Health

Widespread COVID-19 testing may be an obvious way to control an outbreak in a long-term care facility. But communication among the facility’s staff, its residents and the residents’ family members is crucial, too. A new study led by Carl Shrader, a physician and researcher in the Department of Family Medicine in the West Virginia University School of Medicine, revealed the role that communication played in quashing a COVID-19 outbreak at Sundale, a long-term care facility in Morgantown.

West Virginia University’s Downtown Campus Library will close at 8 p.m. today (Sept. 21) after being notified of a COVID-19 exposure in Access Services.

Hatfields at the Mountainlair temporarily closed today (Sept. 20) after West Virginia University was notified of a COVID-19 exposure at the dining hall. The University immediately implemented its safety protocols, initiating a deep cleaning of the space. Hatfields is expected to reopen at 4:30 p.m. today for dinner service.

West Virginia University School of Medicine students will benefit from a retired alum, Dr. John E. Cooke’s, dedicated effort to donate $100,000 in scholarship support.

A $4.8 million trust gift from longtime West Virginia University supporter David G. Allen is benefitting five programs across campus that reflect his diverse interests in education, health, athletics and more.

The Hugh Baby’s location at Evansdale Crossing temporarily closed today (Sept. 14) after West Virginia University was notified of a COVID-19 exposure at the storefront.

Artificial intelligence can do more than recommend a song or suggest what to write in an email. It might even be able to predict outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Larissa Casaburi—a researcher in the WVU School of Medicine—and her colleagues are using artificial intelligence to study how being a coal miner affects COVID-19 outcomes. She’s also investigating the ways smoking, vaping and having chronic lung disease influence how COVID-19 patients fare.

Wheeling Hospital, a 223-bed, acute-care, not-for-profit hospital affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston since its founding in 1850 by the first Bishop and a local physician, will become a full member of the West Virginia University Health System under a Letter of Intent that the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and WVUHS signed this week. Wheeling Hospital

More and more West Virginians, financially burdened by the COVID-19 pandemic, are turning to food banks to put meals on their tables – and one team of West Virginia University physicians is pledging to provide more fresh and frozen food for those in need.

West Virginia University School of Public Health professor Lauri Andress is studying how chronic stress from living with racism and discrimination can lead to poorer health outcomes for Black mothers and their babies.