Courtenay Harris Bond
Courtenay Harris Bond is the staff writer covering health for PhillyVoice. She enjoys writing about behavioral health, maternal health and inequities in the healthcare system, as well as human rights and criminal justice. A veteran daily newspaper reporter, Courtenay has also written for national outlets, including KFF Health News, Undark Magazine and Filter. She was a 2018 Rosalynn Carter Fellow for Mental Health Journalism and has master's degrees from Columbia Journalism School and the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education.
August 13, 2024
Women's Health
Most pregnant women do not drink enough water, study finds
About two-thirds of pregnant women in the United States do not drink the recommended 8 to 12 cups of water per day, a new Penn State University study finds. Most women are unaware of the recommendations, too. Dehydration can lead to serious health conditions, including premature labor and low birth weight.August 2, 2024
Prevention
How to select an effective bug spray – with or without DEET
Choosing a safe and effective insect repellent can be challenging due to the many products on the market. The EPA considers products with DEET safe, if used according to instructions. But there are effective alternatives, including bug sprays containing picaridin and PMD.August 1, 2024
Healthy Eating
Eating processed red meat linked to higher risk for Alzheimer's disease
People who ate 1/4 servings or more of processed red meat daily had a 14% higher risk of dementia than those who ate less than 1/10 of a serving every day, new research found. But swapping out one daily serving of processed red meat for one serving of nuts and legumes was linked to a 20% lower risk of developing dementia.August 1, 2024
Parenting
This Philly parenting program teaches dads how to be better engaged in their children's lives
Focus on Fathers, a Philadelphia parenting program, helps dads develop and maintain positive, healthy involvement in their children's lives. It's part of a larger movement to promote men's emotional development and reduce domestic violence and absentee fatherhood.July 31, 2024
Illness
Boar's Head recalls more meat products amid listeria outbreak
Boar's Head has expanded its recall of meat products connected to a listeria outbreak that has hospitalized 33 people in 13 states. Two people have died. The expanded recall includes 71 products with 'sell by' dates ranging from July 29 to Oct. 17.July 30, 2024
Health Stories
After seeing a high-speed, 3-car crash in Vermont, a Temple Hospital resident rushed to aid the people injured
Kiley Nygren, an emergency medicine resident at Temple University Hospital, triaged and cared for 14 people involved in a high-speed crash in Vermont on June 23, 2024. Nygren, and her fiance, Josh Koch, a resident at Einstein Medical Center, witnessed the crash while driving home from a wedding. They provided aid until first responders arrived. Twelve people survived.July 30, 2024
Health News
Penn Medicine to open new proton therapy center in University City
Penn Medicine will open a fourth proton therapy center, expanding its ability to provide patients with the non-invasive cancer treatment that is associated with fewer side effects than other cancer treatments.July 25, 2024
Children's Health
The U.S. infant mortality rate has risen for the first time in 20 years, CDC says
The U.S. infant mortality rate increased for the first time in two decades in 2022, rising 3% from 2021, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows. New Jersey was among 12 states with an infant mortality rate that was lower than the national rate. Pennsylvania's was slightly higher.July 24, 2024
Parenting
To help parents facing adversity nurture their children, a Delaware prof created a program now used by 10 countries
The ABC program created by University of Delaware professor Mary Dozier aims to help parents facing homelessness, poverty, addiction and other adversities learn to nurture their children, follow their children's leads and avoid frightening behaviors. The program is now used in 26 states and 10 countries.July 24, 2024
Prevention
Mixed messages about mammograms can leave women confused about when to get them
Determining when to get a mammogram for the first time can be confusing for women due to conflicting messages from experts on breast cancer prevention. But a pair of breast cancer specialists from Philadelphia say the gold-standard guidelines come from the American College of Radiology and the American Society of Breast Surgeons. They recommend annual screenings beginning at age 40.Just In
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- N.J. bill would write Gov. Murphy's 100% clean electricity goal into law before he leaves office
- In latest World Cup ticket phase, which ends Jan. 13, FIFA says requests are over 30 times higher than supply
- Eagles-Commanders Week 18 injury report, with analysis
- A look ahead at an extremely busy 2026 for sports in Philadelphia
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