It's Thursday! We've got our eyes on the long weekend.

• 🗞️ Gertrude Gordon, one of Pittsburgh's first female journalists, was born on this day in 1882. She went all in: entering a lion's cage, interviewing Babe Ruth and Amelia Earhart, and performing high-altitude stunts.

🌧️ Today's weather: Chance of showers and thunderstorms, high near 91.

🎧 Sounds like: "Send Me On My Way," by Rusted Root.

📦 Situational awareness: Volunteer for a meal-packing session at Acrisure Stadium for the 9/11 Day of Service.

Today's newsletter is 1,012 words, a 4-minute read.

A typical emergency room visit in Pennsylvania runs more than three hours, per new federal data.

Why it matters: New insurance eligibility rules could push more patients to delay care until their conditions become emergencies, further straining emergency departments.

• Longer visits can mean longer waits to see a clinician, which are linked to worse patient experiences, health risks and higher health care costs.

The big picture: Americans spent a median two hours and 42 minutes in hospital emergency departments in the year ending Sept. 30, 2025.

• Visits are getting longer in nearly half of U.S. states, including Pennsylvania, per Axios' analysis of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data.

Context: The measure tracks full ER visits, from arrival through discharge, for patients who went home. It excludes those who were admitted, transferred or left against medical advice.

Zoom in: The median visit time in Pennsylvania was over three hours, and four minutes longer than the year prior. Visits are even longer for mental health patients, whose median stay is nearly five hours.

• Pennsylvania ranked among 10 states with the longest visits.
• Median visit times stretched from 3.5 to well over 4.5 hours at several Pittsburgh-area hospitals, including high-volume Level I trauma centers Allegheny General, UPMC Presbyterian and UPMC Mercy.
• Waits also vary by the severity of injury and illness. AHN hospitals and UPMC Children's post estimated wait times online.

Between the lines: The majority of U.S. emergency departments report overcrowding, and nearly a quarter of people requiring inpatient care have to wait at least four hours for a bed, per a recent study published in JAMA.

• Workforce shortages have led to longer emergency department waits at 70% of Pennsylvania hospitals, per a 2025 survey from three Pennsylvania health care associations.

What we're watching: Allegheny General is overhauling its emergency department in a roughly $50 million project aimed at expanding treatment and critical care capacity, cutting wait times and improving patient flow.

• UPMC's $1.3 billion, 17-story Kamin Tower at Presbyterian Hospital is on track to open early next year.

What they're saying

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is challenging two measles deaths reported by Pennsylvania late last month.

Why it matters: It's a highly unusual move and comes after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused Gov. Josh Shapiro of fabricating that measles led to the deaths.

State of play: The CDC's website tracking the ongoing U.S. measles outbreak did not include Pennsylvania's two measles-associated deaths as of yesterday.

• The agency notes it's reviewing "additional information regarding the circumstances and causes of death."

The other side: Pennsylvania's Department of Health tells the New York Times it has provided all the required epidemiological data to the CDC. The health department says all reported cases are reviewed to confirm they meet the CDC's definition for measles.

Plus: The CDC has historically relied on state and local health departments for this sort of data.

Catch up quick: Pennsylvania officials revealed on Aug. 25 that two unvaccinated people died from measles in Lancaster County — the first such deaths in the state in 35 years.

• The state is facing its largest measles outbreak in decades, which has infected at least 540 people as of yesterday.

Between the lines: Even amid the political squabbling, the scale of the statewide outbreak is clear.

Zoom in: Southwestern Pennsylvania has, so far, reported fewer measles cases than harder-hit parts of the state, with nine in Indiana County, six in Somerset, one in Westmoreland and one in Armstrong, per the state Health Department.

Yes, but: The Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) said Tuesday that two people who visited UPMC Children's on Aug. 27 tested positive for measles, bringing the hospital's reported cases to three and potentially exposing hundreds.

• None of the people with confirmed cases were Allegheny County residents, per the ACHD.

The bottom line: The ACHD says anyone potentially exposed should contact their health care provider, especially if they don't have two doses of the MMR vaccine. Be sure to call ahead before visiting a facility.

• Check your vaccination status if you're unsure.

Go deeper

🚊 Pittsburgh Regional Transit received nearly $83 million in federal funding to replace the agency's aging light-rail fleet. PRT will purchase 45 new, longer T cars.

• New vehicles are expected to feature open-concept interiors. A rail-car manufacturer will likely be selected in 2027, PRT tells Axios. (X)

🏭 NextEra Energy plans to build a $13 billion natural gas complex on a 700-acre former coal site in Fayette County. The U.S. and Japanese governments will jointly own it under a trade deal announced in March. (Business Times)

🌳 A proposed Pittsburgh Public Works facility in Schenley Park is drawing neighborhood pushback over fears about impacts to the park. (TribLive)

Stay off the roads this afternoon and much of tomorrow to avoid the worst Labor Day weekend traffic, per AAA and INRIX.

Zoom in: Sunday is expected to be the easiest day to drive, per INRIX, a data firm that calculates travel times.

State of play: Road trippers also face higher gas prices this Labor Day than last year, when the national average was $3.19 a gallon, per AAA.

The bottom line: When in doubt, hit the road early.

🏥 Chrissy will go to medically inadvisable lengths to avoid the ER.

🚲 Ryan is excited the Bloomfield Bridge intersection is getting redesigned with some improved bike infrastructure.

Thanks to Chloe Gonzales for editing this newsletter.