Health & Wellness News

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.

Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, missed votes in Congress this week as a result of her condition. Her office's communications director made the announcement on social media.

Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s hospital just expanded its inpatient pediatric unit from 30 beds to 50. The expansion comes on the heels of a severe respiratory season.

Our daily list of useful information, chosen to inform and enhance your day, includes news you can use and then some!

St. Luke's University Health Network cut the ribbon on their new Women and Babies Pavilion and Oncology center in upper Bucks County. This will expand services to women and babies as well as those going through cancer treatments.

Take a look at stories throughout the week of which we are most proud, had a profound impact or that you might want to look at again.

With around 1 million people expected to attend Musikfest this year, health and safety take top priority for organizers. Everything from cooling misters to medical tents will be on site.

In the Lehigh Valley, one vape is thrown away every 105 seconds. When they end up as litter or in landfills, hazardous materials can leach into soil and contaminate groundwater.

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.

The new courts could be ready for play during the fall, but spring at the latest, one official said.

A Lehigh Valley healthcare provider is considering prescribing the latest FDA-approved Alzheimer's medication to their patients. The drug Leqembi was granted full regulatory approval this month.

St. Luke's Hospital's Anderson campus proposed expansion is a five-story, 308,000-square-foot project that would add 146 beds and a more than 32,000-square-foot Sterile Processing Infill Development at 1872 Riverside Circle

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation is opening a new hospital in Center Valley. The 78-bed facility opens to rehab patients Sunday, July 30th.

Those with lingering COVID-19 symptoms are part of the group of people who should stay indoors when smoke from the Canadian wildfires is particularly bad, says a Lehigh Valley doctor. He says people living with any type of lung problem should be aware of what’s happening outside.

The PACT Act makes it easier for veterans and their survivors to qualify for benefits if they served in the Middle East, Afghanistan or Vietnam. But to make the most of their benefits, they'll need to submit paperwork to the Department of Veterans Affairs by Aug. 9.

The WHO says aspartame, in large amounts, can cause cancer. A local dietician is weighing in with how bad it really is and what substitutions are out there.

A program that brings mindfulness to schools continues their efforts through summer. The Mindful Child Initiative serves more than 350 classrooms throughout the year and visits playgrounds throughout the summer.

Supplying summer lunches for free. That’s what the health educators from Weller Health Education are doing at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s 17th Street campus.