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 Shapiro administration is offering grants to community-based organizations to start regional maternal health coalitions. With maternal mortality on the rise, the governor is aiming to address the problem at the local level.

Kirkland Village celebrated their recent upgrades thanks to a grant from the Long-Term Care Transformation Office, with health officials detailing the importance of funding to keep long-term facilities at their best.

A ceremony to honor organ donors and recipients was held at St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Allentown Campus. Organ donation recipients, organ donor families, and the Gift of Life Donor Program came together with hospital employees to mark Donate Life Month.

The Allentown branch of the Greater Valley YMCA is set to reopen following a fire last summer. Services are limited, but plans for more programming are on the way.

Hanover Twp., Northampton County's board of supervisors approved a 144-bed behavioral health hospital built and operated by Lehigh Valley Health Network and health care behemoth Universal Health Services.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is using new robotic technology in an effort to perform more precise surgeries. The da Vinci 5 surgical system is said to keep surgeons more comfortable, so they can better perform the surgery.

A practice that was always used to begin or end a workout is now being used as its own exercise form. The Stretch Lab in South Whitehall Township is an assisted stretch studio with certified flexologists.

U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, held a roundtable discussion with veterans groups and doctors to talk about IVF and accessibility for those who served.

A lab dedicated to the treatment of hematologic cancers is now open in Allentown. A generous donation helped the cellular therapy lab come into fruition at HNL Lab Medicine.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation will host its second annual Innovation Summit this weekend. The one-day event offers a chance for those in the health care industry to learn about the latest technology in their field.

Financial assistance is on the way to help a Lehigh Valley nonprofit that assists women who have been sex trafficked. Bloom for Women can now make upgrades to the housing they offer and begin providing services to men and children with the money.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry is alerting consumers of scammers selling sunglasses to view the eclipse on April 8 that do not protect one's eyes from potentially permanent damage.