco industry lobbyists at the state and local level working to stop or weaken proven tobacco control policies. The tobacco industry is also introducing new products that appeal to youth like e-cigarettes that mimic smartphones, kid-friendly flavors and flavored nicotine pouches that are heavily marketed by social media influencers,” said Michael Seilback at the American Lung Association in New York. “In 2025, policymakers in New York must focus on restoring funding for the New York state tobacco control program, eliminating loopholes on the sale of e-cigarettes and prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco products.”

Despite receiving over $1.5B from tobacco settlement payments, tobacco taxes and other state funding, New York only funds tobacco control efforts at 20.8% of the level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Lung Association urges Governor Hochul and the legislature to increase funding for tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs to $46.5 million.

Federal Grades Overview

The 2025 “State of Tobacco Control” report grades the federal government in five areas:

Federal Government Regulation of Tobacco Products – Grade C
Federal Coverage of Quit Smoking Treatments – Grade D
Level of Federal Tobacco Taxes – Grade F
Federal Mass Media Campaigns to Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use – Grade: A
Federal Minimum Age of Sale for Tobacco Products to 21 – Grade: A

The 2025 “State of Tobacco Control” report urges Congress to provide additional funding to the FDA so they can enforce against and remove all illegal e-cigarettes the tobacco industry has introduced to the market. To learn more about this year’s “State of Tobacco Control” grades and sign the petition, visit Lung.org/sotc.

Get involved and help the mission of the American Lung Association. Fight for Air Climbs are coming up in New York City on March 22^nd and in Buffalo on April 5^th. Learn more at FightForAirClimb.org

State grades in “State of Tobacco Control” reflect actions taken by elected officials and do not reflect on the hard work of state tobacco control programs or advocates.

Media Resources:

B-Roll is available here:
- Tobacco Products: Broll TobaccoProducts. American Lung Association.mp4 | Powered by Box
- E-Cigarettes: Broll Ecigarettes. American Lung Association.mp4 | Powered by Box
American Lung Association logos are available here: Media | American Lung Association

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES KEY MILESTONES AND STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE CRUCIAL 911 MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS RESPONSE INITIATIVE

Mental Health Emergency B-HEARD Teams Responded to 73 Percent of All Eligible 911 Calls in Pilot Area, Total of 14,900 Calls Over Last Fiscal Year, Doubling Prior Year

43 Percent of Individuals Who Received Behavioral Health Assessments Were Provided with Connections to Community-Based Behavioral Health Services Instead of Being Brought to Hospital

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released new data showing the milestone achievements of the Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD), New York City’s health-centered response to 911 mental health calls. Over Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, B-HEARD teams responded to 14,900 calls, which accounts for 73 percent of all eligible mental health calls in the pilot area during the program’s operation hours. The FY24 figure is more than double the previous fiscal year’s responses when teams responded to almost 7,200 calls, which comprised approximately 55 percent of eligible calls. In total, B-HEARD teams have responded to over 24,000 mental health 911 calls since launching in spring of 2021.

Additionally, the Adams administration announced two new policy strategies to strengthen its ability to provide as many New Yorkers as possible with a health-centered crisis response. Both strategies went into effect in June 2024. The first is to prioritize deploying B-HEARD teams to calls that have been fully triaged by the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Emergency Medical Services 911 call-takers where the teams are more likely to have the patient on-scene where they arrive, maximizing the time B-HEARD teams spend serving individuals in need. The second is to eliminate police precinct boundaries within the existing pilot area, which covers 31 police precincts. This significant program modification will allow existing teams to be nimble in their ability to respond to nearby calls outside a precinct boundary once they have completed a call.

“Responding to New Yorkers’ mental health needs of all kinds is a priority for our administration,” said Mayor Adams. “That is why we have established ‘Teenspace,’ a free telehealth service for youth, which has already provided services to over 16,000 young people; launched the Subway Co-Response Outreach Team alongside the MTA to help New Yorkers affected by severe mental illness in our subway system; and sued the owners of five major social media companies for their role in contributing to the mental health crisis of our young people. For too long, our systems were not equipped to respond to people in mental health crisis. I am proud that under our leadership, we have responded to New Yorkers on over 24,000 mental health 911 calls through the groundbreaking B-HEARD program and have expanded this crucial emergency service to ensure even more New Yorkers get the support they need, especially when they need it most.”

“B-HEARD is another tool to reach New Yorkers in most need and help them get the care they require,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “Roughly four in 10 folks engaged by a B-HEARD mental health clinician have been connected to community mental health supports and B-HEARD teams have reached out to more than 70 percent of eligible calls overall. We will continue to build on these efforts and give every New Yorker in need access to mental health support.”

“As we continue to refine the B-HEARD program, the Adams administration is committed to ensuring that every New Yorker experiencing a mental health crisis receives the compassionate, appropriate care they deserve,” said Mayors Office of Community Mental Health (OCMH) Executive Director Eva Wong. “The latest data highlights significant progress of the B-HEARD program, and the positive impact of New York City’s first-ever health-centered response to mental health emergencies. Through ongoing innovation and collaboration to prioritize fully triaged calls and eliminate precinct boundaries, we are taking significant steps to enhance our response capabilities and better serve our communities.”

“The B-HEARD program is a valuable resource for New Yorkers experiencing mental health crises,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker. “As a pilot program, it is a patient-driven, health-centered response that has allowed New Yorkers to get the help they need, and we are constantly working to refine the program to ensure we continue to meet the needs of those who need our help the most.”

“B-HEARD continues to enhance the ways NYC Health + Hospitals serves high-needs communities across the city,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Deputy Chief Medical Officer and System Chief of Behavioral Health Omar Fattal, MD, MPH. “The B-HEARD teams are in communities engaging individuals on a daily basis, ensuring that New Yorkers in crisis are provided the recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and person-centered support they need to stay in the community. B-HEARD’s success as a health-led response is evident by the fact that nearly half of its patients who receive an assessment are assisted in their community instead of making an unnecessary trip to the emergency room.”

B-HEARD is an interagency collaboration between the FDNY and NYC Health + Hospitals with oversight from OCMH. B-HEARD partners with emergency medical technicians (EMTs)/paramedics and mental health clinicians to respond as a team to 911 mental health calls that do not have violence or weapons as the primary concern. The goal of the program is to connect individuals to the best level of care for their needs and reduce unnecessary use of the emergency department and police resources. The teams work with individuals to understand their needs, de-escalate, and, whenever possible, speak with their family members and the individual’s current clinician to determine the best path forward. Each B-HEARD response reflects New York City’s commitment to providing people who are experiencing a mental health crisis with the most appropriate care by pairing mental health clinicians with EMTs for the first-time ever.

The latest data brief shows that the program has made steady progress in responding to a higher percentage of total mental health 911 calls since launch. There has also been an increase in the number of calls that are eligible for a B-HEARD response and the city is responding to more eligible calls. During the 16 hours a day when the program was operational from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, there were 20,541 eligible 911 mental health calls in the pilot area and an overwhelming majority of those calls received a B-HEARD response, with teams responding to 73 percent of all eligible calls. This is a significant increase from the previous fiscal year when B-HEARD teams responded to 55 percent of all eligible calls. Approximately 50 percent of all B-HEARD responses, or 7,417 B-HEARD patients, engaged with a B-HEARD team. Of those instances where the B-HEARD teams made contact with a patient, in FY24, about 50 percent, or 3,691 B-HEARD patients, received a behavioral health assessment.

The data also shows that B-HEARD is helping New Yorkers access community-based options for mental health care through the 911 system — which was not possible prior to B-HEARD — as individuals can be treated by a mental health professional within minutes. In FY24, of the 3,691 individuals that received a behavioral health assessment by a B-HEARD team, 43 percent of them were able to remain in the community, potentially reducing the number of unnecessary transports to hospital emergency rooms. Before B-HEARD, transportation to an emergency department was the only option for mental health treatment available through the 911 system.

The strategies announced today build on previous modifications made by the Adams administration to strengthen mental health operations over the last three years. Since launching B-HEARD in 2021, the city’s approach has always been to learn as much as possible to refine the program to best meet the unique needs of New Yorkers. Accordingly, the city has implemented modifications over the last three years to strengthen operations, such as developing and implementing a new algorithm to automate call triaging to more effectively identify calls that are appropriate for a B-HEARD response; hiring more EMS 911 call-takers in FY24; and conducting a B-HEARD satisfaction survey that showed overwhelmingly positive feedback.

In 2023, Mayor Adams announced a sweeping mental health agenda, “Care, Community, Action: A Mental Health Plan for New York City,” with $20 million in new commitments that invested in, among other initiatives, an online hub to connect New Yorkers with serious mental illness to care and a substantial expansion of the clubhouse program.

Alongside the Adams administration’s focus on mental health, Mayor Adams also launched “HealthyNYC” last November, an ambitious plan to extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers by reducing the impact of mental health related deaths like overdoses, suicide, and homicides by 2030. Additionally, HealthyNYC expands access to culturally-responsive mental health care and social support services, including early intervention for communities of color and LGBTQIA+ youth, and helps address the impact of social media on youth mental health and suicidal ideation to reduce suicide deaths.

Later that month, Mayor Adams announced “Teenspace” — the city’s tele-mental health service available to all New York City teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old at no cost. In the first six months of the program, the service — created in partnership with online therapy platform Talkspace — allowed more than 6,800 New York City teenagers connect with a licensed therapist through phone, video, and text. In the four months since that announcement — and less than a year after the launch of the program — have benefitted from Teenspace.

“My district’s 104th Precinct has been a part of the B-HEARD pilot program. This has proven to be a life-saving initiative that we must expand citywide,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “B-HEARD demonstrates our City’s commitment to a public safety response that fits the needs of every situation. Indeed, mental health crises require first responders trained to address these issues and de-escalate the situation. The numbers show that B-HEARD has been a success, responding to 14,900 calls in the last fiscal year—a 50 percent increase from the year before—comprising 73 percent of all eligible calls. I am proud to partner with the mayor to expand this life-saving program across all five boroughs.”

THE NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF ADDICTION SERVICES AND SUPPORTS ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEW INTEGRATED OUTPATIENT AND OPIOID TREATMENT PROGRAM IN WATERTOWN

New Program Provides Range of Addiction Services in One Location

Designed to Cut Down on the Need for Individuals to Travel to Multiple Different Providers

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) today announced the opening of a new comprehensive integrated outpatient and Opioid Treatment Program (OTP) in Watertown. Operated by THRIVE Wellness and Recovery and located at 611 West Main Street, the new facility provides medication for addiction treatment, including methadone, as well as a comprehensive array of other addiction services. OASAS is providing more than $240,000 through the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund to support the integration of outpatient and OTP services in this new setting.

“This new center is a game-changer for the North Country region,” OASAS Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said. “Medication for addiction, like methadone, is a safe and effective treatment that has been proven to save lives by reducing the risk overdose death by as much as 50%. As the first program of this type in Jefferson County, this facility will help more people access a range of lifesaving care without the need to travel long distances and will further support our efforts to provide lifesaving services to those in need.”

Comprehensive integrated and OTP programs provide more opportunities to access person-centered services, including medication treatment for opioid use disorder, by co-locating both an outpatient treatment program and an OTP at the same site. These programs are designed to centralize medication treatment, including methadone, and other addiction and healthcare services to make it easier for New Yorkers seeking treatment for substance use disorders to access multiple services in one location.

OASAS has provided more than $18 million through the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund, as well as federal grant programs, to establish more than 40 integrated outpatient and OTP programs across the state.

New York State leads the nation in making settlement funding available, and has made $335 available to providers across the state to support various initiatives to address the opioid and overdose crisis. Additional funding from the settlement fund is being used to support other initiatives to increase medication for addiction treatment, as well as outreach services to connect at-risk individuals to services and resources, increased support for recovery centers, and more than $100 million delivered directly to municipalities across the state for them to address the opioid and overdose crisis on a local level. Details of this spending are available on the New York State Opioid Settlement Fund Tracker.

The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports oversees one of the nation’s largest systems of addiction services with approximately 1,700 prevention, treatment and recovery programs serving over 731,000 individuals per year. This includes the direct operation of 12 Addiction Treatment Centers where our doctors, nurses, and clinical staff provide inpatient and residential services to approximately 8,000 individuals per year.

New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).

THE NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF ADDICTION SERVICES AND SUPPORTS ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEW INTEGRATED OUTPATIENT AND OPIOID TREATMENT PROGRAM IN WATERTOWN

New Program Provides Range of Addiction Services in One Location

Designed to Cut Down on the Need for Individuals to Travel to Multiple Different Providers

NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE ADVISE NEW YORKERS TO BEAT THE HEAT

Heat Emergency Plan activated Wednesday through at least Thursday.

Cooling centers will open across the city through Thursday, Aug. 1. To find locations, including hours of operation, call 311 or visit the City’s Cool Options Map.

New Yorkers should also take advantage of additional cool options such as museums, movie theaters, coffee shops, pools, houses of worship, or a neighbor, friend, or family member’s home.

July 31, 2024 — New York City Emergency Management Department and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene advise New Yorkers to take precautions as dangerously high heat is expected beginning Wednesday afternoon and extending through at least Thursday. NYC Emergency Management is working closely with the National Weather Service to monitor the forecast as the city faces another heat advisory. Additionally, beachgoers are urged to exercise caution at beaches due to a high risk of life-threatening rip currents.

NYCEM and the Health Department urge New Yorkers to take steps to protect themselves and help others who may be at increased risk from the heat. For more information, including heat-related health tips and warning signs of heat illness, visit NYC.gov/health or NYC.gov/beattheheat. In New York City, most heat-related deaths occur after exposure to heat in homes without air conditioners. Air conditioning is the best way to stay safe and healthy when it is hot outside, but some people at risk of heat illness do not have or do not turn on an air conditioner.

New Yorkers can access a range of outdoor cooling options, including spray showers, drinking fountains, and more. These resources can be found online at Cool It! NYC. Many of these resources are located in neighborhoods across New York City. New York City outdoor pools are generally open 11AM-7PM, Olympic and intermediate-sized pools will be open through 8PM on Wednesday. State Parks, including Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park pool and Roberto Clemente State Park pool are open, call ahead to confirm.

ADDITIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY TIPS DURING EXTREME HEAT

KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS OF HEAT ILLNESS

Call 911 immediately if you or someone you know has:

Hot dry skin
Trouble breathing
Rapid heartbeat
Confusion, disorientation, or dizziness
Nausea and vomiting

If you or someone you know feels weak or faint, go to a cool place and drink water. If there is no improvement, call a doctor or 911.

KEEPING YOUR PETS SAFE

IMPROPER FIRE HYDRANT USE

ENERGY-SAVING TIPS

Last week, we joined A Night in Full Bloom – raising awareness of fibroids and their impact on women’s health. We’re so grateful to join this incredible group of influential and inspiring women to share our stories and discuss work to educate and provide more outreach on fibroids. A special thank you to our Hosts, Cynthia Bailey & Kym Lee, and our special guests, Kenya Gibson, Angela Yee, and Cara Maria. We are grateful to our Founder & CEO of USA Fibroids Clinic, Dr. Yan Katsnelson, for your commitment and leadership in creating important spaces to discuss fibroids and our collective work. Thanks to everyone who joined us from near and far for an inspiring night in full bloom.

NEW YORK STATE ANNOUNCES SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM TO SERVE AT-RISK YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS ON STATEN ISLAND

Nearly $3.7 Million Awarded to the ‘MISSION’ Project to Strengthen Student Mental Health at the Borough’s Public Schools and Two College Campuses
The New York State Office of Mental Health announced today that nearly $3.7 million in federal funding has been awarded to help prevent suicide among at-risk youth and young adults on Staten Island. Administered by OMH’s Suicide Prevention Center of New York, the funding over five years will help implement the ‘MISSION’ project, which combines clinical interventions for at-risk youth and young adults with suicide prevention approaches.

“Effective suicide prevention requires communitywide action,” Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “The ‘MISSION’ project will bring together institutions, providers, and community members across Staten Island to develop a collaborative approach. This multi-tiered approach highlights Governor Kathy Hochul’s ongoing commitment to addressing youth mental health and ensuring young New Yorkers have the supports they can rely on to live and thrive.”

The project will develop prevention services for students and strengthen behavioral health supports, including training for adults to identify and refer at-risk youth to an integrated system for rapid referrals; and providing universal screening and evidence-based interventions in behavioral health settings. The initiative will also develop a partnership for crisis stabilization, suicide-specific interventions, and rapid response to the specialized needs of youth with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Prevention will be integrated into local public schools in the borough, Wagner College, and the College of Staten Island, which is part of the CUNY system, along with four major behavioral health organizations serving the area. The project will involve a collaboration between the Suicide Prevention Center, and the Staten Island Borough President’s Office, the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness, and Staten Island’s public schools, in conjunction with the Jewish Board for Family and Children’s Services, Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island University Hospital, and Project Hospitality.

Through the duration of the five-year grant, the project will provide prevention services to more than 30,000 youth and young adults between the ages of 10 and 24 who are at-risk for suicide. An additional 12,000 youth will be provided clinical services through the initiative, with an additional 2,500 receiving specialty services.

Staten Island was selected for the project due to the area’s elevated rate of youth suicide and overdose deaths. The borough also has a youth suicide rate similar to the rest of the state, is relatively self-contained in that most residents receive education and healthcare locally; and reflects the overall diversity of New York.

The funding was announced during Suicide Prevention Month, which is dedicated to promoting awareness, education, and action to prevent suicide. The recognition honors the lives lost to suicide, supports the survivors of suicide loss, and reinforces New York State’s commitment to mental health and wellness for all.

Suicide claimed the lives of more than 1,700 individuals in New York in 2022. It is the second leading cause of death among individuals between the age of 25 and 34, and the third leading cause of death for youth and young adults between the age of 10 and 24.

Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Dr. Chinazo Cunningham said, “Today’s announcement builds upon New York State’s efforts to bring essential suicide prevention services to youths and young adults. The ‘MISSION’ Project mirrors the work we at OASAS—alongside our OMH partners—undertake every day to meet the often-co-occurring substance use and mental health needs of young people. This care, which includes suicide screenings, is woven throughout our prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery continuum of care.”

New York State Psychiatric Institute Executive Director Dr. Joshua A. Gordon said, “Supporting the mental health of our youth is a critical investment in the future of our communities. By identifying and addressing the unique needs of at-risk individuals on Staten Island, the ‘MISSION’ project will create a framework for targeted interventions that can prevent crises before they occur. The collaborative nature of this initiative reflects the power of partnerships in tackling such a complex issue as youth suicide.”

Suicide Prevention Center Director Dr. Jay Carruthers said, “The ‘MISSION’ project is a first of its kind initiative for the State that aims to break through silos in healthcare and education in service of youth mental health with implications for the rest of the City and State.”

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said, “We are grateful to receive funding to start this unique youth mental health program. In fact, it is the first mental health program in the country that has been created by our community for our community. We are grateful to all the individuals and organizations that came together to try to help young people who may be experiencing troubles that could lead to something far worse. We want to get kids the help they need, before it is too late. We are pleased that the New York State Office of Mental Health has been with us from day one, and equally appreciative of SAMSHA for providing the funding that will make a difference.”

New York State Announces $2.7 Million Available to Develop New Flexible Assertive Community Treatment Teams

Evidence-Based Program to Provide Services to Difficult-to-Engage New Yorkers Living with Serious Mental Illness Throughout Their Recovery

New York State today announced up to $2.7 million is available to develop Flexible Assertive Community Treatment teams to serve New Yorkers living with serious mental illness, but who are disengaged from the traditional system of care. Administered by the state Office of Mental Health, the funding will help establish 37 multidisciplinary teams, which will have the flexibility to provide critical outpatient mental health services based on the evolving needs of the individuals enrolled for treatment.

“ACT teams engage people with mental illness in their own homes and communities and provide services when and where the client wants and needs them,” Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said. “These new Flexible ACT teams will work with individuals to help them develop the skills they can use to lead successful and independent lives.”

OMH-licensed service providers can apply for $75,000 in start-up funds to create 37 Flexible Assertive Community Treatment teams, which are based on the evidence-based model also known as ACT. These teams, however, incorporate greater flexibility so that individuals served by them can receive services based on their changing needs, ensuring that mental health services evolve as the client progresses and their treatment needs change.

