health and wellness Archives

LVHN dedicates endowed chair for Multiple Sclerosis

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) recently dedicated an endowed chair that will provide funds to expand Multiple Sclerosis educational programs and clinical research.

LVHN’s newest endowed chair, its 21st, was dedicated May 3 during a ceremony at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest, came from a donation from Arnold and Deanne Kaplan in honor of Dr. Lawrence Levitt.

Arnold and Deanne Kaplan Endowed Chair in Multiple Sclerosis is held by Dr. Dmitry Khaitov, LVHN Neurology, for his commitment to patients faced with MS.

The endowed chair will provide funds to expand MS educational programs, health and wellness programs for MS patients and expand clinical research for the Multiple Sclerosis Program at Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute, LVHN said.

Khaitov co-directs the LVHN MS Center with Dr. Gary Clauser, where they and their team of devoted clinicians provide care and support to patients with multiple sclerosis from throughout the region and beyond, LVHN said.

“The MS Program at LVHN is recognized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society as a Center for Comprehensive MS care,” said Dr. Brian Nester, LVHN president and CEO. “Over the last three years, an average of 1,458 individual patients with MS are seen annually at LVHN Neurology. Every week, approximately 3 to 4 new patients with MS seek care at LVHN either as a new diagnosis or as a transfer from another institution.”

Arnold Kaplan, a former member of LVHN’s Board of Trustees, spoke at the dedication ceremony about how his wife, Deanne, has multiple sclerosis and by 1972 needed a wheelchair to get around. At that time, Kaplan worked at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. and had been hired by its founder, Leonard Parker Pool.

The visionary behind what is now LVH–Cedar Crest, Pool connected the couple to Levitt, a neurologist at LVHN, who would “do whatever it took to help Deanne,” said Kaplan.

“Little did we know then the impact Dr. Levitt and Lehigh Valley Health Network would have on our family,” Kaplan said. “It is a great honor to present this endowed chair today and to complete the circle that began 50 years ago.”

Nester said endowed chairs are critical to the mission of LVHN, helping to recruit and retain the best national talent. He said it has become increasingly difficult in the post-COVID world to recruit primary care physicians, specialists and surgeons.

“The endowed chair holders are among the health network’s best physicians who are engaged and focused on patient care, education, and research and lead the way in health care not only here at home but nationally,” Nester said.

St. Luke’s expands addiction recovery services

SHARE offices at Sacred Heart Campus in Allentown PHOTO/PROVIDED –

St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN), expanding on its merger with Penn Foundation, has opened SHARE at its Sacred Heart Campus in Allentown for people seeking help with addiction.

SHARE stands for St. Luke’s University Health Network Addiction Recovery Engagement.

“The new SHARE Program in Allentown is a true blessing for the city of Allentown and surrounding areas,” said Amie Allanson-Dundon, network director, Clinical Therapy Services and psychotherapist at SLUHN. “St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus is invested in the health and wellness of our community and it’s families.”

The program includes Medical Assisted Therapy (MAT), which provides medications that can help people by preventing withdrawal and reducing cravings.

“It is a program that combines the expertise of our medical toxicologists and psychiatrists, who also are board-certified in addiction medicine, along with licensed psychotherapists certified in advanced alcohol and drug counseling, Certified Recovery Specialists (CRS), and substance use disorder case managers working together to guide people on their recovery journey,” said Dr. Robert Cannon who specializes in medical toxicology and addiction medicine at SLUHN.

Nearly 21 million Americans struggle with addiction, yet only one in 10 receive treatment for it, Dr. Cannon said. “Drug overdoses have more than tripled since 1990. Last year, we saw more drug overdose deaths in the United States than any other year in recorded history.”

The number of opioid deaths has increased since the pandemic as people have reported turning to substance abuse as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19, said Dr. Gibson George, Addiction Psychiatrist and medical director at St. Luke’s Penn Foundation.

