Health & Wellness News

New therapies for sickle cell disease could be available in the Lehigh Valley next year. The FDA approved the treatments earlier this month for people 12 and older. The disease disproportionately affects people who are Black and of certain other descents.

Lehigh Valley Health Network plans to merge with Jefferson Health, but deals like this are nothing new to the Philadelphia-based system. For nearly a decade, Jefferson has been combining forces with hospitals in two states.

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.

Getting healthier in the new year is popular resolution, but sticking to it is the hard part. An Allentown woman is sharing how she kept with her fitness goal, even through a life-threatening diagnosis.

Canine experts emphasize how dangerous and, in some cases, deadly, human foods can be to dogs.

Take a look at stories that ran throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact on readers or that you might want to look at again.

Lehigh Valley Health Network and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals announced plans to merge this week. A healthcare analyst weighs in on what these types of deals mean for employees and patients.

If ultimately completed, the combined health care system would operate 30 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient sites, with more than 62,000 employees, according to LVHN and Jefferson Health.

Pa.'s governor wants more students to take advantage of the universal free breakfast program in schools across the state. He is challenging administrators to promote the program and increase participation.

A respiratory illness is plaguing dogs in 16 states, including Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Valley Humane Society is weighing in on the signs and symptoms of the virus.

News Director Jen Rehill talks to reporters Will Oliver and Brittany Sweeney.

A new hospital in the St. Luke’s University Health Network is now open. The ribbon was cut on the orthopedic hospital Wednesday and patients will start being seen at the South Whitehall Township location next week.

The shooting at a Wawa in Upper Macungie Township this week may leave some in the Lehigh Valley feeling on edge and scared. An Allentown truck driver died and the suspected shooter took his own life.

Air quality in the Lehigh Valley is getting mixed reviews in the 22nd annual American Lung Association's State of the Air report released April 21.

Roughly 20% of elder care residents across Pennsylvania have yet to be vaccinated according to numbers from the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Infectious disease specialists say one in four people who develop COVID-19 will have recurring symptoms after a month. St. Luke’s University Health Network has just rolled out a program to treat so-called “long-haulers.”

Nearly one in five residents at Pennsylvania’s long-term care facilities has yet to receive the coronavirus vaccine. But on April 15, state health officials announced some steps to close that gap.

It’s a taboo topic with serious consequences: Across the country, the suicide rate has risen more than 33% in the last decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New research shows there is only a small chance of contracting the coronavirus by touching surfaces

Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians rely on the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in order to keep food on the table.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania’s top health official says there's enough critical medical equipment in the state to meet current needs in hospitals.…

Pennsylvania is preparing to ease COVID restrictions this weekend. Bars and restaurants can serve alcohol without food, lift curfews and increase capacity. But the move comes as COVID cases are on the rise and service employees may not be vaccinated yet.

Research in a growing scientific field called ecotherapy at Harvard University shows activities like walking in the woods can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Even a few minutes outside can do the trick.

Bethlehem-based OraSure Technologies has submitted its new rapid COVID home test for U.S Food and Drug Administration emergency approval.