Health & Wellness News

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with journalists Stephanie Sigafoos and Brittany Sweeney.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Health care companies across the Lehigh Valley are giving a voice to colorectal cancer patients and their care givers to raise awareness.

About a million Pennsylvanians have medical debt, but a proposal in the Gov. Josh Shapiro's 2024-25 budget could help alleviate those debts. State Rep. Josh Siegel, who represents parts of Allentown and Salisbury Township, is an advocate for the proposal.

More than two dozen residents showed up at a zoning meeting last month to speak against Ripple's plans in Allentown to build so-called medical respite rooms, but none got the chance.

Most of America “springs forward” Sunday, March 10, 2024, for daylight saving time and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could affect your health.

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.

Technology called cold capping helps people retain their hair during chemotherapy. A mother shares her experience using it while fighting cancer.

A ribbon cutting for Lehigh Valley Hospital Macungie was held Friday. The neighborhood hospital is a small scale emergency department.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey got a mention during President Biden's State of the Union address but U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, did not. Politics reporter Tom Shortell provides a post-mortem on the SOTU.

The medication used to treat COVID-19 is widely available, but underused for treatment. Although it’s no longer free through the government, most insurances still cover the drug.

Christie Nicas, a Bethlehem woman who conceived two children through in vitro fertilization, will attend President Joe Biden's 2024 State of the Union address Thursday as a guest of U.S. Rep. Susan Wild.

Families in the Allentown School District will be on the receiving end of new computer monitors. Capital Blue Cross teamed up with other area organizations to get the technology into the hands of those who need it.

The churches used unconventional methods to erase $3.5 million in medical debt for total strangers in the area, they announced on Thursday.

Scott Slingerland, executive director of recipient nonprofit Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, said, “It’s cool how everybody’s a piece of the puzzle in terms of supporting the community. We all do totally different things, but it all makes up the whole.”

Lehigh Valley Health Network and the Easton Area Community Center’s St. Anthony’s Youth Center received state grants to support violence prevention and out-of-school programs. The $1.1 million in funding will enhance community efforts to reduce violence and grow youth development initiatives.

U.S. regulators on Wednesday banned the dye called Red 3 from the nation’s food supply, nearly 35 years after it was barred from cosmetics because of potential cancer risk.

Ten Lehigh Valley children with disabilities were presented with adaptive bikes or strollers at Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21. Each individually customized adaptive bike costs $3,500 to $4,000 and is not covered by insurance.

Walkiewicz will report to ANCOR with relevant policy happenings out of Harrisburg and help to strengthen the nationwide I/DD-services network, for both at-home and community-based services.

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, Brittany Sweeney takes her place with reporter Phil Gianficaro and social media specialist Grace Oddo.

Elevate Your Health and Wellness Expo will take place at 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Delta by Marriott. The event is free and will benefit KidsPeace.

Unforeseen issues and obstacles have pushed the timeline for Lehigh Valley Breathes back. The regional air monitoring project aims to measure fine particle pollution.

St. Luke's University Health Network and Grand View Health have confirmed a partnership which was first introduced in the summer of 2024.

January is National Radon Action Month. Public health officials are urging residents to stay informed of the risks, test and support legislative efforts to increase testing.

Nadia and Ethan Brewer, of Kunkletown, are the parents of Owen Eugene Brewer, who was born at midnight at St. Luke's Anderson Campus.