Flexible ACT teams offer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and meet daily to review every individual in their caseload, providing a level of accountability that allows for immediate changes in service planning and leads to improved outcomes for clients. Most services provided by the teams are offered in the individuals’ home or community, which allows newly acquired living skills to be applied in their own real-world environment and situations.

Over the past seven years, New York State has significantly increased the licensed ACT teams in operation. There are now 124 licensed teams, including 68 in New York City alone, providing mobile, high intensity services to the most at-risk New Yorkers.

Those enrolled in ACT teams tend to have more engagement with mental health care providers; improved housing stability and employment status; and fewer visits to emergency rooms or psychiatric hospitalizations, according to data collected by ACT teams and submitted to OMH’s Child and Adult Integrated Reporting System. And at discharge, a lower percentage of ACT participants reported recent homelessness, psychiatric hospitalization and substance use compared to their status at admission.

Governor Kathy Hochul’s $1 billion plan to strengthen New York’s continuum of mental health care calls for establishing 42 additional ACT teams. These multidisciplinary, evidence-based teams provide comprehensive and flexible treatment, support, and rehabilitation services to individuals in their community.

Home Care Nurses Help Vulnerable Communities Make It Through Latest Heat Wave

As triple digit temperatures hit New York again, it is some of the most vulnerable in our community who are “feeling the heat” the most. While rising temperatures pose a danger to all New Yorkers, individuals with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are especially at risk.

High temperatures can be particularly dangerous for people dealing with dementia as they often lack the ability to perceive internal temperature changes, leading to heat stroke or dehydration. It can even impact functioning of internal systems that regulate body temperature. And with 80% of dementia patients living at home, they are also faced with challenges tied to heir unique home environment.

No one understands this dilemma more than home care nurses. Across the city, home care nurses are pounding the pavement rain or shine, and whether a patient lives in a fifth-floor walkup without A/C, to a palatial home near the water, they are especially in-tune to the impact heat can have on someone with a chronic condition, including dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Story and Interview Opportunities
On behalf of the nonprofit VNS Health (formerly Visiting Nurse Service of New York), we’d like to offer you the opportunity to connect with our experienced clinicians who can speak to the challenges heat waves pose for people with chronic diseases including dementia, as well as tips and advice on how to stay safe.

In addition, our clinicians speak 50+ languages, and we can provide high-quality video and images for stories. Reach out for more info!

CONSUMER ALERT: As High Temperatures Continue, the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection Reminds New Yorkers to Never Leave Children and Pets in Hot Cars

Take Precautions to Keep Children and Pets Safe and Prevent Heat Stroke

Follow the New York Department of State on Facebook, X and Instagram for “Tuesday’s Tips” – Practical Tips to Educate and Empower New York Consumers on a Variety of Topics

Secretary Mosley: “As temperatures continue to rise this week and throughout the summer, I urge all New Yorkers to remember these life-saving tips and remain attentive when getting in and out of your car because just a simple mistake or a few minutes’ time can put your loved one in serious danger.”

As high temperatures continue across New York State, the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is warning New Yorkers of the danger children and pets face when left in hot cars. Unfortunately, multiple deaths have been reported after children and pets have been left in a hot vehicle. Heatstroke or death due to hot cars occur most commonly when an adult unintentionally forgets a child or pet, who may be quiet or sleeping in a in a rear-facing seat. Along with these incidents, children can also gain unsupervised access to parked cars and get stuck inside, especially if child safety locks are on. There is a real and severe danger in extreme weather and when temperatures don’t “feel” hot. At 60 degrees outside, after just one hour a closed car can get as hot as 105 degrees.

“Hot weather can pose many risks to New Yorkers, and one of the most prevalent dangers comes from children or pets being left unsupervised in hot cars,” said Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley. “As temperatures continue to rise this week and throughout the summer, I urge all New Yorkers to remember these life-saving tips and remain attentive when getting in and out of your car because just a simple mistake or a few minutes’ time can put your loved one in serious danger.”

Tragically, 1,083 children have died nationwide due to Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke since 1990. Fifteen of these were in New York State. According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), every year many pets die from heat exhaustion because they are left in parked vehicles. In 2023 alone, 163 animals died due to heat–related deaths and another 855 were rescued from the heat. Anyone found responsible for leaving a child or pet alone in a hot car could face criminal charges.

Safety Tips for Children

Never leave a child in an unattended vehicle in the warm weather, not even with the windows slightly open or down, due to the risk of heatstroke (hyperthermia).
If you see a child in a hot car, call 911 right away and follow their instructions. Emergency personnel are trained to respond.
Teach children not to play in or around vehicles and to alert an adult when a friend is playing in a vehicle without supervision. Make sure children understand the dangers of trunk entrapment (suffocation, heatstroke, etc.).
Place something you need, like keys, a purse or bag, or your cell phone, next to your child’s car seat so you will remember to check the backseat before you lock the car. Alternatively, place a stuffed toy in your child’s car seat when not in use and move the toy to the front passenger seat when your child is in his/her car seat as a reminder that your child is in the vehicle.
Use drive-through services whenever possible while driving with a child in a vehicle.
It is vital to recognize the symptoms of heatstroke in children. Symptoms include absence of sweat, confusion, disorientation, flushed skin, loss of alertness, unconsciousness or rapid/shallow breathing.

Safety Tips for Pets

Never leave a pet unattended in the car. Like children, dogs and other animals have a harder time staying cool, leaving them extremely vulnerable to heatstroke.
A car can overheat even when the window has been left cracked an inch or two. Parking in the shade or leaving water in the vehicle won’t prevent your pet from overheating, either.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), young, overweight or senior animals or those with short muzzles or thick or dark coats are most at risk for overheating.
If you see a pet in a hot car, call 911 immediately.
Recognize the symptoms of heatstroke in pets and take action if you see them. Symptoms include restlessness, heavy panting, vomiting, lethargy and lack of appetite or coordination.

About the New York State Division of Consumer Protection

Follow the New York Department of State on Facebook, X and Instagram and check in every Tuesday for more practical tips that educate and empower New York consumers on a variety of topics. Sign up to receive consumer alerts directly to your email or phone here.

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection provides voluntary mediation between a consumer and a business when a consumer has been unsuccessful at reaching a resolution on their own. The Consumer Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, excluding State Holidays, and consumer complaints can be filed at any time at www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection. The Division can also be reached via X at @NYSConsumer or Facebook.

CONSUMER ALERT: NYS DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION OFFERS TIPS TO AVOID COSTLY MISTAKES WITH GYM MEMBERSHIPS

Tips To Help Gym Membership Choices Work Out for Consumers

Secretary Rodriguez: “Our Division of Consumer Protection is alerting the public so they are aware that gym fees can become a burden to those consumers who are looking for their services but may not be aware of many hidden non-refundable registrations charges that can lead to expending hundreds of dollars in fees for initiation, maintenance, and/or cancellation.”

Follow the New York Department of State on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for “Tuesday’s Tips” – Practical Tips to Educate and Empower New York Consumers on a Variety of Topics

As we begin a New Year, many of us will be setting new goals and resolutions. One of the most popular resolutions is to get fit and healthy, and to achieve this, many people will be joining a gym or renewing their gym membership. The New York State Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) shares practical tips to help guide New Yorkers on what they need to know before signing up or a renewing a health club or gym membership.

“For many New Yorkers, the new year may include a resolution to be healthier and in better physical shape,” said Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “Our Division of Consumer Protection is alerting the public so they are aware that gym fees can become a burden to those consumers who are looking for their services but may not be aware of many hidden non-refundable registration charges that can lead to expending hundreds of dollars in fees for initiation, maintenance, and/or cancellation.”

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR A GYM MEMBERSHIP:

Carefully review the contract before signing it:

Read the fine print and be aware of any hidden fees that may come with it. While the advertised monthly fee may seem reasonable, gyms often include additional fees for things like initiation, cancellation, and maintenance. These fees can quickly add up and leave you with a much higher bill than you expected.

Be aware of add-ons:

When signing up for a gym membership, it’s important to understand the fees and policies that come with it. Here are some key things to keep in mind:

Initiation or registration fees are typically non-refundable, so be sure the location and schedule are convenient to you.
Look out for annual maintenance charges. Make sure to read the contract carefully and understand the terms regarding this annual surcharge.
Locker rentals are often not free, so ask ahead to plan where you’re going to keep your belongings. Some gyms require you to purchase your own padlock or locker assignment.
Termination fees are important to consider in case you need to cancel your membership. Make sure you understand the gym’s policies regarding termination to avoid any unexpected charges.
Premium classes and personal training sessions may come with additional charges. While the first training session may be offered for free, subsequent sessions will likely come at a cost. Be sure to ask about the hourly rate, understand the costs involved and inquire if/when prepaid training sessions expire.
Be sure to check the equipment requirements before attending a class to avoid any unexpected charges. Classroom extras such as yoga mats, steps, and stretch bands may require a rental fee if you don’t have your own equipment.

To learn more, check out these tips from the New York State Attorney General.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS WHEN CANCELLING OR RENEWING A GYM MEMBERSHIP:

New York State law requires businesses with automatic renewal programs to disclose the terms of auto-renewal offers clearly and conspicuously, cancellation policies, and minimum purchase obligations. These terms must be stated when consumers are enrolling or signing up, close to the time of purchase.

A business that allows auto-renewal must also provide simple user-friendly cancellation options for consumers to make it easier to unsubscribe or cancel memberships. They must provide a toll-free telephone number, email address or other cost-effective, timely, and easy-to-use option for consumers to cancel after agreeing to a contract. Consumers who purchase these services online must be allowed to terminate the agreement online.

Additionally, businesses must provide consumers with an acknowledgement that outlines the terms of any auto-renewal offer and, if the original offer includes a “free” trial offer or gift, information on how the consumer can cancel the service before they pay for goods or services.

CONSIDER OTHER MONEY SAVINGS IDEAS TO REACH YOUR WELLNESS GOALS:

Engage in outdoor activities such as walking, jogging, skating, skiing, or biking.
Take advantage of community recreation center classes, which may be low cost or free.
Contact your nearby state park to learn more about their fitness programs and workshops. The Empire State Trail is a new initiative from the state of New York to promote outdoor recreation and healthy lifestyle choices. With a focus on community vitality and tourism-related economic development, this trail is a hit with locals and visitors alike.
Some health insurance plans will cover gym memberships costs, access to fitness activities at no extra cost, or provide reimbursement.

If it is believed a company is not following the law when offering recurring services or free gifts, consumers should file a complaint with the Division of Consumer Protection at www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection.

Follow the New York Department of State on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and check in every Tuesday for more practical tips that educate and empower New York consumers on a variety of topics. Sign up to receive consumer alerts directly to your email or phone here.

FORWARDING: NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE URGE NEW YORKERS TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND PREPARE FOR POOR AIR QUALITY

July 17, 2023 — The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, together with NYC Emergency Management, today issued an advisory alerting New Yorkers to prepare for potential deteriorations in air quality. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s projected forecast places the Air Quality Index (AQI) at a level potentially unhealthy for at risk groups, with conditions anticipated to persist for the initial part of the upcoming week. Monday’s AQI of 120 indicates the necessity for targeted populations—specifically children, older adults, and individuals of all ages with respiratory or cardiac conditions—to exercise additional caution. With an AQI within the range of 101-150, these sensitive groups may experience adverse effects due to reduced air quality. When the AQI goes over 150, all New Yorkers should begin to take precautions.

While forecasting smoke conditions over the next few days presents a formidable challenge, indications suggest that smoke originating from regions north of the city is likely to impact air quality across the metropolitan area significantly. In light of this, NYC Emergency Management, the agency coordinating the city’s response to such environmental risks, is advocating for New Yorkers to increase their vigilance.

“We have a robust infrastructure in place and stand fully prepared to respond to air quality conditions,” said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol. “While our teams work tirelessly behind the scenes, we urge all New Yorkers, especially those in high-risk categories, to adopt precautionary measures to safeguard their health. Alongside these actions, let us remember the power of community resilience. Times like these underscore the vital importance of looking out for one another, particularly for those of us who are more vulnerable to health risks.”

“While we may see fluctuation in the air quality in the coming days, we also have tools and guidance to help us navigate conditions,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “Pay attention to airnow.gov, listen to your body and take action if you’re feeling the effects of poor air quality.”

NYC Emergency Management is proactively promoting a broad range of preventative measures. These efforts include distributing masks available at local public libraries, FDNY firehouses, and NYPD precincts, and urging New Yorkers to subscribe to the Notify NYC alert system. While Notify NYC remains a crucial conduit for relaying emergency communications about air quality conditions, it is complemented by coordinated efforts with community and faith-based leaders, and the Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). Another specialized tool in the agency’s communication strategy is the Advance Warning System, a communication tool for organizations that serve people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs. In addition to these measures, public-private partnerships are being leveraged to enhance communication effectiveness. The Strengthening Communities plan is also being deployed, leveraging an extensive network of 35 community groups that have strategized communication plans for emergencies. Each of these diverse initiatives is a critical component of the agency’s comprehensive strategy, purposefully designed to provide residents with the necessary tools and information to safely navigate this week’s anticipated conditions.

The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and NYC Emergency Management, in concert with a broad spectrum of critical City agencies are committed to a strong interagency collaboration to ensure that all New Yorkers stay safe, informed, and prepared amidst any potential environmental shifts affecting the city’s overall health.

Safety Tips

Full guidance from the NYC Department of Health is available at https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/eode/aqi-guidelines-general.pdf
The best way to limit exposure to poor air quality is to reduce time outside and limit strenuous activities. The threshold to take these actions, depends on your individual level of risk.
Call 911 if you or someone you’re caring for has trouble breathing.
Monitoring air quality conditions and being prepared. Visit the EPA’s air quality website airnow.gov or download the AirNow mobile app.
Now is a good time to pick up a mask, in case air quality deteriorates. The city is already making masks available at FDNY firehouses and NYPD precincts and is looking to expand supplies to more vulnerable communities.
When air quality is poor, wearing a high-quality mask (e.g., N95) can reduce exposure to harmful pollutants. We will continue to communicate with New Yorkers about air quality through the summer. The situation will change regularly but we can be prepared for the months ahead.
The City will provide alerts if conditions deteriorate further (e.g., AQI above 200), but warnings sent by your body are equally important. New Yorkers should listen to their body. Reactions to poor air quality can include watery eyes, scratchy throat, headaches, or shortness of breath.
If you feel any of these conditions, go indoors and limit time outside.

New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for Notify NYC, the City’s free emergency notification system, to stay informed about the latest weather updates and other emergencies. To learn more about the Notify NYC program or to sign up, visit NYC.gov/NotifyNYC, call 311, or download the free app for your Android or Apple device. You can also follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter. .

NYS Office of Mental Health and Mental Health Association of New York State Partner to Launch Free Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

Trainings designed to teach adults how to help young people in crisis — Additional funding will provide training for teens to support their friends and learn how to cope with crises

The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS) have partnered to provide free Youth Mental Health First Aid training to adults who regularly interact with young people, including parents, caregivers, healthcare providers, teachers and others. The trainings help adults recognize and assist young people ages 12 to 18 who are experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis.

OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan said, “The trainings offered by MHANYS will help adults who work with or interact with young people to recognize warning signs of potential behavioral health issues, which will help children and youth get the support and services they need earlier, leading to better health outcomes. MHANYS has been a great partner to OMH in our shared mission to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the services they may need.”

Glenn Liebman, CEO of MHANYS, said, “Through the leadership of Governor Hochul and Commissioner Sullivan, New York has created a pathway to the expansion of resources for young people and those that work with them. Combining Youth and Teen Mental Health First Aid will provide mental health information and resources to thousands of New Yorkers. The numbers of young people with mental health issues is staggering across the nation and New York is utilizing their resources to help respond to this crisis in an innovative and practical way.”

Last year, MHANYS’s School Mental Health Resource Center began its Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) Across NYS project. The project provides YMHFA training to adults that regularly interact with youth. OMH awarded MHANYS with a $1 million grant to develop and facilitate the trainings. Funding for the award was provided to OMH through expansion of the federal Community Mental Health Services Block Grant, which is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

This year, OMH provided an additional $1 million in State funds to expand the trainings to include Teen Mental Health First Aid, which is designed to teach teens ages 15-18 how to support a friend or classmate. Young people will be prepared to provide support for their peers as well as better cope with mental health challenges they themselves face. MHANYS expects to provide Teen Mental Health First Aid by this Fall.

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches participants how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents. Training focuses on how to best help young people who may be experiencing a mental health issue or a substance abuse problem.

MHANYS anticipates facilitating 40 in-person training sessions and 120 virtual sessions which will provide training to up to 3,600 participants. MHANYS will also provide instruction to individuals who wish to deliver Youth Mental Health First Aid training themselves. This “train the trainer” model will help further expand access to training in communities across New York State. MHANYS will host two “Train the Trainer” sessions, which will prepare up to 32 people to become Youth Mental Health First Aid trainers.

Studies show that those who trained in Mental Health First Aid have greater confidence in providing help to others, greater likelihood of advising people to seek professional help, improved concordance with health professionals about treatments, and decreased stigmatizing attitudes.

People interested in receiving Youth Mental Health First Aid training can learn more and register by visiting the MHANYS website at:

https://www.mentalhealthednys.org/ymhfa-tmhfa/

https://www.mentalhealthednys.org/upcoming-youth-mental-health-first-aid/

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) Organizes Blood Drive to Save Lives

Bronx, NY, July 10, 2023 – The Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) is proud to announce its upcoming blood drive aimed at making a positive impact on the community. The event will take place on Sunday, July 30, 2023 from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center on 3880 Sedgwick Avenue, Bronx, NY 10463. This initiative is part of VCJC’s ongoing commitment to saving lives and supporting the New York Blood Center.

With blood shortages becoming a growing concern, especially during the summer, the VCJC is taking proactive steps to address this critical issue. By hosting this blood drive, the VCJC aims to ensure that hospitals and medical centers have an adequate supply of blood to meet the needs of patients in our community.

“We believe that giving blood is a mitzvah, a good deed that has the power to save lives,” said Mr. Stuart Harris, president of VCJC. “Through this blood drive, we hope to bring the community together and make a tangible difference in the lives of those in need.”

The blood drive will be conducted in accordance with the highest standards of safety and hygiene, adhering to all necessary protocols to ensure the well-being of donors and staff. Trained healthcare professionals will be on-site to guide donors through the process and ensure a smooth and comfortable experience.

Individuals interested in participating are encouraged to schedule an appointment in advance to help manage the flow of donors and minimize wait times. Appointments can be made by visiting the NY Blood Bank website at https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/307306 or calling NYBC at 800-933-2566 and requesting VCJC on 7/30.

The Van Cortlandt Jewish Center extends its gratitude to all those who choose to participate in this life-saving event. By donating blood, community members will be making a direct impact on the lives of those in need, potentially providing hope and healing to patients in our local hospitals.

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES EXPANDS PILOT PROGRAM TO HELP PARENTS BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR RIGHTS WHEN THERE IS A CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATION

After a Successful Pilot, ACS is Taking Steps to Move Citywide to Provide Parents With Written Notification of Rights Before Entering their Home

The NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) is expanding its work to help parents better understand their rights at the outset of a child protective investigation. The announcement comes following the completion of an initial pilot program in parts of Brooklyn and the Bronx, in which child protective specialists distributed over four hundred notifications to parents who were the subject of an allegation of child abuse or neglect. The notifications explain that, while ACS has a legal requirement to assess the safety of the child, parents are not required to let ACS into their homes and can seek the assistance of an attorney. If ACS is not allowed to check a child’s safety as required, the notification explains that ACS may seek permission from Family Court to complete the assessment. Commissioner Jess Dannhauser today announced that ACS will begin distributing written notifications to families in two more zones, with full implementation planned by July of 2024.

Providing this information builds upon ACS’s ongoing work to address systemic flaws that have existed in child welfare historically and promotes equity and fairness, including a citywide strategy to reduce the number of unnecessary child welfare investigations. ACS has been working closely with city agencies that serve children and families and external stakeholders to ensure families are being connected to the services and supports they need without the need for a child abuse or maltreatment report or an investigation.

“ACS is committed to keeping children safe, and, at the same time, respecting families because New York City children and families deserve both,” said Jess Dannhauser, Commissioner of the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS). “To this end, we are expanding the pilot to provide families with information about their rights during a child protective investigation citywide by July of this year. In doing so, we are taking an important step towards the mayor’s vision of safety, equity and justice.”

