Heroin use starting to rise again nationwide, new survey finds. And although occasional weed use is roughly level, daily cannabis consumption continues to rise. Meanwhile, use of nicotine pouches is spiking. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Planned new NYU Langone hospital in Melville may spur competition that improves health care throughout Long Island, experts say, although its potential effect on costs is unclear. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
How NYU Langone's planned Melville hospital would change Long Island healthcare
Long Island's first new hospital since 1980 could increase competition and lead to fewer trips to Manhattan for medical procedures.
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St. Charles Hospital and its unionized nurses reach a tentative agreement on a new 3-year contract, averting a strike set to begin on Monday. www.newsday.com/long-island/...
St. Charles Hospital, nurses avert strike with new deal
St. Charles Hospital and unionized nurses reach a tentative agreement, averting a strike.
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State health department fines former Amityville nurse practitioner Julie DeVuono $544,000 for falsifying children's vaccine records. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Julie DeVuono, former nurse practitioner, gets historic $544,000 state penalty for falsifying pediatric vaccine records
This is the largest civil penalty imposed for vaccination fraud in the Department of Health's 125-year history, officials said.
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More than 200,000 Long Islanders with Fidelis health insurance face a loss of in-network Northwell care if there's no agreement on reimbursement rates by next Wednesday: www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Long Island Fidelis policyholders facing loss of in-network Northwell Health care
A deadline looms for an agreement on a new contract between Fidelis and Northwell Health.
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St. Charles Hospital nurses will go on strike July 13 unless an agreement is reached on a new contract, the union announced. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
St. Charles Hospital nurses set strike date in July
If a strike occurs, St. Charles will remain open, a hospital spokeswoman said.
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More than 63,000 Long Islanders on the state's Essential Plan will lose health care coverage on Wednesday. State officials blame federal budget cuts. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
63,000 Long Islanders will lose Essential Plan health coverage July 1. Here's what to do.
Healthcare experts warn that many people kicked off the program will not be able to afford insurance and will avoid seeking care.
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A story of hope and heartbreak: 5-year-old Anna's diagnosis of the rare and deadly disease MLD led doctors to test 2-year-old brother Joey for the genetic defect -- and start treatment that may save his life. But Anna's diagnosis came too late to save her. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
A 5-year-old's terminal MLD diagnosis gives her baby brother a chance to fight the rare disease
Anna may end up saving Joey's life, although she may not live to see him grow up.
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St. Charles nurses authorize a strike while negotiations between the union & hospital continue. The union says unsafe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios are the main issue; the hospital says staffing levels are safe. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
St. Charles Hospital nurses authorize strike as contract talks continue
Union leaders said nurse-to-patient staffing ratios are the main issue. The hospital pointed to its "A" safety rating.
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Healthfirst policyholders no longer are in-network at Catholic Health. It's the result of a growing number of disputes over reimbursement rates between insurers and health systems that is forcing patients to scramble to find new doctors. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Healthfirst holders on Long Island lose in-network rates at Catholic Health hospitals
The contract's end means patients insured by Healthfirst must look for new doctors and other medical specialists.
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Millions turn to chatbots like ChatGPT & Grok for medical information and advice. Can you believe what they tell you? Studies show that you sometimes get accurate replies -- but often you don't. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
AI chatbots like ChatGPT are increasingly giving medical advice. Studies find their answers are often problematic.
When researchers asked about raw milk, vaccines and alternative cancer treatments, they found some problematic answers.
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Sickle cell patients at Long Island hospitals were far more likely to be admitted with life-threatening symptoms than other NYers, a new study finds. Most people with sickle cell can now live relatively normal lives -- if they have access to treatment. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Sickle cell disease patients at Long Island hospitals had highest risk of dying, study finds
About 10% of people hospitalized with sickle cell on Long Island between 2009 and 2022 faced a "major risk of mortality," about twice the state average.
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For Christie Wanderer of Babylon, allegations that LI parents have used falsified records to send unvaccinated kids to school are "unfathomable." Her 5-year-old daughter Ella had a bone marrow transplant & could die from a disease like measles. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Vaccine skepticism worries scientists, parents of kids with cancer
Allegations that a former Amityville nurse falsified immunization records of hundreds of children highlight increased skepticism.
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Despite mounting evidence that Long Island nurse Julie DeVuono was falsifying kids' vaccine records, the state let her keep practicing. She has never been criminally prosecuted for it. via Jim baumbach & me. Video w/ @kenbuffa.bsky.social www.newsday.com/long-island/...
Wild Child's Julie DeVuono: Behind the childhood vaccine probe that didn't happen.
The state urged Suffolk prosecutors to investigate Wild Child's Julie DeVuono for pediatric vaccine fraud. They never did.
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Rising health care costs have spurred more contentious disputes between insurers and health systems that in some cases have led to patients losing access to their doctors. We look at why the two sides are increasingly "after each other’s throats." www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Catholic Health, Healthfirst feud highlights rise in conflicts between providers and insurers
Healthfirst sent letters notifying policyholders that its association with Catholic Health had ended and that patients must find a new in-network primary care provider by April 30.
