Health & Wellness News

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.

Musician James Casey talks to a Lehigh Valley company about his fight with colon cancer. He is using his platform to tell others about the importance of getting screened.

Toastique, whose founder is a Lehigh Valley native, is finally coming to Bethlehem.

Many school nurses say the pandemic made them feel burned out, stressed out, and exhausted. Now, some are working to catch up on work that didn't get done during that time.

The Allentown School District held Unity Day events at its 15 elementary schools on Wednesday. The message at each focused on bullying prevention, as October is National Bullying Prevention Month.

Several cases of the disease have been identified since school began in August.

The festival, scheduled Oct. 21-22, will feature 5K and 10K races on Saturday and half marathon and half marathon relay races on Sunday. A half marathon relay also allows for a three-person team to run two five-mile legs and one 5K leg.

Lehigh County Commissioners' Human Services Commission will discuss the county’s Office of Children and Youth Services (OCYS) at its meeting on Wednesday.

A bill aimed at allowing nurse practitioners to practice on their own is being touted in the state capital. State Sen. Lisa Boscola was in Harrisburg Tuesday showing support for Senate Bill 25 which would allow Nurse Practitioners full practice authority.

More than a half-hour of passionate pleas didn't slow down Lehigh County commissioners as they signed off on Heather Reed's promotion to lead the Child and Youth Services department, which is mired in controversy.

Another pediatric emergency room now is open in the Lehigh Valley. St. Luke’s University Health Network on Monday opened the Isaacman Family Children’s Emergency Room, after establishing a children’s hospital this past June.

The conflict in Israel has played out across social media. The graphic nature of the videos and stories can have an impact on your mental health, according to a Lehigh Valley therapist.

WLVR's Megan Frank talks with reporters Tom Shortell and Brittany Sweeney.

The Kellyn foundation aims to bring healthier, more accessible food options to people in the area. Their mobile farmers market goes all year round and now they are working with local farms to help grow their operations.

Pennsylvania State Police say officials have been unable to determine what caused eight children and five adults to become sick at the Lehigh Valley Children's Center on Park Avenue on Wednesday. Air quality tests are scheduled.

The organization has supported children with cancer insuring they have an angel watching over them.