Health & Wellness News

An organ transplant recipient and the donor’s Lehigh Valley family are sharing their experience in order to encourage others to become organ donors. April is National Donate Life Month.

The decision came with a decline in COVID-19 cases in the areas LVHN serves.

Muhlenberg College announced its second academic partnership with Villanova University today. This partnership will allow Muhlenberg prehealth students to earn a second bachelors in nursing at Villanova’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing in an accelerated time frame.

It would potentially take one of the pills used in a medication abortion off the market

The Easton site of Miller Keystone Blood Center has been relocated to a bigger, more visual space. Those who work there hope it will bring in more donors.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is implementing a new system that helps improve care and cut costs for patients and the system. The data analytic app will help reduce wasteful spending and assist clinicians in making informed decisions.

'American Hospitals: Healing A Broken System' is a documentary about the rising cost of hospital care. A businessman and filmmaker, both from the Lehigh Valley, produced the film that can be screened in Bethlehem this month.

An egg hunt was held for visually impaired children this week. The Allentown Fire Department Bomb Squad and Sights for Hope teamed up for the event.

The offices that help Pennsylvanians keep their Medicaid benefits are facing persistent vacancies and a heavy workload. Advocates and staff fear people could lose coverage as a result.

The state Department of Health has set forth a 5 year plan to improve the health of PA residents. The plan includes everything from nutrition to health equity.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released the results of the agency's "7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment." Pennsylvania ranked only behind Florida, Illinois and Ohio for the most lead service lines.

Parents and teens say bathroom access at Building 21 is unpredictable as many of the facilities are closed all day at times.

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.

A Dominican woman who is undocumented faces medical deportation in the Lehigh Valley. She was placed in a medically-induced coma after a procedure for an aneurysm. Now her family is fighting to keep her in the Allentown area.

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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.