Palmerton’s newest year-round medical facility is open for business.

Lehigh Valley Health Network’s ExpressCARE officially open its doors at 8 a.m. Tuesday.

LVHN officials cut the ribbon Monday on the facility at 528 Delaware Ave. and showed off its eight exam rooms and mobile X-ray equipment to the public.

The Palmerton opening is the second ExpressCARE in Carbon County for LVHN this year, following a facility at 363 N. First St. in Lehighton about eight weeks ago.

“We are committed to providing the residents of Carbon County and nearby communities more every day,” said Terry Purcell, future president of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Carbon. “The Lehighton facility has been very well-received. A significant portion of patients we are treating in Lehighton are Palmerton residents, so opening the Palmerton ExpressCARE shows we are committed to providing care close to your home.”

The Palmerton location will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. Like in Lehighton, Palmerton’s ExpressCARE will feature portable imaging. There are two lead-insulated rooms where staff can conduct an X-ray on a patient on site.

“This facility gives you full and complete access to health care without an appointment and that is the ultimate convenience,” Purcell said. “Palmerton holds a very special place in my heart, and it’s wonderful to be able to offer this to the people of this and neighboring communities.”

Common reasons to visit an ExpressCARE, LVHN officials said, include sprains and strains, cuts and lacerations, poison ivy, rashes, seasonal allergies, flu symptoms, bronchitis, ear infections, sore throat and fever.

“The opening of this ExpressCARE will touch the lives of so many people in Carbon County,” said Terry Capuano, executive vice president and chief operating officer of LVHN. “As a nurse and a mother, I think about those times when your child or someone you love is sick, especially if it’s a weekend or holiday, and you’re debating whether to go to the emergency room or wait until your primary care provider is in again. You can come to an ExpressCARE any day of the year and get the care you need and get you what you need to start feeling better.”

Dr. David Burmeister, chair of LVHN’s department of emergency and hospital medicine, said sickness or injuries don’t always happen at the most convenient times, which is where an ExpressCARE comes in.

“We don’t always know when we’re going to get sick,” Burmeister said. “Now, we have an option to help. This is a natural extension of what we do every single day. This is the completion of a vision of offering ExpressCARE in Carbon County that LVHN has had for many years.”

Monday’s ribbon cutting featured local, county and state elected officials, Carbon County Chamber of Commerce leaders, LVHN employees and other invited guests.

“There is nothing more that we like to see than things like this happening in our community,” said Marlyn Kissner, executive director for the Carbon Chamber and Economic Development. “All of our businesses here are beyond thrilled to have LVHN opening their new building in Palmerton.”

LVHN also expects to break ground on a $65 million hospital projection Mahoning Township next spring with opening anticipated in the fall of 2021 pending municipal approvals.