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Jay Bradley/LehighValleyNews.comDespite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug. -
Makenzie Christman/LehighValleyNews.comXylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.
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Behavioral health services are moving from the current Allentown VA clinic. Veterans will soon receive mental health treatment at a new office. -
Hasshan Batts, executive director of Promise Neighborhoods of Lehigh Valley, has been named a Fulbright Specialist. He will travel abroad to share his expertise with other countries in areas of violence prevention and health care.
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On the heals of Black Maternal Health Week, doctors, nurses, doulas, administrators, and legislators come together to address the rate at which black and brown people are dying during child birth.
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After closing its doors in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, New Bethany South Side Drop-in reopened on Monday.
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Chris Yarnell is working to help Veterans.
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The offices that help Pennsylvanians keep their Medicaid benefits are facing persistent vacancies and a heavy workload. Advocates and staff fear people could lose coverage as a result.
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Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after six weeks of inpatient treatment for clinical depression, with plans to return to the Senate in mid-April.
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The students of Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem are planning a mental health awareness social media campaign.
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A six-month investigation found the state’s “competency” review system is so broken it often extends incarceration, which can exacerbate mental health issues.
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Born without legs and a victim of child abuse, Zion Clark is a motivational speaker and athlete who shared his story through a Netflix documentary. He will be in Allentown to speak to the public.
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For 34 years, Russell Valentini, the man Allentown knows as Rooster, has been the one person families could turn to. When landlords locked them out, when shelters were full and when there was no cash left to pay for dinner.
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Calls made to report suspected child abuse to Pennsylvania’s ChildLine continued to be significantly lower than usual in May.
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Parks in Northampton County are slated to reopen this Friday — trails will open, but playgrounds and pavilions will remain closed.
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Reports of child abuse and neglect have fallen significantly in the Lehigh Valley and across the state but it’s not a good sign for children in a time of social distancing.
