
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.
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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.
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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.
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Reporter Brittany Sweeney's dishwasher recently caught fire. She tells how a smoke detector and extinguisher made all the difference
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Resources for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren are limited. A Pennsylvania nonprofit is working to change that in the new year.
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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.
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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.
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Getting physical and mental health in check is a popular new year resolution. Lehigh Valley health leaders are explaining how they plan to accomplish their goals for 2024.
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Lehigh Valley Health Network may not get the vaccine shipment it was counting on for next week. Network leaders are scrambling to find out where the doses are for scheduled shots.
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In most cases, COVID-19 presents mild symptoms in children. However, in some rare cases, children have developed after-effects of the virus called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome or MIS-C.
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Millions of Pennsylvanians are now eligible for the COVID-19 shot, and health care providers are racing to distribute the vaccines in time.
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Some people who contract the coronavirus experience no symptoms at all. For others, it’s life-threatening. Doctors say serious symptoms can linger for weeks -- or months -- in COVID-19 patients.
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Research shows that minority communities are suffering the most during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Pennsylvania deployed 2,300 National Guard troops to Washington D.C. following violence in early January.
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Pennsylvania State Rep. Lisa Boscola wants to give tax relief to struggling restaurants and bars so that they can stay in business during the pandemic.
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More than 12,500 people have received the first dose of vaccines in the Lehigh Valley. Track these numbers with the new vaccine dashboard.
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President Donald Trump signed the latest federal stimulus bill yesterday, but federal unemployment benefits may still be delayed for recipients. In the interim, WLVR’s Brittany Sweeney has more on other Pennsylvania resources for people struggling to make ends meet.
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With the holiday season upon us, The Holiday Hope Chest says it still needs donations to help serve more than 8,000 local children.
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Kamala Harris is set to become the first woman and person of color to hold the office of vice president. WLVR’s Brittany Sweeney spoke with a local expert about what this means for women in politics.
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Health officials are calling it the fall resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.