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Before Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Carbon began accepting patients in June 2022, Terry Purcell, President of Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) Northwest Region, foresaw strong community need.
Still, he didn’t expect exceeding volumes in all areas.
“We’re about 40 percent busier than anticipated. We never thought we’d be expanding before our first anniversary,” he says. “It just goes to show that LVHN has a strong reputation in Carbon County, and the community is very happy we’re here to provide care locally.”
A year ago, the full-service hospital housed an emergency department, 20-bed med-surg unit, medical imaging department, infusion services and a health center. LVH–Carbon has since expanded to include an outpatient laboratory, pulmonary function testing, breast health services and cardiac rehabilitation, with an intensive care unit coming in the fall.
“The community has told us that we need to expand our services, and we have,” says Christine Biege, President of LVH–Carbon. “And we are a community partner, providing educational lectures, sponsored events and support through fundraising. Area residents even voted LVH–Carbon as the best hospital in the region.”
“Our colleagues at Carbon are truly a special group of people,” Purcell adds. “Smaller organizations require that everyone works together to get the work done, and our patient satisfaction scores have been outstanding.”
“As we see needs grow, we will continue to grow and support the Carbon community,” Biege says. “It really is family taking care of family.”
