The health of our overall community is only as good as the least healthy segments of our community. That is why LVHN is driven to help the most vulnerable.

  • Improving community health – More than 100 community leaders gathered to discuss important issues impacting the quality of health and social determinants of health for Allentown residents during LVHN’s inaugural Community Health Symposium. Conversations on topics such as precarious housing and food insecurity, creating a cradle-to-college/career education pipeline, and mental health in a post-COVID era aimed to uncover solutions on how to improve the most pressing issues affecting our community’s health.
  • Fighting community violence – Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin David praised LVHN’s Cure Violence program, operated in partnership with Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley. The program is using a grant to fund violence prevention coordinators who connect with victims to build trust in hopes of preventing them from retaliating and furthering the cycle of violence. The program also provides education in schools and neighborhoods.
  • Preventing youth suicide – Suicide is the second leading cause of death among children and young adults. To help address the behavioral health needs of young people, Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital hosted Staying Alive Lehigh Valley, its first-ever youth suicide prevention conference for parents, educators and those who work with children. The conference featured presentations from world-renowned adolescent health specialists and addressed many issues related to teen life such as eating disorders, school avoidance, social media and athletics.
  • Feeding hungry kids – Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital helps the more than 30,000 kids in our region who do not have access to healthy meals every day. Many of these children rely on school lunches to provide a well-rounded meal, so summertime means empty stomachs. The Summer Food Service Program is a federally funded program that helps ensure children in low-income areas don’t go hungry when school is out.