
Brittany Sweeney
Health and wellness reporterI’m LehighValleyNews.com’s health and wellness reporter and also host “Living in the Lehigh Valley,” PBS39's health and wellness show. I have covered health-related topics for Lehigh Valley Public Media, contributing to PBS39 and 91.3 WLVR, since 2018. Winning the 2020 Emmy Award for Video Journalist is something I am proud of accomplishing while working for Lehigh Valley Public Media. I grew up in Montgomery County and I'm passionate about telling compelling stories in my home state of Pennsylvania. I'm a graduate of Temple University (go Owls!) and spent most of my career working as an anchor and reporter for NBC affiliates in Northeast Pennsylvania and Ohio. When I'm not covering news around the Lehigh Valley, I can be found exploring the great outdoors with my family. Contact me at BrittanyS@lehighvalleynews.com or 610-984-8170.
-
Health systems in Philadelphia are choosing to bring back mask mandates. St. Luke’s University Health Network and Lehigh Valley Health Network are weighing in on what's happening locally.
-
A measles outbreak in Philadelphia has Lehigh Valley health officials on alert. St. Luke’s University Health Network reports that there are no current cases of measles in the Lehigh Valley, but the virus is very contagious.
-
Emergency calls for house fires increase in the winter months as people spend more time indoors using supplemental heating sources. Four officials say being prepared and having a family fire plan can be the difference between life and death.
-
Reporter Brittany Sweeney's dishwasher recently caught fire. She tells how a smoke detector and extinguisher made all the difference
-
A recently released hospital performance report shows a significant increase in hospital mortality rates from 2017 to 2022. The Pennsylvania Health Care Coalition on Cost Containment releases the report each year.
-
The CEO of St. Luke's University Health Network addressed the potential merger of competitor Lehigh Valley Health Network with Jefferson Health. CEO Rick Anderson sent a message to St. Luke's thousands of employees.
-
Is it COVID-19, RSV, or the flu? Doctors are saying it could be any of the three or even whooping cough. Respiratory illnesses are on the rise following the holiday season and there may not be a reprieve for a while.
-
Resources for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren are limited. A Pennsylvania nonprofit is working to change that in the new year.
-
New therapies for sickle cell disease could be available in the Lehigh Valley next year. The FDA approved the treatments earlier this month for people 12 and older. The disease disproportionately affects people who are Black and of certain other descents.
-
Lehigh Valley Health Network plans to merge with Jefferson Health, but deals like this are nothing new to the Philadelphia-based system. For nearly a decade, Jefferson has been combining forces with hospitals in two states.
-
September is recognized as a time to pay homage to service dogs and the guidance they provide. Lehigh County commissioners approved a resolution in support of guide dogs and their handlers.
-
September is Fall Prevention Month. A Lehigh Valley handyman is sharing ways to lower the risk of falling at home before it's too late.
-
Lehigh Valley Health Network and Capital Blue Cross rolled out a new mobile dental unit in Lehigh Valley. The van is equipped with two dental chairs to see children who need oral health care.
-
A local Boy Scout working on his Eagle Scout project is receiving grant money from Capital Blue Cross. His is one of a handful of initiatives receiving the money for community and educational projects.
-
Grand View Health signed a nonbinding letter of intent to evaluate the potential of it joining St. Luke's University Health Network. Letters to employees of both health care companies went out Friday to alert them of the potential partnership.
-
Families who pay tuition for schooling are on the receiving end of more than $200,000. The Bridge Educational Foundation is giving scholarships to those who meet the income qualifications at two area schools.
-
The settlement, filed in Lackawanna County Court, is in a class action lawsuit brought in 2023 that court by plaintiff Jane Doe against the hospital network.
-
The Mind Your Brain event is free to people with traumatic brain injuries, their medical provides, and caregivers. It's hosted by Good Shepherd Rehabilitation at DeSales University.
-
As cases of a potentially deadly mosquito-borne illness are on the rise, Lehigh Valley health experts are sharing what they see locally. They say there are ways to protect yourself and kill the biting pests.
-
Donor travels overseas to meet the Lehigh Valley woman whose life he saved with a stem cell donationA 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.
-
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.
-
Country singer Brad Paisley played at Allentown Fair on Friday night. Although the crowd was subdued, the headliner pulled out the songs many know and love to sing along to.