Health

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Combating inactivity: Physical therapy and balance center sees increase in patients after lengthy pandemic idleness

Thu., Oct. 14, 2021

A physical therapy and balance center in Spokane has had an increase in patients with significant decline in mobility this past year. Just getting out of a chair has proven difficult for some. Simply put, the core issue often is prolonged pandemic inactivity.

News > Health

Spokane County COVID-19 testing sites set to open next week

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

Community COVID-19 testing sites are set to open in Spokane County next week.

News > Features

House Call: Assisting seniors aging in place

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

One of the many challenges older adults face as they age and inevitably start to fail to cope with daily living is how and where to get help to maintain functional independence. I’ve been navigating this challenge personally with several declining family members in the past year.

News > Features

Marijuana financing is loosening up

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

Marijuana companies have long faced high prices to raise debt financing, but a pair of recent bond offerings show that terms are improving even as banks largely shun the industry. Trulieve Cannabis recently raised $350 million by issuing a five-year secured bond.

News > Health

People’s Pharmacy: COVID-19 vaccine vanquishes persistent wart

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

I had a wart on my left ring finger for many years. It never really bothered me and wasn't visible being on the side next to the middle finger. When it got big, I would pare it down with tiny scissors. I was so used to it being there that I didn't notice right away that it had gone away.

News > Health

FDA spells out lower sodium goals for food industry

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

Food companies are coming under renewed pressure to use less salt after U.S. regulators spelled out long-awaited guidelines aimed at reducing sodium levels in dozens of foods including condiments, cereals, french fries and potato chips.

News > Health

Sen. Murray pushes for large federal investment in public health; Idaho sees cautious hope over COVID-19 rates

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

Washington Sen. Patty Murray told public health leaders on Tuesday that she would advocate to keep a proposed $30 billion in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill to bolster the country’s public health infrastructure over the next 10 years.

News > Health

Rural hospitals treat record numbers of COVID-19 patients

UPDATED: Sat., Oct. 9, 2021

COLVILLE – On a Tuesday afternoon, a dozen cars snaked around the perimeter of Mount Carmel Hospital waiting for drive-thru COVID testing, as well as a potential symptom check.

News > Health

COVID-19 case rates remain high in Inland Northwest

Sat., Oct. 9, 2021

In the last week, Spokane County has had 767 new COVID-19 cases.

News > Health

11 bodies of water in North Idaho have been hit by toxic algae this year compared to three last year – here’s what’s going on

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 13, 2021

Scorching temperatures led to a steep increase in public health advisories for harmful algae blooms this year in northern Idaho bodies of water.

News > Education

COVID-19 retreating stubbornly in Spokane-area classrooms

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 8, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is retreating, though rather slowly, at local schools.

News > Health

MultiCare looks for Washington volunteers for COVID-19 booster trial

Fri., Oct. 8, 2021

The trial will give participants one booster dose of the Moderna vaccine along with either a shingles or an influenza vaccine in order to evaluate the immune responses of the COVID-19 booster shots along with other vaccinations.

News > Features

Preventing colorectal cancer: Spokane advocate Susie Leonard Weller urges colonoscopy by age 45

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 8, 2021

Susie Leonard Weller strongly backs a recent change to guidelines urging a first colonoscopy by age 45 to detect cancer. Her screening came too late. Fifteen years ago, she had digestive issues at age 52 that couldn't be explained, so her physician suggested the colon cancer screening.

News > Health

‘I’m here for the long-haul’: Spokane County health board hires Dr. Francisco Velázquez as health officer

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 6, 2021

In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the Spokane Regional Health District's Board of Health chose Velázquez, the man who had been serving as interim health officer since Dr. Bob Lutz' firing last fall.

News > Health

‘It’s a very hard place to work right now’: Kootenai Health hits another record high for COVID-19 hospitalizations

UPDATED: Thu., Oct. 7, 2021

Kootenai Health saw another significant surge in COVID-19 patients as the Coeur d’Alene hospital hit its highest coronavirus count at 150 on Wednesday.

News > Health

Flu’s return will shape the pandemic’s impact in coming months

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 6, 2021

As countries from Italy to Canada lift restrictions, travel resumes and colder temperatures set in, influenza will probably start circulating, as well. That's after measures to thwart COVID-19 such as masks and ventilation kept the flu at bay for the past year and a half.

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People’s Pharmacy: Lactose hiding in pills causes gas

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 6, 2021

You recently wrote about foods that cause flatulence. Folks should know that many pills contain lactose as a filler. Even though it may be a tiny amount in each pill, for the lactose-intolerant, this is a repeated small insult to the digestive tract.

News > Features

Dog therapy brings smiles to Deaconess staff on pandemic frontlines

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 6, 2021

Ranger, an 8-month-old Golden Retriever, eagerly wagged a prescription of cuddles Tuesday for a steady stream of nurses and other health care workers on short breaks in the lawn outside MultiCare Deaconess Hospital.

News > Health

King County woman dies of very rare blood-clotting side effect from Johnson & Johnson vaccine

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 5, 2021

A King County woman in her late 30s has died from a very rare side effect of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

News > Health

Monday is the last day to comply with Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state and health workers – here’s what might happen after that

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 4, 2021

Washington’s vaccine mandate for state and health care workers is about to take effect, but the aftermath will vary depending on where you work.

Latest Stories

Combating inactivity: Physical therapy and balance center sees increase in patients after lengthy pandemic idleness

Spokane County COVID-19 testing sites set to open next week

House Call: Assisting seniors aging in place

Marijuana financing is loosening up

People’s Pharmacy: COVID-19 vaccine vanquishes persistent wart

FDA spells out lower sodium goals for food industry

Sen. Murray pushes for large federal investment in public health; Idaho sees cautious hope over COVID-19 rates

Rural hospitals treat record numbers of COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 case rates remain high in Inland Northwest

11 bodies of water in North Idaho have been hit by toxic algae this year compared to three last year – here’s what’s going on

COVID-19 retreating stubbornly in Spokane-area classrooms

MultiCare looks for Washington volunteers for COVID-19 booster trial

Preventing colorectal cancer: Spokane advocate Susie Leonard Weller urges colonoscopy by age 45

‘I’m here for the long-haul’: Spokane County health board hires Dr. Francisco Velázquez as health officer

‘It’s a very hard place to work right now’: Kootenai Health hits another record high for COVID-19 hospitalizations

Flu’s return will shape the pandemic’s impact in coming months

People’s Pharmacy: Lactose hiding in pills causes gas

Dog therapy brings smiles to Deaconess staff on pandemic frontlines

King County woman dies of very rare blood-clotting side effect from Johnson & Johnson vaccine

Monday is the last day to comply with Washington’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for state and health workers – here’s what might happen after that

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