See inside: Lehigh Valley Health Network cuts ribbon on its 1st new Northampton County hospital (PHOTOS)
Lehigh Valley Health Network officials Tuesday cut the ribbon on the network’s first newly constructed hospital campus in nearly 50 years.
Updated Jun 30, 2021; Posted Jun 29, 2021
By early July, Phase I of the long-awaited, $68 million, three-building complex known as Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks will officially open to the public, between Hecktown and Newburg roads, just east of the Hecktown Road Route 33 interchange in Lower Nazareth Township. Ground initially was broken in December 2019 for the network’s first new hospital in Northampton County.
Aside from the 201,000-square-foot hospital, Hecktown Oaks also includes a 35,000-square-foot Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute, 60,000-square-foot health center, and an emergency room with separate care for adults and children. The campus will serve people of all ages and offer advanced surgical, emergency and orthopedic care; cancer treatment and services; and advanced imaging and diagnostic testing.
There are 20 ER bays, four bays dedicated solely for children, and eight observation decks. The emergency department also is equipped with behavioral health capabilities directly in that section of the hospital. Nearly 400 network employees will staff the new facility, said network spokesman Brian Downs.
Brian Nester, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Health Network, said the campus was built in response to the need for care in Northampton County, where nearly a third of residents already receive treatment from a Lehigh Valley Health Network provider.
“With Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks right here in Lower Nazareth Township, we can be an even better health partner to the people of Northampton County by bringing a greater breadth of Lehigh Valley Health Network services to where you live, work and play,” Nester said.
James Miller, the network’s vice president of operations, pointed out during Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting some key features on the campus, such as the Indigo-Clean germ-fighting system and rooftop heating-ventilation-and-air-conditioning with High Efficiency Particulate Air filters. The campus also is equipped with bacteria-resistant flooring.
“In every step of the way, our compassionate LVHN colleagues will be there to make sure you have a positive experience,” Miller said.
Kim Jordan, the network’s chief nursing officer, echoed campus staff has each made a personal commitment to ensuring a positive care experience for patients and their loved ones.
“Our team is guided by LVHN’s core values: compassion, integrity, collaboration and excellence,” Jordan said. “In patient care, these core values are shown by listening, being respectful and creating an inclusive environment for patients, visitors and LVHN colleagues.”
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said the new facility is going to save many lives and create many livelihoods.
“We need LVHN-Hecktown Oaks,” McClure said. “And LVHN is precisely the system that we need here in Northampton County now.”
“When you have a problem, you’ll want to come here,” he added. “... It’s not, ’Welcome to Northampton County,’ it’s, ‘Thank you for coming here.’”
McClure also noted the county’s growing population and said there is a greater need for a hospital moving into the middle of the 21st century. The health network also is suited to provide additional drive-through clinics in the event evolutions of the COVID-19 virus, such as the worrisome Delta variant, fuel a rise in positive cases of the coronavirus illness.
To date, positive coronavirus cases in the Lehigh Valley are at an all-time low statewide and declining every week, as are hospitalizations. Pennsylvania’s rate of daily new cases has dropped 84% since May 27 to 186 new cases a day over the last week on Friday. As of this past Friday, 59.4% of Pennsylvania adults are fully vaccinated and 74.9% are with their first shot. State health officials lifted the mask mandate on Monday.
Delta’s prevalence in the commonwealth remains very low -- just 0.9% of cases sampled and genomic sequenced -- as of June 5, the most recent CDC data available, said Pennsylvania Department of Health spokeswoman Maggi Barton. The CDC projects that Delta accounts for 13% of cases currently in the Mid-Atlantic.
Among features and services at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks are:
A Diagnostic Care Center, complete with imaging services, lab medicine and cardiac diagnostics, including the Multitom Rax precision X-ray technology. The X-ray technology limits unnecessary radiation while allowing for easy scanning of a patient to avoid excessive movement if in pain or having limited mobility.
Four state-of-the-art surgical suites, available for procedures with Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence experts, including use of the latest DaVinci Robotic System.
An inpatient unit, with 20 private rooms, each with private bathrooms, telehealth capabilities and a 55-inch flat screen television in each room.
Cancer services, through Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute, which is part of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Alliance.
Lehigh Valley Heart Institute cardiology and cardiac diagnostics.
Breast health services.
A Joint and Spine Center.
Outpatient rehabilitation and family medicine.
For folks touring the site Tuesday morning, Lisa Ficarro, senior operations manager at Hecktown Oaks, pointed out the advanced X-ray technology, noting that it keeps the comfort of the patient in mind when having to capture digital radiographic images. A patient who is wheelchair-bound now can receive X-rays without leaving the chair and the equipment can instead move toward the patient, she said.
Melissa Teitsworth, director of the emergency department at Hecktown Oaks, pointed out if there is no movement in a room after 20 minutes, the Indigo-Clean lighting system automatically goes to work in killing bacteria. She said the system is supplemental to the campus’ already rigorous routine cleaning practices.
Kim Fritts, the network’s director of rehabilitation, unveiled the campus’ 5,554-gallon indoor pool available for physical therapy, occupational therapy and cardiac rehabilitation patients. Located in Hecktown Oaks’ Health Center between the Cancer Institute and the Joint and Spine Center, the pool comes equipped with an underwater treadmill system. At its deepest, the pool is 4.5 feet and at its shallowest, 3.8 feet, Fritts said.
Other amenities throughout the campus include a meditation room, market bistro, valet parking and smart car charging stations.
Future plans for Hecktown Oaks include a helipad for transferring patients with more emergent needs; a health network helicopter will not be based at the site. Phase II of construction, currently underway, will include a four-story bed tower with 30 additional patient beds. Three of the tower’s floors will be available for future growth, Downs said.
The Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute also will overlook a “healing garden” section with small, outpatient trails and picnic areas as part of Phase II, said Lucas Gordils-Molina, senior project manager of operations. The garden project was launched as a result of feedback gathered from the network’s patient advisory councils, he said.
Phase II of the campus is expected to near completion sometime this November.
Lehigh Valley Health Network includes eight hospital campuses with three in Allentown; one in Bethlehem; one in East Stroudsburg, Monroe County; one in Hazleton, Luzerne County; and two in Pottsville, Schuylkill County. It also includes Coordinated Health locations, 20 ExpressCARE locations; 26 health centers; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices; and and preferred provider services through “Valley Preferred.”
