Inner Nature: COVID-19 and what you need to know

By Vidya Rajan, Columnist, The Times News of the novel coronavirus outbreak has exposed our vulnerability to two things: fear and contagion. I have had conversations with people, admittedly not science-aware types, who think that countries should be providing antibiotics prophylactically, or frustrated a vaccine is taking so long to make. I have heard people conflating the virus that causes COVID-19,...

Vet finds path to new, better life after treatment at Coatesville VA

Anthony Brown COATESVILLE — Anthony Brown, a 61-year-old double amputee-Veteran, prepares for his departure to live out in the community after two years of care and treatment at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. Brown arrived at Coatesville in early 2018 to begin treatment and recovery after losing both of his feet to frostbite while he was homeless and living in an abandoned house during December...

County Health earns national accreditation from Public Health Board

The Chester County Commissioners announced Tuesday the significant achievement of the County’s Health Department in earning national accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB).  To earn this accolade, the health department underwent a rigorous, multi-faceted, peer-reviewed assessment process to ensure it met or exceeded a set of public health quality standards and measures.

When a tooth can’t be repaired

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Sometimes it just can’t be fixed.  In today’s modern age of dentistry the “save it no matter what” attitude has been replaced by a more measured response.  Sometimes it makes more sense to remove a tooth and place an implant than to do tons of work to “save” an already compromised tooth. There are a lot of reasons to replace...

DEP: Rains, flooding create high level of West Nile in PA’s mosquitos

HARRISBURG — Receding floodwaters and heavy rains across Pennsylvania are creating a perfect storm of conditions, that have contributed to the highest level of West Nile virus activity in the mosquito population since the disease was first introduced in 2000. The disease, which has infected more than 150 people in the past six years, is on track to pose an unusually higher than normal risk this...

Chesco to kickoff WalkWorks first responder challenge 2018 on April 7

WEST CHESTER — The latest challenge set by the Chester County Commissioners to encourage county residents to take five billion steps by the end of 2018 will be launched on Saturday, April 7th at the Chester County Public Safety Training Campus (PSTC) in South Coatesville.  The WalkWorks ChesCo! First Responder Walking Challenge kicks-off that day at a special event open to the public, and especially...

Being smart can save money — and grief — at your dental office

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Every professional has those moments when they shake their heads at the circumstances facing them. Recently, an acquaintance shared a story of a customer who neglected to follow up on the check engine light in her car. After months of that pesky light on the dash the young woman was shocked that her car wouldn’t start and her mechanic explained...

Five billion steps: Commissioners push residents to walk more

1. Chester County Commissioners Terence Farrell, Kathi Cozzone and Michelle Kichline hit the treadmill in Eagles gear to kick off the WalkWorks ChesCo! 2018 program – contributing to the County’s goal of five billion steps by the end of 2018. WEST CHESTER — At their Sunshine Meeting public work session today, the Chester County Commissioners, along with Health Department Director...

No really, 10 easy hacks for oral health

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times While you’ve probably seen linkbait around the Internet on “10 easy hacks to…” on everything to weight loss to dating, many of which are of dubious quality, there really are a few simple things you can do to improve your dental health (and keep your family happier and maybe save you a few bucks). So here’s an...

Don’t Retire-ReFire: Physical health and wellness

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times Health and Wellness are two words that are not synonymous. However, they do go hand in hand, when it comes to your ReFirement. Health refers to the physical body and whether or not it is free from disease, while wellness, on the other hand, refers to every facet of our lives. It is the complete balance of our well-being from the physical, the spiritual,...