Health & Wellness News

Members of Easton's Blueprint Communities organization announced their first project, a mural at Chubby's honoring South Side's past, present, and future, on Monday afternoon.

Northampton County and Northampton Community College will offer a free workplace safety training later this month aimed at employees of municipal governments, nonprofits and similar organizations.

The funding, through the Livable Landscape program, was unanimously approved at the county council’s June 18 meeting.

Legislators worked to establish penalties for xylazine use and trafficking in an attempt to lessen its presence in Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply. Some say doing so made way for a new, unclassified veterinary tranquilizer to take its place — medetomidine.

Nearly a year after the Biden administration designated xylazine as an "emerging threat" to the United States, Gov. Josh Shapiro classified it as a schedule III drug, making unauthorized possession a crime in Pennsylvania. Experts say the move has partly served to clear the way for new illicit substances to enter the drug market.

Proposed federal budget cuts would impact programs such as the free summer meal program for children in the Allentown School District.

The $2.75 million payment to the federal government resolves allegations that a pharmacy technician stole controlled substances on about 40 occasions and the health network failed to institute proper controls.

Despite not being approved for human consumption, veterinary tranquilizers are infiltrating the illicit drug supply in Pennsylvania. Harm reduction specialists and health care professionals say these overdoses can't be approached solely with naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug.

A generous donation from a Lehigh Valley native and others funds free swim lessons for children and adults in the River Crossing YMCA's Safety Around Water, or SAW, swim education program.

The bill would limit the manufacture, sale, distribution and use of firefighting foam containing PFAS, also known as forever chemicals, beginning in 2026.

Xylazine, an animal-grade tranquilizer that's not approved for human use, has taken Pennsylvania's illicit drug supply by storm. Known on the streets as "tranq," it accounted for almost 1 in 4 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania by 2023. Last year in Lehigh County, it was a contributing cause of death in 20 of the 112 deadly overdoses, or 17.9 percent of cases.

The funding comes from the commonwealth’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program, a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

With more people working long hours from home, some doctors say there could be negative impacts on your physical health. WLVR’s Staci Inez reports.

The national guard is stepping in to help shore up a staffing shortage at Northampton County’s nursing home following a serious outbreak at the facility.

Pennsylvania hospitals may be able to resume elective procedures and surgeries in the near future.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania's governor is calling for mandated race and ethnicity data collection in COVID-19 cases across the state. That’s because…

Stimulus checks are popping up in mailboxes and bank accounts across the Lehigh Valley. Although some may be tempted to splurge — WLVR’s Brittany Sweeney spoke to a financial expert about smart ways to make it last.

The Lehigh Valley will not be among the first areas of the state to reopen next month. Governor Tom Wolf outlined more details on the plan for Pennsylvania on Wednesday, April 22 and as WLVR’s Tyler Pratt reports, it will move forward in three phases: red, yellow and green.

Pennsylvania’s liquor control board is ramping up operations to try and meet demand for online orders.

In many ways, Dr. Rachel Levine has become the face of the COVID-19 crisis in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania has new mandatory protections for workers employed at essential businesses with in-person operations.

As coronavirus cases spike in nursing homes across the Lehigh Valley, state health officials are reporting that about half of all COVID-19-related deaths are in Pennsylvania’s long term care facilities.

Reports of child abuse and neglect have fallen significantly in the Lehigh Valley and across the state but it’s not a good sign for children in a time of social distancing.

State officials say Pennsylvania seniors should stock up on their medications now -- and should have them delivered to avoid going out.