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Health news from Spotlight PA

Roughly 11,000 long-term care residents in Pennsylvania have died since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, a toll that has brought renewed attention to problems in the nursing home industry.

Wolf pushes $91 million for nursing homes to offset costs of proposed new staffing regulations, but industry says it’s not enough

by Jaxon White of Spotlight PA

Delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — known as delta-8 — is a cannabinoid derived from hemp.

Unregulated hemp derivative delta-8 thrives in Pa.’s thorny marijuana landscape

by Christina Baker for Spotlight PA

Lawmakers' fears of unscrupulous doctors who might exploit Pennsylvania's medical marijuana program for profit led them to impose strict advertising prohibitions on physicians.

WATCH: A free virtual Q&A on Pa.’s uneven rules for medical marijuana cards

by Spotlight PA Staff

The Pennsylvania Department of Health’s public list of approved medical cannabis physicians doesn’t include important information, like phone numbers, email addresses, or websites. A doctor told Spotlight PA this has allowed unofficial directory websites to flourish.

Medical marijuana card company draws scrutiny for using unofficial Pa. doctor listing to attract patients

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Three distinct suits are being appealed to the state’s highest court, all arguing that cities and municipalities in Pennsylvania should be allowed to pass their own gun laws.

Pennsylvania’s highest court could give cities the go-ahead to craft their own gun laws

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA

An illustration shows a laptop with a marijuana leaf on it

Companies blanket Pa. with ads about how to get a medical marijuana card, but doctors are silenced

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Members of the Pennsylvania State Police Clandestine Lab Response Team remove chemicals from the front porch of a home in Minersville in 2013.

Public database significantly undercounts former drug labs in Pa. Here’s why home buyers, renters should care.

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

Nearly a year ago, Spotlight PA sought information on how often physicians approve patients for the program to treat opioid use disorder.

Why Pennsylvania’s health department is taking Spotlight PA to court

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, decisions about abortion access will be left to the states.

What happens if Roe v. Wade is overturned? In Pa., the answer depends on the November governor’s race.

by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA and Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA

Penny Martin (left) and the Rev. Michelle Simmons, founder and executive director of Why Not Prosper, hug outside of a recovery home in Philadelphia. Simmons said the new licensing system will "make owners … step up their game."

Oversight of Pa. addiction recovery homes will begin soon, but operators slow to opt-in

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Help us monitor potential health hazards in Pennsylvania schools by filling out a short survey on the condition of your district or building.

It's hard to track the conditions of Pa. schools. Spotlight PA wants your help flagging health hazards.

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

Jennifer Smith, secretary for the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, continues to contend the state’s drug oversight agency was not responsible for confusion that wrongly barred some people from addiction treatment.

Top Pa. drug official denies blame for botched medical marijuana guidance, but her claims don’t add up

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Public Health Lab Director Robert Wadowsky oversees the Allegheny County public health lab system. For the past nearly two years, the labs have handled COVID-19 tests from county-run facilities, including the jail and nursing homes.

Who makes public health decisions for your community? In Pennsylvania, it depends on where you live.

by Jamie Martines of Spotlight PA

Multiple experts raised the most concern about statements promoting cannabis as a substitute to buprenorphine, a federally approved medication for opioid use disorder.

How we investigated misleading addiction claims on Pennsylvania cannabis websites

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

An illustration shows a peeling billboard with a cannabis leaf. Despite Pennsylvania’s outlier status and the high stakes for people seeking treatment, state regulators do little to ensure cannabis dispensaries are making accurate medical claims online. are making accurate medical claims online.

Some Pa. companies promote cannabis as an addiction treatment using misleading or dangerous tactics

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Sonya Mosey was alarmed to learn she would have to stop taking her physician-prescribed medication for opioid use disorder when the state transferred her supervision to Jefferson County in 2018.

Justice Department finds Pa. courts discriminated against people with opioid use disorder

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Lisa Stagon had to quit her job to care for her son, Chris, who is 26 and has Down syndrome.

Low pay is causing a staffing crisis for disability care. Advocates say Pa.’s plan to raise wages isn’t enough.

by Juliette Rihl for PublicSource and Colin Deppen of Spotlight PA

With preexisting conditions that limit her mobility and increase her risk of getting seriously sick from COVID-19, Cheryl Gibson of Schuylkill Haven relies on telehealth appointments.

Lack of telehealth law in Pennsylvania a major headache for patients who need it most

by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania has one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

WATCH: A free panel on using cannabis to treat opioid addiction

by Spotlight PA Staff

Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith, seen here at the 2nd annual Overdose Awareness & Memorial Day event on the front steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex.

Pa. is on the brink of regulating recovery homes for the first time. Here’s what you need to know.

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Susan Ousterman spent months this year reaching out to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs with concerns over confusion about marijuana funding rules. Her son, Tyler Cordeiro, was wrongly denied treatment funding assistance in September 2020.

New records reveal the cost of Pa.’s failure to clarify rules around addiction treatment and marijuana

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

Gov. Tom Wolf supports more funding to help improve eldercare services in Pennsylvania ahead of a looming dementia care crisis, but the GOP-controlled state legislature would need to agree.

Pa. lawmakers know a dementia care crisis is coming. Will they agree on a response?

by Colin Deppen of Spotlight PA

Alice “Candy” Loughney, 71, has Alzheimer’s disease and moved into a long-term care facility in Monroeville after her symptoms became too much for her husband to manage.

WATCH: A free panel on Alzheimer’s disease preparedness in Pennsylvania

by Spotlight PA Staff

Pat Loughney (right) cared for his wife, Candy, in their home until she went into anaphylactic shock after eating medicated soap. Candy is one of 280,000 Pennsylvanians over the age of 64 living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia.

Pa.’s looming dementia care crisis, by the numbers

by Colin Deppen of Spotlight PA

The public could soon know for the first time how many patients use medical marijuana to treat opioid use disorder in Pennsylvania, one of the few states to specifically endorse that treatment option.

Wolf administration ordered to reveal details of cannabis use as drug addiction treatment

by Ed Mahon of Spotlight PA

One waiver expanded who could administer a vaccine dose.

Expiring COVID-19 waivers could make Pa. health-care staffing shortages worse

by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA

Gov. Tom Corbett in 2013 signed an executive order establishing the Pennsylvania Alzheimer's Disease State Planning Committee.

Scoring Pennsylvania’s response to the growing Alzheimer’s and dementia crisis

by Colin Deppen of Spotlight PA

Pat Loughney (right) cared for his wife, Candy, in their home until she became ill after eating medicated soap. Candy is one of 280,000 Pennsylvanians over the age of 64 living with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia.

The coming crisis in dementia care and why Pa. is woefully unprepared

by Colin Deppen of Spotlight PA and Juliette Rihl of PublicSource

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017 vetoed legislation that would ban abortion after 20 weeks.

The Supreme Court’s decision on a Texas abortion ban raises the stakes for the Pa. governor’s race

by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA

New Journeys in Recovery faces criminal charges for allegedly bribing recovery homes for referrals and forcing patients into substandard care, which prompted renewed calls from state lawmakers to strengthen oversight.

WATCH: A free panel on how Pennsylvania can keep people in addiction recovery safe

by Spotlight PA Staff

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