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Opioid use has plummeted over the past 15 years, and it's a key reason why fatal overdoses are dropping sharply on Long Island and nationwide. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Opioid use and overdoses plummet on Long Island. Here's why.
Experts said the progress is promising, if precarious. Hundreds of Long Islanders still die every year.
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State health department fines LI neurosurgeon for falsely claiming to vaccinate his son. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
State fines Long Island neurosurgeon Dr. Salvatore Palumbo for falsely claiming to vaccinate his child
In an interview, the doctor said he administered the vaccines to his son. "I'm pro vax."
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Stony Brook Blood Center employee with long COVID gets $954K jury award after work-from-home denial. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Stony Brook employee with long COVID wins $1M over work from home denial
After contracting COVID-19 in December 2021, a Roslyn woman was allowed to work remotely but in-person work would be phased in.
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What to know about TrumpRx. Even though it may save some consumers money, experts warn that it's often cheaper using your insurance or buying generics, or using other online discount sites. via @celiayoung.bsky.social & me www.newsday.com/news/health/...
What Long Islanders should know about Trump Rx and drug prices
New Yorkers without insurance, or those with very high deductibles, would benefit most from TrumpRx.
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Josue & Jose Trejo Lopez came to the US at ages 10 & 11. They have no criminal record. ICE deported the Long Island brothers to El Salvador, where they have no family. "My brother and I are alone in this country." www.newsday.com/long-island/...
These Long Island brothers came to the U.S. as kids. ICE deported them to a country they hardly know.
With no criminal records, they went for a routine check-in. Sent to El Salvador, they're desperate to return to their American lives.
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Babies born to white, non-Hispanic moms are now a minority, new study by Hofstra/Northwell med school researchers finds. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Babies born to white mothers now minority, Hofstra study finds
The change reflects "who we are as a nation," said one demographer.
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COVID deaths nationwide in 2025 were 23 times lower than in 2021. Long Island saw a similar decline. Experts say our bodies’ strengthened immune systems from previous infections & vaccines, a less virulent virus & better treatments are the key reasons. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
COVID deaths drop by half on Long Island, in U.S.
On Long Island, the number of people who died of COVID-19-related causes fell from about 410 in 2024 to about 220 in 2025
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The number of teen pregnancies has fallen sharply on Long Island and nationwide. The birth rate for LI girls 15-17 is 4 times lower than in 1997. Experts say increased use and access to effective contraceptives is the biggest reason. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Teen birth rates have fallen on LI and in U.S. Here's why.
Increased access to and use of contraception is the biggest reason, experts say, along with other key factors.
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How to avoid a $1,000-plus bill for Paxlovid if you get COVID. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
How to avoid $1,000-plus Paxlovid bills if you get COVID
Consumers must be proactive in asking about eligibility to avoid bills that could exceed $1,000 for a five-day supply, pharmacists say.
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For the 60th straight year, a group of New Hyde Park guys -- now joined by their families -- played football on Thanksgiving: "It’s definitely tough. Last year I hurt my shoulder. This year my knee’s killing me. But I’m still playing." www.newsday.com/long-island/...
New Hyde Park Thanksgiving tradition marks 60 years of friends, family and football
A Thanksgiving flag football game in New Hyde Park featured three generations of friends and family taking the field for the 60th annual matchup.
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Long Island pediatricians on how the CDC's new statement on autism and vaccines -- posted at the request of RFK Jr. & strongly criticized by the nation's top medical groups -- could cause confusion with parents and lead to fewer kids getting vaccinated. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
CDC on vaccines and autism: What to know
Long Island pediatricians and other experts weigh in on the CDC's new statement.
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New Northwell lab to study potential medical benefits and potential harms of marijuana, psychedelic drugs & alcohol. It is applying to be among the nation's first to get a federal OK to dispense cannabis to study subjects & observe them while they're high. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
New Northwell facility to study good and bad of cannabis and psychedelics
There are only about 10 labs nationwide in which cannabis can be legally dispensed on-site to subjects.
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Long Island obesity doctors say the Trump administration's deal with weight-loss drug manufacturers will allow some people to finally afford the medications -- but with some monthly charges still at $449 a month, "that is still a very high price to ask." www.newsday.com/news/health/...
What Trump's GLP-1 weight-loss drug deal means for Long Island consumers
The discounts in some cases will be modest.
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Long Islanders will see increases in their health insurance premiums during open enrollment — some in the double digits. Find out what types of increases to expect — and why health care costs keep rising. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Why health care costs are rising in NY and nationwide
Long Island workers and employers are seeing premium increases, some in double digits.
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Some doctors, hospitals refusing to treat Medicare & Medicaid patients via telehealth because of concerns about reimbursement. www.newsday.com/news/health/...
Medicare and Medicaid telehealth appointments canceled over federal government shutdown
Limiting access to telehealth could lead to more serious complications for patients, and hospitalizations, experts said.
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