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Hanna Webster

@hannamwebster.bsky.social
342 followers 263 following 156 posts

health reporter @post-gazette.com covering opioids, cannabis, infectious disease & health equity / poet

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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I spoke with one of the public health leaders helping to quell Texas' measles outbreak last year to hear about what Pennsylvania can learn as our own outbreak swells to the largest in the nation: www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
What can Pennsylvania learn from the Texas measles outbreak?
While the outbreaks have similarities — notably, that the epicenter of the outbreaks in each state hit hardest in counties with concentrations of Mennonites — the public health approaches have differe...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
My colleagues @jrcloutier.com & Mike Sallah spoke with the family of the 18-year-old who died of measles complications earlier this month. She is remembered as carefree, fun-loving and outgoing, and a cherished member of the local community. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
The tragic death of a Pennsylvania Amish woman stricken by measles
LEWISTOWN, Pa. — In an aging, white Pennsylvania farmhouse at the end of a long gravel driveway, the Amish couple brought their 18-year-old daughter...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
BREAKING: UPMC will officially end gender care services for those 18 and under as part of a DOJ agreement — which also involves the payment of nearly $1 million to the dept. Trans care organizations called the move "disgusting" and "child abuse." www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
UPMC enters agreement with DOJ to cease pediatric gender-affirming care
UPMC will cease offering pediatric gender-affirming care as part of an agreement the U.S. Department of Justice, according to a release from the federal...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
updated story by @jrcloutier.com here: www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
A 4th person dies after contracting measles as Pennsylvania outbreak spirals
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has reported that a fourth person has died after being infected with measles — the most fatalities related...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
BREAKING: A fourth person has died from measles in Pennsylvania, the Mifflin County Coroner confirmed today. The death was in an unvaccinated 18-year-old, who developed acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, or severe brain swelling, as a complication of measles virus. Updated story coming shortly.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
As Pennsylvania reported its first measles deaths in 35 years this week, my colleague @asostekPG & I looked back at the 1991 outbreak, the first & only time a court ordered compulsory vaccination. Have we learned from our past? www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
How did nine children die in a 1991 Pennsylvania measles outbreak?
Several years ago, vaccine expert Paul Offit gave a speech to medical staff at a pediatric hospital, saying some parents choose not to immunize their children...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
The story: UPMC says the patient at UPMC Children's is unvaccinated and that everyone exposed has been contacted. “There is no ongoing risk of contracting measles at the facility related to this patient," they said. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Pa. measles outbreak has reached Allegheny County
Measles has reached Allegheny County, a UPMC spokesperson confirmed Thursday. It’s the first case of the highly infectious virus reported in the...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
BREAKING: Measles has reached Allegheny County, UPMC officials confirmed. Will have a story up with more details shortly.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Measles cases in Pa. are now at 258 — and likely much higher than what's being reported — with more than 1 in 6 of those requiring hospitalization. Pa. is now the 3rd-leading state in the U.S. for measles cases this year. All cases unvaxxed.
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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I’m quoted by @hannamwebster.bsky.social that measles hitting Allegheny County (and everywhere) is inevitable — 232 PA cases, all unvaccinated. As Dr. Jillian Irwin notes, there’s no single-antigen shot to wait for. MMR works now, decades proven. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
As school year nears and measles cases rise, Allegheny County Health Department urges vaccinations
Allegheny County health officials are reminding parents to get their children vaccinated, particularly against measles, mumps and rubella, before the school...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
I just made this air filter using $20 MERV 11 pleated air filter from Home Depot taped to the back of a box fan. No more trouble breathing inside my own apartment!
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Questions about the health effects of this wildfire smoke? I have the answers as well as a list of ways to protect yourself (hint: free N95 masks): www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
What to know about the health impacts of wildfire smoke
Amid record-breaking air quality disruptions in the Allegheny County region due to wildfire smoke, residents have been advised to stay indoors, limit outdoor...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Reported measles cases are at 105 in Pennsylvania, as of Monday evening, according to the state Department of Health. Experts believe this is likely an undercount. Fourteen Pennsylvanians have been hospitalized since this outbreak began in April.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Allegheny County just issued a Code Red heat advisory for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week. ICYMI, here's my story on how neighborhood location can impact whether you get heat illness. One finding: Redlined neighborhoods are 5 degrees hotter on avg. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
The Pittsburgh neighborhood you live in could determine whether you get sick from the heat
In the midst of an early summer heat wave and record-breaking temperatures globally, physicians are grappling with a parallel trend: heat-related...
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Mike Wereschagin @wereschagin.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Pennsylvania measles cases surpass 100, now spreading in 7 counties www.post-gazette.com/news/health/... by @jrcloutier.com and @hannamwebster.bsky.social
post-gazette.com
Pennsylvania measles cases surpass 100, now spreading in 7 counties
Pennsylvania has surpassed 100 measles cases this year — a grim milestone reached this week as a dozen new infections were confirmed by state health...
