Lehigh Valley Hospital–Carbon opened this morning, around 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

The opening was set for 7 a.m., but staff was ready to go when the first patient arrived.

According to Lisa Marie Halecky, spokesperson, the first patient walked into the emergency room at 6:47 a.m.

The second arrived by ambulance at 7:21 a.m.

Three surgeries are scheduled for today. Infusions are also scheduled.

The 100,587-square-foot campus on Blakeslee Drive in Lehighton has a full-service, two-story community hospital with access to exceptional emergency care, a 16-bed emergency room and a health center providing specialty services. Twenty inpatient rooms are on the second floor.

The facility that broke ground in December 2020 is the newest in the Lehigh Valley Health Network, which includes 13 hospital campuses, 29 health centers; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices, 20 ExpressCARE locations, regional burn center and more.

Members of the community got a sneak peak of the facility, which is the first for the network in the county.

“I used to commute to East Stroudsburg (for treatment of a medical condition),” said Bernadine Daddaril. “I live in Summit Hill. Now I can just come down here, only a few minutes and a few miles.”

Specialty groups that will be available on site include the Lehigh Valley Physicians Group, oncology, heart and vascular, advanced imagery, and obstetrics and gynecology. The hospital’s oncology department is tied to the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, which is part of world renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance.

Many of the attending doctors from LVH–Cedar Crest’s Level 1 Trauma Center will be on site. A helipad is available for times when a higher level of care is needed.

State-of-the-art surgical suites for orthopedics, general surgery, ENT, urology, GI and spine are also on site, under the leadership of Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence.

Additional amenities include convenient parking options, smart car-charging stations, relaxing waiting and family consultation rooms, and dedicated staff to provide guidance and assistance.

For more information on LVH–Carbon, visit LVHN.org/Carbon.

At a Glance:

Cost: $80 million

Square footage: 100,587-square-foot hospital, health center

Inpatient rooms: 20

Emergency room: 16 beds, 17 bays

Surgical suites: 2, 4 planned, two OR, two procedure rooms

Other features: Post-anesthesia care unit/pre/post operating rooms; cardiac rehab center, physical rehab program.

LV Physician Group offices include: ENT; OB-GYN, cardiology, urology, GI, orthopedics, spine, and general surgery practices; 40 exam rooms and over 17 physicians will be using the space. Also included is physiatry, rheumatology, pain specialists, internal medicine, endocrinology, oncology, neurology, and pulmonary care

Infusion center: seven beds

Specialty services: Complete telemedicine services; heart institute; cancer institute, institute for surgical excellence and imaging services, orthopedic institute

Special procedures room: The procedure rooms are rooms used for endoscopy procedures (Colonoscopy, EGD) and pain injections

Imaging equipment: CT, MRI, ultrasound and traditional X-ray

Cardiac rehab center: We do not have cardiac rehab on site. We do have cardiac diagnostic testing which includes stress testing, echo cardiograms, EKG, and Holter monitors

Physical rehab program: We have inpatient and out patient rehab to increase mobility and improve conditioning of muscles and joints.

Expansion plans: If the community needs exceed current capacity, we have the ability to increase the number of IP beds, operating rooms, etc.