{"id":147696,"date":"2026-02-18T21:36:38","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T02:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147696"},"modified":"2026-02-18T21:36:38","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T02:36:38","slug":"limb-preservation-program-launches-at-lvhn-part-of-jefferson-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=147696","title":{"rendered":"Limb Preservation Program Launches at LVHN, part of Jefferson Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Limb Preservation Program Launch (Photo provided courtesy of Jefferson Health)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Coordinated, fast and expert care helps save at-risk limbs<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Feb. 18, 2026) <\/strong>\u2014 Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), part of Jefferson Health, held an event this month to introduce the Limb Preservation Program, the region\u2019s only program dedicated to saving limbs. Each year, thousands in our community lose limbs because of <\/a>diabetes, peripheral artery disease and nonhealing wounds. With the help of a nurse navigator, and the collaboration of clinicians from many specialties, people can receive the expert care they need to save their limbs through this new program.<\/p>\n

Marissa Famularo, DO<\/a>, is a vascular and endovascular surgeon who played an integral role in bringing the Limb Preservation Program to fruition.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day we see people suffering from diabetic foot ulcers, critical limb ischemia, infected or gangrenous tissue, chronic nonhealing wounds and peripheral artery disease,\u201d Dr. Famularo said. \u201cWithout proper and fast medical intervention, these people are at risk of losing their limbs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first-of-its-kind in our region, the program has offices and specialists in Allentown, Bethlehem and Bartonsville, making this critical program more easily accessible to as many people as possible. Just a few of the specialists who may be consulted include vascular surgeons, wound experts, podiatrists, cardiologists and more.<\/p>\n

Tim Friel, MD<\/a>, Chief Clinical Officer, Jefferson Health\u2013Lehigh Valley Region, welcomed physicians, clinicians and others who attended the event to learn about the program, celebrate its launch and take a tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Limb Preservation Program was born when we identified a need for people in danger of losing a limb to find fast, coordinated care,\u201d Dr. Friel said. \u201cIt is only through the hard work, dedication and passion of the team involved that we could launch this program today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very fortunate to have a talented and dedicated clinical team led by Dr. Famularo,\u201d said Benjamin Jackson, MD<\/a>, Chief, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, with LVHN. \u201cThis is life-changing care for people who are in danger of losing their limbs. It gives them the ability to continue to live their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Personalized treatment approaches<\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to limb-saving treatment, there\u2019s not one standard solution. Each person\u2019s condition is diagnosed and a path forward is developed using evidence-based treatments. Clinicians in the Limb Preservation Program provide advanced care using the latest treatments and technologies available.<\/p>\n

Treatments may include the use of state-of-the-art wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. When required, the team performs minimally invasive endovascular procedures, like angioplasty and stenting. Vascular surgeons perform complex open surgical bypasses and reconstruction. The program also includes comprehensive rehabilitation to help people walk again.<\/p>\n

About Jefferson\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jefferson is reimagining healthcare and higher education to create unparalleled value throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. More than 65,000 people strong, Jefferson is dedicated to providing high-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow’s professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic\/programmatic, clinical and applied research.\u00a0Thomas Jefferson University<\/a>, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the\u00a0Kanbar\u00a0College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 8,300 students.\u00a0Jefferson Health<\/a>, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at\u00a033\u00a0hospital campuses and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locations throughout the region.\u00a0Jefferson Health Plans<\/a>, through Health Partners Plans, Inc., is a not-for-profit managed healthcare organization offering a broad range of health coverage options to more than\u00a0370,000 members\u00a0for more than 40 years.<\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nPriscilla Turbitt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Limb Preservation Program Launch (Photo provided courtesy of Jefferson Health) Coordinated, fast and expert care helps save at-risk limbs ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Feb. 18, 2026) \u2014 Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), … Continue reading Limb Preservation Program Launches at LVHN, part of Jefferson Health<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":147697,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-147696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/limb.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147696"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=147696"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147698,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147696\/revisions\/147698"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/147697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=147696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=147696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=147696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}