Brentwood, NY
Schools
Long Island School District Announces Partnership With Free Text Therapy Program Long Island School District Announces Partnership With Free Text Therapy Program
Long Island School District Announces Partnership With Free Text Therapy Program At a time when mental illness among adolescents is becoming concerningly common, one school district on Long Island is hoping to be able to make a difference with its students. Half Hollow Hills Central School District, located in Dix Hills, announced on Monday, Jan. 22 that it was partnering with the app Counslr to provide free therapy sessions to its high schoolers. A text-based, 24/7 counseling service, Counslr was founded in 2019 on Long Island with a mission to make mental healthcare more accessible to those who need it most, aiming to eliminate hurdles such as cost and stigma. Th…

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by Sophie Grieser
Brentwood, NY
News
Uptick In Whooping Cough Cases Reported On Long Island Uptick In Whooping Cough Cases Reported On Long Island
Uptick In Whooping Cough Cases Reported On Long Island Health officials are seeing an increase in whooping cough cases on Long Island. The Suffolk County Health Department said most of the 108 currently reported cases of pertussis, as it’s formally known, are school-aged children and their parents. Most of those who have contracted the infection are vaccinated and experienced milder symptoms. The county is unaware of any hospitalizations due to this pertussis outbreak. "With so many respiratory illnesses currently circulating, some for which there are no treatment, we wanted to make sure that parents know that pertussis, also called whooping …

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by Michael Mashburn
New Haven, CT
News
COVID-19: US Sees Surge In Hospitalizations, Deaths; Take These Steps, CDC Director Says COVID-19: US Sees Surge In Hospitalizations, Deaths; Take These Steps, CDC Director Says
Covid-19: US Sees Surge In Hospitalizations, Deaths; Take These Steps, CDC Director Says COVID-19 is on the rise just in time for the height of the holiday season. "COVID is starting to increase again after being stable for the last few weeks," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Mandy Cohen said this week.  Nationwide, in the latest data for the week ending Saturday, Dec. 2, there was a 17.6 percent rise in COVID hospitalizations (a total of 22,513) and 25 percent increase in deaths. COVID accounted for three percent of deaths in America from Sunday, Nov. 26 to the end of last week. In addition, the test positivity rate went up around one percent. …

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by Joe Lombardi
Albany, NY
News
NY Will Begin Screening Newborns For Congenital Cytomegalovirus, Becoming Second State To Do So NY Will Begin Screening Newborns For Congenital Cytomegalovirus, Becoming Second State To Do So
NY Will Begin Screening Newborns For Congenital Cytomegalovirus, Becoming Second State To Do So New York is adding a common congenital virus to its list of screenings for newborn babies. Beginning Monday, Oct. 2, all babies will be screened for Congenital Cytomegalovirus, making the Empire State the second in the nation to screen for the virus, according to the New York Health Department. Minnesota began such screenings in February 2023. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common viral infection in newborns and most people infected show no symptoms.  However, about 10 percent of infants born with the virus will have health problems at birth, including rash, jaundice, low birth we…

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by Michael Mashburn
White Plains, NY
News
COVID-19: Here's How To Order Free At-Home Tests Through Mail Now COVID-19: Here's How To Order Free At-Home Tests Through Mail Now
Covid-19: Here's How To Order Free At-Home Tests Through Mail Now The federal program offering free COVID-19 rapid at-home tests through the mail has just been restarted. Every American household may order four of the tests starting Monday, Sept. 25 by visiting covid.gov/tests, the Department of Health and Human Services says. But first, before throwing out tests past their expiration dates, HHS recommends visiting this page to see if expiration dates have been extended. The news comes as a newly identified COVID-19 strain BA.2.86 strain, known as Pirola, with around 30 mutations, has now been identified in 10 states. Earlier report - COVID-…

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by Joe Lombardi
Hartford, CT
News
COVID-19: Here's When Free At-Home Tests Will Become Available Again By Mail COVID-19: Here's When Free At-Home Tests Will Become Available Again By Mail
Covid-19: Here's When Free At-Home Tests Will Become Available Again By Mail Just days after the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccination booster shot started, the Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday, Sept. 20 that its program of offering free rapid tests for the virus through the mail will be restarted. Every American household may order four of the tests starting Monday, Sept. 25 by visiting covid.gov/tests. But first, before throwing out tests past their expiration dates, HHS recommends visiting this page to see if expiration dates have been extended. The news comes as a newly identified COVID-19 strain BA.2.86 strain, known as Pirola, w…

