Year in Review: Healthcare, outdoor facilities come to Lehighton

A cutting-edge medical center opened in Lehighton in 2017, while a popular outdoor attraction for rafting and biking continued to inch its way closer to opening.

The St. Luke’s Care Now in Lehighton, at 575 S. Ninth St. off Route 443, opened June 19.

Services include St. Luke’s Orthopedic Care; St. Luke’s Cardiology Associates; OB-GYN Care Associates of St. Luke’s; St. Luke’s Spine and Pain Associates; St. Luke’s Lehighton Medical Associates; St. Luke’s Care Now; occupational medicine; walk-in lab; and walk-in X-ray.

The Lehighton facility offers fast, convenient care for minor illnesses and injuries when your primary care doctor can’t see you immediately.

It provides fast, convenient care for acute illnesses, including the common cold, fever and flu-like symptoms, sinus infections, bronchitis and other acute ailments.

Patients can receive care for sprains, strains, broken bones, dislocations, cuts, minor burns and animal bites.

Additionally, care for acute illnesses and injuries are provided faster, and at a lower cost than at an emergency room.

Other advantages are that most prescriptions can be electronically submitted to the patient’s pharmacy of choice for their convenience, common prescription medications and diagnostic testing are available on site, and occupational medicine services are available to local employers on site.

The Lehighton facility marked the final of four projects, with the others located in West Penn Township, Nesquehoning and Albrightsville.

Complete with a kayaking school, work continues to progress at the Lehighton Outdoor Center — Home of Jim Thorpe River Adventures and Northeast PA Kayak School.

The 11,000-square-foot facility at 123 Lehigh Drive along Sgt. Stanley Hoffman Boulevard will have a small cafe, bike shop, kayak/paddling shop and of course everything around the kayak school and the rafting company activities.

The facility will employ about 120 people and remain open year-round.