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DOH

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is sharing this important announcement from the PA Department of Health.

As of November 11, 2025, 15 infants with suspected or confirmed infant botulism were reported from 12 states: Arizona, California (2), Illinois (2), Kentucky, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas (2), and Washington. Laboratory confirmation for some cases is ongoing. Illnesses started on dates ranging from mid-August to November 2025. All 15 infants were hospitalized and treated with BabyBIG®. No deaths were reported. Infants ranged in age from 16 to 157 days. State and local public health officials are interviewing caregivers about the foods infants were fed in the month before they got sick. All 15 (100%) reported feeding ByHeart Whole Nutrition infant formula. This investigation is ongoing, and additional cases may be identified.

All ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula products were recalled. This includes all unexpired lots of formula cans and single-serve “anywhere” sticks. The link to the recall can be found here.

According to the FDA, ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula makes up less than 1 percent of all infant formula sales in the United States. Given this small market share, recall of these products is unlikely to create shortage concerns of infant formula for parents and caregivers.

Summary:

  • On November 11, 2025, ByHeart, Inc. recalled all lots of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula in response to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) ongoing investigation into a recent outbreak of infant botulism.
  • According to the company’s website, ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula was sold through its website ByHeart.com and through retail stores nationwide, including Amazon, Kroger, Walmart, Whole Foods, Target, SamsClub, and others.
  • Infant botulism is a rare but potentially fatal paralytic illness that impacts babies less than one year old. Symptoms can include constipation, poor feeding, drooping eyelids, weak cry, and progressive muscle weakness.
  • Health care providers (HCP) should call the California Infant Botulism Treatment and Prevention Program (IBTPP) immediately at 510-231-7600 for consultation of suspected case. Consultation is available 24/7. Treatment with botulism immune globulin, BabyBIG®, obtained from California Department of Health, is recommended for all suspected cases of infant botulism.
  • Infant botulism is a reportable disease in PA; all suspected cases must be reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) at 1-877-PA-HEALTH or their local health department.

For More Information

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African Woman Filling Survey Poll Or Form On Laptop Computer

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department, in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Human Services (DHS), and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), is conducting a Women’s Health Survey to better understand the health experiences and coverage needs of women across the commonwealth.

The survey is open through July 7, 2025, and takes 10 minutes or less to complete. It is designed to capture voices from all backgrounds — including women impacted by substance use disorder — so the administration can better identify and address gaps in care, coverage, and support.

Providers are asked for their help in sharing the survey by posting the flyer in their facilities and promoting the survey link on their social media or publishing the link in newsletters. All responses are anonymous and will help inform future outreach, programming, and policy decisions.

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The Brain Injury Advisory Board, established under section 1252 of the Federal Traumatic Brain Injury Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. § 300d-52), will hold their next public meeting on May 2, 2025, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. The meeting will be held in person at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112 in the Cumberland conference room.

Meeting materials will be sent out before the meeting and will also be available on the Board’s website as well as at the meeting location. Questions should be directed to Nicole Johnson electronically.

The Department of Health’s (DOH) Head Injury Program (HIP) strives to ensure that eligible individuals who have a traumatic brain injury receive high quality rehabilitative services aimed at reducing functional limitations and improving quality of life. The Board assists the Department in understanding and meeting the needs of persons living with acquired brain injuries, both traumatic and nontraumatic, and their families. This quarterly meeting will provide updates on a variety of topics, including the number of people served by HIP. In addition, meeting participants will discuss budgetary and programmatic issues, community programs relating to traumatic and nontraumatic brain injuries, and available advocacy opportunities.

For additional information or for persons with a disability who wish to attend the meeting and require an auxiliary aid, service or other accommodation to do so, contact Nicole Johnson, Division of Community Systems Development and Outreach, via email or at (717) 772-2763. For individuals with speech and/or hearing-impairments, contact V/TT (717) 783-6514 or the Pennsylvania Hamilton Relay Service at (800) 654-5984.

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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is assisting the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) in gathering data, which will be used for a collaborative high-priority initiative to evaluate the effectiveness of a Quality Investment Pilot program. To do so, ODP is requesting your assistance to provide the following data for each of your ICF locations:

  1. Provider Name:
  2. Location (ICF Site Name):
  3. Number of people residing at the location as of November 30, 2024:
  4. The number of people at the location not covered by Medicaid (i.e., # of Private Pay clients) as of November 30, 2024:
  5. The number of DOH citations related to infection control at each location from 2020 to date and the tag number(s):
  6. Has this site participated with the RISE program?

