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                Brian Myszkowski/LehighValleyNews.comAbout 400 Allentown families came to The Salvation Army for The Give Back resource event Wednesday, where they received shelf-stable food, daily necessities, and more, just as federal assistance benefits are about to be cut off.
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                Donna S. Fisher/For LehighValleyNews.comThe move announced Monday affects patients at LVHN hospitals and offices in the Lehigh Valley – those properties that were providing care before Jefferson Health’s acquisition of LVHN last summer.
Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute now offers treatment for atrial fibrillation (AFib) with a new system that uses pulsed electrical fields to target problematic heart muscle cells instead of extreme heat or cold.
        
        
    Health & Wellness News
    
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                        The merger is expected to be finalized later in the summer. Once fully approved, the two health care behemoths will form a partnership resulting in a regional provider overseeing 30 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient care sites.
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                        The Allentown branch of the Greater Valley YMCA is back open following a fire last June. The reopening Monday brought back regulars for workouts — and the public can try it out for free through the end of May.
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                        Easton Public Market will celebrate its eighth anniversary on Friday, May 17, with a special party featuring vendors, the band A Few Good Men, and a fundraiser benefiting Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.
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                        Good Shepherd Rehabilitation is hosting a stroke risk screening event. About every 40 seconds someone has a stroke in the United States, but the health condition is preventable.
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                        The powerful animal tranquilizer is showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and is contributing to a growing number of overdose deaths, including in the Lehigh Valley.
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                        A Lehigh Valley based group is working to connect first responders with mental health and other resources. Those who protect and serve are often faced with traumatic situations, now there's help to process feelings formed on the job.
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                        The safety of a skin care procedure that draws patients’ blood and uses it in the healing process is coming into question. A Lehigh Valley nurse explains how to stay safe while receiving a vampire facial.
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                        Nicotine pouches seem to be growing in popularity, especially among the younger generations. A local doctor weighs in on the risks of using this type of product.
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                        The two weeks of donations for the Boutique at the Rink cancer support fundraiser opened this weekend as volunteers accepted, sorted and placed “cream of the crop” clothing, housewares, sporting equipment and more on tables and racks inside the Earl Shaeffer Memorial Ice Rink on Illick's Mill Road in Bethlehem. The sale runs from May 28-June 1. Volunteers are still needed.
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                        Some of the most beloved characters from the "Star Wars" movies paid a visit to the kids at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children's Hospital. The fun was planned to start May the Fourth festivities early and bring a smile to the kids' faces.
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                        A bi-annual safety report for general hospitals ranks a portion of the Lehigh Valley as one of the best patient safety areas in the nation. The report grades the facilities on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents and infections.
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                        Allentown’s first ever Community Health Needs Assessment is out. Three areas have been identified as the highest priority and include loneliness and social isolation, safe, stable and affordable housing, and upward economic mobility.
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                        Legislators, community members, and nonprofits came together in Allentown Thursday to discuss the need to raise awareness of sex trafficking and the support required by its victims.
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                        The temporary closure of Water Street in Whitehall Township to address traffic calming measures is close but undetermined, Mayor Joseph J. Marx Jr. said.
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                        Follow the journey of an adolescent boy living with PANDAS, a rare condition that causes sudden, severe psychiatric symptoms after a strep infection. He and his family navigate the challenges of this condition and find hope through treatment in the Lehigh Valley.
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                        U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Lehigh Valley, defended the Trump administration's tariff policy and DOGE cuts during the 90-minute CNN "Town Hall: America Asks Congress" on Thursday night.
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                        Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania celebrated its 100th anniversary at a luncheon at Lehigh Country Club on Wednesday afternoon.
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                        Reinhard’s Park, an open area in the borough, will undergo development to enhance its green space and give it a more park-like feel.
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                        A few Allentown paramedics came up with the idea to buy Carter Kits Sensory Bags for first responders to be better prepared in emergency situations involving children with autism or other sensory processing disorders.
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                        The newly opened YMCA River Crossing child care center in Whitehall is the ninth such center opened by the YMCA in the Lehigh Valley.
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                        Miller-Keystone Blood Center held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to introduce its newest bloodmobile, Bloodhound I — among four new vehicles planned to be put into service over the next year.
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                        The Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Just Born have teamed up with Emily’s Hug Mee Drive to gift 9,000 Peeps plushies to young children undergoing medical treatment in the Lehigh Valley.
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                        Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health, introduced two weapon-detecting K-9s on Monday at its Cedar Crest campus. The 18-month-old male Labrador retriever and female Springer Spaniel will visit all LVHN properties in an effort to increase safety.
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                        River Crossing YMCA announced it will manage the pool, at 3900 Jacoby Road, Coopersburg for the 2025 season. The pool will operate May 24 through Sept. 1, and be open noon-8 p.m. for general summer swim memberships.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
