
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.
-
Getting healthier in the new year is popular resolution, but sticking to it is the hard part. An Allentown woman is sharing how she kept with her fitness goal, even through a life-threatening diagnosis.
-
Lehigh Valley Health Network and Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals announced plans to merge this week. A healthcare analyst weighs in on what these types of deals mean for employees and patients.
-
If ultimately completed, the combined health care system would operate 30 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient sites, with more than 62,000 employees, according to LVHN and Jefferson Health.
-
Pa.'s governor wants more students to take advantage of the universal free breakfast program in schools across the state. He is challenging administrators to promote the program and increase participation.
-
A respiratory illness is plaguing dogs in 16 states, including Pennsylvania. The Lehigh Valley Humane Society is weighing in on the signs and symptoms of the virus.
-
A new hospital in the St. Luke’s University Health Network is now open. The ribbon was cut on the orthopedic hospital Wednesday and patients will start being seen at the South Whitehall Township location next week.
-
Strep throat is common this time of year among children, but as cases are on the rise a local doctor stresses the importance of getting kids tested and on medication. The bacteria can also cause a condition called scarlet fever.
-
A local pediatrician says they’ve had to narrow the number of Lehigh Valley children who can receive a new RSV preventative antibody treatment because of a shortage of the product. She believes the treatment maker underestimated the demand.
-
Holiday parties and drinking go hand-in-hand, but when does it become a problem? A local emergency room doctor talks about the short and long term impacts of alcohol consumption.
-
The Alzheimer’s Association recently teamed up with the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley to hold an informational event for Spanish speaking seniors. A language barrier can stop people from getting the information they need.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Millions of Pennsylvanians are now eligible for the COVID-19 shot, and health care providers are racing to distribute the vaccines in time.
-
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.
-
Research shows that minority communities are suffering the most during the COVID-19 pandemic.
-
Pennsylvania deployed 2,300 National Guard troops to Washington D.C. following violence in early January.
-
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.
-
More than 12,500 people have received the first dose of vaccines in the Lehigh Valley. Track these numbers with the new vaccine dashboard.
-
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.
-
With the holiday season upon us, The Holiday Hope Chest says it still needs donations to help serve more than 8,000 local children.
-
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.
-
Health officials are calling it the fall resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic.