St. Luke’s University Health Network will offer expanded care at the Gnaden Huetten emergency department in Lehighton. The health network will also open a new walk-in urgent care facility on July 1, St. Luke’s Care Now, in Palmerton, to replace the emergency department there, according to a June 17 press release.
“These developments will allow St. Luke’s to offer the most cost-effective and highest-quality comprehensive care possible for the patients of both St. Luke’s Palmerton and Gnaden Huetten campuses,” said John Nespoli, president of St. Luke’s Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton campuses.
St. Luke’s Care Now facilities are designed to be quicker, less expensive and more convenient than a traditional emergency room, according to the news release.
St. Luke’s Care Now facilities offer call-ahead scheduling, walk-in X-ray, lab services and on-site access to common prescriptions and over-the-counter medications. In the case of a life-threatening emergency, the patient may be transported to the expanded emergency department at the Gnaden Huetten Campus, according to the release.
The expanded emergency department will include new equipment and a refurbished interior.
In addition, St. Luke’s is expanding patient transportation services for Carbon County, including a critical care transport ambulance to Jim Thorpe and a transit wheelchair van for both Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton.
“Consolidating emergency services at one site, along with investing in new facility upgrades, technology and transportation and bringing new physicians to Carbon County will improve care for our community,” Nespoli said.
St. Luke’s University Health Network is a regional nonprofit health network with over 15,000 employees, headquartered in Bethlehem. The network operates at locations throughout the greater Lehigh Valley, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe and Schuylkill counties and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.
