Free Health Clinics, Screenings at City Hall

The Bethlehem Health Bureau marks National Public Health Week with a series of events designed to teach the public about illness prevention.

  The Bethlehem Health Bureau is marking National Public Health Week with a series of free screenings and clinics beginning on Monday at City Hall. The events are designed to show people the easy and small steps they can take to make prevention a part of their lives, according to Kristen Wenrich, the bureau’s director. This year’s National Public Health Week theme is, “Public Health is ROI: Save Lives, Save Money.” Every year in the United States, seven out of ten deaths are due to preventable chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, Wenrich said. Chronic diseases account for 75 percent of national health care spending and only 3 percent of those dollars go toward prevention. The events at the Health Bureau offices in City Hall…

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How Will Sequestration Cuts Affect Bethlehem?

Friday's possible government spending cuts triggered by sequestration could affect residents of Bethlehem.

  The Bethlehem Health Bureau could lose funding for vaccinations, health screenings and for surveillance of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and bacterial meningitis, if automatic federal "sequestration" spending cuts take effect on Friday. According to Bethlehem Health Director Kristen Wenrich, sequestration could also threaten HIV testing and women’s health initiatives, such as screenings for breast and cervical cancer and clinics for low-income expectant mothers and children. Passengers at Lehigh Valley International Airport may have to wait in longer lines for security checks. And desperate homeowners facing foreclosure might not be able to get help from the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley. Statewide, cuts …

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Bethlehem Replaces Embattled Health Director

Judith Maloney, suspended in March after her arrest, is out as Health Director. Acting Director Kristen Wenrich is promoted.

  Embattled Bethlehem Health Director Judith Maloney was officially replaced Tuesday by Kristen Wenrich, who has been serving as the acting health director for months. Maloney’s employment with the city officially ended last week, 10 months after she was suspended following her arrest for domestic simple assault. Maloney’s boss, Bethlehem Community and Economic Development Director Joe Kelly, would not say if she was fired nor would he describe the terms of her departure. Kelly would only say that Maloney is no longer employed by the city. Wenrich was recommended by the Bethlehem Health Board on Friday and Mayor John Callahan accepted that recommendation, according to a news release. "I believe Ms. Wenrich will be an excellent health …

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How You Can Still Get Your Flu Shot

Flu vaccines have become scarce at local pharmacies, but your primary physician still has them. Also, the Bethlehem Health Bureau will have a clinic on Monday afternoon.

  If you were planning to visit a pharmacy this weekend to finally get your flu shot, you may be out of luck. Rite Aid and CVS pharmacies throughout Bethlehem were reporting Friday that they had run out of doses of flu vaccine to give to walk-in customers. A pharmacist at the Walgreen’s at 2979 Linden St. said all the store has left are high-dose vaccines for those who are 65 and older. However, all hope is not lost if you are still hoping to be vaccinated. The St. Luke’s University Health Network still has an ample supply of vaccines that are available through affiliated primary care physicians, according to a spokeswoman. The city of Bethlehem Health Bureau also has a supply and is planning a flu vaccine clinic at City Hall on Monday …

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Crime News

Should Judy Maloney Get Her Job Back?

Bethlehem Health Bureau Director has been on administrative leave since she was charged with domestic simple assault in March.

  The assistant district attorney who handled the criminal case of suspended Bethlehem Health Bureau Director Judy Maloney on Tuesday issued a statement to clarify the terms under which charges were withdrawn last week. “The charges were not withdrawn because the District Attorney’s Office believed that Judith Maloney was a victim of domestic violence,” said Assistant District Attorney Juliet Dowling. “The office also did not withdraw the charges because there was insufficient evidence to meet our burden. The charges were withdrawn because I felt it was an appropriate resolution to the case because Ms. Maloney accepted responsibility and was getting therapy.” Dowling's statement is a stark contrast from a claim made by Maloney’s attorney, …

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Crime News

Charges Against City Health Director Dropped

Judy Maloney no longer facing criminal charges, but her future in City Hall remains uncertain.

  The Lehigh County District Attorney last week dropped an assault charge against the director of the Bethlehem Health Bureau, who was arrested in March for allegedly hitting her live-in boyfriend over the head with a glass candleholder. Charges against Judith Maloney were dropped under a deal struck between Assistant District Attorney Juliet Dowling and Maloney’s attorney, Melissa Rudas, according to the DA’s spokeswoman Debbie Garlicki. But while the criminal case against Maloney has been resolved, there is still uncertainty regarding her future at City Hall, where her employers have had her on administrative leave since March. Back in April, at Maloney’s preliminary hearing, Dowling said she would consider dropping the charges in 90 …

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Crime News

City Health Director Charged with Assault, Suspended From Job

Maloney accused of hitting boyfriend in the head with glass candle holder, city suspends her pending internal investigation of incident.

  UPDATED: 10:40 p.m. Bethlehem Health Director Judith Maloney was charged with simple assault and suspended from her job after allegedly hitting her boyfriend in the head with a glass candle holder at their home Thursday night, Bethlehem police said. The alleged assault was apparently the result of an argument over Maloney failing to let the couple's dog outside, according to The Express Times, which cited court papers. Michael Correll, Maloney’s boyfriend, suffered a cut to the top of his head, which required three staples to close at Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg, the newspaper reported. Maloney, 49, of 320 Grandview Boulevard, was charged with simple assault and harassment. She was arraigned before Lehigh County District Judge …

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10 Percent of District Students Lack Immunizations

New state requirements mean more students need to catch up on their shots.

About 10 percent of the students in the Bethlehem Area School District are behind in immunizations required by the state to attend school, district administrators told school directors on Monday. The unusually high number is due to changes made in state requirements a few years ago that are now coming due to be enforced, said Assistant Superintendent Jack Silva. About 1,400 students still need to show proof of having up-to-date vaccinations or risk being excluded from school as of April 30, 2012, he said, adding that the district has sent out numerous notices to parents about the issue. To help complete the requirements, the Bethlehem Health Bureau is offering free MMR, Hepatitis B and tetanus vaccines to students through the school nurses…

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Participation Down at Bethlehem Flu Shot Clinics

City unsure if more people are getting vaccinated elsewhere or if flu not yet on public radar.

Participation is down at Bethlehem Health Bureau’s flu shot clinics  and the agency isn't sure if it’s because residents are getting shots elsewhere or if flu just isn’t on the public’s radar yet. Judi Maloney, the bureau’s director, told the agency’s board Friday that the clinics they’ve had at locations such as Westgate Mall have not been as well attended as in the past. For example, the agency administered vaccines to 120 people at Westgate Mall on Tuesday and some years they've served as many as 300-400 people there. To date they've vaccinated 509 people at 10 sites. The bureau has run some radio ads about the clinics and put up posters and Lehigh University students have helped the agency by delivering to restaurants placemats …

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