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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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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.
