Health

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the chances of breaking your hip go up as you age. As Sandy White reports for the WBFO Seniors News Desk, there are ways to prevent such an occurrence and stay strong.

Nearly a third of Erie County residents are on Medicaid and the number is rising at an average 4 percent annually, according to the latest numbers from the County's Medicaid Inspector General. The report also shows numbers that contradict what the Inspector General says are some of the misconceptions about Medicaid and who is using it.

Leaders from state, education, and the healthcare industry announced the addition of $1.3 million to funding for the Buffalo Public Schools’ health related programs, Thursday morning.

220,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield subscribers in Western New York will soon receive a “Blue Box” filled with two-for-one dining cards.

It's that time of year when people resolve to become healthier.  The January issue of Buffalo Spree has 31 health tips and strategies that are good for you.

A new mobile app is expected to help improve the quality of patient care across the nation. A team of University at Buffalo students created it to help reduce hospital readmission rates.

Good For You, a radio forum presented by WBFO/AM 970 and BlueCross BlueShield of WNY, examines ways to improve the quality of health care, while lowering costs.   

Four local health care experts gathered before a live audience in the WNED studios.  The panel included:

Dr. Andrea Manyon, A Primary Care Physician and Associate Dean of Student Affairs, U-B School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Chief of Family Medicine for Kaleida Health System

Karen Blount, an RN and Vice President of Healthcare Services for BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York

Our food system has changed more in the past 40 years than in the past 400-thousand.  That was just one of the comments made during a panel discussion on problems surrounding the production and distribution of food to American tables.

Over the past 40 years, farms have consolidated.  Farm subsidies often determine both the type and the amount of food to be produced.  Improved transportation allows food to be further distributed, but often times people living in lower-income neighborhoods don't necessarily have quick access to healthier choices.

With the new year came a new state law benefiting cancer patients across New York.  The law requires health insurance plans to cover chemotherapy, no matter how the treatment is administered. 

Newer oral chemo pills must now be covered "no less favorably" than traditional intravenous treatments

"I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, which is abbreviated CML, in January of 2009," said Bonstein.