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                Stephanie Kasulka/LehighValleyNews.comWith SNAP benefits delayed in November and the holidays approaching, Lehigh Valley residents can help or get help. Here's where to find food pantries, volunteer opportunities, and donation info.
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                Micaela Hood/LehighValleyNews.comU.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, has organized a food drive while pinning the ongoing government shutdown on Senate Democrats. SNAP benefits that help feed millions of low-income Americans are hours away from expiring.
 
Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute now offers treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib) with a new system that uses pulsed electrical fields to target problematic heart muscle cells instead of extreme heat or cold.
        
        
    Health & Wellness News
    
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                        Psychedelic mushrooms are being studied by the medical community to treat issues like anxiety and depression. A Muhlenberg College professor is weighing in with where the research stands and if we could see the legalization of the drug anytime soon.
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                        New policy to combat systemic racism is in place at LVHN. The Valley's largest employer has new protocols in place following accusations of racism from a resident.
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                        Russian-tied BlackCat hacker group attacked another health care system in February, what does it mean for cybersecurity in hospitals?
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                        Lehigh Valley Health Network and Lehigh County Drug & Alcohol are training high school and college students for medical careers. The program aims at bringing more support to the community to make it a safer place to live.
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                        Dr. Debra D. Esernio-Jenssen, a Lehigh Valley Health Network physician facing multiple lawsuits over alleged child abuse misdiagnoses, has announced her retirement. Separately, Lehigh County announced it will create a new "community centered" Child Advocacy Center.
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                        An art show centered around mental health and disabilities is opening in an unlikely place. Midnight Gallery is in the showroom of Vollux Autowerks, a car repair and diagnostics shop in Lehigh County.
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                        A Carbon County woman is showing others that despite living with a traumatic brain injury, she still has a positive outlook. Ten years after her injury, she is doing things her mother never thought possible at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation in Allentown.
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                        The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its Allergy Capitals report this month. Allentown ranked in the Top 15 nationwide.
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                        A rectal cancer survivor is teaming up with a woman who lost her brother to colon cancer to get the word out about the importance of getting routine screenings. Colorectal cancer is very treatable when caught early enough.
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                        Prescription drug middlemen are being blamed by independent pharmacies for revenue decline, under-reimbursement, and financial strain. As more of the smaller shops shutter, local pharmacists are calling for reform.
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                        Medical students across the country found out where they are headed for their residencies on Match Day on Friday. For the first time, St. Luke’s Katz School of Medicine held a ceremony in Bethlehem along with partner school Temple University in Philadelphia.
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                        WLVR's Megan Frank talks with journalists Stephanie Sigafoos and Brittany Sweeney.
 
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                        The churches used unconventional methods to erase $3.5 million in medical debt for total strangers in the area, they announced on Thursday.
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                        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.”
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                        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.
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                        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.
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                        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.
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                        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.
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                        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.
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                        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.
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                        Unforeseen issues and obstacles have pushed the timeline for Lehigh Valley Breathes back. The regional air monitoring project aims to measure fine particle pollution.
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                        St. Luke's University Health Network and Grand View Health have confirmed a partnership which was first introduced in the summer of 2024.
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                        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.
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                        Nadia and Ethan Brewer, of Kunkletown, are the parents of Owen Eugene Brewer, who was born at midnight at St. Luke's Anderson Campus.