Pennsylvania Department of Health

DISABILITY COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT KEY TO SOLVING HEALTH DISPARITIES

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, September 12, 2023
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HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, and the entire disability community. Solving the health disparities faced by people with disabilities starts with their involvement in policy making and healthcare decisions, according to a new report from the COVID-19 Health Disparities Task Force facilitated by The Arc of Pennsylvania.

Key Points: 
  • Solving the health disparities faced by people with disabilities starts with their involvement in policy making and healthcare decisions, according to a new report from the COVID-19 Health Disparities Task Force facilitated by The Arc of Pennsylvania.
  • The report notes that the health decisions for people with disabilities are made without their insight and involvement, despite the community being among the country's largest groups experiencing health disparities.
  • Without their insights, health disparities will continue to plague the disability community."
  • The Task Force's latest report, " Recommendations for Addressing COVID-19 Health Disparities Among the Disability Community ," concludes a multi-year effort funded with a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health through the CDC's National Initiative to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities Among Populations at High-Risk and Underserved.

Independence Blue Cross and The Colorectal Cancer Alliance Launch 45+ Reasons Campaign to Support Colorectal Cancer Prevention

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
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PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Independence Blue Cross (Independence) and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (the Alliance) announced the launch of 45+ Reasons, a campaign to get more than 5,000 Black Philadelphians ages 45-75 screened for colorectal cancer to reduce the significantly higher incidence and mortality rates of Black Americans. The campaign supports the Cycles of Impact initiative launched by Independence and the Alliance in 2022.

Key Points: 
  • To ensure that the colorectal cancer prevention and screening messages reach those most at risk, the Alliance is launching a compelling new awareness campaign called 45+ Reasons.
  • The community engagement, social media, and advertising campaign aims to instill much-needed trust in the healthcare system with fact-based support for colorectal cancer as a preventable cancer.
  • One way we are addressing this is through this partnership with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to reduce gaps in colorectal cancer screening rates among Black Philadelphians, who are disproportionately impacted by colorectal cancer."
  • "As the largest nonprofit organization solely committed to ending colorectal cancer, the Alliance is uniquely positioned to lead this bold health intervention," said Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

Closure of Pittsburgh Coal-Processing Plant Tied to Local Health Gains

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 1, 2023
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These in turn were linked to near-instant decreases in local heart-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases, a new study shows.

Key Points: 
  • These in turn were linked to near-instant decreases in local heart-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases, a new study shows.
  • The impact of the closure persisted through at least December 2018, the last month for which data were analyzed.
  • Before closing under community pressure, the plant had incurred millions of dollars in government fines for air and water pollution.
  • Analyses of state health records showed that average weekly visits to the local emergency departments for heart-related problems decreased by 42% immediately after the shutdown.

Commonwealth Strategic Partners Welcomes Former Feeding Pennsylvania CEO to Lead Pennsylvania Operation

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
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HARRISBURG, Pa., April 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Commonwealth Strategic Partners (CSP) welcomes Jane Clements, former nonprofit CEO, as their new the Vice President, State Government Affairs of the firm’s Harrisburg, PA, operations.

Key Points: 
  • HARRISBURG, Pa., April 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Commonwealth Strategic Partners (CSP) welcomes Jane Clements, former nonprofit CEO, as their new the Vice President, State Government Affairs of the firm’s Harrisburg, PA, operations.
  • Under her leadership, the association was awarded the contract for the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
  • Feeding Pennsylvania has retained CSP to represent them in Harrisburg for state advocacy efforts and in Washington, D.C., for reauthorization of the Farm Bill.
  • Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Jane graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a bachelor’s degree in English.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Again Selects Hughes for Managed Network Services Contract

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, December 6, 2022
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GERMANTOWN, Md., Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks for more than 50 years, today announced that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania again selected Hughes as a provider of managed network services under the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Last User Connectivity contract. After an initial four years, the renewed agreement enables Hughes to offer statewide agencies its HughesON™ portfolio of end-to-end solutions, including managed broadband, SD-WAN, and VoIP.

Key Points: 
  • GERMANTOWN, Md., Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks for more than 50 years, today announced that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania again selected Hughes as a provider of managed network services under the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Last User Connectivity contract.
  • Pennsylvania State Police, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, among other Commonwealth agencies, depend on managed services from Hughes through the Last User Connectivity Contract.
  • Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in satellite and multi-transport technologies and networks for 50 years, provides broadband equipment and services; managed services featuring smart, software-defined networking; and end-to-end network operation for millions of consumers, businesses, governments and communities worldwide.
  • A managed network services provider, Hughes supports nearly 500,000 enterprise sites with its HughesON portfolio of wired and wireless solutions.

PA Options for Wellness' Medical Marijuana Presence Grows to Six 'Vytal Options' Dispensary Locations in Pennsylvania

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 10, 2022
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HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PA Options for Wellness ("PA Options for Wellness", DBA "Vytal Options" or the "Company"), a leading provider of medical cannabis products in the Pennsylvania medical cannabis market, announced today the opening of two new medical marijuana dispensaries, bringing their retail footprint to a total of six locations throughout Pennsylvania.

