Blood supplies kept by the American Red Cross for distribution to local hospitals has dropped to approximately 50 percent of normal, and there are critical shortages of types O positive, O negative, B negative and A negative.
Two adult Utahns have died in the past month from Hantavirus infection, which leads to a deadly lung disease. And that comes as a surprise to the Utah Department of Health. Epidemiologist JoDee Baker says Utah typically only sees one Hantavirus case per year, and the fatality rate is about 32 percent.
Utahns who are packing on the pounds will cost the state billions of additional dollars in health care over the next few years if obesity trends continue, according to a new study by the Utah Department of Health. The report says if the rate doesn’t stabilize, Utah’s obesity related health care expenses will be about $2.4 billion by 2018, a nearly $2 billion dollar increase.
Twelve thousand runners, walkers, and volunteers will fill library square tomorrow to help fight breast cancer.
Care for patients suffering from HIV has come a long way over the past 30 years. Wednesday, the Utah AIDS foundation honored four Utahns who helped make that happen at its “Pioneers in HIV” celebration. KCPW’s Jessica Gail introduces us to those at the forefront of HIV care in Utah.
Two community health centers in Utah were awarded federal grants today as part of the health care reform law to help expand their facilities, create jobs and serve more patients. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, one facility in Salt Lake City will now be able to provide much needed dental care and substance abuse services to the homeless.
The Utah Department of Health has sent letters to nearly everyone who had their social security number stolen by hackers earlier this month in a massive Medicaid breach. Spokesman Tom Hudachko says 275,000 of the 280,000 people with stolen social security numbers have been informed, and the department is now working to identify those who had less-sensitive information compromised.
Researchers at the Huntsman Cancer Institute have discovered a new compound that could offer hope to patients suffering from leukemia. Dr. Nikolaus Trede says researchers used baby zebrafish to test 26,000 compounds. Researchers watched how the compounds responded to T-cells similar to leukemic T-cells to determine their effect.
More than 180,000 Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program recipients have had their personal information stolen in a cyber attack believed to come from Eastern Europe, state officials now say. That’s far more than they first thought.
The Utah Parent Teacher Association says Utahns are being misinformed about the controversial sex education bill that state lawmakers passed during the 2012 legislative session. HB 363 requires that schools teach abstinence-only sex education, or none at all.
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