Health & Wellness News

News Director Jen Rehill talks with journalists Tom Shortell and Brittany Sweeney.

The Easton Area High School student is under a doctor's care, officials said. Whooping cough, or pertussis, spreads easily from person to person and outbreaks can occur in schools, child care centers and hospitals, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of people developing cancer is on the rise, but the survival rate is also going up according to the American Cancer Society. Doctors believe there are two contributing factors.

Pennsylvania's Supreme Court made a ruling pertaining to abortion rights across the state. The issue being disputed is whether government funds should be used for the procedure and if there's a constitutional right to abortions in the state.

St. Luke's officials said Thursday that the family practice on Front Street in Hellertown is "at capacity."

A lack of educators, a retiring generation, and a pandemic that produced stress and burnout all have contributed to the shortage of health care workers, such as nurses. Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's University Health Network are both focused on attracting new talent.

A local blood bank is urging new donors to give blood and existing donors to increase the number of times they give. Miller Keystone is also encouraging younger and more diverse people to take the time to donate blood.

A ribbon cutting was held for Counseling Solutions of the Lehigh Valley’s new location. The West Tilghman Street location offers bilingual drug and alcohol counseling.

A group of firefighters dressed as superheroes to brighten the day of pediatric patients at St. Luke's University Health Network. The group is called Humble Heroes of the Fire Department of the City of New York.

The cold winter weather can often lead to dry cracked skin. A Lehigh Valley skin care expert has some ways to fight the rough feeling on our outer layer.

Allentown's mayor and police chief are backing Sen. Bob Casey's legislative efforts to stop more fentanyl at the U.S./Mexico border.

The “Stanley Jr. Kids Wheelbarrow and 7-piece Garden Set" has been recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission after the paint on the hoe and rake were found to contain lead levels exceeding the federal content ban.

Lehigh Valley Health Network and Capital Blue Cross rolled out a new mobile dental unit in Lehigh Valley. The van is equipped with two dental chairs to see children who need oral health care.

A local Boy Scout working on his Eagle Scout project is receiving grant money from Capital Blue Cross. His is one of a handful of initiatives receiving the money for community and educational projects.

The Karl Stirner Arts Trail will introduce their 2024-25 artist-in-residence Chakaia Booker with the premier of a piece built from recycled tires, No More Milk and Cookies, at the trail this Sunday.

"67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania' will be on display at the Bethlehem Township campus through Sunday, Sept. 22.

The program of mental health professionals and trained volunteers makes contact with families reeling after a loved one's suicide. The group has responded to 20 of 22 suicides in Lehigh County so far in 2024.

Grand View Health signed a nonbinding letter of intent to evaluate the potential of it joining St. Luke's University Health Network. Letters to employees of both health care companies went out Friday to alert them of the potential partnership.

Join Megan Frank every Friday at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week she's joined by environment and science reporter Molly Bilinski and Bethlehem reporter Will Oliver.

The settlement, filed in Lackawanna County Court, is in a class action lawsuit brought in 2023 that court by plaintiff Jane Doe against the hospital network.

Called the Recovery in Nature initiative, two state departments have joined forces to create regional-specific partnerships to bolster substance use recovery efforts while strengthening all residents’ connection to nature.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its report of the most challenging places to live with asthma. The release coincides with peak asthma season in September.

Developer City Center is planning a two-story school featuring about 200,000 square feet of space, with an athletics field, along the west side of the sprawling property.