Key Points: 
  • HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PA Options for Wellness ("PA Options for Wellness", DBA "Vytal Options" or the "Company"), a leading provider of medical cannabis products in the Pennsylvania medical cannabis market, announced today the opening of two new medical marijuana dispensaries, bringing their retail footprint to a total of six locations throughout Pennsylvania.
  • "We were one of the first three medical marijuana Clinical Registrants approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to conduct research.
  • Vytal Options dispensaries will also offer top products from other highly requested brands in the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana marketplace.
  • PA Options for Wellness will bring top-quality, innovative products to the medical market, meeting the demand of our patients while adhering to strict ethical standards.

PA Options for Wellness' Medical Retail Presence Grows to Six 'Vytal Options' Dispensary Locations in Pennsylvania

Retrieved on: 
Sunday, September 4, 2022
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HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PA Options for Wellness ("PA Options for Wellness", DBA "Vytal Options" or the "Company"), a leading provider of consumer products in the Pennsylvania medical cannabis market, announced today the opening of two new medical marijuana dispensaries, bringing their retail footprint to a total of six locations throughout Pennsylvania.

Key Points: 
  • HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 04, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PA Options for Wellness ("PA Options for Wellness", DBA "Vytal Options" or the "Company"), a leading provider of consumer products in the Pennsylvania medical cannabis market, announced today the opening of two new medical marijuana dispensaries, bringing their retail footprint to a total of six locations throughout Pennsylvania.
  • "We were one of the first three medical marijuana Clinical Registrants approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Health to conduct research.
  • In addition to PA Options for Wellness' newest dispensary locations, the Company currently serves patients inthe following areas: Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lansdale, and the Lehigh Valley.
  • PA Options for Wellness will bring top-quality, innovative products to the medical market, meeting the demand of our patients while adhering to strict ethical standards.

DISABILITY COMMUNITY SUFFERED DISPROPORTIONATELY DURING COVID-19

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
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HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As difficult as the COVID-19 health-care crisis has been on everyone, the impact of this pandemic has been staggering on individuals with disabilities and their families, especially those living in rural areas and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, according to a new report from The Arc of Pennsylvania.

Key Points: 
  • That didn't happen here," said Sherri Landis, Executive Director of The Arc of Pennsylvania, the state's leading advocacy organization promoting the human rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Having now identified issues that the disability community faced, the workgroups will turn their attention to crafting recommendations for the department to address health disparities.
  • Among the biggest issues that participants reported:
    Barriers to accessible information (braille, plain language, multicultural information, etc.).
  • Participants included people with lived experience of a disability, caretakers, and family members of those with a disability, and professionals in support fields.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA ACCESS AND PATIENT SAFETY, INC. ISSUES STATEMENT ON PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S WITHDRAWAL OF ITS APPEAL TO RECALL CERTAIN VAPORIZED MEDICAL MARIJUANA PRODUCTS

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 22, 2022
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HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Marijuana Access and Patient Safety, Inc. issued the following statement on the Pennsylvania Department of Health's withdrawal of its appeal to recall certain vaporized medical marijuana products:

Key Points: 
  • HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Marijuana Access and Patient Safety, Inc. issued the following statement on the Pennsylvania Department of Health's withdrawal of its appeal to recall certain vaporized medical marijuana products:
    On August 17, 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Health ("DOH") voluntarily withdrew its appeal of the preliminary injunction granted to Medical Marijuana Access and Patient Safety, Inc.'s ("MMAPS") to recall certain vaporized medical marijuana products (the "June 2 Order").
  • All products impacted by the June 2 Order can continue to be produced and sold through licensed dispensaries across the Commonwealth.
  • The ruling follows an order granting MMAPS's application to Vacate Automatic Supersedeas (the "June 15 Order"), which reinstated the Court's June 2, 2022 preliminary injunction against the DOH's recall.
  • In light of these facts, MMAPS believes the DOH should drop the remaining litigation to prevent further confusion and increased costs for patients.

SpIntellx and iCura Diagnostics Partner to Expand Access to Advanced Spatial Analytics and Explainable AI Products for Pathology and Oncology Research

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, August 18, 2022
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PITTSBURGH and MALVERN, Pa., Aug. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- SpIntellx, Inc., a leader in spatially intelligent biology and iCura Diagnostics, a leading contract research organization focused on capitalizing multiomic data to accelerate end-to-end clinical workflow solutions and biomarker discovery, have announced a partnership to transform precision oncology through unlocking the power of genomic, proteomics, and transcriptomic data using advanced spatial analytics.

Key Points: 
  • This new partnership combines SpIntellx's software as a service (SaaS) based solutions for precision pathology applications harnessing unbiased spatial analytics and explainable AI with iCura Diagnostics' expertise as a technical CRO propelling the pace of immunotherapy and targeted therapy development.
  • Through this strategic alliance, iCura Diagnostics and SpIntellx will deliver advanced spatial analytics and explainable AI-powered decisions at scale across the drug development continuum driving integration of multimodal data, optimizing clinical workflow, accelerating biomarker discovery, and empowering personalized care.
  • Their novel approaches include unlocking key spatial interactions through the discovery of microdomains in the TME which contribute to disease progression and proliferation.
  • Our combined expertise in multiplexing (or multiplex spatial imaging), explainable AI and unbiased spatial analytics will radically transform spatial biology and generate hitherto unprecedented spatial insights to radically improve our approach to immunotherapy in the future."