Health & Wellness News

Members of Easton's Blueprint Communities organization announced their first project, a mural at Chubby's honoring South Side's past, present, and future, on Monday afternoon.

Northampton County and Northampton Community College will offer a free workplace safety training later this month aimed at employees of municipal governments, nonprofits and similar organizations.

The funding, through the Livable Landscape program, was unanimously approved at the county council’s June 18 meeting.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Proposed federal budget cuts would impact programs such as the free summer meal program for children in the Allentown School District.

The $2.75 million payment to the federal government resolves allegations that a pharmacy technician stole controlled substances on about 40 occasions and the health network failed to institute proper controls.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

A generous donation from a Lehigh Valley native and others funds free swim lessons for children and adults in the River Crossing YMCA's Safety Around Water, or SAW, swim education program.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A couple from Easton who are in the midst of moving their business down to North Carolina are amassing contributions of necessities to deliver directly to victims of Hurricane Helene in their new community.

A new $60,000 grant in Bethlehem will provide both necessary training for police departments countywide and related equipment for Project Lifesaver — a training and search and rescue operation run locally through the city Health Bureau.

The next phase of construction is under way on a new Lehigh Valley behavioral health hospital as the last steel beam was placed Tuesday. The new facility will have 144 beds.

Local Red Cross volunteers are in Florida helping with Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The Lehigh Valley chapter's executive director says this one is different than other storm system cleanups he's witnessed.

The President and CEO of Miller-Keystone Blood Center is retiring. A new leader has been chosen and he's no stranger to the organization.

Concussions in the NFL have a few players out of the game and fans are asking “how many is too many?” Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and Eagles’ wide receiver DeVonta Smith are both sidelined due to their head injuries.

Easton Area School District signed off an agreement with the city, which will see them contribute $30,000 to improve Vanderveer Park's basketball courts, with the city covering the cost of labor.

A fall appreciation event gave those at Miller-Keystone Blood Center the chance to say “thank you” to those who give blood. It’s the first time they’ve been able to host an event like this since the pandemic.

The US is mailing Americans COVID tests again. Here's how to get them

Hosted by LehighValleyNews.com health and wellness reporter Brittany Sweeney, the hourlong program covers the emergence, efficacy and availability of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss and diabetes treatment. “A Community Conversation: New Weight Loss Meds, Cure or Craze?” airs at 6 p.m. on PBS39.

An art exhibit and auction are set to raise funds for a program that teaches children and adults about mindfulness. The Shanthi Project aims to use the funds to expand their programming in Lehigh Valley schools.

St. Luke's University Health Network is teaching parents where to look for drug paraphernalia and other dangerous substances in their teen's room. It's all part of their Drug Abuse and Recovery week.