Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH) - Carbon is growing to bring additional diagnostic and treatment services where they are needed most, close to home. When completed later this year, the hospital will provide more diagnostic and treatment services, and is expected to bring up to 40 new jobs to the community.

The nearly $12 million project will add five new medical-surgical beds and an adjacent seven-bed critical care (CCU)/Step-Down Unit on the hospital’s second floor. A CCU is a hospital ward with specialized staff, equipment and standards to treat critically ill or injured patients. That will bring the hospital’s total inpatient bed complement to 32. All rooms at LVH - Carbon are private.

Additionally, LVH - Carbon is adding a pulmonary function testing lab, an outpatient laboratory blood draw station and a new cardiac rehabilitation center as well as relocating its nearby breast health services to the hospital and health center campus on Blakeslee Boulevard in Lehighton. LVH - Carbon first began accepting patients in June 2022.

“These expanded services, coupled with the many physicians and clinical specialists who recently joined our team, further helps us care for more patients right here in Carbon County,” says Chris Biege, president, LVH - Carbon. “We have experienced inpatient and outpatient volumes much higher than we originally anticipated, making this expansion necessary and timely.”

• The CCU will provide a higher level of care for patients eliminating the need, in many cases, for them to be transferred to another hospital. A CCU offers care that is not typically available on a more traditional medical-surgical unit.

“Up until now, many of our local residents have had to leave the community for cardiac rehabilitation, breast health services or even a CCU at one of our LVHN locations,” says Terry Purcell, President of LVHN Northwest, which includes LVH - Carbon. “Now, this care will be available locally. It’s about providing our residents with improved access to the highest quality of health care service in our region.”

• As part of Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, cardiovascular rehabilitation is a physician-supervised program that incorporates exercise, education and counseling to help enhance patient recovery and return to an active community life.

LVHN’s cardiac rehabilitation services provides a multidisciplinary team who treat a variety of diagnoses, including (but not limited to): heart attack, valve replacement, coronary bypass surgery, heart transplant, angioplasty; coronary stent; stable angina (chest discomfort with activity or stress) and other heart conditions.

• Breast Health Services – In cooperation with the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, 3D mammography services and other breast health services are being relocated from the Carbon Plaza Mall to the first floor of the Health Center on the hospital campus, offering convenient, easy access.

• Outpatient Laboratory Blood Draw Station – This new space is all about better access and convenience for patients needing outpatient laboratory tests.

• Pulmonary Function Testing – Pulmonary function tests determine how well your lungs work. The addition of this testing area to the Health Center offers greater convenience and provides valuable information to clinicians to diagnose and treat illness.

• Construction on the project began in December with completion expected in phases. Phase is expected to be finished by April with outpatient laboratory and pulmonary function testing.

Phase Two will be complete in May, with breast health services and cardiac rehabilitation. Phase Two will be finished in September with the critical care unit and additional medical-surgical beds.

Recruitment for additional colleagues is always a priority with numerous hiring events being held throughout our region. Visit LVHN.org/careers to learn about opportunities to join LVHN. To learn more about LVHN, visit LVHN.org.