Health & Wellness News

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

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.

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.

Lehigh Valley Health Network put out a statement saying they have reached an agreement with Aetna. This comes after the healthcare system said they would drop the health insurance company's members in 2023.

Window washing superheroes rappelled down the side of Lehigh Valley Health Network's Reilly Children's Hospital on Thursday. The super-sized excitement included Superman, Spiderman and the Flash.

St. Luke’s University Health Network begins construction on a new Women & Babies Tower that will bring more resources to families in Allentown. The hope is to serve 3,000 families a year.

Lehigh Valley Health Network mixes mocktails, emphasizes seat belt use, and quizzes Penn State Lehigh Valley students on their alcohol IQ in the week before Thanksgiving.

Cetronia Ambulance Corps is on the receiving end of $300,000 from the state. The money was used to purchase brand new defibrillators.

Seeing Eye puppies are bred to be guide dogs for their blind future handler, and in order to do their jobs, they need to be exposed to as many different environments as possible — including the inside of an ambulance.

Lehigh Valley Health Network is holding a series of influenza vaccine clinics as cases rise across the country. Doctors said this year is expected to be a more severe flu season.

Lehigh Valley Health Network received new spinal surgery device with a $1million grant. The O-Arm device scans a patient's spine.

Lehigh Valley Health Network warns that the triple threat of COVID, flu, and RSV could overwhelm health systems. Doctors are asking people to take extra precautions to protect themselves and avoid overwhelming hospitals.

The Pennsylvania Health Care Association is asking people to be aware of their health before visiting loved ones in long-term care facilities. It's part of an effort to keep residents COVID free and visitation open through the holiday season.

Cetronia Ambulance Corps will hold a free health & wellness expo on Saturday, Nov. 12. It will feature hands-only CPR and stop-the-bleed demonstrations, car safety checks and more.

More than 100 teens gathered to learn and to share tips on how to deal with tough times.