Health & Wellness News

Our daily list of useful information, chosen to inform and enhance your day, includes news you can use and then some!

The Lehigh Valley will host a marathon for the first time since the pandemic started. Registration will open this month for the St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest.

Lehigh Valley Health Network was victimized in a cybersecurity attack last month. The network said it refused to pay a ransom. Now, patient information and photos have been posted on the dark web, according to LVHN.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced $52.5 million in grants intended to prevent suicide. Named for Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox, the suicide prevention grant program is now in its second year. Its goal is to fund community-based organizations that work with veterans and their families. Last year, the VA gave awards to three groups in Pennsylvania, including more than $530,000 to St. Luke’s Penn Foundation in Carbon County. Eighty recipients won awards nationwide in the program’s first year. Grant applications are due by May 19 with awards expected to be announced in September. Selected organizations will receive funding for 2024. More information on how to apply is available at mentalhealth.va.gov.

Drug shortages seem to be a big issue in the wake of the pandemic. Children's pain medication and other prescriptions have been hard to get in the past few months because of supply chain issues.

The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 8, would remove out-of-pocket costs and require 100% coverage for preventative breast cancer screenings and genetic testing. Proponents say it would be the first of its kind in the nation.

Starting Monday, March 6, Lehigh Valley Health Network will no longer require coronavirus face masks for the public inside hospitals and health care facilities in areas not associated with patient care.

Musician James Casey talks to a Lehigh Valley company about his fight with colon cancer. He is using his platform to tell others about the importance of getting screened.

Toastique, whose founder is a Lehigh Valley native, is finally coming to Bethlehem.

Many school nurses say the pandemic made them feel burned out, stressed out, and exhausted. Now, some are working to catch up on work that didn't get done during that time.

Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, missed votes in Congress this week as a result of her condition. Her office's communications director made the announcement on social media.

Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s hospital just expanded its inpatient pediatric unit from 30 beds to 50. The expansion comes on the heels of a severe respiratory season.

More than half the Commonwealth’s counties were moved to the high level of COVID alert - known as substantial spread. Local health experts say they are quote “praying” hospitalizations don't rise to the levels seen in the spring.

The post went viral on Facebook, falsely claiming that hunters are required to wear $30 fluorescent orange face masks featuring the state Game Commission's logo.

“We need a relief bill right now, for food security, more money for medicaid, more money for state and local governments...We should start that now, long before there’s a new administration," said Senator Bob Casey.

Health officials are calling it the fall resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Lehigh Valley Restaurant Owners Alliance held a rally Monday afternoon on Main Street Bethlehem in response to the governor's recent veto of legislation to further open up those establishments.

Pennsylvania US Senator Bob Casey says a rushed confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett could impact healthcare for tens of thousands of people in the Lehigh Valley.

State lawmakers are temporarily suspending in-person activities at the Capitol after a Republican lawmaker tested positive for the coronavirus.

New COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Pennsylvania. State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine says she is nervous about the impacts of COVID-19 in the fall and winter seasons.

The state has completed baseline testing for COVID-19 at nursing homes, and is planning to expand to other groups.

WLVR Community Correspondent Genesis Ortega spoke about the higher risk group disparities with Lehigh Valley Health Network Doctor, Orlando Penaloza.

When schools closed in March many parents became teachers overnight. But for those who have children with special needs, virtual learning presented a real-world challenge.

The Wolf administration is outlining plans and services in place to help families navigate back to school season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.