The opening of the SHARE office in Suite 404 at 451 Chew Street is a follow-up to SLUHN’s merger with Penn Foundation in July 2021.

St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, headquartered in Sellersville, Bucks County, is a nonprofit, community-based behavioral health provider with 25 behavioral health and substance use treatment programs that service about 20,000 individuals annually.

“Penn Foundation has been providing MAT for quite some time and that experience is valuable in getting the program started in Allentown,” said George.

The Allentown SHARE office is staffed by the staffs of SLUHN’s Psychiatric Associates and St. Luke’s Toxicology Group. The office is open Monday to Friday with a team of certified recovery specialists, physicians, addiction counselors, and case managers on site.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). “So, patients with either OUD or AUD diagnoses are most commonly treated with MAT,” George said.

“The toxicology background is an advantage when treating patients who present with an overdose,” George said. “We have a medical detox unit at Sacred Heart campus for patients with medical comorbidities of substance abuse such as delirium tremens (the rapid onset of confusion usually caused by withdrawal), pregnancy, and other complications like hepatitis.”

Capital Blue Cross marks completion of $4 million renovation in Allentown

Capital Blue Cross President and CEO Todd Shamash addresses the crowd to celebrate the completion of Capital’s $4 million renovation of its Lehigh Valley headquarters. PHOTO/PROVIDED –

Capital Blue Cross cut the ribbon Friday on a $4 million renovation to its regional headquarters in Allentown.

The makeover features a Capital Blue Cross Connect health and wellness center on the ground floor of the facility at 1221 Hamilton St., Allentown. It is Capital’s second Connect center in the region, joining the one at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

“This is more than an investment in a building,” said Capital Blue Cross President and CEO Todd Shamash. “It’s part of our continuing investment in a vibrant region we consider home. Capital has built a trusted relationship with the Lehigh Valley by going the extra mile to improve the health and well-being of the region’s people and communities.”

The latest Capital Blue Cross Connect provides street-level entry where visitors – members and non-members – can access a variety of services, including one-on-one consultations on health plans or Medicare options, a health coach, biometric screenings and seminars.

The renovations include an interior remodeling and a fresh façade featuring Capital Blue Cross’ new logo. The renovations highlight Hamilton Street’s gateway to center city and are in keeping with what Capital Blue Cross Lehigh Valley President Anne Baum has called “a renaissance in downtown Allentown.”

“We’re so happy to play our part in the redevelopment of the Lehigh Valley’s largest city,” Baum said. “Our commitment to this community’s health and well-being continues to grow, and this unique Connect center provides an open, flowing space to meet a broad variety of the community’s health plan and wellness needs.”

The Allentown facility is the fourth Capital Blue Cross Connect in Capital’s 21-county service region.

Capital BlueCross plans health and wellness center in downtown Allentown

An artist’s rendering of the renovated offices. SUBMITTED

Capital BlueCross plans to open a health and wellness center at its offices in downtown Allentown as part of a renovation and expansion project.

The Harrisburg-based health insurer said work has begun on its Lehigh Valley offices at 1221 Hamilton St. and plans to have the project done by February. The expansion effort on the three-story building will include a new façade and a full interior remodeling in addition to the new health and wellness center.

Ann Baum, market president Capital BlueCross said the renovations will make the building fit into the redevelopment efforts going on in the downtown area.

“This is part of a renaissance in downtown Allentown,” Baum said. “We wanted to lend our hand to the redevelopment of the largest city in the Lehigh Valley. We’re committed to the health and well-being of the people and communities here, so this makeover is not just to provide a great space for our employees – it’s to provide a great space for the people of Allentown.”

Once the new health and wellness center is complete members and the public can visit for one-on-one consultations related to health plans or Medicare options.

The can also meet with a health coach, get biometric screenings and attend health care-related seminars.

This will be the health insurer’s second health and wellness center in the Lehigh Valley. It has a similar center in the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

It also has health and wellness centers in Cumberland and Franklin counties.

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Capital BlueCross plans health and wellness center in downtown Allentown