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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
In this @hannamwebster.bsky.social piece I’m quoted about how Pennsylvania’s measles cases (a modern record) are a real time demonstration of what it looks like to see endemicity take hold www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Pennsylvania measles cases surpass 100, now spreading in 7 counties
Pennsylvania has surpassed 100 measles cases this year — a grim milestone reached this week as a dozen new infections were confirmed by state health...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Pa. now has 81 measles cases. Only six US states surpass it.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
BREAKING: Measles spreads to an additional county in Pennsylvania, Pa. Department of Health reported Wednesday, with six new cases in Northumberland County. The state has seen 14 new measles cases since Monday alone amid an unprecedented drop in vaccine rates. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Pa. measles cases jump, spread to Northumberland County
An unprecedented measles outbreak in the state has spread to an additional county, the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Wednesday. Health officials...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Another installment of our vaccine investigation: State lawmakers will be going after exemptions in PA amidst a record-breaking measles outbreak www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
How Pennsylvania lawmakers are trying to tighten school vaccine exemptions as measles cases spike
With the spread of dangerous childhood diseases rising across Pennsylvania, top lawmakers say they want to rein in the legal exemptions that have allowed...
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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
In this @hannamwebster.bsky.social piece I’m quoted about how vaccination rates are a key component of school safety that should be widely publicized and also how it’s not suprising to see 60+ measles cases in PA as the virus has re-established endemicity. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Amid a measles resurgence, Pennsylvania leaders say plunging vaccine rates in thousands of schools will be made public
As measles cases in Pennsylvania spike to levels not seen in decades, state officials say they will disclose the vaccination rates in classrooms across...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
BREAKING: The Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Education signed a joint letter announcing a public database with school vax rates will go live for the fall school year, after a PG investigation found 1 in 4 of schools under herd immunity for measles: www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Amid a measles resurgence, Pennsylvania leaders say plunging vaccine rates in thousands of schools will be made public
As measles cases in Pennsylvania spike to levels not seen in decades, state officials say they will disclose the vaccination rates in classrooms across...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Pa. measles cases now up to 32, the highest since 1991. More here: www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Measles cases continue to spread in Pa., hitting the highest number since 1991
As vaccination rates plummet in hundreds of schools across Pennsylvania, state health officials say 32 cases of measles have been reported so far this...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
State health officials have confirmed 11 measles cases in Lebanon County, leading to a total of 23 this year. Nearly all are unvaccinated: www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
11 measles cases are confirmed in Pa.'s Lebanon County
Pennsylvania health officials confirmed Wednesday that Lebanon County has 11 new cases of measles, with three hospitalizations. Nearly all of the...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
So excited to have a new story out with Popular Mechanics about one neurosurgeon's quest for God and what the brain can—or can't—tell us about immortality 🧠 www.popularmechanics.com/science/a711...
popularmechanics.com
The Soul Transcends the Body, This Neurosurgeon Believes. He Studies the Brain Close to Death.
Does your brain really reveal the metaphysical? Here’s what brain science can—and cannot—tell us about immortality.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Thank you!!
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
In a 6 mo. @post-gazette.com investigation in partnership w/ @frontlinepbs.bsky.social, we found that thousands of children have been let into school without required vaccinations or exemption records — & that vax rates have dropped across the state: newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/pennsylvania...
newsinteractive.post-gazette.com
How Pa.'s falling school vaccination rates and enforcement failures put thousands of children at risk
A six-month Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation found that school leaders have allowed thousands of children into schools without all the required vaccines even though they had no special exemptions...
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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
In this video I discuss a recent report on the failure of school administrator to actually enforce school vaccine entry requirements. Something that is occurring in Pittsburgh and creates kindling for disruptive outbreaks.
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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
In this @hannamwebster.bsky.social piece I’m quoted about school district administrators (including Pittsburgh) who are openly lax in enforcing school vaccine entry requirements & have created unsafe environments that are kindling for outbreaks newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/pennsylvania...
newsinteractive.post-gazette.com
How Pa.'s falling school vaccination rates and enforcement failures put thousands of children at risk
A six-month Pittsburgh Post-Gazette investigation found that school leaders have allowed thousands of children into schools without all the required vaccines even though they had no special exemptions...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
The Stonewall Inn, a new drop-in center by SisTersPGH on Smithfield Street, offers free food, clothing, therapy, a place to rest, charge your phone and get connected to services. "This is something our community has needed for a long time," CEO Ciora Thomas said. www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2...
post-gazette.com
Drop-in center opens in Downtown to support trans Pittsburghers
Trans Day of Visibility this year was more than a symbol for Allegheny County. It also included the opening of a space for transgender people to gather,...
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 16/03/2026
Judge blocks U.S. government from slimming down vaccine recommendations
post-gazette.com
Judge blocks U.S. government from slimming down vaccine recommendations
A federal judge in Boston has blocked federal health officials from cutting the number of vaccines recommended for every child, and says U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. likely violated federal procedures in revamping a key vaccine advisory committee.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
There were discussions about making Second Avenue Commons in Downtown Pittsburgh one of these sites, but that was quickly shot down. PGH does have syringe services. These kinds of harm reduction resources remain controversial among the general public.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Do supervised consumption sites increase crime? A new study of sites in Toronto finds it’s largely dependent on context, community buy-in, and surrounding social services. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Do supervised consumption sites for drug users increase crime?
