Health & Wellness News

Allentown police can hand out tickets to anyone caught swimming in natural waterways in the city, Mayor Matt Tuerk said, urging residents not to let a $100 fine “ruin your summer.”

A developer's request to split an expansion project at a retirement home complex was approved by Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners on Monday night.

Experts say there’s confusion about how quickly heat and moisture can compromise everyday medicines like insulin, inhalers, blood thinners and common antibiotics.

There are free summer meal sites for kids throughout the Lehigh Valley funded through the Summer Food Service Program.

Lehigh County Board of Commissioners have Ok'd a four-year, $34.6 million contract with PrimeCare Medical to serve inmates in their corrections facilities.

Haven House in Allentown is hosting The Art of Coping, an art exhibition showcasing the healing power of creativity. It features work from Lehigh Valley artists living with PTSD, depression, anxiety, and visual impairments.

The bunch, joined by a dozen more people with signs at nearby intersections, lay along the sidewalk for a “die-in” at Third and Wyandotte Park along Route 378 North.

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.

New regulations require more direct care hours for residents and tighter staffing ratios at nearly 700 long-term care facilities statewide.

June was cool, but July is proving to be HOT! When the weather switches from mild to extreme in a matter of days, doctors say more people come in with heat-related illnesses.

Those who have served in the Lehigh Valley living with pulmonary fibrosis and other lung conditions now have a support group. It was created by the Wescoe Foundation for Pulmonary Fibrosis, an organization founded by Jennifer Wescoe in honor of her late father, Ron, who served as a marine.

The American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania is asking people to consider donating blood over the 4th of July holiday. This time of year, the organization says donations drop off, but the need stays the same.

The notice was offered to affected individuals about a cybersecurity attack by a ransomware gang known as BlackCat and associated with Russia. The incident occurred in January and was later found in February.

Experts say this latest round of Canadian wildfire smoke in the Lehigh Valley will not be the last, and that millions should prepare for this new normal.

Booze, Belts, and Burns: Police officers and fire fighters want people to be responsible when drinking, wear a seatbelt, and be safe when lighting fireworks this holiday weekend.

After an outbreak earlier this month among the Humane Society's shelter dogs, the organization says it's now safe to adopt their animals. They are set to re-open to the public on July 1.

The Stocker family sold their house and hit the road in an RV. They are seeing the country and educating others about Type 1 diabetes.

A 12-year-old from Bethlehem is in a national design competition. Her idea for a Love Your Melon beanie is one of three finalists.

Pools around the Lehigh Valley participated in the World's Largest Swim Lesson with free sessions Thursday. Kids jumped in the wave pool at Dorney Park and Cedar Beach Pool in Allentown.

The Parkland School Board renewed a sports medicine and school health needs agreement with St. Luke's after state Sen. Jarrett Coleman urged them not to. He suggested the health network should find better ways to spend the money.