Human parvovirus B19 activity is on the rise in the U.S., particularly among children, the CDC said in an Aug. 13 health alert. 

In South Central Pennsylvania, WellSpan Health treats a large population of Plain People, or Amish and Conservative Mennonites. To provide the best care for these communities, the York, Pa.-based system had to get creative. 

The University of South Carolina in Columbia has opened a new training facility for nursing students in partnership with Lexington Medical Center in West Columbia, S.C.

Miami-based Nicklaus Children's Hospital is now one of a handful of pediatric hospitals in the nation to offer intestinal ultrasounds for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The ultrasounds reduce the need for more invasive procedures typically required to monitor the condition. 

Health systems and universities are increasingly offering externship programs to help nursing students gain practical experience before graduation.

UNC Hospitals Hillsborough (N.C.) was on lockdown for a short period on the morning of Aug. 13 after a prisoner escaped custody upon arriving at the medical facility for care. 

For other agencies, recalls mean removing products from the market, but with FDA medical device recalls, products are often allowed to stay in the market, CBS News reported Aug. 13.

The CDC slightly raised its risk assessment of the H5N1 bird flu virus in an Aug. 9 update, noting it poses a future "potential public health risk."

The CDC now considers COVID-19 to be endemic, though not all health experts agree with this classification, NPR reported Aug. 9.

COVID-19 deaths fell 68.9% from 2022 to 2023 — dropping from the fourth leading cause of death to the tenth, the CDC said.

This year has recorded numerous medical advances in transplantation, including a few firsts for the U.S. and world. 

The top 10 causes of deaths worldwide have changed in the last few years, with one cause of death dropping in frequency, the World Health Organization found.

Sharon (Pa.) Regional Medical Center, part of Dallas-based Steward Health Care, will close a 125-year-old nursing school after the current class of students graduates next May, according to a news release sent to local news outlets. 

Community health centers are closing the gap in care, especially in rural areas where hospitals are closing, but some centers say they are losing staff to hospitals who pay high wages.

A more severe strain of mpox is circulating in Central Africa, the CDC said in an Aug. 7 outbreak alert. 

Premature babies born at 22 weeks are a "gray zone" for hospitals, which must decide whether or not to offer treatment, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 7.

The Women's Hospital of Texas, part of HCA Houston Healthcare, is ready to hire nurses affected by the layoffs at Texas Children's Hospital, the HCA hospital's chief nursing officer said in an Aug. 7 post on LinkedIn. 

A SARS-CoV-2 protein and multi-inflammatory syndrome in children might be connected, said researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 

National rankings offer patients valuable insights into a health system's care quality, outcomes and performance, helping them make informed choices. But to what extent do these ratings influence health systems' strategies and conversations surrounding quality? 

A Northwestern Medicine patient underwent a kidney transplant while awake in July, and 36 hours after the painless procedure, he was discharged.