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by Joe Lombardi
Highland Lakes-Vernon, NJ
News
Pockets Of West Nile Virus Reported In Sussex County Pockets Of West Nile Virus Reported In Sussex County
Pockets Of West Nile Virus Reported In Sussex County Pockets of West Nile Virus were reported this week in Sussex County, officials said. Officials in Hampton Township on Aug. 17 confirmed West Nile Virus (WNV) in its adult mosquito population. Four days later, Sussex County officials said its mosquito control division was working to "steadily to neutralize pockets of virus activity detected in the county." No known cases of the illness were reported. Officials were targeting areas with daily treatments to standing water and conducting ULV truck-mounted applications nightly. Residents who experience high adult-mosquito activity ar…

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by Cecilia Levine
York, PA
News
West Nile Virus Detected In Two Mosquito Pools In Central PA West Nile Virus Detected In Two Mosquito Pools In Central PA
West Nile Virus Detected In Two Mosquito Pools In Central PA West Nile Virus has been detected in two pools of mosquitos in one Pennsylvania county. Pools in York City and Spring Grove Borough tested positive for the virus, the York County Mosquito Disease Control announced Saturday, July 22. West Nile Virus is a potentially serious illness that can be transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. While most people infected with the virus may not show any symptoms, some individuals may develop mild to severe symptoms, including fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, and rash.  In rare cases, particul…

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by Cecilia Levine
Massapequa, NY
News
Potentially Fatal Bacteria Prompts CDC Warning Potentially Fatal Bacteria Prompts CDC Warning
Potentially Fatal Bacteria Prompts CDC Warning A potentially fatal bacteria confirmed in the United States has prompted a warning from federal authorities. Three cases of B. pseudomallei, which can become lethal if not treated, have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC has declared the bacteria endemic in the US Gulf Coast with the most recent case reported in Mississippi in January, Julia Petras of the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, told HealthDay News. However, most of those exposed to the bacteria don't have symptoms and develop antibodies against it, s…

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by Joe Lombardi
Edison, NJ
Lifestyle
NJ Native Finds Calling Making Life Sweeter For All NJ Native Finds Calling Making Life Sweeter For All
NJ Native Finds Calling Making Life Sweeter For All Alyssa Sobecki is not a baker. She is The Difference Baker. Sobecki, a Piscataway native, has had several professional roles over the years — from hair stylist to mortgage loan officer to business coach and consultant—but she’s finally found her calling with The Difference Baker, her bake shop in Loudoun County, VA. It’s an idea, she said, that God put into her heart.  Her shop in Ashburn is the only retail location in the United States that carries nine certifications that it is free from top food allergens.  And as the number of those with food allergies increases, more and more people…

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by Vira Mamchur Schwartz
Ashburn, VA
Lifestyle
Virginia Bakery Owner Finds Calling Making Life Sweeter For All Virginia Bakery Owner Finds Calling Making Life Sweeter For All
Virginia Bakery Owner Finds Calling Making Life Sweeter For All Alyssa Sobecki is not a baker. She is The Difference Baker. Sobecki has had several professional roles over the years — from hair stylist to mortgage loan officer to business coach and consultant—but she’s finally found her calling with The Difference Baker. It’s an idea, she said, that God put into her heart.  Her shop in Ashburn is the only retail location in the United States that carries nine certifications that it is free from top food allergens.  And as the number of those with food allergies increases, more and more people are looking for shops just like The Difference Baker, espec…

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by Vira Mamchur Schwartz
Massapequa, NY
Events
Long Island ‘Out Of Darkness Walk’ Aims To Prevent Suicide Long Island ‘Out Of Darkness Walk’ Aims To Prevent Suicide
Long Island ‘Out Of Darkness Walk’ Aims To Prevent Suicide The upcoming fundraiser event will donate all proceeds to The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This Sunday, May 7, Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead is hosting an ‘Out of the Darkness Walk’ from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Organized by four members of the school’s class of 2023, the walk and fundraiser benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ASFP). Guests will walk the track for the length of the event, and entrance requires a five-dollar donation. In addition to the tickets, the students organizing the event launched a GoFundMe, which has already exceeded its $2,500 …

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by Sophie Grieser