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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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The 11-year-old Golden Retriever comforted Stephen Zamojski, whose Saint Bernard recently passed.
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Two live reindeer visited residents at the Fellowship Community continuing care retirement community in Whitehall Township on Tuesday.
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After 40 years with the Boys & Girls Club of Allentown, CEO Deb Fries-Jackson is retiring. The Allentown native and former school teacher was instrumental in the merger of the local Girls Club and Boys Club in 2002.
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LehighValleyNews.com and PBS39 hosted a community conversation on interfaith relations amid the Israel-Hamas war. The program also contained advice on how to manage social media and speak to children about the unrest.
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The Allentown School District held Unity Day events at its 15 elementary schools on Wednesday. The message at each focused on bullying prevention, as October is National Bullying Prevention Month.
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The conflict in Israel has played out across social media. The graphic nature of the videos and stories can have an impact on your mental health, according to a Lehigh Valley therapist.
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WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Tom Shortell and Brittany Sweeney.
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The Suicide Prevention Coalition of Lehigh County is starting its LOSS Team, which will serve as first responders to assist families caught in the immediate aftermath of a suicide.
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DeSales University professor Elisabeth Felten is in her second year teaching non-traditional, special needs adults to give them a college experience.
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An upcoming event in the Lehigh Valley aims to educate people about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. It’s a topic not often talked about that plagues a number of new parents.
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A mental health summit at St. Luke's hosted healthcare workers, legislators, and community members. The panel addressed issues treating mental health problems and how to work towards fixing the crisis.
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A suicide prevention bench was dedicated to Moravian University. Students lined up to participate in the unveiling.
