Public Health

Arlington, Texas – October 19, 2026 -- Hundreds of Dallas-Fort Worth residents got health screenings and mammograms, and met Dallas Cowboys legend Drew Pearson, at a community health fair at AT&T Stadium over the weekend.

Pearson headlines the Ambetter health fair

Ambetter from Superior HealthPlan hosted the event, which also offered community resources and family activities. Pearson played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 to 1983 and spoke with attendees about the importance of preventive care. He is a Pro Football Hall of Famer, a three-time First Team All-Pro, a Super Bowl XII champion and a member of the Cowboys Ring of Honor.

A mobile unit brings mammograms to the stadium

In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a mobile mammography unit provided screenings onsite. Regular mammograms are one of the most effective tools for detecting breast cancer early, when treatment is often most successful.

New York – October 16, 2026 -- Only 47% of American adults surveyed agree that mothers with children feel supported by those around them, according to new findings released alongside March of Dimes' 2026 Collective events in New York and Los Angeles.

Few respondents see moms getting time or help

The survey points to gaps in everyday support. Just 42% of respondents agree that mothers have opportunities to take time for themselves, and 41% agree that mothers have help caring for their children.

Awareness of mental health resources is lower still. Only 28% say they are confident that most mothers experiencing mental health challenges after childbirth know where to seek help.

Washington – October 15, 2026 -- Parents of new drivers can get free training, a customizable family driving agreement and a practice-tracking app through the National Safety Council's DriveitHOME program, offered with General Motors ahead of National Teen Driver Safety Week (Oct. 18-24).

Crashes remain the top preventable killer of teens

Car crashes are the leading cause of preventable death for U.S. teens. In 2024, 5,247 people died in crashes involving drivers ages 15-20, a 6.5% decrease from the prior year.

DriveitHOME offers four free resources in English and Spanish

The DriveitHOME Virtual Parent Training covers key safety topics and local Graduated Driver Licensing requirements. Weekly Pointers for Parents lessons supplement it.

The New Driver Deal is a customizable parent-teen agreement. It sets expectations on curfews, passenger limits and vehicle responsibilities.

Oakland – October 14, 2026 -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) may shut off power to about 88,000 customers in 29 California counties, starting Wednesday evening, October 14, as a statewide fire weather system moves through.

The planned outage is called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). Customers have already received multiple notices, and PG&E says it will notify them again within four hours of their planned shutoff. Six Tribes may also be affected.

Check your address and prepare for a long outage

Customers can see whether their address is in scope and read the latest updates at pge.com/PSPSupdates. PG&E advises those who have been notified to prepare for extended outages:

Miami – October 14, 2026 -- Girls who added a prebiotic soluble corn fiber powder to their usual diets for 12 months built more bone than girls who took a placebo, according to a clinical trial led by Florida International University nutrition researcher Cristina Palacios. Bone mineral content rose 18.8% in the fiber group, versus 12.9% in the placebo group.

Boys did not see the same bone gain

The effect did not appear in boys. The researchers say one possible explanation is that boys were at a different stage of puberty and skeletal development. The study was not designed to detect differences between boys and girls, so larger trials need to confirm the finding.

New York – October 14, 2026 -- Free brain health pre-screenings, hearing, vision and blood pressure checks, and a walk through Central Park are on offer Saturday, October 17, at the 38th Annual CaringKind Alzheimer's Walk and Brain Health Day. The event takes place at the Naumburg Bandshell. Registration opens at 9:30 a.m., the opening ceremony follows at 10:30 a.m., and participation is free, either in the park or virtually.

Bill Ritter, who has Alzheimer's, helps lead the campaign

ABC and Eyewitness News anchor Bill Ritter has helped emcee the walk for 28 years. He is now living with the disease and helping lead CaringKind's "Know Your Brain. Walk With Me." campaign, which CaringKind created with launch support from ABC7NY. "Now, it is me who has Alzheimer's," Ritter said.

David Hyde Pierce and ABC7NY's Mike Marza will emcee the event, which honors Ritter and Jed Levine.

Arlington, Va. – October 14, 2026 -- People living with ALS can now build an insurance appeal letter for free, step by step, using the new Undeniable Kit from The ALS Association. The kit anchors We Are Undeniable, a national campaign to help families contest denials of prescribed medications, equipment and care.

The kit is modeled on appeals won by the Association's pro bono legal team. The campaign also offers guidance on what to expect at each stage of an appeal, pro bono attorneys for complex cases, and a way for families to report their denials.

NEWPORT BEACH – October 14, 2026 -- In a JAMA Psychiatry study of 187,341 adults aged 50 and older, 6.7% of participants diagnosed with ADHD developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia, compared with 3.4% of those without ADHD.

ADHD diagnosis carried a 4.6-fold higher hazard after adjustment

After statistical adjustment, the researchers linked an ADHD diagnosis to a 4.6-fold higher hazard of cognitive impairment. The study was led by Bauer-Negrini and colleagues and published on October 7, 2026.

Psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen, MD, founder of Amen Clinics, says the findings reinforce his long-held view that mental health is brain health. He argues that ADHD is a brain-based condition, not just a problem of attention, behavior or motivation.

Provo – – October 13, 2026 -- More than half of U.S. adults (55%) gamble at least monthly, and roughly 1 in 8 gamble every day, according to a new national survey from the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University. Monthly participation is higher among men (63%) than women (48%).

Young adults bet to make money, not just for fun

About 4 in 10 respondents name making money as a primary reason they gamble. Among adults ages 18 to 29, money edges out entertainment, 53% to 50%. Adults 30 and older lean the other way, with 51% citing entertainment and 37% citing financial gain.

The report, "Gambling With Our Future," draws on a survey of 2,548 U.S. adults. It covers 16 activities, from lottery tickets and charity raffles to mobile sports betting, prediction markets and high-risk financial trading treated as a wager.

Charlotte – October 13, 2026 -- Women are being urged to discuss their personal blood clot risk with a healthcare professional this World Thrombosis Day, October 13, as a global campaign focuses on how that risk shifts across a woman's life.

One in four deaths worldwide stems from thrombosis-related conditions

One in four people worldwide die from conditions caused by thrombosis, yet blood clots remain among the most overlooked and misunderstood serious health threats. Thousands of partners are joining the campaign to raise awareness of warning signs, risk factors and the importance of timely care. The movement is led by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH), whose community includes more than 21,000 thrombosis professionals, advocates and partners.