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                Contributed/Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and United Way of the Greater Lehigh ValleyIn the Lehigh Valley, 105,000 people rely on SNAP benefits for food assistance. One in four of them is a child. When federal safety nets falter, the charitable food network becomes the community’s last line of defense. It requires collaboration, leadership and shared purpose.
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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.
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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                        Northampton County Council rejected a planned health clinic for county employees last July. On Wednesday, officials asked the body to approve the same plans.
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                        An interactive presentation caught the attention of around 150 students at the Lehigh Valley DUI/Highway Safety Task Force annual conference. ThinkFast Interactive is an engaging team building program brought in to teach area high school students about different decision making scenarios.
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                        The Shapiro administration is offering grants to community-based organizations to start regional maternal health coalitions. With maternal mortality on the rise, the governor is aiming to address the problem at the local level.
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                        Kirkland Village celebrated their recent upgrades thanks to a grant from the Long-Term Care Transformation Office, with health officials detailing the importance of funding to keep long-term facilities at their best.
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                        A ceremony to honor organ donors and recipients was held at St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Allentown Campus. Organ donation recipients, organ donor families, and the Gift of Life Donor Program came together with hospital employees to mark Donate Life Month.
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                        The Allentown branch of the Greater Valley YMCA is set to reopen following a fire last summer. Services are limited, but plans for more programming are on the way.
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                        Hanover Twp., Northampton County's board of supervisors approved a 144-bed behavioral health hospital built and operated by Lehigh Valley Health Network and health care behemoth Universal Health Services.
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                        Lehigh Valley Health Network is using new robotic technology in an effort to perform more precise surgeries. The da Vinci 5 surgical system is said to keep surgeons more comfortable, so they can better perform the surgery.
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                        A practice that was always used to begin or end a workout is now being used as its own exercise form. The Stretch Lab in South Whitehall Township is an assisted stretch studio with certified flexologists.
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                        U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, D-Lehigh Valley, held a roundtable discussion with veterans groups and doctors to talk about IVF and accessibility for those who served.
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                        A lab dedicated to the treatment of hematologic cancers is now open in Allentown. A generous donation helped the cellular therapy lab come into fruition at HNL Lab Medicine.
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                        Good Shepherd Rehabilitation will host its second annual Innovation Summit this weekend. The one-day event offers a chance for those in the health care industry to learn about the latest technology in their field.
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                        This Saturday, Blue Zones Project-Allentown will host a free event to educate people on simple strategies which could help improve their health and happiness.
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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.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
