Philly Nurse Invents Maternal Health Prediction Tool

Stefanie Modri a Philadelphia nurse and instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, has helped develop a new tool to better predict which women are at risk of postpartum hemorrhage, a serious childbirth complication that can become life-threatening if not treated quickly.

Named Vasowatch, this tool analyzes a woman's heart-rate patterns during labor to early warning signs, potentially giving care teams more time to prepare interventions that could improve maternal health outcomes. 

Current hospital screening methods can miss many cases, with one study finding that up to 40 percent of women who later experienced postpartum hemorrhage were initially classified as low risk, prompting researchers to seek a more accurate approach. 

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New PA Budget Grants Hundred of Millions More for Public School Funding 

Pennsylvania’s new $50.8 billion state budget is increasing funding for public education without raising taxes, including $565 million in additional support for underfunded school districts, $58 million more for basic education, and $55 million more for special education.

The bipartisan budget also includes new requirements such as 30 minutes of daily recess for students.

This article breaks down public education funding under the new budget as well as other areas benefiting from or excluded from the new budget.

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University of Scranton Speech-Language Pathology Students Lead Inclusive Cooking Classes

Students in the University of Scranton’s Speech-Language Pathology Master’s Program are partnering with Coffee Inclusive in Pittston to lead inclusive cooking classes for people with disabilities.

The classes help participants build communication and social skills in a fun, supportive environment while giving graduate students experience adapting instructions to different communication styles, including gestures, visual aids, and sign language.

Program leaders say the partnership reflects the university’s mission of linking academic coursework with meaningful service to the community and fostering inclusion. 



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How Community and Economic Development Organizations Engage with Climate Change

A new Urban Institute report finds that community and economic development organizations widely recognize climate change as a major issue affecting the neighborhoods they serve, with 86 percent of surveyed leaders saying it is relevant to their mission.

However, only about half of the organizations surveyed are actively engaged in climate-related work, citing limited funding, staff capacity, and competing organizational priorities as major barriers to deeper involvement.

This report explains that these organizations are uniquely positioned to advance equitable climate solutions in underserved communities and recommends stronger partnerships, targeted funding, and technical assistance to help expand their climate-related efforts. 

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Mapping How Americans Take Part in Society – Or Don’t

A new Pew Research Center study finds that Americans do not fall along a single spectrum of civic engagement but instead cluster into four groups, Mobilizers, Connectors, Spectators, and Outsiders, based on their participation in politics, community activities, religious life, and news consumption.

Mobilizers are the most active across all forms of engagement, Connectors focus more on community and religious involvement, Spectators stay highly informed through news but participate less directly, and Outsiders are generally the least engaged across these activities.

This report explores findings on civic participation in the United States and how different groups partake in societal functions. 

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Tracking the Labor Market

A recent Brookings Research analysis finds that the U.S. labor market remains relatively stable, with employment continuing to grow, but at a slower pace than in the immediate post-pandemic recovery period.

There are mixed findings across key indicators including job creation, unemployment, labor force participation, and wage growth, suggesting that the job market is cooling but not experiencing a sharp downturn.

Brookings Research emphasizes the importance of tracking a broad set of labor-market measures rather than relying on any single statistic to understand current economic conditions and workforce trends. 

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