“In order to support children, we need to also act to support parents. With the expansion of this pilot, child protective specialists will help inform more parents of their rights during a child protective case. This pilot also shows how ACS is working to make the system more equitable and fair for families,” said Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom

The new written materials – which are available in ten languages in addition to English – being provided to families include the following information: “The Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) has received a report from the New York Statewide Central Register (SCR) with concerns about your child(ren). ACS has a legal obligation to assess the safety of your child(ren) to complete an assessment of the concerns. We are requesting your permission to enter your home to have a conversation with you about the alleged concerns and to explain the process. We want you to know that you have a right to not let ACS into your home. If you choose not to let ACS into your home, ACS is required by law to determine how best to assess the safety of your child(ren). This may include seeking permission from Family Court to complete the assessment. We also want you to know that you may call an attorney at any point during this investigation. We have an informational packet that includes contact information for your local family defense organization, along with other resources within your community.”

Through a wide range of initiatives, ACS has been working to address the disparities that exist at each of the stages throughout the child welfare system, as well as the number of families impacted by a child welfare intervention. As a result of this work, substantial progress has been made: the number of Black non-Hispanic families experiencing an indicated investigation declined 38 percent from 2018 to 2022; the number of Black non-Hispanic families in family court filings related to abuse and neglect dropped by nearly half; the number of Black non-Hispanic families experiencing an emergency removal declined by one-third; and the number of Black non-Hispanic families with a child placed into foster care as a result of a child abuse or neglect investigation was down 20 percent. Today, the number of children in New York City’s foster care system is less than 6,500. Comparatively, 25 years ago, there were more than 40,000 children in New York City’s foster care system.

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES LAUNCHES NEW PROVIDER AGENCY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR CONTRACTED PROVIDER STAFF PURSUING A MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK (MSW) DEGREE

Today, Commissioner Jess Dannhauser, of the NYC Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), announced the launch of the Provider Agency Scholarship Program, which will help support contracted provider agency staff as they advance their careers. The program builds off an existing program for ACS staff and will offer tuition support and continuous professional development opportunities to provider agency employees pursuing a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree who are committed to working in NYC’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

“The Provider Scholarship Program is an expansion of our existing programming available to ACS staff to support professional development. As a social worker myself, I know how much a MSW can further advance the work we do with families, ensuring they have every opportunity to thrive and succeed. This new program is a wonderful way to recognize provider staff who have demonstrated incredible commitment to working in NYC’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems and provide them with real support in advancing their training and career,” said Commissioner Jess Dannhauser.

“In New York City, we are making sure all those in child welfare are supported with the right training and professional development to help make them experts in their fields,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “ACS’s Provider Scholarship Program is yet another way for individuals who work tirelessly on behalf of children and families to provide the highest level of expertise to those they serve.”

In the first year of the program, 50 MSW scholarships will be awarded to contracted provider agency staff. Eligibility requirements include two years of satisfactory job performance; a current performance evaluation of Very Good; no pending disciplinary action; and letters of recommendation from agency senior leadership. Applicants must have been accepted and/or enrolled in an accredited degree-bearing MSW program affiliated with PDP in the greater New York City area. Scholarship recipients are required to commit to working in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice systems in New York City for up to two years following graduation. The program provides post-graduation networking and continuing education (CEU) opportunities to ensure recipients are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary for long-term success in their careers.

ACS will hold information sessions for provider agency leadership and prospective applicants during July and Augus

AIR QUALITY HEALTH ADVISORY ISSUED FOR LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY METRO, LOWER HUDSON VALLEY, UPPER HUDSON VALLEY, EASTERN LAKE ONTARIO, CENTRAL NEW YORK AND WESTERN NEW YORK In Effect for Thursday, June 8, 2023

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos and State Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Dr. James McDonald issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for the Long Island, New York City Metro, Lower Hudson Valley, Upper Hudson Valley, Eastern Lake Ontario, Central New York and Western New York regions for Thursday, June 8, 2023.

The air quality is forecasted to reach ‘Unhealthy’ AQI levels on Thursday in the New York City Metro, Long Island, Eastern Lake Ontario, Central and Western regions.

The pollutant of concern is: Fine Particulate Matter

The advisory will be in effect from 12 a.m. through 11:59 p.m.

DEC and DOH issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale, with a higher AQI value indicating a greater health concern.

FINE PARTICULATE MATTER

Fine particulate matter consists of tiny solid particles or liquid droplets in the air that are 2.5 microns or less in diameter. PM 2.5 can be made of many different types of particles and often come from processes that involve combustion (e.g. vehicle exhaust, power plants, and fires) and from chemical reactions in the atmosphere.

Exposure can cause short-term health effects such as irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease. People with heart or breathing problems, and children and the elderly may be particularly sensitive to PM 2.5.

When outdoor levels are elevated, going indoors may reduce exposure. If there are significant indoor sources of PM 2.5 (tobacco, candle or incense smoke, or fumes from cooking) levels inside may not be lower than outside. Some ways to reduce exposure are to minimize outdoor and indoor sources and avoid strenuous activities in areas where fine particle concentrations are high.

New Yorkers also are urged to take the following energy saving and pollution-reducing steps:

use mass transit instead of driving, as automobile emissions account for about 60 percent of pollution in our cities.
conserve fuel and reduce exhaust emissions by combining necessary motor vehicle trips;
turn off all lights and electrical appliances in unoccupied areas;
use fans to circulate air. If air conditioning is necessary, set thermostats at 78 degrees;
close the blinds and shades to limit heat build-up and to preserve cooled air;
limit use of household appliances. If necessary, run the appliances at off-peak (after 7 p.m.) hours. These would include dishwashers, dryers, pool pumps and water heaters;
set refrigerators and freezers at more efficient temperatures;
purchase and install energy efficient lighting and appliances with the Energy Star label; and
reduce or eliminate outdoor burning and attempt to minimize indoor sources of PM 2.5 such as smoking.

Additional information on ozone and PM 2.5 is available on DEC’s website and on DOH’s website. To stay up-to-date with announcements from DEC, sign up for DEC Delivers: DEC’s Premier Email Service.

The Thursday, June 8, Air Quality Health Advisory regions consist of the following: Long Island which includes Nassau and Suffolk counties; New York City Metro which includes New York City, Rockland, and Westchester counties; Lower Hudson Valley which includes Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Ulster, and Sullivan counties; Upper Hudson Valley which includes Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, and Washington counties; Eastern Lake Ontario which includes northern Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Oswego, and Wayne counties; Central New York which includes Allegany, Broome, southern Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, southern Herkimer, Livingston, Madison, Onondaga, Oneida, Ontario, Otsego, Tioga, Tompkins, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, and Yates counties; and Western New York which includes Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.

Important story for American Heart Month: Four Bronx-Based Rehabilitation Facilities Now Provide Remote Cardiac Rehab For Patients Returning Home

Making a huge change for thousands of regional cardiac patients, four of New York City’s leading sub-acute rehabilitation centers are expanding patient services with telehealth to optimize recovery. A nationwide pioneer in remote cardiac rehab is partnering with Bainbridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, East Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Mosholu Parkway Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and The Wayne Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing to provide cardiac care to patients when they return home.

February marks American Heart Month, still so critical since heart disease is still the number one cause of death. Reflective of the overworked, understaffed healthcare staffers overall – remote cardiac rehab takes some of the pressure off those who have to treat patients in–house. It also expands Medco centers’ staff capabilities with access to a national program.

Please see more information below and let us know if you are interested in speaking with a representative from RecoveryPlus.health or these facilities for further comment.

RecoveryPlus.health Partners with Bronx-Based Sub-Acute Rehabilitation Facilities to Offer New Remote Cardiac Rehab For Patients Returning Home

Clinically Proven Virtual Rehab Platform Reduces Relapses and Rehospitalizations While Improving Long-Term Prognosis

NEW YORK – RecoveryPlus.health, a national pioneer in cardiac patient healthcare, has partnered with four of New York City’s leading sub-acute rehabilitation centers to expand patient services and optimize recovery for thousands of regional cardiac patients.

With this new exclusive collaboration, these facilities — Bainbridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, East Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Mosholu Parkway Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and The Wayne Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing — offer onsite inpatient sub-acute cardiac rehab certified by RecoveryPlus.health. In addition, the facilities are introducing a virtual telerehabilitation regimen for patients once they are discharged to the community. The goal of the partnership is to ensure that patients continue to maintain, and improve, their heart health once they return to the community, avoiding rehospitalizations that are common in the cardiac patient population.

The four Bronx-based locations –operating under MEDCO — each provide advanced Physical, Occupational and Speech Rehabilitation treatment in addition to specialized nursing care, empowering patients diagnosed with heart disease or other cardiovascular and pulmonary issues to reach optimal independence.

With this new Sub-Acute Cardiac Rehab program, patients are under the care of an onsite Cardiac Nurse Practitioner who works with the interdisciplinary team to assesses and develop an individualized cardiac rehab plan of care. Upon discharge from the facility, patients will have access in the community to continue their cardiac rehab therapy through this medically certified remote platform to help them continue a heart-healthy lifestyle at home. The physician-prescribed program is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurance plans. Experienced clinicians personalize the system to meet the specific needs of each patient.

“Everyone can relate to the difficulty of maintaining exercise and good habits on one’s own,” says RecoveryPlus.health CEO and Co-Founder Peter Niemi. “While outpatient facilities are available, people often face mobility or travel challenges; they may have scheduling, financial or even emotional reasons for not leaving home. Remote cardiac rehab, accessible on demand, under the guidance of experienced healthcare professionals, is a cost effective step toward improving patient care, reducing costs and reinforcing overall long-term health .”

“Nothing is better than in-person rehab and exercise therapy with a skilled healthcare professional who expertly customizes care and motivates patients to do their best to get better,” says Todd Ostrow, COO, MEDCO. “When our patients return home, however, not all are able to continue the recommended activities on their own. Many have strong support systems at home, but others can benefit from ongoing guidance for as long as needed. This new program integrates physical movement, medication adherence, monitoring of vital signs and more.”

With a greater acceptance of telemedicine practices and simplified technology for smartphones and computers, the Centers provide this medically and clinically certified, HIPAA-approved remote rehab program with a physician referral. The post-nursing center platform incorporates one-on-one personal sessions for as long as the patient wants to continue, with seamless insurance billing and automated reporting back to the prescribing physicians.

About MEDCO

The four facilities operate under the MEDCO management network, which represents a dedicated commitment to upholding the highest standards in quality and compassionate healthcare services.

About RecoveryPlus.health

RecoveryPlus.health is the first nationally available, personalized remote cardiac rehab platform for patients recovering from a heart condition or surgery, as well as long Covid, type 2 diabetes, asthma or other conditions. The clinically proven program is especially designed to make recovery and rehabilitation accessible to those unable to participate at a traditional facility. The completely virtual plan includes exercise and movement activity, vital signs monitoring, progress evaluation, and reports back to the referring physician. Most important, RecoveryPlus.health maintains the personal one-on-one guidance by experienced exercise therapists and rehab specialists, adapting a variety of routines to each individual patient. RecoveryPlus.health is telerehabilitation to help you get back to living.

Recent Report Show Increase in Deaths of People Experiencing Homelessness, Nearly Half Due to Overdose

The recently released homeless deaths report provides sobering insight into the adverse health impacts of homelessness. At least 815 New Yorkers died during the 2022 fiscal year, the most ever recorded since the City started reporting on the causes of death for people experiencing homelessness in 2006. From FY21 (n=640) to FY22 (n=684) the number of deaths increased by 7%. Drug-related deaths remain the leading cause of death among persons experiencing homelessness, consistent with citywide and national trends, increasing from 249 (39%) in FY21 to 329 (48%) in FY22. The second leading cause of death was heart disease.

Another brief by the NYC Department of Health also shows that the rate of overdose deaths has increased statewide. They also found that Black New Yorkers, residents of the Bronx, and New Yorkers ages 55-64 had the highest rates of overdose deaths. Eighty percent of those deaths involved Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic, in the drug supply.

The increasing number of deaths is preventable, but homelessness makes them an inevitability. Nineteen people died due to “excessive cold”. Five infants died while in shelter. Affordable housing, proper medical and behavioral health care, and continued supportive services could have saved many of these lives. When we mourn our lost neighbors every December during our Homeless Person’s Memorial Day, we are reminded that the solutions to homelessness are known and the effect of not enacting them sooner is the continued loss of our neighbors and loved ones.

Help Reverse the 340B Carve-Out!

Care for the Homeless (CFH) has been advocating for a repeal of the proposed 340B carve-out, which is set to go into effect on April 1. The 340B drug discount program allows safety net providers across New York, like CFH, to purchase pharmaceutical drugs at a discounted rate and then use the savings to reinvest them to meet the needs of the communities they serve. CFH uses these savings to cover pharmaceutical care for our uninsured consumers offering critical medications to those with few other paths to obtain them. Other safety net providers use the 340B savings for a variety of services such as care coordination, housing, food and nutrition programs, school-based health centers and many others. The funds in jeopardy total $260 million dollars annually that vitally support access to comprehensive health care.

It is imperative that Governor Hochul reverse the carve-out and avoid impacting safety net providers and the communities they serve. You can get more information here and here. You can also reach out to your NY state representatives and ask them to support the 340B Compromise Bill (S.5136).

What has happened in just three month that the indicators have risen to today’s levels, and what do Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams plan to do to lower these percentages?

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT PRECAUTIONS AFTER BIRDS TEST POSITIVE FOR BIRD FLU

No Person in New York State Has Tested Positive for Bird Flu

Current Risk of H5N1 to New Yorkers Remains Low

City Health Department Providing Support for Exposed Live Bird Market Staff

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Acting Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse today announced additional steps New York City is taking — out of an abundance of caution — after birds in the city tested positive for H5N1, a type of avian influenza, also known as bird flu. Multiple birds have tested positive for H5N1 in New York City at parks and zoos in addition to the positive cases at live bird markets last week. The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation is testing dead birds found in public parks for the virus.

The risk to New Yorkers remains low. There have been no human cases of H5N1 in New York City or elsewhere in the state, and no human-to-human transmission has been detected from H5N1 anywhere in the United States. A small number of agricultural workers with close contact with infected animals in other parts of the country have tested positive H5N1. New Yorkers who spot a sick or dead bird should maintain a safe distance and report the sighting. For poultry, call the New York state Department of Agriculture and Markets at (518) 457-3502. For wild birds, report online to the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation.

“While birds in New York City have tested positive for the H5N1 virus, I want to assure New Yorkers that the risk to humans at this time remains low,” said Mayor Adams. “There are currently no reported cases of bird flu in humans in our city or state, and our health officials are working closely with the state to ensure this continues to be the case. We are taking all the proper precautions to contain this virus and limit its spread.”

“The current risk to New Yorkers of bird flu remains low,” said DOHMH Acting Commissioner Dr. Morse. “We have not seen avian influenza develop the ability to transmit between people. The Department of Health will continue to work closely with the state Department of Agriculture and state Department of Health to ensure that live bird market staff exposed to sick birds receive essential information and receive treatment. We are prepared to respond to disease outbreaks, including quickly ramping up testing and treatment, and working closely with providers and community partners to rapidly disseminate accurate information.”

On Friday, February 7, 2025, live bird markets were shut down by New York state Department of Agriculture and Markets’ Notice and Order for live bird markets. The order requires those markets where bird flu was not detected to sell all inventory, complete cleaning and disinfection procedures, and remain closed for three to five days after H5N1 was detected in birds at seven markets in Bronx, Kings, and Queens counties, as well as at markets in Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties. The shutdowns are temporary.

A collaborative effort across local and state agencies is underway to ensure New Yorkers remain safe. DOHMH is working closely with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York state Department of Agriculture and Markets, and the New York state Department of Health to monitor the situation. DOHMH is communicating with workers at affected markets in New York City where H5N1 has been detected to provide guidance to staff on monitoring for symptoms. DOHMH is offering testing and Tamiflu, an antiviral drug, to any staff of a live bird market, even if they are asymptomatic, at no cost and regardless of immigration status.

How New Yorkers Should Protect Themselves Against Bird Flu:

Wear recommended personal protection equipment (PPE), such as gloves, facemasks, eye protection, and coveralls, when handling poultry. Carefully take off PPE and throw it away after each use.
Wash hands often with soap and warm water, especially after touching birds or surfaces that could be infected. Avoid contact with surfaces with bird feces.
Avoid eating, drinking, or smoking in areas where birds are being handled.
Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth after touching birds or surfaces that came into contact with birds.
If handling dead birds is necessary, wear PPE, place the birds in a triple-bagged garbage bag, dispose of PPE properly, and immediately wash hands well with soap and water. Additionally, change any clothes while handling dead birds and wash them after disposal of the bird.
Follow food safety guidelines. Handle poultry and eggs safely and cook them to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Do not consume raw milk or raw milk products.
Get the annual flu vaccine.
If an individual is experiencing symptoms and has had close contact with an infected bird or someone who tested positive for bird flu, they should consult with their doctor to see if they should be tested.
Do not feed cats raw food diets or raw milk, and prevent them from roaming outdoors where they may hunt wild birds or other animals.

DOHMH is prepared to respond to disease outbreaks, including vaccination, testing, and treatment, as appropriate, and is working closely with providers and community partners to rapidly disseminate accurate information. DOHMH is communicating with affected live bird markets and providing guidance to staff on self-monitoring for symptoms. Live bird market workers should carefully monitor their health for 10 days after their last exposure to birds for symptoms, including headaches, cough, fever, shortness of breath, and more.

SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND DELIVER MASSIVE $110 MILLION IN FED FUND RELIEF TO MONTEFIORE HEALTH FOR INCURRED COVID-19 EXPENSES; NY HOSPITALS PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS TO KEEP THE BRONX & WESTCHESTER COUNTY SAFE AMID PANDEMIC; REIMBURSEMENT HELPS CONTINUE STRONG HEALTHCARE AT MONTEFIORE; SCHUMER SUCCESSFULLY PUSHED FEMA TO REIMBURSE NY HOPSITALS FOR 100% OF THEIR COVID COSTS

NY Hospitals Undertook An Incredible Pandemic Response For Over 2 Years, And Because Of Schumer’s Push, Millions Upon Millions Of Dollars In Expenses Are Being Reimbursed By FEMA; Montefiore’s $110M Reimbursement Is Latest Example, In Addition To More Than $169M Already Delivered To Montefiore For COVID Costs & $625M Received Via Provider Relief Fund

Senators Say Every Dollar Counts In A Hospital System & Applaud FEMA For Working Closely With Hospitals To Deliver Reimbursements

Schumer, Gillibrand: Montefiore & FEMA Have Done Extraordinary Work Across NYC & Westchester County To Keep Healthcare Strong

U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $110,518,745.96 in emergency federal funds they pushed to deliver for Montefiore Health System Inc. These federal funds were administered through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) via a reimbursement structure Schumer helped shape.

“New York’s hospitals, especially Montefiore, undertook an incredible pandemic response and the hospital system both deserves and needs to be repaid for the funds they expended on COVID-19 related supplies, equipment and staffing,” said Senator Schumer. “These federal funds will reimburse Montefiore for the cost of ventilators, testing kits, personal protective equipment, disinfection supplies, and medical staffing that helped limit the spread of the virus and kept patients and staff as safe as possible during such a stressful and unpredictable time. I applaud FEMA for its responsiveness to the needs of New York’s hospitals and the unique challenges they faced during the pandemic.”

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Montefiore Health System’s facilities provided life-saving care for countless New Yorkers,” said Senator Gillibrand. “This $110 million in federal funding will reimburse Montefiore Health System for the emergency response and protective measures that helped protect the health and safety of thousands during the pandemic. I am proud to deliver this federal funding and will continue to fight for federal resources to keep New Yorkers safe.”

