SEATTLE — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared a public health emergency for Washington after dozens of communities across the western side of the state were pummeled by flooding.

The declaration, issued Christmas Eve, is meant to address ensuing health impacts caused by the flooding, back-to-...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — One Treasure Valley doctor is putting off his retirement and doing something “profound” with his last year in the emergency room.

Stuart Clive, who was a longtime St. Luke’s Medical Center emergency room physician, is donating an entire year’s salary in an effort to cure blindness for thousands of people.

Clive works ...Read more

BOSTON — An out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in the region earlier this month has been diagnosed with measles, according to health officials who are warning the public of possible exposures in multiple locations.

The visitor arrived at Boston Logan airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m...Read more

The Centers for Disease Control has issued a warning about consuming raw oysters, citing an ongoing salmonella outbreak.

In total, 64 people have reported getting sick with 20 hospitalizations across 22 states, the CDC said.

Pennsylvania and New York both have the most cases with 17 total.

“The true number of sick people in this outbreak is...Read more

WASHINGTON — States are expecting clarity within days for a key feature of Republicans’ signature budget reconciliation law — a $50 billion rural health care fund that has an end-of-year deadline for the administration to announce its plans.

The wide-ranging law reduces health spending by about $1 trillion over a decade, primarily from ...Read more

Raising a child with special needs presents unique and long-term financial planning considerations.

Parents need to focus on ensuring their child has the care, resources and support they require — today, and, quite often, well into adulthood and their own retirement.

This level of planning often involves complex financial decisions and, in ...Read more

Q: What’s the difference between expiration dates and “best by” or “sell by” dates?

A: The terms expiration date, “best by,” and “sell by” are often confused, but they do have different meanings and purposes.

Expiration: This is the last date the manufacturer recommends using the product for safety reasons.

Best By/Best ...Read more

Colorful, nutritious winter vegetables — crops that thrive in the cooler months or are harvested in the fall and maintain their flavor and health benefits throughout the winter — play an important role in the eating-seasonally movement. This lifestyle trend, which promotes packing your plate with food grown naturally at that time of year in ...Read more

Here’s how to prevent and treat dry skin during the cold-weather months.

Use a humidifier to pump moisture into dry indoor air. Set it to around 60%, a level that should be sufficient to replenish moisture in the skin.

Limit yourself to one 5- to 10-minute bath or shower daily. Bathing for too long will strip away some of the skin’s ...Read more

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: A friend from my book club recently had a stroke. I learned that women have a higher risk of strokes. What are the risk factors, and are there signs to watch for that indicate someone is having a stroke?

ANSWER: A stroke can happen at any time and to anyone. You might be talking to your loved one and notice they’re suddenly ...Read more

As immigrants in southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi braced for this month’s U.S. Homeland Security operation, Cristiane Rosales-Fajardo received a panicked phone call from a friend.

The friend’s Guatemalan tenant, who didn’t know she was pregnant, had just delivered a premature baby in the New Orleans house. The parents lacked legal ...Read more

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic researchers have developed a smartwatch-based alert system that signals parents at the earliest signs of a tantrum in children with emotional and behavioral disorders — prompting them to intervene before it intensifies.

In a new study published in JAMA Network Open, these alerts helped parents intervene ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Nansi Armstrong is living in America's painful health insurance purgatory: earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to cover premiums set to double next year.

The 48-year-old mother works multiple jobs, including a full-time gig as an office manager for a Harrisburg law firm that comes without benefits.

At $650 ...Read more

BOSTON — Boston is seeing a early surge in flu cases this year, city and health officials warned, with sharp upticks in cases and hospitalizations and even higher increases for children and teens as winter sets in.

“Flu cases are on the rise in Boston, and we are urging residents to protect themselves and their loved ones from respiratory ...Read more

BALTIMORE — Eat, drink and enjoy the outdoors and family gatherings — in moderation, say those who see an increase in heart emergencies during the holiday season.

Cardiac emergencies spike 30% on Christmas Eve, according to American Medical Response, which provides emergency medical services in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., region.

�...Read more

ORANGE, Calif. — Carmen Basu, bundled in a red jacket and woolly scarf, stood outside the headquarters of her local health plan one morning after picking up free groceries. She had brought her husband, teenage son, and 79-year-old mother-in-law to help.

They grabbed canned food, fruit and vegetables, and a grocery store gift card. And then ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At first glance, it sounds like a problem that shouldn’t exist.

Since Congress allowed enhanced federal health insurance subsidies to expire, you might expect only people who receive those subsidies to be hurt. After all, Californians who don’t receive federal premium subsidies already pay full price for their ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO — Fueled by a new viral strain, flu is hitting California early — and doctors are warning they expect the season may be particularly tough on young children.

Concentrations of flu detected in wastewater have surged in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the test positivity rate is rising in Los Angeles County and Orange County, ...Read more

MIAMI — A South Florida man who owned a chain of medical equipment companies and an associate were found guilty on Monday of committing healthcare fraud by paying bribes to generate patients so they could bill $34 million to the federal Medicare program for unnecessary services.

Michael Kochen, 42, of Aventura, and Sandro Herek, 55, of Coral ...Read more

If you are pregnant or a new mother who is struggling with depression or anxiety, you can call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, 24/7: 833-TLC-MAMA (833-852-6262). Postpartum Support International can help connect you with a local mental health provider at 800-944-4773 or psidirectory.com.

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Before giving birth to her ...Read more