Health & Wellness News

A Lehigh Valley man who has been an organ donation ambassador for years now needs a second kidney donation. After providing years of community service, he’s now asking his community for help.

U.S. Senator Bob Casey talks about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. He used First Commonwealth Federal Credit Union as an example of how these protocols help women.

A local acupuncturist is using new technology to hone her craft. The acugraph measures energy in the body and can help determine where treatment is needed.

COVID related hospitalizations are up 121% in Lehigh and Northampton counties according to the CDC. A Lehigh Valley doctor says the numbers seem worse than they are.

A pop-up health clinic in Allentown will offer free services Saturday and Sunday. No identification or prior paperwork is necessary.

National Health Centers Week raises awareness about federally qualified community health centers. Those in the Lehigh Valley are marking the occasion with events.

St. Luke’s University Health Network and the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley have partnered to create the Cultural & Linguistic Workforce Development Centers. Those eligible can enroll this fall in the programs.

Inclusion zones are set up at Musikfest to help people of all abilities enjoy the fun in Bethlehem. The areas on both the north and south side of the event offer sensory-supportive ways for adults and children to take a break from the action.

A wound care clinic, independent of the area hospitals, is now open in Salisbury Township. The office is staffed with physical therapists to treat a wide range of injuries.

The rehab program, if completed succesfully by the accused person, could result in their charges being reduced or dropped before they even make it to court.

Lehigh Valley Health Network placed the last steel beam to complete the frame of their medical office building and new emergency room in Montgomery County. This is the network’s first hospital in that county and it’s set to open in the fall of 2024.

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.

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.

The tax and spending plan drew praise from Republicans for lowering taxes and funding border security, but Democrats condemned it for slashing Medicaid coverage and raising the deficit.

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.

Proposed federal budget cuts would impact programs such as the free summer meal program for children in the Allentown School District.

The $2.75 million payment to the federal government resolves allegations that a pharmacy technician stole controlled substances on about 40 occasions and the health network failed to institute proper controls.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

A generous donation from a Lehigh Valley native and others funds free swim lessons for children and adults in the River Crossing YMCA's Safety Around Water, or SAW, swim education program.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.