Healthcare Access

New York – October 31, 2026 -- Orbis International is committing an estimated US$32 million in financial and technical contributions from 2027 through 2030 to strengthen eye health systems, targeting better outcomes for more than 18 million people and professional development for more than 250,000 eye health professionals.

The pledge was announced in connection with the first Global Summit for Eye Health, hosted by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda in technical collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The summit targets the 1 billion people living with avoidable vision loss. Orbis has endorsed the St. John's Global Compact for Eye Health, and its commitments run from January 2027 through December 2030. They cover cataract, diabetic retinopathy, childhood eye health and refractive error.

TORONTO – October 31, 2026 -- Profound Medical Corp. (NASDAQ:PROF; TSX:PRN) has enlisted Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Montel Williams for its next Let's Huddle patient webinar on November 5, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET, extending the reach of its prostate care outreach program.

Williams will join host Leonard Wheeler, Profound's Global Patient Ambassador, to discuss health advocacy, resilience, informed healthcare decisions and protecting quality of life. Advance registration is required, and an archived recording will be posted on the Let's Huddle website after the live event.

Let's Huddle targets men and families navigating prostate care

Let's Huddle is a global patient community offering education, connection and support through the prostate care journey. Wheeler is a former professional football player with an eight-year NFL career, a Co-Executive Director for NFL Legends and a prostate cancer survivor.

Oakland – October 29, 2026 -- Kaiser Permanente has awarded a $15 million charitable grant to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland to build 20 private inpatient behavioral health rooms, adding capacity to treat approximately 700 children and adolescents a year.

Grant funds a 21,300-square-foot behavioral health wing

The money will pay for construction of the wing as part of the hospital's modernization project. The plan includes an outdoor therapy space and a therapeutic roof garden. The wing is expected to open in 2031.

Oakland hospital gains its first dedicated acute psychiatric beds

The project creates inpatient behavioral health treatment capacity at the facility for the first time. The hospital serves children and families from across Northern California regardless of ability to pay, and it provides specialized pediatric services that many community hospitals cannot offer.

Fairfax – – October 19, 2026 -- Allergy & Asthma Network will hold the 12th annual USAsthma Summit on Nov. 13, 2026, in Phoenix, Arizona, with free registration for both in-person and livestream attendees.

The one-day event targets public health professionals, clinicians, asthma educators, respiratory therapists, patients, caregivers, advocates and community partners. The organizer says policymakers are considering changes that could affect access to asthma care, and the Summit is meant to address those challenges.

Summit runs alongside the ACAAI Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix

The event coincides with the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in the same city. That timing creates additional engagement opportunities for attendees, speakers and leaders in allergy, asthma and immunology.

New Orleans – October 16, 2026 -- The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine has received preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), clearing the way to recruit its inaugural class, which starts in 2027.

The school describes itself as the only HBCU college of medicine in the Gulf South. It will begin recruiting students in the coming weeks, with applications available through the American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS).

Partnership of Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health reached accreditation in two years

Xavier University of Louisiana and Ochsner Health formed the College of Medicine in 2024. It earned candidate status in October 2025 and hosted an LCME survey visit in June 2026. The LCME then determined that the school met the requirements for preliminary accreditation.

MADRID – October 13, 2026 -- An estimated 6.8 million women across nine countries are experiencing infertility right now, according to the inaugural IVI Institute Fertility Barometer, which also finds that 36% of women with a target age for starting a family had their first child later than desired. IVI Institute, formerly IVI RMA Global, released the study alongside a group-wide rebrand that unites its clinic networks.

Survey of 24,074 women quantifies the gap between desired and actual family size

GfK, a NielsenIQ company, conducted the online survey of women aged 19 to 49 in Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, the UAE, the U.K. and the U.S. Fieldwork ran from May 16 to July 3, 2026. The margin of error is ±0.63 percentage points at a 95% confidence level, with larger margins among subgroups.

San Francisco – October 13, 2026 -- Avive Solutions will supply five Avive Connect AEDs along the course of the 36th Walk for Life & Famously Hot Pink 10K + 5K in Columbia, South Carolina, as the event's first aid sponsor. The race, presented by Prisma Health Midlands Foundation, takes place Saturday, October 13, 2026.

Medical volunteers will carry the defibrillators on the route

Event medical volunteers will carry the five devices along the course, so trained professionals have them at hand during a cardiac emergency. Jeffery Faw, the foundation's Executive Director and Chief Development Officer, said the event draws thousands of participants each year and that the devices give the medical team current technology for such an emergency.

Milford, Mass. – October 08, 2026 -- Highbar Physical Therapy opened its 57th outpatient clinic in Milford, Massachusetts, expanding a network that began as a single Pawtucket, R.I. practice in 1999.

Clinician-led chain traces roots to 1999 Rhode Island clinic

Highbar started as Performance Physical Therapy in Pawtucket before adopting the Highbar name in 2023. The organization now operates 57 locations across Rhode Island and Massachusetts under four brands: Highbar Physical Therapy, Joint Ventures Physical Therapy, Peak Physical Therapy, and Physical Therapy U.

CEO frames Milford launch as continuation of uniform clinical standard

"Milford is our 57th location, and the standard is the same in every clinic," said Michelle Collie, PT, DPT, MS, CEO of Highbar Physical Therapy. Brian Simons, PT, DPT, NCS, Clinic Director at the new Milford site, said the goal is "expert, individualized care close to home."

Washington, D.C. – October 07, 2026 -- CNBC's Becky Quick will moderate a rare disease leadership dialogue featuring the CEOs of BioMarin, Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Otsuka North America Pharmaceutical alongside NORD CEO Pam Gavin, the National Organization for Rare Disorders announced.

Panel convenes three biopharma chiefs at NORD's Breakthrough Summit on October 26

The session, titled "Next Decade of Rare Disease: A CEO Leadership Dialogue," takes place at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, October 26, in Washington, D.C., during the three-day NORD Rare Diseases & Orphan Products Breakthrough Summit running October 25–27. Participants include Alexander Hardy, President and CEO of BioMarin; Renee Gala, President and CEO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals; Tarek Rabah, President and CEO of Otsuka North America Pharmaceutical; and NORD CEO Pam Gavin.

Novato, Calif. – October 01, 2026 -- Only about 6.9 million of the estimated tens of millions of Americans with atopic dermatitis (AD) had a documented diagnosis in 2023, roughly one in five of those believed to be affected, according to a new CDC-funded report from the National Eczema Association (NEA).

The State of Atopic Dermatitis Indicator Report, conducted by Milliman and released with 51 state-level briefs covering all 50 states and Washington, D.C., establishes the first national baseline on AD diagnosis, treatment and specialist access. It anchors the four-year State of AD initiative and NEA's October Eczema Awareness Month campaign.