St. Luke’s University Health Network will open a state-of-the-art, surgical services suite and add gastrointestinal testing and services at its Easton location, the former Easton Hospital.

It is lighter in weight, easier to maintain and offers the wearer the convenience of being able to scratch an itch through the lattice-like openings in the cast.” Dr. Kristofer Matullo, section chief of hand surgery and orthopedic residency program director, St. Luke’s University Health Network

As the company quickly pivoted to address the COVID-19 pandemic, Bethlehem’s OraSure Technologies Inc. exited 2020 a stronger company with an 11% growth in sales -- $50 million of which was in COVID-19-related testing equipment alone.

Reading Hospital in West Reading and St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem were among 13 hospitals in the state of Pennsylvania to be ranked by Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals for 2021.

Highmark is extending its waiver on cost-sharing for both inpatient hospital care related to COVID-19 and telehealth visits for members of the Pittsburgh-based insurer to June 30, as opposed to the original end date of March 31.

Students from area nursing schools have stepped up to administer COVID-19 vaccinations in clinics within their communities, and for many the chance to do so is profound.

Employers with health care coverage through Capital BlueCross now have access to a suite of mental health resources through the insurer’s new mental wellness toolkit.

Pennsylvania’s House Republicans plan to refer an investigation into the Wolf administration’s handling of senior and long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic to the House Government Oversight Committee later this month.

St. Luke’s will be the first healthcare organization in Pennsylvania to offer 3D-printed orthopedic casts made by ActivArmor of Colorado, replacing the plaster and fiberglass casts that had traditionally been the norm.

LVHN has named Dr. Walter Jean, to the post. Jean is a board-certified neurosurgeon that the health network describes as known worldwide for his expertise in complex brain surgery.