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US births fell last year, marking an end to the late pandemic rebound, experts say

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births fell last year, resuming a long national slide. A little under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, according to provisional statistics released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 76,000 fewer than the year before and the lowest one-year tally since 1979. U.S. births were slipping for more than a decade before COVID-19 hit, then dropped 4% from 2019 to 2020. They ticked up for two straight years after that, an increase experts attributed, in part, to pregnancies that couples had put off amid the pandemic’s early ...

Keeping a spring in your step

Spring is here. The days are getting longer, temperatures are rising and the birds are singing. The cold, inclement weather we’re used to in the winter causes many of us to decrease our activity and stay indoors. Though this sounds cozy and is a better choice than walking on slippery surfaces and chancing a fall, inactivity can lead to aches and pains and pain in our lower limbs and feet. The decreased activity causes our muscles to weaken which can increase our risk of foot and ankle injuries, especially as we head back outside and increase our activity levels. As we transition from ...

UPMC support staff honored with new award

WILLIAMSPORT — UPMC in North Central Pa. is buzzing with good news as five employees earned the inaugural BEE Award for the first quarter of 2024. The BEE Award, meaning Be Extraordinary Every Day, recognizes the care team that supports nursing staff and works closely with them to provide ...

Get ready for allergy season

The official start of spring is here — and with that comes the dreaded allergy season. A little more than a quarter of adults in the United States have these seasonal allergies according to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention (CDC) and can relate to how pesky the symptoms can ...