Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford will hold its annual Health and Wellness Fair from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 3 in the Mukaiyama University Room of the Frame-Westerberg Commons. More than two dozen health and wellness providers will offer information, screenings and demonstrations. Attendance is free of charge and open to the public. There will also be door prizes and giveaways. Free health screenings include blood pressure, bone density, Body Mass Index/body fat, glaucoma and mental health. Other activities include Tai Chi demonstrations, snacking on healthy foods, massage therapy and paraffin hand dips. Vendors include Bradford Regional Medical Center, including its Center for Diabetes and Nutrition Education, Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine, Dental Center, Healthy Beginnings, School of Radiology, Sleep Disorder Center and Women’s Health Services. Other organizations attending are Alcohol and Drug Abuse Servi...

Congressman Tom Reed was presented with the “Champion of Healthcare Innovation” award Wednesday by the Healthcare Leadership Council (HLC) during their 2014 Healthcare Innovations Expo. “Innovation is critical in all sectors but most importantly in the field of health care,” Reed said in a news release sent to WESB. “Encouraging innovative thinking and the use of 21st century technology will save lives, with the latest breakthroughs in care largely dependent on the medical technology and research fields,” Reed said. “We need to constantly be developing better, more efficient and lower cost ways of delivering that care. It’s a daily challenge and we have great partners in our local hospitals and research universities working to make that next breakthrough.” Reed was honored at HLC’s 2014 Healthcare Innovations Expo in Washington. The annual event showcases new developments in healthcare technologies, treatments and practices from health care providers across the country. Pictured,...

By ANNE HOLLIDAY WESB/WBRR News Director Senator Joe Scarnati is one of the people who is not happy with Thursday’s Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Health Care Act. Back in March, the state Senate approved a measure by Scarnati that would amend the state Constitution to prohibit Pennsylvanians from being required to obtain health insurance coverage or from being penalized for not doing so. “It becomes very apparent that our state’s rights and individual rights continue to be trampled, not only in Pennsylvania but across the nation,” he said today of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Scarnati said Senate Bill 10 would give voters an opportunity to say “yes” or “no” to the “individual mandate” provision of the health care act, which says Americans must purchase health insurance by 2014 or face escalating financial penalties as high as 2.5 percent of their total household income. The Supreme Court ruling did say imposing a penalty was unconstitutional, but if it’s called a tax it would...

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson, who spent nearly three decades as a professional in a non-profit healthcare setting prior to being elected to Congress, today issued the following statement in response to the United States Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of certain provisions of President Obama’s 2010 health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), namely the “individual mandate.” “Regardless of the court’s ruling on the constitutionality of the President’s so-called Affordable Care Act, the law remains just as fundamentally flawed and unaffordable as the day it was signed into law,” said Thompson. “Unfortunately, this decision further empowers the Administration to move forward with contentious provisions that will limit patient choice, cut programs that benefit senior populations, and place an additional tax burden upon small businesses, state governments and the American taxpayer.” Thompson voted to oppose the ACA when the bill pas...

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released the following statement on the Supreme Court's ruling on the health care law: Albany, NY -- "Thanks to the leadership of President Obama and his administration, particularly Secretary Sebelius, the Affordable Care Act will provide access to health care to millions of Americans nationwide and more than one million New Yorkers, and I am pleased the Supreme Court upheld this law. We will continue to move forward with implementing the health exchange that will lower coverage costs for New York's businesses and help ensure that uninsured New Yorkers have access to health care. We look forward to continuing to work together with the Obama administration to ensure accessible, quality care for all New Yorkers." The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Harrisburg – Governor Tom Corbett today said he was disappointed in the U.S.Supreme Court ruling upholding the federal healthcare law, known as Obamacare, but said he will work hard to limit the law’s negative impact on Pennsylvanians. Corbett, when he was attorney general, joined a dozen other states in challenging the federal healthcare reform law. When he became governor, Corbett continued that court challenge, along with 26 other states. “It appears that the Supreme Court agreed with the lawsuit brought by myself and 12 other Attorneys General finding Obamacare unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, however they did uphold the law under Congress’ taxing authority,’’ Corbett said. “Despite the President’s repeated assertions that this was not a tax, the Supreme Court today ruled that it is in fact a tax,’’ Corbett said. “Not only is it a tax, but it may turn out to be one of the largest tax increases in the history of our nation. It is a tax on our citizens ...

From CNN: Chief Justice John Roberts led the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision upholding President Obama’s sweeping health care law. The president is expected to speak later today on the ruling that supports the core legislative accomplishment of his administration. The court decided that the individual mandate that requires all Americans to have health insurance will stand and is considered a tax by the court, making it constitutional. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote about the individual mandate, citing the taxing clause: “It is reasonable to construe what Congress has done as increasing taxes on those who have a certain amount of income, but choose to go without insurance. Such legislation is within Congress’ power to tax." The court also ruled that the federal government may not remove Medicaid funding from states that refuse to take part. Voting to uphold the Affordable Care Act were R oberts and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The di...

As the US Supreme Court today starting hearing several arguments regarding the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – better known as Obamacare – the state Senate Appropriations Committee acted on Senator Joe Scarnati’s bill that would remove the requirement to buy health insurance under the act. Scarnati says, "The federal government has no business interfering with health care in any state, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania." He says the federal government is taking a section of the Commerce Clause, "extending it well beyond the meaning of the Constitution and they are trampling our rights as a state." Senate Bill 10 passed by a margin of 16 to 10, and now moves to the floor of the Senate for its consideration. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

State Children's Health Insurance Program Dear Editor: I am writing in response to your coverage of the President's veto of important children's health legislation. It is unacceptable that 9 million children in our country do not have health coverage. Covering kids is a smart investment - it saves money and helps kids do better in school. I applaud Congress for their vote last week to cover 3.8 million uninsured children, however I am extremely disappointed in the president's decision to veto the bill. This bill would enable millions of American children who would otherwise be uninsured to get the coverage they need for a healthy start in life. The State Children's Health Insurance Program is a bipartisan plan to renew and strengthen children's health coverage, and I am discouraged that the president is not making the health of our nation's children a principal concern. The State Children's Health Insurance Program has been a real bipartisan...