LVHN breaks ground on neighborhood hospital in Montgomery County

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is expanding its presence in Montgomery County with a new hospital in Gilbertsville. 

Construction has started on the new hospital along Route 100 and Grosser Road that LVHN said will help meet increasing demand for accessible, convenient ER and inpatient care. 

Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Gilbertsville, is expected to open by fall 2024. A medical office building on the same site, the Health Center at Gilbertsville, is slated to open at the same time. 

The new, close to 22,000-square-foot hospital is a type of facility known in the health care industry as a neighborhood hospital, with a full-service ER and limited number of inpatient beds. LVHN said it will be a fully licensed hospital offering accredited acute care 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a state-of-the-art facility.  

Patients requiring surgery or higher levels of care will be stabilized and transferred to other, higher-equipped LVHN hospitals, the health care system said. 

The facility will have lab, imaging and pharmacy services for both inpatient and outpatient care, LVHN said.  

“LVH–Gilbertsville and the Health Center at Gilbertsville will give residents more convenient access to emergency and hospital-level care, along with robust ambulatory services located closer to where they live, work and play,” said Dr. Brian A. Nester, president and CEO, LVHN. “Easy access can improve patient engagement and help individuals live their healthiest life.” 

The Health Center at Gilbertsville, at about 57,000 square feet, will house a variety of medical services, including Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG) primary care and pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, rheumatology, physiatry, cardiology, cardiac and nuclear testing, breast health services, adult and pediatric rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation. LVHN said HNL Lab Medicine also will be on-site.  

The hospital and health center are LVHN’s second and third facilities in Montgomery County. The Health Center at Pennsburg opened in March 2022.  

LVHN said construction continues for LVHN’s first neighborhood hospital in Macungie, Lehigh County. The health network broke ground for that project in December. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Macungie is slated to open by July 2024. The companion medical office building, the Health Center at Macungie, could open as early as this winter. 

“We’re proud to expand the services we offer in this region and connect patients with world-class care that includes the expertise of our five health institutes as well as Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital,” Nester said. 

Dr. David Burmeister, chair, Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, LVHN, said the neighborhood hospital model will deliver short ER wait times and favorable door-to-discharge times.  

“Patients will receive the same high-quality, compassionate care and exceptional patient experience that have made LVHN the gold standard in the region,” he said. 

“LVH–Gilbertsville provides an exciting health care option not currently available in this region,” said John Pierro, executive vice president and COO, LVHN. “This facility offers more capability than an ExpressCARE, with experience and expertise to treat the same cases that would traditionally be treated and released at a larger hospital. LVH–Gilbertsville will offer a convenient alternative to residents of this region.”