Schumer explained that Montefiore Health System, comprised of ten hospitals and more than 200 outpatient ambulatory care sites, has previously received more than $169 million in federal funding to reimburse COVID-19 costs. This latest award of $110 million brings the total reimbursement to more than $279 million. Montefiore also received $625 million from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF), which made payments to eligible providers who diagnosed, tested, or cared for individuals with possible or actual cases of COVID-19 and had health care-related expenses and lost revenues attributable to COVID-19. These federal funds will be used to cover the full cost of resources needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including ventilators, medical equipment, cleaning and disinfection supplies, diagnostic testing kits, personal protective equipment (coveralls, face shields, medical gowns, medical gloves, N95 respirators, surgical masks, shoe covers and medical caps), and medical staffing. All supplies purchased and contracted services were directly related to and used to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schumer secured historic funding levels for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the American Rescue Plan and prior COVID response and relief bills. He also ensured that hospitals can receive up to 100% reimbursement for costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, many hospitals and health centers have exceeded their normal and assisted operating budgets as they undertook emergency protective measures. FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program reimburses hospitals and medical facilities for these activities as they worked day and night to protect our communities against COVID-19. This significant federal investment will be used to cover previous COVID-19 response and operational costs.

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORT ON IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

First-in-Nation Report Explores Relationship Between Social Media Use and Mental Health Among Families

Children, Teens, and Parents Who Use a Form of Social Media Report Higher Rates of Anxiety

Amidst Rising Concern of the Effects of Social Media on Young People’s Mental Health, U.S. Surgeon General Recently Proposed Putting Warning Labels on Platforms

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan today announced the release of “Special Report on Social Media and Mental Health,” a data report exploring the many factors around social media use and its impact on users’ mental health. The report — a first in-the-nation from a public health agency — includes the results of two new surveys aimed at exploring the social media habits and mental health status of caregivers and their children. The survey was completed by 22,484 parents, guardians, or other caregivers of a child or teen between the ages of 5 and 17 residing in New York City. The report follows numerous measures Mayor Adams and his administration have taken in the last year to tackle the youth mental health crisis, including taking multiple actions to hold social media companies accountable for their role in helping to fuel this crisis.

Today’s report also comes amidst a groundswell of concern about the effects of unregulated social media on young people’s mental health, including a proposal by the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy to put warning labels on social media platforms.

“The results of this survey provide yet another confirmation of what we have long known: Social media platforms help to create a toxic environment that has detrimental effects on our young people,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration is committed to supporting our youth and bettering their mental health by launching programs like TeenSpace and by increasing access to mental health clinics in our public schools, as well as by taking on social media companies that are using their platforms to harm our children. As this week’s actions by the U.S. surgeon general demonstrate, we must all act to quickly combat this detrimental issue, or our children will be the ones who continue to suffer.”

“Social media is a useful tool to learn new things, connect with people, and so much more,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “However, it is important we continue to understand its implications for our young people and this report helps us do just that. Approximately 93 percent of New York City teens use some form of social media and those who use these platforms report higher rates of anxiety than their counterparts not using the platforms. Thus, this report, the first-of-its-kind by a city health department, helps us chart a path forward as we continue supporting young people and families with the report’s recommendations and advocating for greater state and federal action in building stronger guardrails for young people online.”

“A stronger and locally-based understanding of the connections between social media and mental health is critical to our continued efforts to protect the wellbeing of New York’s children and teens,” said DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Vasan. “Everyone — from educators to parents to policymakers — are wrestling with the everyday impacts that social media is having on all of us, and how to implement effective and protective approaches to mitigate harm, particularly on our young people. These findings will inform and advance our policies and programs designed to address the mental health challenges our young people face, and the role that social media is playing.”

Findings of today’s report include:

A majority of children, teens, and adults report using social media and while more than 40 percent of parents surveyed feel that their children use “too much” social media, 78 percent believe the government should put restrictions on the type of access social media companies give to teens.
Parents of New York City teens who use social media are more likely to report that their teen has an anxiety diagnosis (27 percent) or depression diagnosis (14 percent) than parents of teens who do not use social media. Parents who use social media are also more likely to have indicators of depression or anxiety, compared with those who do not.
Frequency of mental health diagnoses and symptoms increase with rates of use. Among teens who report using social media daily, 90 percent report worrying in general and 56 percent report at least some depressive symptoms.
Most teens surveyed report turning to social media to be entertained, to learn new things, or out of boredom. Those who report boredom as their top reason are more likely to report worrying about the future compared with those who do not report boredom as their top reason.
Rates of use and impacts vary by neighborhood poverty and type of school attended. Teens who live in areas of very high poverty report using social media more than their counterparts who live in wealthier neighborhoods, representing a nearly 10 percent difference between the two groups.
Children who attend public or charter schools are more likely to use social media than their counterparts in private school.

Recommendations from the report include expanding access to educational resources to raise awareness of healthy habits; implementing social media safety and digital literacy programs to help teenagers use social media responsibly; expanding community resources to offer social alternatives to time online; establishing and enforcing regulations requiring social media companies to implement robust content moderation policies, digital well-being features, and data privacy protections to better protect teens; and continuing to study the impact of social media on mental health for young people.

Along with this report, DOHMH is releasing resources to support parents, caregivers and youth-serving organizations.

The Adams administration has long been vigilant in its pursuit to support New Yorkers, particularly young people, needing mental health care as a result of the toxic environment caused by social media platforms. Last November, Mayor Adams announced “TeenSpace” — the city’s tele-mental health service available to all New York City teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old at no cost. In its first six months alone, the service — created in partnership with online therapy platform Talkspace — has allowed more than 6,800 New York City teenagers to connect with a licensed therapist through phone, video, and text.

In his State of the City address earlier this year, Mayor Adams announced that DOHMH issued a Health Commissioner’s Advisory, identifying unfettered access to and use of social media as a public health hazard, just as past U.S. surgeons general have done with tobacco and firearms, and recommending parents delay initiation of social media for their child until at least age 14. This was soon after followed by the Adams administration filing a lawsuit to hold the owners of five social media platforms — TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube — accountable for their role in helping to fuel the nationwide youth mental health crisis and force tech giants to change their behavior, as well as the release of a social media action plan to hold different platforms accountable, provide education and support to young people and families, and study the long-term impacts of social media on youth.

Additionally, in April, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and NYC Health + Hospitals, the administration announced it will open 16 mental health clinics in New York City public schools over the next six months to serve over 6,000 students across the Bronx and Central Brooklyn.

And last month, DOHMH released the “State of Mental Health of New Yorkers,” which presented data from across age groups, spanning children and youth to adults, including formal diagnoses, measures of well-being, and environmental factors that may affect mental health outcomes, and established a clear post-pandemic baseline for mental health in the city.

All of these actions followed the release of “Care, Community, Action: A Mental Health Plan for New York City,” Mayor Adams’ sweeping mental health agenda — with over $20 million in new commitments — that invested in, among other initiatives, child and family mental health. With the release of that plan, DOHMH Commissioner Dr. Vasan issued a separate commissioner’s advisory highlighting the risks of social media and tools to help build healthier habits around use. Additionally, the plan laid the groundwork for a 2023 summit on social media the Adams administration hosted with more than 150 advocates, researchers, technologists, and caregivers, in partnership with New York City youth, to lay out potential pathways for action to protect the mental health of children and youth.

Alongside the Adams administration’s focus on mental health, Mayor Adams also launched “HealthyNYC”last November, an ambitious plan to extend the average lifespan of all New Yorkers, including reducing the impact of mental health related deaths like overdoses, suicide, and homicides by 2030, and by expanding, among other initiatives, access to culturally responsive mental health care and social support services, including early intervention for communities of color and LGBTQIA+ youth, and addressing the impact of social media on youth mental health and suicidal ideation to reduce suicide deaths.

“This crucial study makes it clear: big social media companies have been wreaking havoc on young people’s mental health,” said New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “That’s why I’m so proud the state recently passed my legislation to regulate addictive algorithms and predatory data collection, so that big tech companies don’t profit unchecked off of our kids. Like cigarettes, car crashes, and other public health crises, tackling this problem requires bold, creative work from leaders at every level of government. I’m grateful to Mayor Adams and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for this important report.”

“The data is clear: there is a direct correlation between the explosion of social media and a rise in the rates of self-harm, anxiety and depression, and suicide amongst kids and teens,” said New York State Assemblymember Nily Rozic. “Now, New York is taking the lead with decisive action to protect our kids from the harmful influence of addictive algorithms and unchecked data collection enacting the SAFE for Kids Act and the New York Child Data Protection Act. This is a very significant step in protecting young people in the digital age and I thank Mayor Adams and Commissioner Vasan for their efforts and today’s report.”

“Today we release a historic first-in-the-nation report exposing how unregulated social media is harming the mental health of millions of families,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “Social media use is a driver of depression, anxiety, and negative body images — all of which place tremendous strains on families. Worst of all, some parents must face the pain of burying their children who died attempting social media challenges. Ever since we filed the groundbreaking lawsuit against social media companies, we have been making a full-frontal assault against the public health crisis social media wrought. I was proud to help pass the SAFE for Kids Act to crack down on addictive social media algorithms luring in our children and am building on this work with my own original legislation creating a state office to oversee algorithms. Together, we will free our children from social media addiction and end its negative influence.”

“The data is clear: we are experiencing a mental health crisis in our nation that is being further exacerbated by the additive effects of social media on our youth and their families,” said Bronx Borough Vanessa L. Gibson. “I believe social media to be an invaluable tool with benefits that have helped to advance our society, but social media has also had devastating effects on the mental well-being of our residents and their families. I want to thank Mayor Adams and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for prioritizing this issue. I look forward to working with the administration to develop concrete strategies and solutions that support our residents’ emotional, mental, and physical well-being.”

“Social media has a significant impact on everyone, particularly young people whose minds are still forming,” said New York City Councilmember Lynn Schulman, chair, Health Committee. “That is why this report on the impact of social media on families is so important and timely. With the city’s investment in this first-of-its-kind study, we now have the information necessary to address the mental health issues that have arisen as a result of social media use.”

NEW YORK CITY ANNOUNCES THE ABCs OF HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Interactive Web-based Resources for Building Healthy Relationship Skills in Elementary School-Aged Children

NEW YORK—The Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) in partnership with the Department of Education (DOE), leading youth dating violence prevention organization Day One, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, and the Jerome Chazen Fund to Address Domestic Violence are excited to announce the launch of “The ABCs of Healthy Relationships.” The ABCs of Healthy Relationships is an interactive web-based toolkit to help elementary school students develop healthy relationships with their friends and classmates as building blocks for healthier partner relationships as they grow older, as well as toolkits for their educators, and their caregivers. Using vibrant and relatable illustrations, the toolkits support the development of healthy relationship foundations such as respect, consent, boundaries, body autonomy, safety, and trust.

The ABCs of Healthy Relationships student toolkits and parent, caregiver and educator guides are free and are available to all young people and adults in NYC through the ENDGBV website, and DOE Parent University. To celebrate the launch of this exciting resource, ENDGBV and DOE will host a virtual program for parents and caregivers on October 19. “Helping Our Kids Build Healthy Relationships” will be livestreamed on Parent University and will provide an opportunity for parents and caregivers to walk through the toolkits and engage with early childhood experts on effective ways to talk with children about healthy relationships.

“Teaching children how to set boundaries and recognize controlling and abusive behavior, helps them learn how to develop healthy relationships,” said First Lady Chirlane McCray. “This new toolkit expands on our commitment to break the cycle of domestic violence and prevent trauma.”

“No child is too young to talk to about healthy relationships,” said New York City Deputy Mayor Melanie Hartzog. “We are committed to providing young people the tools they need to build the relationships they want, which means addressing dating violence, and all forms of gender-based violence.”

“The ABCs of Healthy Relationships will strategically build upon current City efforts to prevent domestic and gender-based violence including ENDGBV’s Healthy Relationship Training Academy; the Human Resource Administration’s Relationship Abuse Prevention Program (RAPP); and the Early RAPP program championed by First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray which has brought community educators into more than 100 middle schools throughout the city,” said Cecile Noel, Commissioner, NYC Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. “This program will engage children at an early age and provide them crucial tools to help build healthy relationships with self and community.”

The 2017 New York City Risk Behavior Survey found that 3,000 New York City public school students aged 14 and younger who were dating had been physically harmed by a dating partner in 2017. In addition, 6,000 students also aged 14 and younger reported that they had been forced to do sexual things they did not want to do, such as kissing, touching, or being physically forced to have sexual intercourse by someone they were dating. Understanding the need to address healthy relationships in earlier grades as detailed in the New York City Department of Education K-5 Health Education Scope and Sequence includes learning about healthy relationships at a young age.

With support from the Jerome Chazen Fund to Address Domestic Violence through the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, the City has contracted with Day One to create The ABCs of Healthy Relationships.

“As educators it is our duty to equip our young people with the knowledge to build healthy relationships, recognize boundaries, and advocate for themselves as they mature,” said Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter. “I’m grateful to our agency partners for developing this critical resource for New York City students, which will help ensure our children are healthy, happy, and empowered as they navigate relationships throughout their lives.”

“An important step to ending gender-based violence starts with early intervention,” said Daniele Baierlein and Jorge Luis Paniagua Valle, Co-Executive Directors of the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City. “That’s why we’re so excited to be partnering with the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, Department of Education, Day One, and the Chazen Foundation to give children the opportunity and tools they need to build healthy relationships and learn about the physical and emotional safety they’re entitled to.”

“We believe strongly in the need to provide young children with the tools and skills they need to prevent unhealthy relationships of all kinds before they reach dating age,” said Jerome A. Chazen, the Jerome Chazen Fund to Address Domestic Violence. “We are thrilled to be part of this city-wide initiative and believe broad education programs reaching all youth are critical to help ensure we turn the page on unhealthy relationships.”

“In order to reduce rates of domestic violence and sexual assault substantially, we must begin earlier,” said Stephanie Nilva, Executive Director of Day One. “Day One is proud to collaborate with ENDGBV on the ABCs of Healthy Relationships, which will equip children and adolescents with language and skills to have healthy interactions with friends and to build safe intimate relationships in their dating and adult years.”

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About the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence
The Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV) develops policies and programs, provides training and prevention education, conducts research and evaluations, performs community outreach, and operates the New York City Family Justice Centers. We collaborate with City agencies and community stakeholders to ensure access to inclusive services for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence (GBV). GBV can include intimate partner and family violence, elder abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. Read more about the term.

The NYC Family Justice Centers are co‐located multidisciplinary service centers providing vital social services, civil, legal, and criminal justice assistance for survivors of domestic and gender-based violence and their children—all under one roof. For more information, visit nyc.gov/ENDGBV or visit us on visit us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

About the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization working with 50 City agencies and offices, 300 institutional funders, and 100 community-based partners. The Mayor’s Fund works in partnership with the business and philanthropic communities to advance initiatives that improve the lives of residents in all five boroughs. It seeks to seed promising, evidence-based models; evaluate the efficacy of new public programs and policies; bring innovative solutions to scale; and respond to the emerging needs of the city by building public-private partnerships. First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray is chair of the Mayor’s Fund Board of Directors. In addition, the Mayor’s Fund has an Advisory Board of prominent civic and business leaders to advise and assist the Board of Directors. Follow the Mayor’s Fund @NYCMayorsFund on Twitter and subscribe to their newsletter here.

About The Jerome Chazen Fund to Address Domestic Violence
The Jerome Chazen Fund to Address Domestic Violence was created in 2014 to continue the work Mr. Chazen started when he was Chairman of Liz Claiborne Inc. and on the Liz Claiborne Foundation. The Fund supports organizations in and around New York City that develop and implement primary prevention programs – in particular those focused on school-age children.

About Day One
Day One’s mission is to partner with youth to end dating abuse and domestic violence through community education, supportive services, legal advocacy and leadership development. Day One was founded in 2003 to provide critical education and guidance to New York City’s youth on dating abuse and domestic violence. Since then, Day One has educated more than 110,000 young people on how to identify and maintain healthy relationships, obtain legal protection when necessary, and assist others experiencing abuse. Day One has trained more than 10,000 professionals to identify relationship abuse among youth and to provide supportive, nonjudgmental guidance to teens. Additionally, we’ve delivered thousands of hours of therapeutic counseling and legal assistance to young people in court. Adolescents and teenagers participate in year-round leadership development programs and help guide the mission and services of Day One. Hundreds of thousands of educational materials have been distributed to youth nationwide and are available at www.dayoneny.org.

Doctors on Tripledemic Available for Interviews in English, Spanish, Chinese

With the ‘Tripledemic’ upon us, communities of color across NYC have seen an increase in cases of the flu, RSV, as well as a resurgence of COVID. Doctors from SOMOS Community Care are available to speak in English, Spanish, and Chinese on these cases. These doctors provide health care to over 20% of all Medicare/Medicaid patients in NYC and have seen an influx of patients with these illnesses.

Dr. Carmen Garcia-Albarran, Pediatrician at Mount Sinai Health Systems
Dr. Juan Tapia-Mendoza, Pediatrian and founder/CEO of Pediatrics 2000
Dr. Maria Molina, Pediatrician
Dr. Yomaris Peña, Internal Medicine, and Chief Medical Officer for SOMOS Community Care
Dr. Henry Chen, Primary Care Physician & President of SOMOS, serves residents of Chinatown/Little Italy

According to a recent CDC study, the most recent bivalent omicron booster is 84% effective at preventing seniors from being hospitalized with Covid. As holiday and family gatherings increase, it is important for New Yorkers to understand what they should do to best protect themselves and their loved ones, especially our oldest family members who remain the most vulnerable to severe illness. NYC Health reports that only 30% of Hispanic and 28% of Black New Yorkers have received the additional booster shot.

I’m happy to connect you with any of the above doctors to contribute to the stories you are working on.

Best,

Carolyn

CONSUMER ALERT: NYS DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION WARNS NEW YORKERS ABOUT DANGERS OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, FIRE HAZARDS AND STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES IN THE UPCOMING WINTER WEATHER

Secretary Robert J. Rodriguez, “The Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection urges New Yorkers to take proper safety precautions while using candles and space heaters, install fire and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries in your alarms on an annual basis to help decrease the risk of fire hazards in your home.”

Consumers Must Pay Careful Attention to Carbon Monoxide and Fire Safety

The NYS Division of Consumer Protection Offers Tips to Help New Yorkers Stay Safe and Healthy During Upcoming Winter Months

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection today alerted consumers of the dangers of fire hazards, carbon monoxide poisoning and performing strenuous outside activities in the upcoming cold weather. As the winter months approach and the temperatures drop, consumers may turn to dangerous heating alternatives to stay warm. Propane heaters, generators and space heaters all pose lethal risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire hazards when used improperly. As strong winter storms continue to hit the United States, consumers need to exercise caution to stay safe and healthy during snow cleanup activities.

“Taking preventative action is your best defense against dealing with extreme cold weather,” said Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez. “The Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection urges New Yorkers to take proper safety precautions while using candles and space heaters, install fire and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries in your alarms on an annual basis to help decrease the risk of fire hazards in your home.”

Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance Commissioner Daniel W. Tietz said, “In addition to providing assistance to help cover home heating costs, the Home Energy Assistance Program can help with getting heating equipment cleaned and serviced so it is safe and operating at peak efficiency, and even cover the cost of repairing or replacing faulty heating equipment. These services are vital to helping New Yorkers stay safe and warm through the harsh winter months. Anyone in need of this assistance should apply as soon as possible.”

The New York State Division of Consumer Protection offers the following tips to keep families safe and warm this winter:

When temperatures plummet, home heating systems may run constantly and the potential for CO poisoning increases. During and after dangerous weather, using alternative sources of power can also cause CO to build up in the home.

Carbon-Monoxide Dangers and Safety Tips:

Install carbon monoxide alarms. Have a carbon monoxide alarm on every floor and outside sleeping areas.
Inspect all fuel-burning equipment every year. Have a trained service technician inspect your home heating systems. Make sure that all gas heaters are properly vented to the outside.
Use generators safely. Do not use a gas or electric generator in a home, garage, basement or any enclosed space. Plug in appliances to the generator using only individual heavy-duty, outdoor-rated electrical cords. When used, gas generators should be located at least 20 feet from any window, door, or vent — preferably in a space where rain and snow does not reach them.
Avoid build-up of carbon monoxide fumes. Open the fireplace damper before lighting a fire and keep it open until the ashes are cool. Never use a gas range, oven or grill to warm up a home. Never leave a vehicle running while parked in a garage attached to a home, even if the windows are open. Have vehicles’ mufflers and tailpipes checked on a regular basis to prevent accidental CO build-up.
Keep furnace and dryer vents clear of ice and snow. Check furnace and dryer vents on the exterior of your house during and after heavy snowfalls, and clear snow away from the vents’ openings if it builds up. When a furnace or gas dryer vent is blocked, carbon monoxide can build up inside the home, and on newer furnaces, the system may shut off completely as a safety measure leaving the home without heat. While electric dryers do not pose a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, a blocked vent could still be a fire hazard.
If one suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should get to fresh air immediately and then call 911.

