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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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Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center hosted a virtual event about the state of mental health in the LGBTQ community. -
People without a permanent place to stay should "enjoy the same rights as the rest of us who have a house," Allentown Commission on Homelessness chair Abigail Goldfarb said.
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Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.
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Talking to children about their mental health can be challenging for parents. During Mental Health Awareness Month, educators are sharing how they address the topic with kids.
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A panel of young people, ranging from middle-school-aged to college, shared their thoughts on mental health and health care in a conference organized by Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital. They all had one thing in common — direct experience.
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The Palmer Recovery Center is the site of a free trauma-informed yoga class every Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. The class helps veterans with their mental health struggles.
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The U.S. surgeon general issued a public health advisory about loneliness, isolation and lack of connection. The health consequences are enormous — equivalent by some estimates to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
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Lehigh Valley Mental Health Awareness Walk offers the public education and resources. Behavioral health needs are growing.
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The $25,000 fund, offered by Lehigh and Northampton counties, will be used to support the schools' Aevidum program.
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On July 1, the Girls on the Run Lehigh Valley and Pocono chapters will merge.
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About 40 early childhood educators gathered at a roundtable event Friday at the Univest Public Media Center in Bethlehem to discuss their work.
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Showstoppers Boxing Club teaches youth how to box and stay out of trouble. That’s why Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley has uplifted the boxing club as an anti-violence initiative.
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There’s an intangible soon heading overseas in a couple hundred care packages: the comfort of knowing someone out there is thinking of you during the holidays.
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A new fellowship soon will be offered to doctors at St. Luke's University Health Network to tie addiction and mental health services together more closely.
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People in Florida are picking up the pieces of their lives as not one but two hurricanes batter the coast in as many weeks. Red Cross volunteers from the Lehigh Valley continue to lend a helping hand.
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Lehigh County Coroner Dan Buglio urges, 'Keep a close watch on family and friends' following seven suicides in 11 days.
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A new mental health clinic in Bethlehem is acknowledging World Mental Health Day by letting people know about their services.
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The Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley offers mental health counseling to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and robbery. They also work with the families of murder victims.
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The next phase of construction is under way on a new Lehigh Valley behavioral health hospital as the last steel beam was placed Tuesday. The new facility will have 144 beds.
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The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission hosted a community forum on discrimination and other issues at the Allentown Public Library on Monday night.
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State Rep. Mike Schlossberg and mental health experts advocated for an increased investment in school-based health clinics at a news conference at Hays Elementary School in Allentown on Friday.
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Valley Youth House's THRIVE Program, which helps sex-trafficked folks, will receive $150,000 in state funding, Rep. Josh Siegel, D-22nd District, announced at a news conference on Wednesday.