It seems counterintuitive — give people a place indoors to use drugs under the supervision of medical professionals and recovery specialists —...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
BREAKING: Planned Parenthood's Greensburg location fully reopens after staffing shortages temporarily closed multiple Pittsburgh-area locations. Bridgeville and non-abortion in-person services DT still to reopen. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Amid temporary closures, Planned Parenthood's Greensburg clinic fully reopens
Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania’s Greensburg location is open again, according to an announcement on its website. The health clinic, which...
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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
In this @hannamwebster.bsky.social piece I’m quoted about a measles outbreak in Lancaster county Pennsylvania—Not surprising given that the virus is basically on the verge of becoming endemic again and the low rate of vaccination in that area www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Measles outbreak confirmed in Lancaster County
An outbreak of measles has been confirmed in Lancaster County, about 250 miles east of Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed via...
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 27/01/2026
"We had just been told, via a prerecorded video of an unfamiliar woman in a gray suit, that the Post-Gazette would cease all operations May 3 due to mounting financial losses." A haunting essay on the PG's demise by @thexylom.com alum @hannamwebster.bsky.social for @poynterinstitute.bsky.social:
poynter.org
I built my career at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Now it’s ending. - Poynter
A firsthand look at how an award-winning newsroom learned it was closing
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Thank you for sharing, Alex!
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
Thanks @poynterinstitute.bsky.social for publishing my essay on what it was like to hear the PG was closing 📰 www.poynter.org/commentary/2...
poynter.org
I built my career at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Now it’s ending. - Poynter
A firsthand look at how an award-winning newsroom learned it was closing
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
We're still reporting despite the PG news. I spent the past two months speaking to former clients & staff at a closed down methadone clinic to hear about the impact of its shuttering: www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
‘Couldn’t find a more perfect clinic’: How former patients of a shuttered UPMC methadone center are faring
Jean pulled up to the Narcotic Addiction Treatment Program, a methadone clinic and behavioral health center in Wilkinsburg, about 6 a.m. Nov. 11. It was...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
ICYMI from the weekend: What can we learn from whooping cough outbreaks in Pa. and now in W. Va.? www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
What can we learn from West Virginia’s whooping cough outbreak?
Throughout her 15-year career as a pediatric hospitalist, Lisa Costello had never seen a case of pertussis. That is, until this fall. Pertussis, or whooping...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Was just informed the Post-Gazette is closing all operations May 3. It's been a privilege to be a part of such a talented team the past three years. Will be looking for work in health reporting, journalism, science writing, etc. #journorequest I specialize in opioids, trans rights & health equity.
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette @post-gazette.com · 18/12/2025
President Trump signs executive order that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug
post-gazette.com
President Trump signs executive order that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday that could reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug and open new avenues...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Important to note that moving from Schedule I to III still doesn't federally legalize cannabis — it remains, technically, federally illegal, but now has looser restrictions. (5/5)
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition has called the rescheduling "one of the most significant developments in U.S. cannabis policy in a half-century," and acknowledges cannabis has some accepted medical use. (4/5)
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
but these groups also say cannabis shouldn't be on the schedule at all & wonder how this change will jive with statewide legalization. "It is long past time to deschedule cannabis entirely & end nearly a century of failed prohibition," said Marijuana Policy Project in a statement. (3/5)
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Advocacy groups lauded the decision and hope it leads to an increase in cannabis research, decreased stigma and tax deductions for cannabis businesses. (2/5)
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Trump signed an executive order to reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. (1/5)
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
More UPMC news: A methadone advocacy group has started an open letter to UPMC officials urging them to find a suitable building for the now-closed methadone clinic in Wilkinsburg, leaving ~500 without treatment. www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
Open letter to UPMC addresses closure of longtime methadone clinic in Wilkinsburg
Addiction medicine specialists, community members and advocates are pushing back against UPMC’s closure of its Wilkinsburg-based methadone clinic...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Here's the updated story on UPMC's fight over medical records of its gender care patients: www.post-gazette.com/news/health/...
post-gazette.com
DOJ asks to allow anonymous patient info regarding gender care at UPMC
In a fight to gather sensitive information about patients seeking gender services at UPMC, the Department of Justice asked a federal court Tuesday to narrow...
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Lawyers have stated that releasing patient info without full names still gives the govt access to highly sensitive medical info of minors. UPMC has not yet turned over any records, and lawyers are preparing to respond.
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Hanna Webster @hannamwebster.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
The PG site is having trouble updating, so I wanted to amend yesterday's story on UPMC's gender care fight: DOJ filed a motion to tell the court it would be willing to accept anonymized patient info. Court has not yet responded, and lawyers for the families disagree with this.
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