Health

A local program is helping parents of young children fight the loneliness epidemic through the power of music.

NY health officials said on Wednesday that due to the changing landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving vaccine recommendations, the state has begun the process of repealing the vaccine requirement for workers at health care facilities.

The U.S. Surgeon General said the country is suffering from an epidemic of loneliness and isolation. Local programs are fighting back to help some of the most high-risk groups.

Lyme disease is the most common illness caused by ticks, but there are others to be aware of this time of year.

May is Mental Health Awareness month and the New York state budget includes $1 billion toward transforming the state's mental health care — $30 million of that is focused on children.

Upstate CEO Robert Corona said Upstate currently delivers medications to a homeless shelter and expects in the future drugs can be delivered to people's doorstep.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is proposing a new formula for its Medicare Wage Index that could lead to $121 million dollars a year for central New York hospitals.

The Health Foundation of Western and Central New York announced $500,000 will be shared between six rural health networks. The initiative will allow health networks to distribute funds how they see fit.

Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Katie Anderson said the end of the emergency does not mean the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

The Community Foundation has $150,000 to fund a project to help fight lead poisoning in Central New York. The organization is leaving it up to the community to decide the best way to spend those dollars, through a community vote that ends May 2.