Colder temperatures also increase the risk of fire hazards. Home fires can happen at any time, but they generally increase during the fall and winter, with December and January being the peak months.

Winter Home Heating & Fire Safety Tips:

Working Smoke Alarms Saves Lives. According to the National Fire Protection Association, roughly 3 out of 5 fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms so remember to have working smoke alarms on every floor and in every bedroom. The early warning provided by smoke alarms can save a life.
Safely operate fireplaces, wood stoves and other combustion heaters. Use fireplaces, wood stoves, or other combustion heaters only if they are properly vented to the outside and do not leak flue gas into the indoor air space. If planning to use a wood stove, fireplace, or space heater, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not burn paper in a fireplace.
Keep your home properly ventilated. Ensure adequate ventilation if using a kerosene, propane or other fuel heater. Also, use only the specific type of fuel a heater is designed to use—don’t substitute with another source.
Keep space heaters away, stable, and uncovered. Space heaters should be kept at least three feet away from beds, clothes, curtains, and other flammable materials. Never cover a space heater or place on top of furniture or near water. Space heaters should not be left unattended when used near children. If a space heater has a damaged electrical cord or produces sparks, stop use immediately.
Check your extension cords. Extension cords should not be overloaded or run where they can become a tripping hazard. Never run extension cords under carpets or rugs. Avoid using extension cords with a space heater.
Prepare for emergencies. Keep a multipurpose, dry-chemical fire extinguisher near the area to be heated.
Regularly review fire safety plans with your family, especially with homes with young children, older adults, and persons with disabilities. Make sure there is a working smoke alarm on every level and outside of sleeping areas, and that the batteries in the alarm are functional.
If there is a power failure at home, use battery-powered flashlights or lanterns instead of candles, if possible. If you must use candles, use extreme caution. Never leave lit candles unattended, and do not burn them on or near anything that can catch fire. Extinguish candles when you leave the room and before sleeping.

New York’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) can help eligible New Yorkers heat their homes. The program provides up to $1,126 to eligible homeowners and renters depending on income, household size and how they heat their home. Administered by the state Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, applications for HEAP are accepted at local departments of social services in person or by telephone, with funding provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents outside of New York City may also?apply online?for regular heating assistance benefits. New York City residents can obtain program information?online and download an application. To qualify for benefits, a family of four may have a maximum gross monthly income of $5,485, or an annual gross income of $65,829.

For households facing no-heat situations due to non-working heating equipment, OTDA is also accepting applications for its heating equipment repair or replacement benefit. Eligible homeowners can apply for up to $4,000 for repairs or $8,000 for replacement of a furnace, boiler or other direct heating equipment necessary to keep the household’s primary heating source working. Additionally, eligible households can receive energy efficiency services, which include the cleaning of primary heating equipment to allow for safe and efficient operation. Interested households can apply with their local HEAP contact.

As the recent historic storm in Buffalo showed, snow and winter storms can be dangerous and even deadly. Snow shoveling can contribute to a number of health risks for many people, from back injuries to heart attacks. New Yorkers must exercise caution when doing snow or ice cleanup as the strenuous activity can be dangerous for vulnerable individuals.

The following tips can help keep you safer when you set out to shovel:

Warm up. Warm your muscles before heading out to shovel by doing some light movements, such as bending side to side or walking in place.
Push rather than lift. Pushing the snow with the shovel instead of lifting can help reduce the strain on your body. When lifting snow, bend your knees and use your legs when possible.
Choose your shovel wisely. Ergonomically designed shovels can help reduce the amount of bending you have to do.
Lighten your load. Consider using a lighter-weight plastic shovel instead of a metal one to help decrease the weight being lifted.
Hit the pause button. Pace yourself and be sure to take frequent breaks. Consider taking a break after 20 to 30 minutes of shoveling, especially when the snow is wet.
Consider multiple trips. Consider shoveling periodically throughout the storm to avoid having to move large amounts of snow at once.
Keep up with snowfall. Try to shovel snow shortly after it falls, when it is lighter and fluffier. The longer snow stays on the ground, the wetter it can become. Wet snow is heavier and harder to move.
Wear layers. Dress in layers and remove them as you get warm to help maintain a comfortable body temperature.
Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated while shoveling

COVID-19 Discovery Could Spur Treatments for Chronic Lung Problems

UVA Findings Could Benefit Long COVID, Other Post-Viral Conditions

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 11, 2025 – University of Virginia School of Medicine scientists have discovered how severe COVID-19 can destroy immune cells’ ability to repair the lungs, helping explain the lingering effects of long COVID. The findings suggest a new treatment approach for long COVID as well as other conditions, both short-term and chronic, caused by respiratory infections such as the flu.

Led by UVA’s Jie Sun, PhD, the researchers found that severe viral infections including COVID-19 and the flu can gravely damage a key organelle inside immune cells called macrophages. Macrophages direct lung repair after tissue damage, but their ability to do so is crippled by the loss of the critical organelles, called peroxisomes, Sun and his team found.

Promisingly, the UVA scientists found that they could enhance the damaged organelles’ ability to function – and improve the immune system’s ability to heal lung damage – using a drug that has already been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

“COVID-19 can leave the lungs unable to heal properly by damaging these tiny structures inside our cells. Our discovery is important because it not only explains why some people continue to have breathing problems long after their initial illness but also points us toward a potential treatment to help them recover by targeting a tiny organelle inside critical immune cells,” said Sun, of UVA’s Carter Center for Immunology Research and UVA’s Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health. “A tiny organelle can have big roles! I hope our work could lead to new peroxisome-centric therapies that can help people suffering from long COVID.”

Understanding Long COVID

Peroxisomes are often overlooked and under studied, the researchers note. The organelles are tiny structures known to play vital roles in breaking down toxins and fats within cells. But UVA’s new research suggests that they are also critical to resolving inflammation after severe viral lung infections. As such, they could represent an important avenue for treating acute and chronic conditions that follow those infections.

Sun and his collaborators found that severe COVID infections “drastically” alter peroxisomes inside macrophages, they report in a new scientific paper. This dramatic “remodeling” inhibited peroxisome development and caused them to degrade, robbing them of their ability to function properly. The result was stubborn inflammation and lung scarring. The scientists found persistent peroxisome impairment in both lab mice and human patients after severe COVID-19 infections.

They were able to reverse that impairment in early testing, however, using sodium phenylbutyrate, a drug already approved by the FDA to treat patients with high levels of ammonia in their blood. More research is needed before the drug could be deployed for treating long COVID, but the scientists say their findings warrant additional study.

Further, the discovery of the peroxisomes’ role in controlling inflammation and in repairing alveola (air sacs) in the lungs suggests that targeting them could be useful for treating stubborn post-infection problems caused by influenza and other respiratory viruses, Sun says.

“We are collaborating with scientists and physicians at UVA and other institutions to understand the exact function of this understudied organelle in long COVID and other chronic lung diseases such as interstitial lung disease [ILD],” he said. “Ultimately, we want to develop peroxisome-targeting therapies to give patients the chance to breathe more easily again and get back to their normal lives.”

Findings Published

The researchers have published their findings in the journal Science. The research team consisted of Xiaoqin Wei, Wei Qian, Harish Narasimhan, Ting Chan, Xue Liu, Mohd Arish, Samuel Young, Chaofan Li, In Su Cheon, Jane Qing Yu, Gislane de Almeida Santos, Xiao-Yu Zhao, Eric V. Yeatts, Olivia J. Spear, Megan Yi, Tanyalak Parimon, Yinshan Fang, Young S Hahn, Timothy N.J. Bullock, Lindsay A. Somerville, Mark H. Kaplan, Anne I. Sperling, Yun Michael Shim, Robert Vassallo, Peter Chen, Sarah E. Ewald, Anja C. Roden, Jianwen Que, Dianhua Jiang and Sun.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, grants AI147394, AG069264, AI112844, HL170961, AI176171, AI154598, R01HL132287, R01HL167202, R01HL132177, F31HL170746, T32AI007496, R01HL155759, R01HL159953, R01HL172990, P01-HL108793, HL159675, HL152293, AI163753 and R01DK122737.

UVA has filed a patent application on the concept of targeting peroxisomes for treating acute and chronic conditions after viral injuries.

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog at http://makingofmedicine.virginia.edu.

FOR REPORTERS: Sun will be available for interviews today. To arrange an interview, contact Josh Barney at 434.906.8864 or jdb9a@uvahealth.org. A selection of high-quality, high-resolution images is available as well.

UVA Health Contenders Advance in Contest to ID 2024’s Biggest Scientific Discoverysts

Your Vote Could Help the Hoos Take It All in STAT Madness!

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 10, 2025 – Major medical findings from UVA Health are closer to being crowned 2024’s most important scientific discovery after advancing to the second round of STAT Madness, a fun online tournament highlighting the year’s most significant and influential research.

Round winners are determined by an online vote, and the public eagerly threw its support behind UVA Health’s contenders. For example, the School of Medicine’s important discovery of how malfunctioning immune cells can fuel harmful lung inflammation long after a COVID-19 infection easily blew past a notable-but-early Whitehead Institute finding about the role of “slow” proteins in chronic diseases.

Meanwhile, a UVA Health Children’s discovery revealing that almost a quarter of recurrent wheezing cases in children are caused by “silent” lung infections – and would be better treated with antivirals than ineffective steroids that can carry lifelong side effects – handily defeated Fred Hutch Cancer Center’s admirable early efforts to develop a vaccine for the RSV virus that sickens many children each year.

Finally, an antibiotics discovery from Notre Dame – a school known for its large and devoted fan following – managed to squeak by a fascinating UVA discovery revealing how our body’s “fight or flight” response can determine the severity of C. difficile infections that plague hospitals and nursing homes. UVA’s entry put up a strong showing throughout the voting period, backed by the many people who appreciated its potential life-saving implications.

Voting continues nonstop throughout the STAT Madness tournament, which operates like the NCAA basketball tournament, until a final victor is crowned. Keep voting for UVA at https://www.statnews.com/feature/stat-madness/bracket-voting-now-open

The STAT Madness championship round concludes April 6.

FOR REPORTERS: To arrange an interview, contact Josh Barney at 434.906.8864 or jdb9a@uvahealth.org. High-resolution images are available as well.

School Absences Could Help ID Children With Chronic GI Disorders, Research Suggests

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 4, 2025 – Children who frequently miss school because of abdominal complaints are far more likely to be suffering from disorders of the gut-brain axis such as irritable bowel syndrome than diseases that can be detected with medical tests, new UVA Health Children’s research has found. The discovery could improve care for children with these common GI disorders and might spare them from a barrage of unproductive tests.

UVA’s Stephen M. Borowitz, MD, and fourth-year medical student Seth M. Tersteeg looked at school absenteeism as reported by parents who brought their children to UVA Health Children’s Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic. Children who had missed more than three days of school in the prior month were nearly five times more likely to be suffering from what are called “functional gastrointestinal disorders” – conditions that range from irritable bowel to heightened digestive sensitivity – than to be suffering an illness with a specific underlying cause that doctors could pinpoint with a lab test.

Further, children who had been homebound for the entire month were nearly eight times more likely to be suffering from a functional GI disorder, the researchers found.

“We suspect that one of the biggest reasons children with functional gastrointestinal disorders are more likely to miss lots of school is because of what is often a long delay in making a definitive diagnosis,” said Borowitz, a pediatric gastroenterologist with UVA Health Children’s Department of Pediatrics. “The longer the child goes without an explanation of why they are having symptoms and what can be done to lessen those symptoms, the more anxious, fearful and frustrated the child and the family become. In general, the quicker we can identify what is going on and begin treatment, the better the outcome.”

Gastrointestinal Problems in Children

As every parent knows, stomach and digestive problems are common among school-age children. This can be from a short-term illness, such as a stomach virus, but in the vast majority of persistent cases, the cause is something else. These chronic cases of abdominal pain and constipation account for up to 38% of pediatrician visits, and 95% of those cases are not the result of a gastrointestinal disease and are due to a functional GI disorder.

These ambiguous diagnoses can be worrisome for both parent and child and can contribute to school absenteeism, Borowitz and Tersteeg note in a paper in the medical journal Frontiers in Pediatrics. Further, delays in getting these children a specific diagnosis can reduce the effectiveness of treatment for their conditions.

Despite how common GI problems are among children, Borowitz and Tersteeg could find no studies evaluating whether there was a link to school absenteeism. “Over the years, it seemed like the majority of children we were seeing in our practice with chronic gastrointestinal complaints and were missing lots of school were suffering from functional gastrointestinal disorders – disorders of the gut-brain axis – rather than gastrointestinal diseases,” Tersteeg said. “So we performed this study to see if this impression was correct.”

School Absenteeism Patterns

To shed light on the matter, the researchers asked about school absenteeism when talking with parents of children with chronic GI complaints, ages 5 to 19, who visited UVA’s Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic between September 2016 and June 2017. This included 674 visits of school-age children.

Ultimately, the researchers found that 82% of children who had missed more than three days of school in the prior month went on to be diagnosed with a functional GI disorder.

Of the 408 children found to have functional disorders, the most common diagnoses were functional constipation (36%), functional abdominal pain (35%), and irritable bowel (31%). More than 220 of the children were found to have more than one disorder, but their absenteeism rates were no higher than children who had only one disorder.

The researchers say their findings suggest doctors may find it useful to ask about school absenteeism to help them more quickly identify children who may be suffering from functional GI disorders. This could help speed a diagnosis and begin treatment more quickly, improving the children’s outcomes.

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog at http://makingofmedicine.virginia.edu.

FOR REPORTERS: Borowitz will be available for interviews today. To arrange an interview, contact Josh Barney at 434.906.8864 or jdb9a@uvahealth.org. A high-resolution portrait is available as well.

3 UVA Health Discoveries Up for 2024’s Biggest Scientific Advance

Your Vote Determines the Winner in STAT Madness!

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., March 3, 2025 – For the seventh year in a row, major medical discoveries from UVA Health have been selected to compete for the title of the preceding year’s most important scientific advance.

The public’s vote will ultimately crown the winner in the online contest, called STAT Madness. The bracket-style tournament is sponsored each year by the prominent health news site STAT to highlight the nation’s most important and influential scientific research.

Voting opened this morning, and you can (and should!) vote daily at https://www.statnews.com/feature/stat-madness/bracket-voting-now-open

STAT Madness operates like the NCAA basketball tournament, with contenders facing off in rounds until there are only two finalists and, ultimately, one big winner.

UVA Health’s contenders this year:

UVA Health Children’s pediatric pulmonologist Gerald Teague, MD, and colleagues found that nearly a quarter of children with recurrent wheezing have “silent” lung infections that would be better treated with antivirals than commonly prescribed steroids that can carry lifelong side effects, such as stunted growth. This game-changing discovery has the potential to immediately improve the care children receive.
UVA Health infectious disease expert William A. Petri Jr., MD, PhD, and neuroscience student David Tyus discovered that the portion of our nervous systems responsible for our “fight or flight” response can determine the severity of potentially deadly C. difficile infections. The findings suggest that doctors may be able to save patients from the infections – a plague for hospitals and nursing homes – by using drugs to quiet the hyperactive nervous system.
University of Virginia School of Medicine researcher Jie Sun, PhD, and collaborators discovered an unknown cause of lingering COVID-19 symptoms long after infection has resolved: Dysfunctional immune cells are preventing the lungs from healing themselves. The discovery could open the door to much-needed new treatments for the respiratory symptoms of long COVID.
The STAT Madness championship round concludes April 6. Make sure to vote UVA every day!

Cold Sore Discovery IDs Unknown Trigger for Those Annoying Flare-ups

UVA Findings Could Pave Way for Preventative Herpes Treatment

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 27, 2025 – Scientists have a new target to prevent cold sores after University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers discovered an unexpected way the herpes virus re-activates in the body. The finding could also have important implications for genital herpes caused by the same virus.

The discovery from UVA’s Anna Cliffe, PhD, and colleagues seems to defy common sense. She and her team found that the slumbering herpes virus will make a protein to trigger the body’s immune response as part of its escape from dormancy. You’d think this would be bad for the virus – that activating the body’s antiviral defenses would be like poking a bear. But, instead, it’s the opposite: The virus highjacks the antiviral process in infected neurons (nerve cells) to make the type of comeback nobody wants.

“Our findings identify the first viral protein required for herpes simplex virus to wake up from dormancy, and, surprisingly, this protein does so by triggering responses that should act against the virus.” said Cliffe of UVA’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology. “This is important because it gives us new ways to potentially prevent the virus from waking up and activating immune responses in the nervous system that could have negative consequences in the long term.”

Understanding Herpes Simplex Virus-Associated Disease

Cold sores are caused primarily by herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), one of two forms of the herpes virus. HSV-1 is very contagious, and more than 60% of people under 50 have been infected worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates. That’s more than 3.8 billion people.

In addition to causing cold sores, herpes simplex virus 1 can also cause genital herpes, a condition most often associated with HSV-1’s cousin, herpes simplex virus 2. Now, however, there are more new cases of genital herpes in the United States caused by HSV-1 than HSV-2. Notably, the UVA researchers found that herpes simplex virus 2 also makes this same protein and may use a similar mechanism to reactivate. So UVA’s new discovery may also lead to new treatments treatments for genital herpes.

In addition to cold sores and gential herpes, HSV-1 can also cause viral encephalitis (brain infammation) and has been linked to the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Once HSV-1 makes its way into our bodies, it stays forever. Our immune systems can send it into hiding, allowing infected people to be symptom free. But stress, other infections and even sunburns are known to cause it to flare. UVA’s new discovery adds another, surprising way it can spring back into action.

The researchers found that while the virus can make a protein called UL12.5 to reactivate, the protein was not needed in the presence of another infection. The scientists believe this is because the infections trigger certain “sensing pathways” that act as the home security system for neurons. Detection of a pathogen alone may be sufficient to trigger the herpes virus to begin replicating, the scientists believe, even in instances of “abortive infections” – when the immune system contains the new pathogen before it can replicate.

“We were surprised to find that HSV-1 doesn’t just passively wait for the right conditions to reactivate – it actively senses danger and takes control of the process,” researcher Patryk Krakowiak said. “Our findings suggest that the virus may be using immune signals as a way to detect cellular stress – whether from neuron damage, infections or other threats – as a cue to escape its host and find a new one.”

With the new understanding of how herpes flares can be triggered, scientists may be able to target the protein to prevent them, the researchers say.

“We are now following up on this work to investigate how the virus is highjacking this response and testing inhibitors of UL12.5 function,” Cliffe said. “Currently, there are no therapies that can prevent the virus from waking up from dormancy, and this stage was thought to only use host proteins. Developing therapies that specifically act on a viral protein is an attractive approach that will likely have fewer side effects than targeting a host protein.”

Young Women Suffering Menopause Symptoms in Silence, Study Reveals

More Than Half of 30- to 35-Year-Olds Report Moderate to Severe Symptoms

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 25, 2025 – More than half of women ages 30 to 35 are already suffering moderate to severe symptoms associated with menopause, yet most women are waiting decades before seeking treatment, new research from UVA Health and the Flo women’s health app reveals.

The research sheds important light on “perimenopause,” the transition period leading to menopause. Many women in perimenopause assume they’re too young to be suffering symptoms related to menopause, believing that symptoms won’t appear until they reach their 50s. But this mistaken belief, the researchers say, only causes women to suffer in silence.

“Physical and emotional symptoms associated with perimenopause are understudied and often dismissed by physicians. This research is important in order to more fully understand how common these symptoms are, their impact on women and to raise awareness amongst physicians as well as the general public,” said study co-author Jennifer Payne, MD, an expert in reproductive psychiatry at UVA Health and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “Knowing this type of progression of perimenopause-associated symptoms can help both women and their doctors know what to expect as women enter the perimenopausal portion of their lives.”

Understanding Perimenopause

The new study analyzes symptoms self-reported by more than 4,400 American women ages 30 and older who responded to a survey conducted online and in the Flo app. Among women 30 to 35, 55.4% reported symptoms that meet the criteria for “moderate” or “severe” on the widely used Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). This number increased to 64.3% among women 36 to 40. Yet most women don’t seek treatment for menopause symptoms until they are 56 or older.

