The family of Mary (Pituch) and Bob Drigan gathered for Mr. and Mrs. Bob Drigan's special tribute ceremony Wednesday to celebrate their bequest of the building and grounds of St. Luke's Miners Health Center in Nesquehoning to St. Luke's Miners Memorial Hospital.

The gift will allow St. Luke's to continue providing health care services to the people of Nesquehoning and surrounding communities.Attending the ceremony were family members of the Pituch family from various parts of the United States.The program opened with Micah Gursky, director of development for St. Luke's Miners Memorial Hospital, welcoming everyone. The Rev. Robert Teklinski, pastor of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Nesquehoning, then gave the invocation.Karen Smith, RN, MSN, CRNP, FNP-C and vice president of Patient Services, made a few comments, noting that in December of 2007 St. Luke's Miners Health Center opened in Nesquehoning. The establishment had two main goals: to improve access to primary health care in rural, underserved communities and to promote a model of health care delivery using physicians, nurse practioners and physician assistants.Since then two additional centers have opened in Hometown and McAdoo."With the generous bequest of the property here at 108 W. Catawissa St., we will be able to continue to bring quality health care to the community well into the future," she said.Tricia Hettler, owner of Tricia's Dance Extreme dance studio in Lehighton, had a group of dancers perform as the musical entertainment.Victor Pituch, brother, said the building was once a supermarket owned by Bob Drigan, an outstanding football player, and his brother-in-law. Now it will serve the local people as an established health center.A plaque and framed photograph was presented by Gursky to the center, which will be displayed in the center.Teklinski closed with the benediction.