Health & Wellness News

The dangerously unhealthy air quality in Lehigh Valley from smoke from Canadian wildfires has residents wearing COVID masks again.

Smoke from wildfires in Canada can be seen and smelled in much of the northeast, including the Lehigh Valley. Local pulmonologists are weighing in with what to do to avoid too much exposure.

Allentown Fire Department is warning against any outdoor fires due to dry conditions and elevated winds as a red flag warning continues for the region.

Those hitting the public pools in Allentown should do so safety says the city’s special events coordinator. Officials there want pool patrons to keep a few things in mind this summer season.

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.

A local amputee support group continues to connect those who have lost a limb and raise money for other amputees. The Lehigh Valley Amputee Support Group held its 17th Annual Golf Tournament Friday.

An organization called 'Mom-n-PA' is providing tens of thousands of dollars worth of dental care. All you have to do is show up.

The Burn Prevention Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network educate parents about burn and fire risks to their children. What was once a packet of information will now be a video will be shown to those with newborns.

The 21st Century program is to help students with academic support and art and music enrichment.

Loneliness, isolation and social disconnect are a public health crisis in the United States. Brittany Sweeney hosts a community conversation to examine the factors that contribute to isolation — and what we can do to avoid it.

The mobile stroke unit at Lehigh Valley Health Network is expanding its reach with a new partnership. The specialized ambulance will now assist first responders in part of Berks County with neurological emergencies.

A red fox in Northampton County earlier this month became the first mammal in the Lehigh Valley to contract bird flu.

The past year and a half has been traumatic for many people, including children. Many are starting the school year once again under the cloud of COVID-19. A Lehigh Valley yoga instructor is sharing ways to help kids de-stress.

Northampton County Prison is now requiring vaccinations for all outside company employees, since, after months of low COVID-19 case numbers, infections in the jail are rising.

Republicans in the House Health Committee are challenging the Pennsylvania health department’s order that requires children to wear face coverings at schools to decrease the spread of COVID-19.

New data released by the state Health Department shows COVID-19 vaccines have managed to protect against illness, hospitalization and death in the vast majority of Pennsylvanians.

State health officials are ramping up efforts to get more people vaccinated in Pennsylvania where just over 50% are fully vaccinated.

The Bethlehem Area School District’s Miller Heights Elementary is operating remotely after a dozen COVID-19 cases affected students in five of its classrooms.

Food insecurity is the lack of regular, reliable access to nutritious food, and it’s a problem in both cities and rural areas.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise at the Northampton County Prison (NCP) where just under half of the jail’s nearly 600 inmates are vaccinated.

Tuesday was the start for Pennsylvania’s K through 12 masking mandate. The order was issued last week by Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam, not Gov. Wolf. Sarah Anne Hughes, deputy editor for SpotlightPA, a nonpartisan investigative newsroom which has been covering these issues, recently joined us by phone to discuss the move by the Wolf administration.

Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives is mulling a legislative challenge to the Wolf administration’s latest mask mandate for schools. A group of state senators, meanwhile, is readying a bill to change the state’s constitution to prevent those mandates.

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Social isolation is something many older adults have to struggle with, especially during the pandemic. Many senior centers have helped…

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh University is making adjustments to “health and safety measures” as more students test positive for COVID-19. As of Sept. 8, the…