You may supply the data by typing the responses after each question in an email reply, or by attaching a spreadsheet with the following columns completed:

Facility Name Location/ Site Name Number of Residents as of 11/30/24 Number of Private Pay Residents as of 11/30/24 No. of DOH Citations related to Infection Control from 2020 to date Tag Numbers for DOH Citations related to Infection Control from 2020 to date Has this facility participated in the RISE program?

Please send your responses electronically to Lisa Wagner by close of business Friday, December 6, 2024.

Thank you for your cooperation.

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Photo by Tai's Captures on Unsplash

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has released an updated Respiratory Virus Outbreak Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities, including Personal Care Homes and Assisted Living Residences.

The updated toolkit was developed to provide recommendations for facilities before and during a respiratory virus outbreak. This toolkit covers many respiratory viruses, including influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, adenovirus, and more. While this toolkit does include information about COVID-19, a more detailed toolkit for LTCFs specific to COVID-19 can be found here. This toolkit replaces the previous Influenza Outbreak Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities.

DOH is in the process of updating the poster required by the Influenza Awareness Act. In the meantime, providers are encouraged to continue to use the 2023-2024 Poster.

Questions about this communication should be sent electronically.

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Image by Markus Winkler from Pixabay

Message from the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL):

The Commonwealth is working collaboratively — Governor Shapiro’s office and the health hub agencies (Health, Human Services, Drug and Alcohol Programs, and Insurance) — to develop a statewide maternal health strategic plan. We need your help to make it a robust, comprehensive, collaborative, living, and most importantly, active plan.

As you are likely aware, Pennsylvania, like the nation, is experiencing a maternal health crisis.

According to the Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee report, in 2020, Pennsylvania residents experienced a pregnancy-associated mortality ratio of 83 deaths per 100,000 live births with large disparities identified. In total, 107 individuals lost their lives during pregnancy, delivery, or up to one year postpartum.

Those numbers are far worse for Black women, where the rate was twice as high at 163 deaths per 100,000.

We also know that women and birthing people with disabilities experience unique challenges and needs on their health journey, so we are inviting you to join us for a 90-minute Zoom listening session where members of the Commonwealth’s health agencies and members of the statewide maternal health strategic plan can engage with you to learn what specific needs you have and how you feel the Commonwealth should address those needs.

We want our strategic plan to address all Pennsylvania women and birthing people, and sharing your voice at this listening session will help inform our plan.

The Zoom listening session is scheduled from 10:00 am – 11:30 am, on Friday, December 6, 2024. Please RSVP electronically by December 1 if you plan to attend. We will send the Zoom link by end of day December 4 to those who RSVP.

Thank you for considering spending 90 minutes with the disability community and state health team members to share your thoughts and needs around maternal health.

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The Pennsylvania State Interagency Coordinating Council (SICC) is seeking interested family members, caregivers, and professionals to serve on ad hoc subcommittees. The PA SICC is a Governor-appointed council that advises and assists the Departments of Health, Education, and Human Services to ensure that a comprehensive delivery system of integrated Early Intervention programs and services is available to all eligible infants, toddlers, and young children as well as their families.

Individuals are needed to serve on one or more of the following committees:

  • Mental health committee;
  • Workforce development committee;
  • Outreach and communication committee; and
  • Access and inclusion committee.

The deadline to apply is Monday, October 28. All applicants will be notified about the decision of their application by early January via email.

Please share this information with professionals and families within your network. For more information about the committees and to apply, view the application here. Please send any questions electronically.

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To address Pennsylvania’s high maternal mortality rate, the Commonwealth, through a partnership with Governor Shapiro’s office and the Departments of Health, Human Services, Drug and Alcohol Programs, and Insurance, is developing a statewide Maternal Health Strategic Plan. Interested stakeholders are invited to share their opinion through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Maternal Health Strategic Plan survey, which will remain open through November 4.

The vision for Pennsylvania’s Maternal Health Strategic Plan is a Pennsylvania where every pregnant and birthing person has easy access to high-quality perinatal, birth, and postpartum care that is person-centered, comprehensive, equitable, and affordable and that results in healthy outcomes and long-term good health and well-being.

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Supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Health through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding, the Pennsylvania Statewide Tobacco-Free Recovery Initiative (PA STFRI) facilitates partnerships among academia, state agencies, county public health departments, treatment providers, and recovery advocates to advance recovery-oriented evidence-based tobacco use disorder interventions in behavioral health services.

In 2021 Public Health Management Corporation’s Research & Evaluation Group conducted a readiness assessment to identify the status of tobacco interventions within behavioral health. The survey is being repeated this year, and respondents are being sought for the 2024 Behavioral Health Readiness Assessment. The survey will take less than 15 minutes to complete and closes August 31, 2024. Respondents are not asked their name, and responses are not linked to the respondent.

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