“We had a significant number of women who are typically thought to be too young for perimenopause tell us that they have high levels of perimenopause-related symptoms,” said Liudmila Zhaunova, PhD, director of science at Flo. “It’s important that we keep doing research to understand better what is happening with these women so that they can get the care they need.”

The researchers found that psychological symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and irritability, took hold long before physical symptoms. These symptoms reached their peak among women ages 41-45, then ebbed to their lowest in women ages 56 and over.

Physical problems such as sexual problems, bladder issues and vaginal dryness peaked in women 51 and older. These types of problems were lowest in women ages 30 to 35.

Some of the symptoms most classically associated with menopause, such as hot flashes and sweating, peaked at ages 51 to 55 and were lowest among women 30 to 35.

The researchers hope their results will help fill what they call an “alarming gap” in our understanding of perimenopause, improving care and support for women approaching menopause.

“This study is important because it plots a trajectory of perimenopausal symptoms that tells us what symptoms we can expect when and alerts us to the fact that women are experiencing perimenopausal symptoms earlier than we expected,” Payne said.

Hair-Loss Researchers Discover Potential Key to Reversing Baldness

Unexpected Findings Defy Conventional Understanding of Hair Growth

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 19, 2025 – A surprising discovery from the University of Virginia School of Medicine is transforming our understanding of hair growth and could set the stage for new approaches to cure baldness.

Researchers led by UVA’s Lu Q. Le, MD, PhD, have discovered that a previously under-appreciated stem cell population in the upper and middle sections of the hair follicle is essential for hair growth. When these cells are depleted, hair growth stops. That suggests that replenishing or activating these stem cells could restore hair growth, the researchers report.

These malleable stem cells in the upper- and mid- hair follicle region are early ancestors of our hair, Le’s team found. That upends the long-accepted belief that hair growth begins with stem cells in an area near the bulbous base of the follicle technically known as “the bulge.”

“These findings add new foundational knowledge to hair follicle biology, showing, for the first time, that the bulge cells actually arise from this novel stem cell population,” said Le, chair of the Department of Dermatology at the UVA School of Medicine and UVA Health. “It is our hope that these stem cells could one day provide a novel therapy for treating hair loss in people.”

Understanding Hair Growth – and Loss

Each of the millions of hairs on our bodies grows from an individual follicle, like a tulip grows from a bulb. Le’s research casts new light on how these follicles form. The bulge above the bottom of the follicle, Le found, develops from stem cells located closer to the surface of our skin.

The stem cells – cells that can turn into other types of cells -– continue to play an essential role in hair growth after the follicle is established, the researchers discovered. Positioned along the hair shaft beneath the surface of the skin, the stem cells move downward to nourish and resupply the bulge at the follicle’s base. These cells serve as the earliest raw material for hair formation, Le and his collaborators believe.

In their lab tests, the researchers found that depleting these stem cells at certain times halted hair growth. That speaks to their essential role in hair formation and to their potential role in hair loss.

Based on their findings, Le and his team believe that keeping the stem cells active to ensure the follicle has adequate supply for hair growth could, with further research, offer a new way to combat hair loss. They are continuing their investigation but excited by the possibilities.

“We plan to fully investigate the potential of these stem cells in human hair follicles,” Le said. “Importantly, we found that in human bald scalp, although the hair shafts are gone, this population of novel hair stem cells is still present in the upper hair follicle. This means that if we could reactivate these cells to migrate down and repopulate the bulge, they could potentially regrow hair in bald scalp.”

Ovarian Cancer Discovery Could Turn Failed Treatment Into Lifesave

UVA Researchers Reveal How Ovarian Tumors Resist Immune Checkpoint Therapy

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 11, 2025 – University of Virginia Cancer Center researchers have explained the failure of immune checkpoint therapy for ovarian cancer by discovering how gut bacteria interfere with the treatment. Doctors may be able to use the findings to overcome this treatment failure and save the lives of thousands of women every year.

The new discovery, from the lab of UVA’s Melanie Rutkowski, PhD, speaks to the surprising ways that the microbiome – the collection of organisms that live on and inside our bodies – is vital not only to maintain health but for the effectiveness of medical treatments.

As a leading microbiome researcher, Rutkowski is excited about the potential of her field to improve care not just for ovarian cancer but for many other cancers. She has already shown, for example, how an unhealthy gut microbiome helps breast cancer spread. “As soon as we are born, the gut microbiome is critical for educating our immune system so that diseases are controlled and that we are not damaged in the process by an over exuberant immune response,” she said. “We and others are discovering the far-reaching impact that microbiome/immune cell interactions have on almost every aspect of our being, from influencing metabolic health, organ health and even the relationship between the gut and the brain. This is why it is critically important to understand how the relationship between our microbiome and immune system changes during a disease like cancer, as this research could uncover novel therapies capable of helping the immune system kill cancer cells.”

Targeting Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer kills more than 10,000 American women every year, making it the deadliest gynecological malignancy in the United States. Despite improvements in the clinical management of the disease, survival has improved very little during the past several decades. Doctors treating patients with ovarian cancer had been excited about the potential of immune checkpoint therapy – a form of immunotherapy that enhances the immune system’s ability to destroy cancer – only to find that the ovarian tumors were stubbornly resistant. This treatment approach is improving outcomes for patients with melanoma, bladder cancer and other cancers, so what is different about ovarian cancer?

Rutkowski and her team have finally found answers, and they found them in the tiny propellers bacteria use to move. These propellers, called flagella, are hairlike structures made of a material called flagellin. It is flagellin, the researchers found, that is the key to why immune checkpoint therapy does not help ovarian cancer patients as it does for patients with other types of cancer.

In ovarian cancer, Rutkowski and her team determined, bacteria and the flagellin they contain disrupt the success of the immune checkpoint treatment. The flagellin causes chaotic cellular communications that prevent immune cells from finding their way into and around the ovarian tumors. “We found that ovarian tumors enhance the ability of flagellin from the gut to get into the tumor environment, where they normally should not be,” Rutkowski said. “Because of the gut leakage, immune cells that recognize flagellin become reprogrammed to support tumor growth instead of supporting the killing of tumors during immune therapy.”

With the discovery, the tumors’ defenses could become their Achilles’ heel. The researchers found that, in early lab tests, they could block the chaotic signaling caused by the flagellin to restore the effectiveness of immune checkpoint therapy. “In mice whose immune cells that lack the ability to recognize flagellin, immune therapy induced long-term control of ovarian tumor growth in almost 80% of animals,” Rutkowski said. “That we observed this response using multiple aggressive ovarian cancer cell lines suggests that inhibiting this pathway has potential to enhance clinical outcomes for ovarian cancer patients.”

While much more research will need to be done, Rutkowski’s findings suggest we may yet have a way to turn immune checkpoint therapy into a powerful tool against ovarian cancer and, ultimately, save lives.

“The idea that immune cell recognition of bacterial flagellin leads to the failure of immune therapy is somewhat opposite to what is known about how this pathway influences immune cell behavior. We believe that there is a unique reason why flagellin inhibits immune therapy response for ovarian cancer specifically, which is an area we are actively investigating,” said Rutkowski, of UVA’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology. “The survival outcomes we are achieving in mice that lack the ability to recognize flagellin are extraordinary, especially if we manage to translate these observations into the clinic. I am very hopeful that this work will help to establish a dialogue about the potential that inhibiting the ability of immune cells to recognize bacterial flagellin may have for ovarian cancer patients.”

Rutkowski’s cutting-edge ovarian cancer research is part of UVA’s sweeping effort, called the TransUniversity Microbiome Initiative, to better understand and harness the microbiome to improve human health.

Postpartum Depression Discovery Opens Door to Blood Test to ID Women at Ri

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 4, 2025 – New postpartum depression research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine could lead to a blood test to identify women at risk and possibly even to a preventive treatment.

The research suggests that pregnant women may have characteristic levels of certain molecules in their blood that can warn that they are at risk of developing postpartum depression (PPD). These molecules, called neuroactive steroids, are derived from progesterone, a hormone that plays critical roles in pregnancy and menstruation.

Measuring those molecules via a simple blood test could let doctors get women treatment for PPD sooner – possibly even before symptoms appear, the researchers say. “Studying postpartum depression gives us a way to identify biological changes that occur before someone becomes depressed because the timing of postpartum depression is predictable,” said researcher Jennifer Payne, MD, an expert in reproductive psychiatry at UVA Health and the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

About Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression affects 10% to 15% of new moms. While many new mothers suffer mild, temporary “baby blues,” PPD is a long-term condition that can leave moms with persistent sadness, stifling anxiety, a stubborn sense of hopelessness and the feeling that they can’t bond with their baby. This can take a terrible toll on both mother and child – a toll that can last for years.

“Postpartum is the only time in people’s lifespans when we know there is a biological trigger which guarantees that a certain percentage of people will become ill,” said Weill Cornell’s Lauren Osborne, MD, who co-led the study with Payne. “If we can untangle this biology and find predictors for it, not only will we be helping women, but it may give us a step up in trying to find predictors for other psychiatric illnesses also.”

It’s unclear why some women develop postpartum depression, but the new findings suggest that an imbalance in the body’s metabolism of progesterone may be a factor.

About the Study

To better understand the role of progesterone, the researchers focused on the hormone and on its “metabolic pathway” in the body. The scientists measured levels of neuroactive steroids derived from progesterone in the blood of 136 women during their second and third trimesters. Of these, 33 went on to develop postpartum depression after giving birth.

Two neuroactive steroids seem to affect the risk of developing PPD – pregnanolone and isoallopregnanolone. Pregnanolone acts on a particular cellular receptor to reduce stress. Isoallopregnanolone, on the other hand, acts on the same receptor to increase stress.

In the third trimester, women who went on to develop PPD had a lower pregnanolone/progesterone ratio and a higher isoallopregnanolone/pregnanolone ratio compared with those who did not, the researchers found. Elevated progesterone levels in late pregnancy were also associated with a higher risk of PPD.

Next Steps

The researchers plan to attempt to replicate their results in a larger, more diverse group of women in hopes of developing a clinical test to predict the risk of PPD. Further, they say their work could lead to a preventive treatment – possibly one of two prescription drugs, brexanolone and zuranolone, already available to treat PPD.

“We don’t know if these drugs would work as a preventive measure for people who are at risk of developing postpartum depression, but based on our findings, they have the potential to prevent [its] development,” Osborne said.

UVA Eyes Global Housing to Prevent Spread of Dangerous Diseases Scientists Make Findings from Powerful Computer Model Available Online for Free

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 3, 2025 – Call it an architectural blueprint for a healthier future for people around the globe.

To reduce the spread of dangerous infectious diseases, researchers from across the University of Virginia have created a powerful computer model to map the quality of housing construction in low- and middle-income countries. The types and quality of construction materials – such as whether homes have floors made of bare earth, or whether mosquitoes can enter easily through gaps in thatched roofs or bamboo wallls – play a huge role in how easily contagious diseases spread.

Doctors, scientists, governments and community leaders will be able to use the model predictions free of charge to determine how best to target resources to help people at risk, the UVA researchers say.

“There’s increasing attention on improving housing quality as a global strategy for controlling infectious diseases,” said Josh Colston, PhD, an epidemiologist at the UVA School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health who led the study. “So it’s crucial to know where the hotspots are that are most in need of these interventions.”

How Housing Affects Health

The new model, a project of UVA’s Planetary Child Health & Enterics Observatory (Plan-EO), represents a collaboration among researchers in the Schools of Medicine, Data Science and Engineering as well as the College of Arts & Sciences. Together they have created a impactful tool with far-reaching applications across different fields, from public health to civil engineering.

There are numerous ways in which the materials and techniques used to build a dwelling affect the risk of contracting infections for the family that lives there. This is particularly true in tropical and rural regions of the world, where contagious diseases such as malaria and dengue fever circulate. In Africa, for example, 80% of malaria infections occur indoors. This is in large part because walls and roofs constructed of natural, locally available materials allow many entry points for mosquitoes that spread the deadly disease. In Mexico and Peru, meanwhile, children who live in homes with covered floors are less likely to develop potentially deadly diarrhea spread by parasites and pathogens than those in dwelling with floors of bare earth.

With that in mind, the UVA researchers set out to create a tool to predict housing quality and assess how local infrastructure affects the health risks residents face. To do that, they assembled reams of data about the materials used in housing construction, gleaned from hundreds of nationally representative household surveys carried out during the last 20 years. This included information about households in nearly 300,000 locations across the world’s low- and middle-income countries.

They then classified the construction materials as “improved” or “unimproved,” so they could easily identify areas that would benefit from housing construction improvements.

Based on their model, the scientists determined that coverage of improved roofs and walls was relatively common in the Central and East Asia, Pacific and Latin American and Caribbean areas, while it was much less so in sub-Saharan Africa. Improvements in floors were particularly uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa, suggesting that resources and efforts should be focused on that region.

In general, there is great need for improved housing infrastructure across the Sahel and southern Sahara regions of Africa, much of inland Amazonia and areas of the Tibetan plateau, Plan-EO’s model suggests.

Colston and his colleagues have made their results available for free at www.datadryad.org.

“As an example, imagine that you are public health manager in a country like Ecuador or Colombia, trying to control the spread of Chagas disease, which is transmitted by bloodsucking beetles that hide out in the thatched roofs of rural houses,” said Bin Fang, PhD, a researcher on the team from UVA’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “With these findings now available, you will actually be able to navigate to specific regions of your country using GIS software, see where the pockets of low coverage of improved roofing are located, and target your resources to those areas.”

UVA Receives $9.3 Million to Test Ketamine to Stop Deadly Epilepsy Seizures Major Drug Trial Seeks to Improve Treatment for Status Epilepticus

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 29, 2025 – University of Virginia Brain Institute and School of Medicine researchers have received an initial $9.3 million award from the National Institutes of Health for a $30 million clinical trial to determine if the powerful anesthetic ketamine can save patients from prolonged, life-threatening grand mal seizures that won’t respond to other treatments.

“Status epilepticus,” as the seizures are known, are seizures that last more than five minutes or that strike repeatedly without the person regaining consciousness between seizures. These ceaseless seizures are considered a medical emergency and can require intubation and lead to permanent brain damage or even death.

The seizures are typically treated with anticonvulsants called benzodiazepines. However, many patients – both adults and children – don’t respond to those drugs.

UVA’s new trial, called the Ketamine add-on therapy for the Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial, or KESETT, will evaluate whether adding ketamine to the standard treatment helps improve outcomes for patients suffering status epilepticus.

“We wish to determine whether adding ketamine to existing treatment would terminate status epilepticus in more patients than the current treatment,” said neurologist Jaideep Kapur, MD, PhD, co-director of UVA’s Brain Institute and an epileptologist (epilepsy expert) at UVA Health and the School of Medicine. “Our hope is that this trial can improve treatment guidelines for patients suffering from these dangerous seizures.”

Stopping Status Epilepticus

UVA’s new trial builds on its previous Established Status Epilepticus

Treatment Trial (ESETT), which provided the first definitive answers about how and when three drugs commonly used to treat status epilepticus should be used. Prior to the trial, doctors had little understanding of the drugs’ effectiveness or when each should be deployed. In the end, the researchers determined that the drugs – levetiracetam, fosphenytoin and valproate – were all about equally effective but that they stopped status epilepticus in only about 47% of adult trial participants and 52% of children.

The Brain Institute’s massive new trial seeks to improve those outcomes. The randomized, double-blinded trial will evaluate whether adding 1 mg or 3 mg of ketamine can stop the prolonged seizures in more patients than the existing treatments alone.

In particular, the trial will look at outcomes in children 1 year and older. The researchers expect children ages 1-17 will make up approximately a third of the hundreds of participants they plan to enroll in the trial.

The Potential of Ketamine

The researchers believe ketamine could be beneficial based on recent human studies, extensive drug modeling and other factors, including safety data. While the drug has recently received much attention in the news, emergency physicians have used it safely and effectively as a sedative for decades. It is also a known anti-convulsant.

The trial is expected to take place at approximately 60 sites over the next several years.

“Each year, as many as 160,000 Americans suffer from status epilepticus, and this trial promises to bring new and improved treatment for them,” Kapur said. “The University of Virginia team is grateful for the opportunity to partner with our colleagues at other leading institutions to perform this groundbreaking work.”

Funding for the trial is provided by the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, grant No. UG3NS131532.

Scientists Shocked by Surgery-Sparing Technique’s Long-Lasting Benefits UVA Researchers Developing ‘Pericelle’ to Save Patients From Repeated Vein Surgeries

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 28, 2025 – A nanotechnology-based drug delivery system developed at UVA Health to save patients from repeated surgeries has proved to have unexpectedly long-lasting benefits in lab tests – a promising sign for its potential to help human patients.

The approach would allow surgeons to apply a paste of nanoparticles containing hydrogel on transplanted veins to prevent the formation of harmful blockages inside the veins. These blockages often force heart and dialysis patients to undergo repeated surgeries; some dialysis patients need seemingly endless procedures on both arms and then a leg or around their collarbone so that they can continue to receive their lifesaving treatment.

While UVA’s innovation, dubbed “Pericelle,” produced encouraging results in early testing, there have been questions about how long the benefits this form of drug delivery could last. Would this quick and easy procedure, performed during the initial vein surgery, continue to protect patients months later? That was the hope, but even the UVA scientists were surprised by their latest results: Not only did Pericelle work at three months – when the applied drug supply ran out – but it continued to work at six months and was still working at nine months.

The scientists can’t fully explain the unexpectedly durable benefits. But they are excited about what it suggests for the potential of their technique.

“This is a big deal because the treatment could work much longer than we originally thought, far beyond what people would expect,” said researcher Lian-Wang Guo, PhD, who is developing the technique with UVA’s K. Craig Kent, MD. “It is so exciting that one treatment can prevent the harmful blockages for many months.”

A $5 Billion Healthcare Drain

Kent, a vascular surgeon who also leads UVA Health, is well acquainted with the challenges associated with “revascularization” procedures. These procedures are used to treat cardiovascular disease by restoring needed blood flow – for example, a surgeon might move a vein from the leg to the heart for patients with heart failure.

The procedure is also used to create access points for patients who need dialysis. An artery and vein in the arm, for example, are often grafted together so that a patient’s blood can be removed from the body, cleansed and then returned. These dialysis connection points are called “arteriovenous fistulas,” or AVFs, and management of them in patients with end-stage renal disease is estimated to cost the U.S. healthcare system $5 billion every year.

The problem is that revascularizations often cause the very problem they’re trying to fix: inadequate blood flow. The surgery itself causes a buildup of cells in the blood vessels that chokes off the blood supply.

“Repeated surgeries for vascular access and revascularization are not just a major burden for patients – they represent an urgent, unmet need in medicine,” said Kent, UVA Health’s chief executive officer and UVA’s executive vice president for health affairs. “The strain on patients’ lives and the healthcare system is immense, and innovative solutions like Pericelle offer an opportunity to change this paradigm. We desperately need alternatives that can deliver durable, long-term results.”

Kent, Guo and their collaborator Shaoqin Gong, PhD, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, hope Pericelle could be the answer. Surgeons would apply the hydrogel paste on blood vessels to deliver a drug, rapamycin, that can prevent the growth of invasive cells.

The UVA scientists had hoped that the results of their latest research would defy conventional wisdom and show that the drug would have benefits even after the applied supply ran out in three months. Six months, they thought, would be great; but they were wowed to see it still working in lab rats at nine months.

While much more research will need to be done before the approach could be made available to patients, the scientists are encouraged by their latest milestone and optimistic about what lies ahead. This type of cutting-edge nanotechnology research will be a key pillar of UVA’s Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology, now under construction at Fontaine Research Park in Charlottesville.

“If we can find a way to prevent the need for repeated surgeries, it will have a huge impact on patients’ lives,” said Guo, of the School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery and the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center.

In parallel with their work on Pericelle, Guo and Kent are also developing another surgery-saving approach, called “epiNanopaint,” that would let surgeons “paint” nanoparticles on veins to prevent the veins from becoming clogged in the future.

Unlocking Secrets of the Heart: Simple Scan Could Identify Patients at Risk UVA Develops Noninvasive Imaging Technique to Improve Heart Care

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 23, 2025 – Everyone knows the health risks of carrying too much fat around the waist and hips, but UVA Health scientists have developed a noninvasive way to assess the health risks of unseen fat around the heart.

