ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The lullaby signaling a new baby's arrival played Wednesday at St. Luke’s Allentown Campus, just as the expansion of the women and babies pavilion was announced.
St. Luke’s University Health Network broke ground on a new 5-story, 90,000-square-foot Women & Babies Tower, which officials said means more resources for new moms and babies are coming to the city.
- St. Luke’s University Health Network broke ground Wednesday on a new Women & Babies Tower
- The hospital will be able to serve twice as many families: up to 3,000, up from about 1,600 a year
- The facility is expected to open in 2023
Dr. Elizabeth Dierking, vice chairwoman for the department of obstetrics and gynecology, is excited about the ability to offer expanded services both for moms and more premature babies in the Allentown community.
“The new tower allows us to serve as many as twice the number of families as they start their journey," Dierking said. "So prior to this, we could accommodate up to 1,600 deliveries a year, and the new tower will allow us to deliver as many as 3,000.”
“We're building a 5-story, 90,000-square-foot, mother-baby pavilion.”William Moyer, president of St. Luke’s Allentown Campus
The president of St. Luke’s Allentown Campus, William Moyer, said the new facility will help accommodate the growth in the area’s population.
“We're building a 5-story, 90,000-square-foot, mother-baby pavilion: This tower is really going to provide great access—expanded access—for our patients who are putting their trust in St. Luke's,” he said.
The tower is expected to open in early 2023, but there's a chance that it could even open a little sooner if construction goes well.
Generous gift
Construction will be aided with a generous gift.
Tony and Adrienne DaRe of Easton have pledged $1 million to St. Luke’s to help fund building of the tower and to establish an endowment for scholarships to the Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine.
“We are making this personal investment to ensure that St. Luke’s is able to provide world class health care to our community for another 150 years,” the DaRes said in a news release.
Of the $1 million, half will go to the tower.
Two of the couple’s children were born at St. Luke’s, and their daughter Adele received critical care at St. Luke’s for a medical emergency when she was 3.
“The amazing doctors and nurses at St. Luke’s were there for her in a heartbeat,” said the DaRes.
The remaining $500,000 will create scholarships for students at Temple/St. Luke’s Medical School. It graduates 40 new physicians each year.
This story has been updated.
