By LOU WHEELAND

Special to The Press

The Lehigh Valley welcomed visits by national, state and local politicians Oct. 13, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

First to arrive was U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, the first Latino to hold the position.

Becerra’s first stop was at the Health Center of Allentown, 218 N. 2nd St., Allentown, where he met with Congresswoman Susan Wild, D-7th.

Melissa Miranda, CEO, Neighborhood Health Centers of the Lehigh Valley, served as tour guide for the entourage as they visited the different services available at the center.

Wild and Becerra then met with staff of the health center to discuss its area of care.

An important topic of discussion was the use of telemedicine to reach patients who, either due to disability or distance, are not able to physically travel to the health center.

Becerra and Wild stated their support for use of telemedicine to reach these vulnerable clients.

Following the tour of the health center, Becerra and Wild traveled to the Children’s Learning Hub, 101 N. 6th St, Allentown, where they met with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.

As an educator, Dr. Biden was keenly interested in the opportunities presented to inner city children that the Learning Hub provides.

After observing several children’s programs, Dr. Biden, Becerra, Wolf and Wild met with members of the Lehigh Valley Hispanic community to learn from their experiences in the Valley.

The Learning Hub is a Head Start Center providing education to preschool children in Allentown.