The 30th Annual Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards were presented Saturday, September 22, 2012, at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia. witf won the Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Community Service for Facing Cancer Together. 

News in brief 9.20.12

Snakes are able to convert their venom back into harmless molecules that scientists say could help find a cancer cure and be used to treat diabetes.

As most people are aware, there are many changes coming to healthcare as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is fully implemented within the next two years.

“We’ve done air quality studies, we’ve done economic impact studies, and we have seen that there has been no change in the revenue that is collected from those places that are smoke-free,” says Judy Ochs, the director for the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control.

Before an advance screening at witf of the new WPSU documentary, "Why We Dance: The Story of THON," Shane Beecher painted a moving portrait of his young son Charlie's cancer journey- from the anguish of a diagnosis to the comfort that the doctors, nurses, child life specialist and music therapists offered the family along the way. The Four Diamonds Fund & THON made this possible. 

Dozens of Pennsylvania parks and recreational areas are being declared smoke-free zones.

(Ephrata) -- A little more than a year ago, Ephrata Community Hospital in Lancaster County became one of the first in the region to implement a tobacco-free hiring policy.

The American Lung Association’s latest health disparity report, “Cutting Tobacco’s Rural Roots: Tobacco Use in Rural Communities,” examines the prevalence of tobacco addiction and exposure to secondhand smoke in rural America, particularly among rural youth.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 withstood a Constitutional challenge earlier this year.  Unless a new Congress votes to overturn the entire healthcare law or portions of it, the law will be implemented in its entirety by 2014.

A hayride and reception in the peach orchard kicked off the 2012 Farm to Table event at Strite’s Orchard in Harrisburg. “You can turn around and see the orchards where your food is coming from. It’s a special connection with what you eat and how you eat,” Louise Sukle, the event chair said.