Health & Wellness News

A professor of law is weighing in on a medical repatriation — or as some call it, a 'medical deportation' case — in the Lehigh Valley. Professor Lori Nessel is the director of the Immigrants’ Rights/International Human Rights Clinic at the Seton Hall University School of Law.

Richard M. Bodner testified on Friday to the safety measures implemented not only to the existing Bethlehem Landfill but its proposed expansion in Lower Saucon Township.

Northampton County is approved to join other municipalities and residents who have a legal standing in opposing the proposed landfill in Lower Saucon Township.

The specialty flight company MedEscort says it has "repatriated" over 6,000 patients to more than 100 countries. Critics say they're profiting from "medical deportations." The company challenges the phrase, and denies pressuring the family.

Patient advocates protested Wednesday outside Lehigh Valley Health Network's Cedar Crest Campus.

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The Lehigh Valley will host a marathon for the first time since the pandemic started. Registration will open this month for the St. Luke’s D&L RaceFest.

Lehigh Valley Health Network was victimized in a cybersecurity attack last month. The network said it refused to pay a ransom. Now, patient information and photos have been posted on the dark web, according to LVHN.

Today, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced $52.5 million in grants intended to prevent suicide. Named for Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox, the suicide prevention grant program is now in its second year. Its goal is to fund community-based organizations that work with veterans and their families. Last year, the VA gave awards to three groups in Pennsylvania, including more than $530,000 to St. Luke’s Penn Foundation in Carbon County. Eighty recipients won awards nationwide in the program’s first year. Grant applications are due by May 19 with awards expected to be announced in September. Selected organizations will receive funding for 2024. More information on how to apply is available at mentalhealth.va.gov.

Drug shortages seem to be a big issue in the wake of the pandemic. Children's pain medication and other prescriptions have been hard to get in the past few months because of supply chain issues.

The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 8, would remove out-of-pocket costs and require 100% coverage for preventative breast cancer screenings and genetic testing. Proponents say it would be the first of its kind in the nation.

Starting Monday, March 6, Lehigh Valley Health Network will no longer require coronavirus face masks for the public inside hospitals and health care facilities in areas not associated with patient care.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra toured St. Luke's University Health Network facilities in Allentown Monday while making time to speak with Latino voters about the 2024 presidential campaign.

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.

Russian-tied BlackCat hacker group attacked another health care system in February, what does it mean for cybersecurity in hospitals?

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its Allergy Capitals report this month. Allentown ranked in the Top 15 nationwide.

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.

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.

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.

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