The researchers, led by Frederick H. Epstein, PhD, of UVA’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, are using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the composition of adipose tissue – fat – that surrounds the heart. Analyzing this tissue could let doctors identify patients at greatest risk for potentially deadly cardiac problems such as coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) and heart failure, and to predict how well those patients may respond to treatments.

Early testing of the technique has produced encouraging signs that the approach could be a powerful tool to improve patient care.

“Using this new MRI technique, we now for the very first time have the ability to know the composition of the fat that accumulates around the heart. This is important because depending on its makeup, the fat which surrounds the heart has the potential to release damaging substances directly into the heart muscle, leading to serious heart problems,” said researcher Amit R. Patel, MD, a cardiologist and imaging expert at UVA Health and the University of Virginia School of Medicine. “With our ongoing research, we hope to show that we can convert the unhealthy fat which surrounds the heart to a more healthy type of fat with either diet and exercise or through the use of medications. We believe that by doing so, we will be able to reduce some of the complications associated with heart disease.”

The Heart of the Matter

Our hearts are naturally surrounded by a layer of fat known as “epicardial adipose tissue.” In healthy people, this fat is protective and vital for heart function. But in some people, particularly people with obesity and risk factors for heart disease such as diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking and a poor diet, this fat can accumulate excessively, become inflamed and undergo harmful changes in its composition.

The UVA researchers would use MRI to assess the amount and composition of the fat. The imaging technology essentially lets them see inside the body without the need for surgery. By analyzing the amounts of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids – fats commonly associated with our diets – in the epicardial adipose tissue, doctors may be able to identify patients who could face heart problems even before symptoms appear. Identifying and correcting this problem has the potential to slow down the progression of heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and around the world.

In creating the new tool, the UVA researchers have had to overcome some major challenges. For example, both the heart and nearby lungs are always in motion – a huge obstacle to getting clear snapshots of the adipose tissue. But by developing innovative imaging approaches, the scientists are now able to get the images they need in the span of a single breath hold.

“The ability to make these measurements in epicardial adipose tissue required the use of advanced computational methods that can extract the unique signature of saturated fatty acids from an overall noisy signal. Jack Echols, a biomedical engineering graduate student in my research lab, did outstanding work to develop these methods,” said Epstein, associate vice president for research at UVA. “We’re excited to partner with cardiologists like Dr. Patel to explore clinical applications of this method and hope that this method ultimately leads to more precise treatments and better outcomes for patients with heart disease.”

The UVA team has already tested the technology in both the lab and in a limited number of human patients. They found that that the fat around the heart in patients who were obese and had suffered heart attacks was comprised of an excessive amount of saturated fatty acids. “That suggests that this new MRI technique could become a useful clinical tool for identifying at-risk patients and predicting their outcomes,” Patel said. “Being able to see the composition of the fat that surrounds the heart will improve our understanding of heart disease and may lead to the development of new treatment strategies in the future.”

SIDS Discovery Could Identify Babies at Risk Research IDs Potential Contributors to Leading Cause of Infant Deaths

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 22, 2025 – New University of Virginia School of Medicine research revealing the fingerprints of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome within blood samples could open the door to simple tests to identify babies at risk.

The findings also represent an important step forward in unraveling the causes of SIDS, an unexplained condition that is the No. 1 killer of babies between a month and a year old.

The UVA researchers analyzed blood serum samples collected from infants who died from SIDS and were able to identify specific biological indicators that were linked to – and potential causes of – the babies’ deaths.

Tests to identify such signs in infants could ultimately help save lives, the researchers say.

“Our study is the largest study to date that has attempted to detect how these small molecules in the blood may serve as biomarkers for SIDS,” said researcher Keith L. Keene, PhD, founding director of UVA’s Center for Health Equity and Precision Public Health and now at East Carolina University. “Our findings support a role for multiple key biological pathways and provide insight into how those biological processes may contribute to increased risk or serve to diagnose SIDS.”

Understanding SIDS

The new research speaks to the potential of “metabolomics,” the analysis of substances called metabolites produced by cells, for better understanding and treating complex diseases, the scientists say.

In their SIDS work, the UVA researchers analyzed blood serum samples collected from 300 babies included in the Chicago Infant Mortality Study and the National Institutes of Health’s NeuroBioBank. The researchers assessed levels of 828 different metabolites in key biological processes such as nerve cell communication, stress response and hormone regulation – processes that could be contributors to SIDS.

After adjusting for factors that could bias the results, such as the infants’ age, sex, and race and ethnicity, the researchers identified 35 predictors of SIDS. These “biomarkers” included ornithine, a substance critical to the body’s ability to dispose of ammonia in urine. The amino acid has already been identified as a potential contributor to SIDS.

Another predictor was a lipid metabolite that is critical for brain and lung health. This metabolite is already considered a potential indicator for the development of fetal heart defects during the first trimester of pregnancy.

“We found differences in specific fats, called sphingomyelins, which are critical for brain and lung development,” said researcher Chad Aldridge, DPT, MS-CR, of the School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology. “Differences in these fats may disrupt these critical processes, placing some infants at risk for SIDS.”

The UVA scientists caution that further research is needed to determine if the metabolites are contributing to SIDS. But the findings lay an important foundation, they say, for unraveling the mysteries of SIDS and developing blood tests that could potentially save new parents from heartbreak.

“The results of this study are very exciting – we are getting closer to explaining the pathways leading to a SIDS death,” said researcher Fern R. Hauck, MD, MS, a family medicine physician at UVA Health, director of the Chicago Infant Mortality Study and a leading expert on SIDS. “Our hope is that this research lays the groundwork to help identify – through simple blood tests – infants who are at higher risk for SIDS and to save these precious lives.”

UVA Research Opens Door to Far More Targeted Antibiotics Advanced Computer Models Identify Way to Battle Antibiotic Resistance

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Jan. 13, 2025 – With antibiotic resistance a growing problem, University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have developed cutting-edge computer models that could give the disease-fighting drugs a laser-like precision to target only specific bacteria in specific parts of the body.

As it stands, antibiotics kill bacteria indiscriminately. Because the drugs are used so widely, increasing numbers of dangerous bugs are growing resistant, threatening one of modern medicine’s most important weapons against disease.

UVA’s new approach, on the other hand, would dramatically limit how often bacteria are exposed to antibiotics, reducing the chance they could become resistant to antibiotics. Further, the approach would represent a significant step forward for precision medicine, allowing doctors to better tailor treatments to individual patients’ needs. Instead of taking an antibiotic that kills bacteria regardless of whether helpful or harmful, patients could be given antibiotics that target specific bacteria causing a specific problem in a specific area of the body.

“Many biomedical challenges are incredibly complex, and computer models are emerging as a powerful tool for tackling such problems,” said researcher Jason Papin, PhD, of UVA’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. “We’re hopeful that these computer models of the molecular networks in bacteria will help us develop new strategies to treat infections.”

More Targeted Antibiotics

UVA’s new approach was made possible by a herculean effort by Papin, PhD student Emma Glass and their collaborators. Working with Andrew Warren, PhD, of UVA’s Biocomplexity Institute, the researchers in Papin’s lab developed sophisticated computer models of every human bacterial pathogen with sufficient genetic information available.

Glass then analyzed all those models and identified shared traits among the bacteria. This analysis yielded the discovery that bacteria in certain parts of the body, such as the stomach, tended to share metabolic properties. Basically, where they live shapes how they function.

“Using our computer models we found that the bacteria living in the stomach had unique properties,” Glass said. “These properties can be used to guide design of targeted antibiotics, which could hopefully one day slow the emergence of resistant infections.”

The shared similarities among the microbes in different locales could be the Achilles’ heel for harmful bacteria in our bodies. With further research, doctors may be able to target specific types of bacteria in specific areas, reducing the need for broad-spectrum antibiotics.

Putting their computer-modeling approach to the test, Papin and his team have already found that they could inhibit the growth of harmful stomach bugs in lab experiments. That’s a promising sign for the future potential of their computer-modeling approach.

“We still have much to do to test these ideas for other bacteria and types of infections,” Papin said. “but this work shows the incredible promise of data science and computer modeling for tackling some of the most important problems in biomedical research.”

Rett Syndrome Discovery Could Lead to Better Treatments Signs of Developmental Disorder Appear in Cells Long Before Symptoms

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 18, 2024 – Scientists investigating the severe developmental disorder known as Rett syndrome have discovered a series of crucial molecular changes that occur long before symptoms appear. The findings could be used to develop better treatments for the devastating, life-shortening condition, the researchers say.

Rett syndrome strikes girls almost exclusively. Children with Rett initially appear healthy and appear to develop normally for the first six to 18 months before beginning to regress and lose previously acquired skills. For example, children who crawl can become unable to do so, and language skills decline. Other symptoms of Rett include difficulty eating, seizures, “floppy” limbs and the repetitive hand movements that are the disease’s hallmark. These symptoms can range from mild to severe. Life expectancy varies, but many people with Rett die by their 40s or 50s.

The new insights into the earliest manifestations of the disease come from Sameer Bajikar, PhD, who recently joined the University of Virginia School of Medicine. While doing his postdoctoral work (at Baylor College of Medicine and UVA), Bajikar and his collaborators began investigating how mutations in a particular gene, MECP2, trigger the development of Rett.

That investigation has revealed a whole “cascade” of molecular changes that fundamentally alter how genes work in brain cells. In particular, the scientists discovered that the cascade causes far-reaching, “circuit-level” problems in the hippocampus, an area of the brain vital for memory and learning. These sweeping changes cause brain cells called neurons to begin malfunctioning, Bajikar and his colleagues determined.

“We artificially triggered the onset of Rett syndrome symptoms in mice to precisely map the sequence of events that occurs when MECP2 is malfunctioning. Our study uncovered a core set of genes that are disrupted very early on before any overt symptoms have presented,” said Bajikar, of UVA’s Department of Cell Biology and Department of Biomedical Engineering. “These genes might be drivers of Rett syndrome symptoms downstream of MECP2 whose expression levels could be important for normal brain function as well.”

Better Treatments for Rett Syndrome

The discovery of these molecular changes – and the specific mechanisms responsible for the changes – sheds much-needed light on the development of Rett syndrome. It also sets the stage for new and better ways to treat the condition. For example, there is great excitement about the potential of gene therapy to restore the MECP2 gene’s function in children with Rett. The challenge, however, is that augmenting the gene’s activity too much would prove toxic to brain cells.

Doctors need ways to monitor the activity of the gene, and Bajikar’s research could ultimately provide that. For example, doctors might be able to monitor biological markers, or “biomarkers,” the scientists have identified that reflect whether the MECP2 gene is functioning at an appropriate level.

While much more research needs to be done before the findings could be translated into treatments, Bajikar is excited about the potential his findings hold.

“We discovered several candidate biomarkers sensitive to MECP2 levels that could be the key to developing safe gene therapies for Rett,” he said. “Our study more broadly demonstrates the importance of cataloging and understanding the earliest biological events that occur during symptom onset in neurodevelopmental disorders.”

Trial Identifies Better Treatment for Brain Tumors

Chemotherapy Pill Plus Radiation Improves Survival for Patients With Grade 2 Gliomas, Study Finds

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 3, 2024 – Adding the chemotherapy pill temozolomide to radiation treatment significantly improves survival for adults with brain tumors known as grade 2 gliomas, a clinical trial led by a top UVA Health cancer expert has found.

The randomized, phase 3 trial followed 172 patients for more than 10 years, comparing outcomes for those who received radiation alone versus those who received radiation plus temozolomide. The median age of the participants was 44, and 54% were male.

“We found that the 10-year survival rate was 70% with the combined treatment with temozolomide chemotherapy and radiation, compared to 47% with radiation alone as the initial approach,” said lead investigator David Schiff, MD, co-director of the UVA Neuro-Oncology Center at UVA Cancer Center. “This discovery is important because until now, we have not had compelling evidence that temozolomide improves overall survival in grade 2 gliomas.”

Treating Grade 2 Gliomas

The trial results are expected to have an immediate effect on how the slow-growing tumors are treated.

Since the results another clinical trial, RTOG, came out in 2014, patients with grade 2 glioma have routinely received radiation plus chemotherapy, Schiff noted. “Some are getting PCV [chemotherapy] because that is what RTOG showed was beneficial. Others are getting radiation plus temozolomide because temozolomide is a lot easier for the oncologist to give and a lot less toxic for patients to take, and it doesn’t involve an intravenous infusion of vincristine,” he said. “But until now, there really was no supporting evidence in grade 2 gliomas that temozolomide was beneficial.”

In addition to the benefits seen in the trial, temozolomide is less toxic than other chemotherapies for grade 2 gliomas.

Schiff presented the results of the trial as a late-breaking abstract at the Society of Neuro-Oncology’s 2024 SNO Annual Meeting in Houston. The trial, by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN), was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute through the National Clinical Trials Network.

About UVA Cancer Center

Finding better ways to treat cancer and improve patient outcomes is a primary mission of UVA Cancer Center, one of only 57 cancer centers designated as “comprehensive” by the National Cancer Institute. The designation honors elite cancer centers with the finest cancer care and research programs in the nation.

UVA Health Tests Focused Ultrasound to Battle Deadly Melanoma Clinical Trial Latest in UVA’s Cutting-Edge Research With Emerging Technology

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 21, 2024 – A research team at UVA Health is testing the ability of focused ultrasound to increase the immune response to immunotherapy in melanoma. UVA’s work with focused ultrasound already has led to life-changing new treatments for Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor and pushed the technology to the forefront of medical research.

UVA’s melanoma trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of focused sound waves for augmenting the benefits of immunotherapy combined with surgical removal of the cancerous tumors. Led by surgical oncologist Lynn Dengel, MD, the researchers hope the sound waves will help kill the cancer cells by changing the tumor “microenvironment” and boosting the body’s immune response.

“Immunotherapy has dramatically improved our success in treating patients with advanced melanoma, but still 20% to 40% of patients do not respond,” said Dengel, an expert in melanoma and breast diseases at UVA Cancer Center. “We know that combining immune therapies improves response rates in our patients, and we seek novel therapies, such as focused ultrasound, as a mechanism of altering the immune response within the tumor.”

“We hope this trial will teach us about the immune changes seen with focused ultrasound and guide future research into this new therapy,” she said.

Targeting Melanoma

Melanoma strikes more than 100,000 Americans every year and is responsible for a majority of skin cancer deaths. It is more likely to grow and spread than other skin cancers, making it a serious health threat.

In the new clinical trial, Dengel and collaborators will enroll 11 study participants who are receiving a cancer immunotherapy drug, PD-1 antibody blockade, as part of their treatment plan. The participants will receive focused ultrasound with Theraclion’s ultrasound-guided EchoPulse device and then receive an injection into their tumor of another immunotherapy drug, Hiltinol, before undergoing surgery to remove the tumor.

The researchers will evaluate the effect of the focused soundwaves, looking at the pattern of ablation (tissue destruction in the tumor) and changes to the tumor’s immune environment.

The trial will help the researchers understand the effect of the potential new combination immune therapy bringing together focused ultrasound, immunotherapy and immune injection directly into the tumor. “This information,” Dengel said, “is vital to exploring the potential of focused ultrasound in advanced melanoma and other solid tumors.”

UVA Health’s Focused Ultrasound Research

UVA Health has been a key pioneer in the development of focused ultrasound as a marvel of 21st century medicine. Early successes by UVA neurosurgeon Jeff Elias, MD, and collaborators in using the approach to steady essential tremor, a common movement disorder, attracted national headlines and ignited worldwide interest in focused ultrasound as a minimally invasive treatment option for a potentially huge array of medical conditions.

Recognizing the potential of focused ultrasound to augment the benefits of immunotherapy, UVA Health in 2022 launched the Focused Ultrasound Cancer Immunotherapy Center, the world’s first center dedicated specifically to combining focused ultrasound and cancer immunotherapy.

UVA’s melanoma trial is being supported by the Charlottesville-based Focused Ultrasound Foundation, a longtime backer of UVA’s efforts and a key advocate for focused ultrasound research around the globe.

For more information on the melanoma clinical trial, IRB No. HSR230477, visit https://uvahealth.com/clinicaltrials/study-seeking-adult-patients-advanced-melanoma-who-are-receiving-immune-therapy-who.

If the approach proves safe and effective in the initial trial, larger trials at multiple locations would need to follow before the federal Food and Drug Administration considers making the approach available to patients.

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog at http://makingofmedicine.virginia.edu.

Weight-Loss Drug Reduces Risk of Death for Patients With Heart Failure, Trial Finds

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 20, 2024 – Weight-loss and diabetes drug tirzepatide can reduce the risk of death or worsening heart failure for patients with heart failure, preserved heart pump function and obesity, new research from UVA Health reveals.

The drug, from pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co., was tested in the SUMMIT clinical trial at 146 sites in the United States and abroad. A total of 731 patients with diastolic heart failure and a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above were randomized to receive injections of either tirzepatide or a harmless placebo. The researchers then followed the patients for a median period of two years.

During that time, 56 placebo recipients died or suffered worsening heart failure, compared with only 36 of those receiving tirzepatide. Further, the tirzepatide recipients were more likely to drop pounds – losing, on average, 11.6% of their body weight.

“This class of drugs continue to show benefits far beyond weight loss,” said researcher Christopher Kramer, MD, chief of UVA Health’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. “This drug will become an important part of the armamentarium for patients with obesity-related heart failure and preserved heart function.”

Obesity and Heart Failure

Diastolic heart failure, also known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, is a condition in which the heart’s left ventricle grows stiff and can no longer pump blood properly. The form of heart failure represents nearly half of all heart failure cases. (Heart disease, in general, is the leading cause of death in the United States – it’s responsible for one in five deaths, killing someone every 33 seconds.)

Obesity is a major contributing factor to heart failure, so Kramer and his collaborators in the SUMMIT trial wanted to see if tirzepatide, a weight-loss drug already approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, could help.

The trial found that tirzepatide offered substantial benefits for managing diastolic heart failure, reducing deaths, preventing hospitalizations and generally benefiting recipients’ health and quality of life. For example, recipients saw improvements in how far they could walk in six minutes, as well as substantial decreases in a biological indictor used to measure inflammation and predict risk of serious cardiovascular events.

Side effects seen in the tirzepatide group consisted of gastrointestinal issues such as nausea and diarrhea, and these were mostly mild or moderate, the researchers reported Saturday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Chicago.

A Closer Look

Kramer, a cardiovascular imager, also led a magnetic resonance imaging substudy looking at how tirzepatide, sold under the brand name Zepbound, affected recipients’ heart structure and function. The researchers found beneficial reductions in both left ventricular mass (weight of the heart) and in the amount of surrounding fat tissue. The reduction in LV mass correlated with the reduction in body weight, as well as with decreases in left ventricular volumes.

“This drug is reversing the abnormal properties of the heart brought on by obesity,” Kramer said. “There is much more to these drugs than weight loss alone.”

The findings from these studies by Kramer and his fellow researchers from SUMMIT are being published simultaneous with the American Heart meeting in Chicago in four separate manuscripts, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Medicine, Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The phase 3 SUMMIT trial was sponsored by Eli Lilly.

New Technique Improves Diagnosis of Deadly Coronary Artery Disease Enhanced Technology Can Outperform Humans, International Study Finds

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 19, 2024 – A new technology which allows doctors to quantify blood flow in the heart can improve their ability to diagnose potentially deadly coronary artery disease (CAD), an international study led by University of Virginia School of Medicine investigators has found.

The technique represents an advance in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) used in conjunction with stress testing to diagnose coronary artery disease, a condition which affects 70% or more of people over 60. CMR stress testing is a noninvasive way for doctors to assess how well the heart is functioning and see if there are dangerous blood-flow blockages.

UVA’s new research suggests that combining CMR with blood-flow data offers a superior way to identify patients with CAD. The new technique outperformed human experts examining images, the researchers found.

“These findings are important because it means that a non-invasive test like CMR can be used to help diagnose CAD even at medical centers that may not have highly experienced physicians available to interpret the test,” said researcher Amit Patel, MD, a cardiologist and imaging expert at UVA Health. “By including these novel blood flow measurements into the interpretation of the CMR test, we will be able to more accurately identify patients most likely to benefit from getting an invasive heart catheterization procedure.”

