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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.
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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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WLVR's Megan Frank talks with journalists Brittany Sweeney and Jay Bradley.
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The Allentown Police Department and public officials are again looking at launching a pilot program to change the city’s response to mental health emergencies.
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Lehigh Valley Health Network and Lehigh County Drug & Alcohol are training high school and college students for medical careers. The program aims at bringing more support to the community to make it a safer place to live.
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An art show centered around mental health and disabilities is opening in an unlikely place. Midnight Gallery is in the showroom of Vollux Autowerks, a car repair and diagnostics shop in Lehigh County.
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Students, who college officials said are a demographic experiencing an "epidemic" of mental health issues, say they're excited for the new space and see its potential.
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A group of firefighters dressed as superheroes to brighten the day of pediatric patients at St. Luke's University Health Network. The group is called Humble Heroes of the Fire Department of the City of New York.
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Allentown School District is giving its high school students access to ‘Counslr,’ an app that provides 24-hour text-based sessions with licensed counselors to schools and businesses.
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Listen to the Dissonance: Songs & Conversations About Mental Health will be at 2 p.m. Feb. 4 (doors and vendors open at 1:30) in the Charles Brown Icehouse, 56 River St., Bethlehem. Offered by Your Next Favorite Band podcast, the show will offer interviews and solo performances by five regional performers, then a songwriter roundtable with all the participating artists.
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Getting physical and mental health in check is a popular new year resolution. Lehigh Valley health leaders are explaining how they plan to accomplish their goals for 2024.
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Lawmakers in Harrisburg passed nearly three dozen laws last week in a final burst of action as they held their last voting session of the year.
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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.