Health & Wellness News

Join Megan Frank at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. every Friday for Insights with LehighValleyNews.com on WLVR. This week, she's joined by Bethlehem reporter Will Oliver and Digital News Content Producer Makenzie Christman.

Northampton County Council voted 5-4 Thursday to provide free pads and tampons in every county-owned restroom equipped with running water, including men's rooms.

A Lehigh Valley woman thanks her German stem cell donor in-person nearly a decade and a pandemic after the transplant. St. Luke's University Health network helped connect the two.

Among the winners are projects to repaint the basketball court at Building 21; build several community gardens; and plant trees.

Northampton Community College has a new center dedicated to those going into the health care field. The school now offers cardiac sonography and respiratory care training, a state-of-the-art simulation center, and a center for interdisciplinary health sciences workforce development.

Four years into his massage therapy career, Jared Skinner set out to master a relatively "new" technique to the practice — rolfing. It's a 10-step practice on a weekly basis that aims to relieve the body naturally of pain for upwards of five to 10 years. Only 2,000 body workers professionally practice it worldwide.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation is introducing groundbreaking robotic exoskeleton technology in the Lehigh Valley. The device helps people who may have suffered a spinal chord injury, stroke, or other paralyzing conditions walk.

The River Crossing YMCA in the Lehigh Valley is enrolling people for free programs this fall. The programs include health and wellness classes for veterans, those needing mental health assistance, those struggling with diabetes, and 7th grade students.

For Overdose Awareness Day, Easton will host a march from the free bridge to the amphitheater where community advocates will be recognized for their efforts, followed by an evening event where authorities and experts will share their thoughts and experiences concerning overdoses.

This time of year can be hectic for families sending kids back to the classroom. A culinary medicine specialist has some quick, easy ways to add nutrients into meal time.

A bike repair station donated by the Whitehall Area Rotary Club was dedicated at the Ironton Rail Trail pavilion on Monday.

The court is optimized to offer a brief but effective workout experience if needed. Users can exercise for 45 seconds, follow that with 15 seconds of rest and be through each zone around the seven-minute mark.

A new report says Lehigh Valley residents breathed in heavily polluted air for more than 50 days last year.

Flu season is ramping up in Pennsylvania amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and people are being urged to get flu shots to avoid further strain on the healthcare system.

Though COVID-19 vaccines have been widely available for months, Pennsylvania health authorities are pushing to get more people vaccinated.

More than a month into the school year, Pennsylvania’s mask mandate for schools is still in place while schools and parents have adopted routines for keeping kids safe while remaining in the classroom.

Concerns over students’ mental health made headlines last year.

Just like businesses, school cafeterias are being hit by supply chain and labor shortage issues. Meaning in this pandemic, even the school lunch menu is TBD.

At a press conference on Sept. 30, Gov. Tom Wolf signaled the commonwealth’s school mask mandate will end when children under 12 can be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pennsylvania is allocating $655 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to help the child care industry recover from the pandemic.

Nurses throughout the state will soon have easier access to student loan relief, and more opportunities for apprenticeships and hospital residencies through a new $6.5 million initiative.

Anti-abortion activists at the state Capitol Monday decried efforts to increase government funding for abortions and called on the General Assembly to pass the Down syndrome abortion ban and to regulate the disposal of fetal remains.

Allegheny County has a new rule on the books aimed at lowering air pollution levels during weather events that trap industrial fumes near the ground.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, health experts and community leaders have warned about the racial and economic disparities amplified by the coronavirus.