Diagnosing Coronary Artery Disease

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, killing hundreds of thousands of people each year, and coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease. In most cases of CAD, fatty plaques made of cholesterol and other substances build up in the arteries that deliver blood to the heart. This chokes off blood flow and potentially sets the stage for heart attacks and strokes.

CMR stress testing is a useful way to spot coronary artery disease, but the new research from Patel and colleagues suggests that “quantitative” CMR with blood-flow data is even better. To determine that, they launched a clinical trial at 10 sites around the world, testing quantitative CMR in 127 patients with a mean age of 62.

The researchers wanted to see if quantitative CMR could distinguish between two forms of coronary artery disease, “obstructive” and “nonobstructive.” Obstructive is less common but more likely to require treatment with a coronary artery bypass or heart stent surgery. Nonobstructive CAD is often considered less serious than obstructive because it does usually need to be treated with a surgery, but it can still cause heart attacks and requires treatment with medications.

The researchers found that adding data on blood flow significantly improved CMR’s ability to identify obstructive coronary artery disease. Fifty-six patients, or 44% of the study participants, were found to have obstructive CAD, while 71 had nonobstructive. The enhanced CMR proved more effective at detecting obstructive CAD than both traditional CMR and human physicians reading scans.

“These findings will hopefully help us minimize the number of patients who have to undergo an invasive heart catheterization procedure,” Patel said. “Although this study focused on improving the diagnosis of obstructive coronary artery disease, future studies will be needed to determine how the blood flow measurements will be beneficial for patients with other heart conditions such as heart failure.”

UVA Discovery Explains Kidney Damage Caused by Blood Pressure Drugs Findings Set Stage for Better Ways to Manage High Blood Pressure, Vascular Diseases

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 18, 2024 – University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered how long-term treatment of high blood pressure with commonly prescribed drugs can destroy the kidney’s ability to filter and purify blood. The finding could open the door to better ways to manage high blood pressure and other vascular diseases.

The class of drugs, known as renin–angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, block the effects of the renin enzyme, relaxing blood vessels and allowing blood to flow more easily. They are widely used as first-line medications for hypertension (high blood pressure). But long-term use can take a terrible toll on the kidney, causing scarring and other dramatic physical changes that shift the organ’s focus from blood filtration to producing renin.

No longer able to clean the blood of impurities, the Frankensteined kidney becomes a “pathological neuro-immune endocrine organ,” as the UVA researchers describe it in a new scientific paper, that can cause serious health problems. But they say their discovery sets the stage for identifying ways to protect the kidney and better treat hypertension.

“The most commonly used and believed-to-be safe blood pressure medications may be damaging the kidneys,” said researcher R. Ariel Gomez, MD, of UVA’s Child Health Research Center. “We need to accurately understand the effects of long-term use of RAS inhibitors on the kidneys.”

Managing High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure affects more than 1.3 billion people around the world. The condition forces the heart to work too hard and can cause a host of other serious medical problems, such as stroke, myocardial infarction, kidney damage and vision loss.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) plays a crucial role in regulating blood pressure. Renin is a hormone enzyme that is produced by cells in the kidney which are stimulated when blood pressure drops.

RAS inhibitors are widely and effectively used for managing high blood pressure. They are quite safe when their use is supervised by a physician, but patients are routinely cautioned to contact their doctors if they notice signs of potential kidney damage such as reduced frequency of urination, swelling in the legs or feet or seizures.

The potential effects of chronic inhibition of RAS on the kidney are well known, but experts have been uncertain what causes these harmful changes. UVA’s new discovery offers answers: Excessive stimulation of renin-producing cells in the kidney causes the cells to revert to an invasive, embryonic state. In this state, these cells that line the tiny arteries in the kidney begin to grow too large. They start to secrete renin and substances that trigger other changes: New nerves grow like weeds; immature smooth muscle cells build up; scars form around the tiny blood vessels, called arterioles; and inflammatory cells infiltrate. The end result is “silent but serious” vascular disease, the researchers note in their new paper.

“Our 3D imaging clearly revealed that long-term RAS inhibition leads to hyperinnervation of renal arteries, together with arteriolar hypertrophy and immune inflammatory cell infiltration,” said researcher Manako Yamaguchi, PhD. “This neuro-immune-endocrine cooperation synergistically promotes increased production of renin to maintain blood pressure homeostasis, but, on the other hand, severe arteriolar hypertrophy reduces the blood filtration function of the kidney.”

By understanding what is causing the harmful changes in the kidney, scientists are now positioned to find ways to stop it. That could lead to better ways to treat high blood pressure without unwanted side effects, the researchers hope.

“Our next goal is to elucidate the whole picture of the interactions between renin cells, smooth muscle cells, nerves and inflammatory cells under RAS inhibition,” said researcher Maria Luisa S. Sequeira-Lopez, MD. “These findings may open new avenues for the prevention of adverse effects when treating hypertension.”

Does AI Improve Doctors’ Diagnoses? Study Puts It to the Test

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 13, 2024 – With hospitals already deploying artificial intelligence to improve patient care, a new study has found that using Chat GPT Plus does not significantly improve the accuracy of doctors’ diagnoses when compared with the use of usual resources.

The study, from UVA Health’s Andrew S. Parsons, MD, MPH and colleagues, enlisted 50 physicians in family medicine, internal medicine and emergency medicine to put Chat GPT Plus to the test. Half were randomly assigned to use Chat GPT Plus to diagnose complex cases, while the other half relied on conventional methods such as medical reference sites (for example, UpToDate^©) and Google. The researchers then compared the resulting diagnoses, finding that the accuracy across the two groups was similar.

That said, Chat GPT alone outperformed both groups, suggesting that it still holds promise for improving patient care. Physicians, however, will need more training and experience with the emerging technology to capitalize on its potential, the researchers conclude.

For now, they say, Chat GPT remains best used to augment, rather than replace, human physicians.

“Our study shows that AI alone can be an effective and powerful tool for diagnosis,” said Parsons, who oversees the teaching of clinical skills to medical students at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and co-leads the Clinical Reasoning Research Collaborative. “We were surprised to find that adding a human physician to the mix actually reduced diagnostic accuracy though improved efficiency. These results likely mean that we need formal training in how best to use AI.”

Chat GPT for Disease Diagnosis

Chatbots called “large language models” that produce human-like responses are growing in popularity, and they have shown impressive ability to take patient histories, communicate empathetically and even solve complex medical cases. But, for now, they still require the involvement of a human doctor.

Parsons and his colleagues were eager to determine how the high-tech tool can be used most effectively, so they launched a randomized, controlled trial at three leading-edge hospitals – UVA Health, Stanford and Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

The participating docs made diagnoses for “clinical vignettes” based on real-life patient-care cases. These case studies included details about patients’ histories, physical exams and lab test results. The researchers then scored the results and examined how quickly the two groups made their diagnoses.

The median diagnostic accuracy for the docs using Chat GPT Plus was 76.3%, while the results for the physicians using conventional approaches was 73.7%. The Chat GPT group members reached their diagnoses slightly more quickly overall – 519 seconds compared with 565 seconds.

The researchers were surprised at how well Chat GPT Plus alone performed, with a median diagnostic accuracy of more than 92%. They say this may reflect the prompts used in the study, suggesting that physicians likely will benefit from training on how to use prompts effectively. Alternately, they say, healthcare organizations could purchase predefined prompts to implement in clinical workflow and documentation.

The researchers also caution that Chat GPT Plus likely would fare less well in real life, where many other aspects of clinical reasoning come into play – especially in determining downstream effects of diagnoses and treatment decisions. They’re urging additional studies to assess large language models’ abilities in those areas and are conducting a similar study on management decision-making.

“As AI becomes more embedded in healthcare, it’s essential to understand how we can leverage these tools to improve patient care and the physician experience,” Parsons said. “This study suggests there is much work to be done in terms of optimizing our partnership with AI in the clinical environment.”

Following up on this groundbreaking work, the four study sites have also launched a bi-coastal AI evaluation network called ARiSE (AI Research and Science Evaluation) to further evaluate GenAI outputs in healthcare. Find out more information at the ARiSE website.

Early Treatment for Nerve Tumors Prevents Serious Problems, Study Finds

Patients Without Symptoms Benefit From Noninvasive Radiosurgery

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 12, 2024 – Patients with a small cranial nerve tumor that can cause hearing loss, vertigo, imbalance and ringing in the ears have typically been watched rather than proactively treated, as the risks of early intervention were thought to outweigh the benefits. However, even those patients benefit significantly from non-invasive stereotactic radiosurgery, a multicenter, international study led by UVA Health physicians has found.

Doctors typically treat larger forms of the tumors, called vestibular schwannomas, while taking a “watch and wait” approach to smaller tumors that aren’t causing appreciable problems. But the new research, from UVA Health neurosurgeon Jason Sheehan, MD, PhD, and collaborators, could change how asymptomatic schwannomas are managed. Their findings demonstrated that stereotactic radiosurgery – a highly targeted form of radiation therapy – can prevent small tumors from growing over time while at the same time sparing patients from potentially irreversible problems in the future.

“This study and our recent Vestibular Schwannoma International Study of Active Surveillance versus Stereotactic Radiosurgery [VISAS] trial demonstrate that radiosurgery affords effective and durable tumor control while more often avoiding the neurological complications that come from watching a vestibular schwannoma,” Sheehan said. “Over time, Gamma Knife radiosurgery bends the curve of growth and problems that commonly arise from watching even the smallest of vestibular schwannomas.”

About Vestibular Schwannomas

Vestibular schwannomas are growths on a cranial nerve that connects the brain and inner ear. This nerve transmits information about head movements, helps us control our balance and allows us to hear. The growths, however, can disrupt the nerve’s important functions, causing hearing loss, unsteadiness, headaches, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), facial numbness/paralysis and other problems.

Seeking to improve care for patients with these tumors, Sheehan and his team performed a trial through the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation looking at 261 adults with the smallest category of vestibular schwannomas. These were usually picked up early, and the patients often were high functioning and had the most to lose from tumor growth over time. Of the study participants, 182 received stereotactic radiosurgery, while 79 did not.

The patients who underwent radiosurgery using the Gamma Knife system showed consistently better tumor control over time. In this group, 99% of the patients’ tumors either stayed the same size, grew very little (less than 25%) or shrank. This was true at 3 years, 5 years, and 8 years. Only one patient’s tumor significantly increased in size.

Tumor control was much worse among those who didn’t receive radiosurgery: 37% saw their tumors grow significantly at 3 years, 50% at five years, and 67% at eight years.

That difference was seen plainly in the symptoms the patients experienced. Radiosurgery was associated with a 54% lower rate of tinnitus, a 51% lower rate of cranial nerve deterioration and an 83% lower rate of vestibular dysfunction that causes dizziness and loss of balance.

Even with Gamma Knife radiosurgery to treat the tumor arising from this very delicate neural structure, hearing was preserved similarly in both groups.

Sheehan, an expert in stereotactic radiosurgery and brain tumors, urges physicians to take note of the findings because tumor symptoms are often irreversible as the tumor grows. Acting early, before symptoms develop, could greatly improve patients’ long-term quality of life, he says.

“In brain surgery, particularly involving the hearing and balance nerve, our approach must be exceedingly refined,” he said. “This study shows that Gamma Knife radiosurgery substantially improves the future trajectory of vestibular schwannoma patients.”

Many Moms Fall Asleep While Feeding, Endangering Their Babies, Study Finds

Falling Asleep in Chair or Sofa Ups Risk of Infant Death 49 Times or More

FOR REPORTERS: Dr. Ann Kellams is available for interviews between 10:30 and 11:30 today, while Dr. Fern Hauck is available between 11 and 1 and 3 and 5. To arrange interviews, contact Josh Barney at 434.906.8864 or jdb9a@uvahealth.org. High-resolution portraits are available as well.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Nov. 7, 2024 – More than a quarter of new mothers have fallen asleep recently while feeding their babies, putting the infants at increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine reveals.

More than 80% had not intended to fall asleep, and many had chosen to feed in chairs or on sofas rather than in a bed. Unfortunately, the cushions and confines of those locations can be very unsafe for babies, raising the risk of death by 49 to 67 times.

The researchers, with UVA Health and UVA Health Children’s, are urging care providers to provide additional guidance for new parents on safe feeding practices, such as informing new moms that a hormone naturally released during breastfeeding will make them feel sleepy.

“While falling asleep while feeding young infants is not in itself too surprising, what is very alarming is that the majority of mothers did not plan to fall asleep, so the sleep space was potentially unsafe for the baby while both slept,” said researcher Fern Hauck, MD, MS, a safe-sleep expert at UVA Health and the UVA School of Medicine. “This highlights the need for parents to be educated about the potential risk of falling asleep while feeding and to plan for that possibility by making the space around the baby as safe as possible. That would include removing pillows and blankets to ensure an open airway for the baby.”

Safe Infant Feeding

Hauck and her collaborators, including UVA’s Ann Kellams, MD, and Rachel Moon, MD, analyzed survey results collected from more than 1,250 new mothers as part of the Social Media and Risk-reduction Training (SMART) study conducted at 16 U.S. hospitals in 2015 and 2016. Most respondents completed the survey when their infant was between 2 and 3 months of age.

Among the respondents, more than 28% said they had “usually” or “sometimes” fallen asleep during feeding in the prior two weeks. Of those, a whopping 83.4% said falling asleep was unplanned.

Women who fed in bed were more likely to fall asleep (33.6%) than those who fed on a chair or couch (16.8%). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends mothers at risk of falling asleep while breastfeeding should do so in an adult bed rather than a chair or couch.

Many of the women who fell asleep on chairs or sofas said they chose those locations specifically to avoid falling asleep, to avoid locations (such as a bed) they had been told were unsafe or to avoid disturbing someone else. (The AAP warns moms against sharing a bed or other sleep space with an infant because of the risk the parent might accidentally roll over and smother the child, or that the child could become tangled in bedding. But the group also says that beds are safer than chairs and sofas if falling asleep while feeding is a possibility.)

“We need to meet families where they are and come up with a nighttime plan for sleeping and feeding their baby that works for them and is as safe as possible,” said Kellams, a pediatrician and breastfeeding and lactation medicine specialist at UVA Health Children’s. “Our data suggest that too many of these falling asleep incidents are not planned, so discussions about how to plan for feeding your baby when you are very tired are important.”

The researchers note that providing parents with information about safe sleep and feeding has been shown to reduce risk of unexpected death significantly. But this educational outreach needs to be expanded, they say. Care providers should acknowledge that moms face a very real risk of falling asleep while feeding, even if they are trying not to, and provide practical advice on how to reduce that risk. Further, the researchers are urging additional studies to find ways to assist parents in both safe-sleep practices and breastfeeding.

“We hope that parents of young infants will think proactively about what might happen in the middle of the night,” said Moon, a pediatrician and safe-sleep expert at UVA Health Children’s. “Feeding your baby in your bed is safer than feeding on a couch or armchair if you might fall asleep.”

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THE NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF ADDICTION SERVICES AND SUPPORTS ANNOUNCES OPENING OF NEW INTEGRATED OUTPATIENT AND OPIOID TREATMENT PROGRAM IN WATERTOWN

NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE ADVISE NEW YORKERS TO BEAT THE HEAT

NEW YORK STATE ANNOUNCES SUICIDE PREVENTION PROGRAM TO SERVE AT-RISK YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS ON STATEN ISLAND

New York State Announces $2.7 Million Available to Develop New Flexible Assertive Community Treatment Teams

Evidence-Based Program to Provide Services to Difficult-to-Engage New Yorkers Living with Serious Mental Illness Throughout Their Recovery

Home Care Nurses Help Vulnerable Communities Make It Through Latest Heat Wave

CONSUMER ALERT: As High Temperatures Continue, the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection Reminds New Yorkers to Never Leave Children and Pets in Hot Cars

CONSUMER ALERT: NYS DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION OFFERS TIPS TO AVOID COSTLY MISTAKES WITH GYM MEMBERSHIPS

FORWARDING: NYC EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE URGE NEW YORKERS TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AND PREPARE FOR POOR AIR QUALITY

NYS Office of Mental Health and Mental Health Association of New York State Partner to Launch Free Youth Mental Health First Aid Training

Trainings designed to teach adults how to help young people in crisis — Additional funding will provide training for teens to support their friends and learn how to cope with crises

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC) Organizes Blood Drive to Save Lives

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES EXPANDS PILOT PROGRAM TO HELP PARENTS BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR RIGHTS WHEN THERE IS A CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATION

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES LAUNCHES NEW PROVIDER AGENCY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR CONTRACTED PROVIDER STAFF PURSUING A MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK (MSW) DEGREE

AIR QUALITY HEALTH ADVISORY ISSUED FOR LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK CITY METRO, LOWER HUDSON VALLEY, UPPER HUDSON VALLEY, EASTERN LAKE ONTARIO, CENTRAL NEW YORK AND WESTERN NEW YORK In Effect for Thursday, June 8, 2023

Important story for American Heart Month: Four Bronx-Based Rehabilitation Facilities Now Provide Remote Cardiac Rehab For Patients Returning Home

Recent Report Show Increase in Deaths of People Experiencing Homelessness, Nearly Half Due to Overdose

Help Reverse the 340B Carve-Out!

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MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES CITY HEALTH DEPARTMENT PRECAUTIONS AFTER BIRDS TEST POSITIVE FOR BIRD FLU

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF HEALTH DEPARTMENT REPORT ON IMPACTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

NEW YORK CITY ANNOUNCES THE ABCs OF HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Doctors on Tripledemic Available for Interviews in English, Spanish, Chinese

CONSUMER ALERT: NYS DIVISION OF CONSUMER PROTECTION WARNS NEW YORKERS ABOUT DANGERS OF CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING, FIRE HAZARDS AND STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES IN THE UPCOMING WINTER WEATHER

COVID-19 Discovery Could Spur Treatments for Chronic Lung Problems

UVA Health Contenders Advance in Contest to ID 2024’s Biggest Scientific Discoverysts

School Absences Could Help ID Children With Chronic GI Disorders, Research Suggests

3 UVA Health Discoveries Up for 2024’s Biggest Scientific Advance

Cold Sore Discovery IDs Unknown Trigger for Those Annoying Flare-ups

Young Women Suffering Menopause Symptoms in Silence, Study Reveals

Hair-Loss Researchers Discover Potential Key to Reversing Baldness

Ovarian Cancer Discovery Could Turn Failed Treatment Into Lifesave

Postpartum Depression Discovery Opens Door to Blood Test to ID Women at Ri

UVA Eyes Global Housing to Prevent Spread of Dangerous Diseases Scientists Make Findings from Powerful Computer Model Available Online for Free

UVA Receives $9.3 Million to Test Ketamine to Stop Deadly Epilepsy Seizures Major Drug Trial Seeks to Improve Treatment for Status Epilepticus

Scientists Shocked by Surgery-Sparing Technique’s Long-Lasting Benefits UVA Researchers Developing ‘Pericelle’ to Save Patients From Repeated Vein Surgeries

Unlocking Secrets of the Heart: Simple Scan Could Identify Patients at Risk UVA Develops Noninvasive Imaging Technique to Improve Heart Care

SIDS Discovery Could Identify Babies at Risk Research IDs Potential Contributors to Leading Cause of Infant Deaths

UVA Research Opens Door to Far More Targeted Antibiotics Advanced Computer Models Identify Way to Battle Antibiotic Resistance

Rett Syndrome Discovery Could Lead to Better Treatments Signs of Developmental Disorder Appear in Cells Long Before Symptoms

Trial Identifies Better Treatment for Brain Tumors

UVA Health Tests Focused Ultrasound to Battle Deadly Melanoma Clinical Trial Latest in UVA’s Cutting-Edge Research With Emerging Technology

Weight-Loss Drug Reduces Risk of Death for Patients With Heart Failure, Trial Finds

New Technique Improves Diagnosis of Deadly Coronary Artery Disease Enhanced Technology Can Outperform Humans, International Study Finds

UVA Discovery Explains Kidney Damage Caused by Blood Pressure Drugs Findings Set Stage for Better Ways to Manage High Blood Pressure, Vascular Diseases

Does AI Improve Doctors’ Diagnoses? Study Puts It to the Test

Early Treatment for Nerve Tumors Prevents Serious Problems, Study Finds

Many Moms Fall Asleep While Feeding, Endangering Their Babies, Study Finds