Philadelphia Healthcare Trust logo

The Philadelphia Health Care Trust is a proud sponsor of the WHYY Health+Science Desk

 


Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation logo

WHYY's Behavioral Health news reporting is supported by a grant from:
The Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation

 


Advisory Committee



Give us your feedback

Tell us what you think of our new WHYY Health + Science website, and submit local stories you think we should cover below:


Name:


Email:


Comments:


 


Health and Science banner

Goals for a healthier America

By Taunya English - November 6th, 2009

Every ten years the United States sets a new agenda to improve health across the country. Officials are presenting the latest draft plan called Healthy People 2020 in Philadelphia on Saturday at the Jefferson School of Population Health.

  • Special Coverage:

    A bike commuter's survival guide»

    From WHYY's Susan Phillips, Peter Crimmins, Kerry Grens, Shai Ben-Yaacov and Elizabeth Fiedler, here are five helpful tips on how to bike to work safely.

  • Special Coverage:

    Digest This: Free or cheap health care»

    Growing numbers of people are finding themselves without health insurance — but that doesn't mean they are out of options.

    Discounted insurance, free medicine, and sliding-scale pricetags: they're out there, and our next guests on Digest This can help you find them.

  • Special Coverage:

    Minds on the Edge main»

    On Oct. 15, about 35 behavioral health professionals gathered in WHYY's Civic Space to dig more deeply into the issues raised at the June 18th premiere of the Fred Friendly seminar "Minds on the Edge: Facing Mental Illness". Participate in the discussion »

  • Special Coverage:

    Novel H1N1 flu (swine flu) main»

    WHYY has the latest on the global spread of swine flu and its impact on the Delaware Valley. Get the latest updates.



Who's losing drug jobs

By Kerry Grens - November 6th, 2009

Pharmaceutical companies in the region are shedding unprecedented numbers of employees.


AARP endorses House health bill

By Kerry Grens - November 5th, 2009

The 40-million member group AARP today endorsed the health care overhaul proposal in the US House. This is the first time the group has given a thumbs up to a congressional effort to significantly change health insurance.


Nurses say Temple’s offer includes a "gag clause"

By Taunya English - November 5th, 2009

Nurses in a labor standoff with the Temple Health System say the hospital is trying to stifle their free-speech rights and their ability to advocate for patients.


Is Philadelphia a healthy place to live?

By Taunya English - November 5th, 2009

A University of Pennsylvania exhibit combines the photographs and words of city residents to help answer the question: Is Philadelphia a healthy place to live?


Health aides can't get to patients

By Kerry Grens - November 3rd, 2009

Commuters were stranded this morning at mass transit stops in Philadelphia.


Peers help with addiction recovery

By Taunya English - November 3rd, 2009

The federal government is holding up Philadelphia as a model in how to treat drug an alcohol addicts. Grants are being offered to other cities to duplicate the city's approach.


Few Delaware students get H1N1 vaccine on day one

By Mark Eichmann - November 3rd, 2009

Just 23% of students at schools offering the H1N1 vaccine actually got it on the first day of inoculations.


Counties join the PA Health Insurance Purchasing Co-op

By Taunya English - November 3rd, 2009

Adams and Juniata move from a traditional health plan to a co-op.


Discussing what keeps immigrants from care

By Taunya English - November 3rd, 2009

Doctors, health workers and public officials gathered at the University of Pennsylvania for a city-wide conversation on the health of Philadelphia's immigrants Friday.


Vaccine scarcity worries pregnant women

By Taunya English - November 3rd, 2009

Compared with other patients, pregnant women are more likely to suffer serious complications if they get the swine flu. Doctors are counseling pregnant women to protect themselves by getting the H1N1 flu shot, but vaccine supplies have not kept pace with the demand. Some pregnant women say they are frustrated they can not follow doctors orders.


Ares I launch a success!

By Dave Heller - November 2nd, 2009

After a couple of weather delays Ares I launched on Wednesday successfully. Also, it's finally time to push the clocks back an hour and grab an extra hour of sleep, but what's behind this change in daylight?


Delaware students start getting H1N1 vaccine

By Mark Eichmann - November 2nd, 2009

Elementary school students in Delaware are starting to get vaccinated against H1N1.


Protesters push Chamber for public option

By Elizabeth Fiedler - November 2nd, 2009

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce meeting in Philadelphia on Friday served as a lightning rod for health care reform and other activists.


Could health reform relieve "job lock"?

By Kerry Grens - November 2nd, 2009

Changing jobs means changing — or losing — health insurance. Surveys have found a majority of workers consider health insurance a major reason to stay put in their position. But small business advocates say the risk of disruption in health coverage has been stifling entrepreneurship.


Building A Better Lightbulb

Fri, 06 Nov 2009

The U.S. Department of Energy is offering $10 million to the first individual or company to develop an energy-efficient LED replacement for the standard 60-watt incandescent bulb. DOE lighting program manager James Brodrick discusses the L Prize, and what makes a better bulb.


Can Oceans Survive The Human Appetite For Seafood?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009

Faced with declining fish stocks, many nations are looking for sustainable ways to have their fish — and eat it too. But how much fishing is too much? Oceanographer Sylvia Earle discusses this and other topics in her book The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One.


Students Build Living Microbial Machines

Fri, 06 Nov 2009

At the 2009 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, undergraduates from all over the world unveiled the living machines they'd created with snippets of DNA, from bacteria that change color when they detect pollutants to ones that secrete non-toxic superglue.


Step Right Up And Get Your Genome Here

Fri, 06 Nov 2009

The cost of decoding a human's genes has fallen to just a few thousand dollars, making the long-promised era of personal genomes feasible.


Babies May Pick Up Language Cues In Womb

Fri, 06 Nov 2009

A new study reveals that the melody of a newborn's cries seems to be influenced by the sound of the parents' native tongue. The findings suggest that crying infants may be imitating the patterns of the language they heard before they were born.


Rare Disease Treated Using Gene Therapy

Thu, 05 Nov 2009

French scientists report that two boys treated with gene therapy for a rare but fatal genetic disease have shown improvements. These results mark a high point for the field of gene therapy. Shown here, the area of the brain that was treated.


A Trip To Sumatra To Hear a Gibbon's Call

Wed, 04 Nov 2009

The Gibbon, a smaller member of the primate family, is well-known for its long arms and hands. Its speed makes it difficult to see, but its distinctive call is easy to identify. A trip to the rainforests of Indonesia by plane from New York, followed by a crumbling 30-year-old propeller plane, and by foot finally yielded a call from the elusive gibbon.



spacer image