Health & Wellness News

“We want to go back to Harrisburg and figure out how we can support programs like this, and how we can spread them to other parts of the state,” Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said Friday at Promise Neighborhood’s Allentown office.

Construction of a neighborhood hospital in the Gilbertsville area will be the health system's first hospital in Montgomery County.

A new health and beauty business in Easton is set to offer patrons a personalized experience. Mariposa Medical Aesthetics & Wellness Spa held a grand opening Friday.

Dr. Amy Jibilian is LVHN's new chief wellness officer. She will oversee the development of programs that promote a healthy work environment as well as help physicians avoid burnout.

The Miller-Keystone Blood Center is facing a critical shortage of blood supply, prompting an urgent appeal for donors of all blood types.

The monthly Artists in Recovery Art Exhibit has seen a drop in attendance since the pandemic, but organizers hope to change that. The Bethlehem nonprofit offers mental health services.

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.

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.

Known as "tranq" on the streets, an animal tranquilizer named xylazine infiltrated drug supplies throughout Pennsylvania since 2019. Its presence in the Lehigh Valley has grown, with deadly consequences.

A regionwide wastewater plan and a hazard mitigation plan both advanced with staff review approvals by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission on Thursday night.