GILBERTSVILLE, Pa. — Lehigh Valley Health Network is expanding its reach into Montgomery County.
The last steel beam was put into place Tuesday for construction of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Gilbertsville, off Route 100 on Grosser Road in Douglas Township.
It is set to open in the fall of 2024.
- Lehigh Valley Health Network placed the last steel beam to complete the frame of their medical office building and new emergency room
- It's located in Gilbertsville, Montgomery County
- This is the network’s first hospital in that county and it’s set to open in the fall of 2024
“We are psyched to be here,” said Dr. Brian Nester, chief executive officer of Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Nester addressed a crowd Tuesday at the site of the new facilities, off Route 100 and Grosser Road in Douglas Township, telling those in attendance about what they will offer.
"We wanted to get more resources, both hospital and ambulatory, closer to where people live, work, and play.”Dr. Brian Nester, President and CEO, Lehigh Valley Health Network
He noted that this is LVHN’s second “neighborhood” hospital in the works, following the construction of one in Macungie.
The Gilbertsville location will have a 24/7 emergency room, small inpatient care unit, and a separate medical office building.
'We absolutely said 100%'
Nester said his team saw a need for more healthcare resources in the area.
"For probably about a 20-year period, the Pottstown, Brandywine, Gilbertsville area was our number one referral site for many of our sub-specialties,” he said.
“We know that we serve this community, and we really felt as though we weren't doing an adequate job, so we wanted to get more resources, both hospital and ambulatory, closer to where people live, work and play.”
"If anybody knows anything about medical emergencies, time is of the essence, so to have a full service hospital in our community is an invaluable resource for our residents.”Joshua Stouch, chairman, Board of Supervisors, Douglas Township
“The closest hospital to this location by ground is about 11 minutes in one direction, and about 18 to 20 minutes in the other direction," Douglas Township Board of Supervisors Chairman Joshua Stouch said.
"If anybody knows anything about medical emergencies, time is of the essence. So to have a full-service hospital in our community is an invaluable resource for our residents,” he said.
Stouch, who could be seen signing the final steel beam, said the project has been on a smooth course since it began.
“Lehigh Valley Health Network approached the township when they were looking into buying this parcel to see what the interest of having a community hospital was,” he said.
“We absolutely said 100%, we would love to hear your proposal and take a look at it.”
'Make care easy for people to access'
Stouch said the area is prime for more medical resources as their population continues to grow.
“We have a very large community here that's only growing," he said.
“The Holy Grail is patient engagement."Dr. Brian Nestor, LVHN CEO
"We're projected to have in excess of 12,000 residents just in this township alone within the next two to three years, and that doesn't even count the rest of the community that's also exponentially growing around our area."
The two structures are the second and third LVHN facilities in Montgomery County, following the Health Center at Pennsburg, which opened in 2022.
Nester said it's just the beginning of its expansion there.
“The Holy Grail is patient engagement," he said.
"So whether that's primary care practices, specialty locations, urgent care locations, where these types of facilities that we're talking about today, the Gilbertsville hospital, the Gilbertsville health center, we're going to be making those investments to make care easy for people to access."
