Lehigh Valley’s exceptional health care system is adding another key asset with the construction of St. Luke’s Heart Hospital, which will bring several hundred jobs to the region. 
The hospital will centralize cardiovascular care and include operating rooms, an intensive care unit, and catheterization, electrophysiology, and interventional radiology services.
Scheduled to open in October on the Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township, the Heart Hospital is the largest construction project by St. Luke’s University Health Network in its more than 150-year history, both in terms of investment – $252 million – and square footage – 355,000.
The quality health care available in the Lehigh Valley is one of the features that strengthens the region’s quality of life and attracts a growing population, which fuels the economy. More than 72,000 people work in health care, making it the Lehigh Valley’s top employment sector.
The Heart Hospital will employ more than 60 cardiologists and five cardiothoracic surgeons. The innovative technology and design will attract top medical talent, said Ed Nawrocki, President of St. Luke’s East Region and the Anderson Campus.
“While the size of this investment is impressive, the true significance lies in what it means for our patients and families. This expansion will enhance access to highly specialized cardiovascular care, reduce the need for patients to travel outside the region, and ensure that more people can receive life-saving treatment close to home,” Nawrocki said Aug. 6 when St. Luke’s announced the investment and provided tours of the Heart Hospital.
With $60 million in advanced medical technology and equipment, the Heart Hospital will add 140 beds and nearly double the size of the Anderson Campus.
“This building will allow us to bring the right specialists, the right technology, and the right teams together at the right moment,” said Dr. Ray Durkin, Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at St. Luke’s.
“When I look at this building, I do not see only a hospital. I see lives that will be saved. I see families that will have more time together,” he said.
The Heart Hospital includes teaching space and a new cardiac fellowship program.
(Photos by LVEDC)