Health & Wellness News

October 10 is designated as World Mental Health Day. Established in 1992 to reduce the stigma towards individuals with mental health conditions, this year's theme is “Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority.”

Senior center currently receives $15,000 in taxpayer funding from the city of Allentown.

Red Cross: People who spent time in U.K., Ireland, France can give blood again

For the 2022-23 season, vaccine providers are expected to supply as many as 173.5 million to 183.5 million doses of influenza vaccines to people in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Some of the money will be used to purchase new breathing equipment for firefighters.

The 5th annual Pa. Latino Convention was held at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Allentown.

The monkeypox outbreak has similarities to the HIV epidemic in the 1980s, but how do the two compare? Lehigh Valley health experts weigh in on how the viruses differ.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and other officials gathered Monday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to help OraSure Technologies, a developer and manufacturer of point-of-care diagnostic tests and specimen collection devices, celebrate its new Lehigh Valley location.

We all want the best for our families. Learn how to keep you and your loved ones healthy through these regular wellness segment. Our Health and Wellness reporters will provide you the best tips and guidance to maintain your well-being while living in the Lehigh Valley.

A Red Cross volunteer from Danielsville is heading to Florida to help after Hurricane Ian. She will assist people with mental health needs, helping them to "process the immediate aftermath" following the category 4 storm.

Those in the Southern hemisphere saw a more intense flu season this year, which could mean the same for the United States, said Dr. Alex Benjamin, chief infection control and prevention officer at Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Residents came to learn about the causes, risks, and treatment for a common dangerous condition in the first of the Macungie Institute's heart health lecture series.

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.