St. Luke’s, Geisinger plan hospital in Schuylkill
An artist's rendering shows what the new St. Luke's-Geisinger hospital near Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County could look like when completed. The health networks hope to begin construction later this year. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Two area health care networks are teaming up to build a hospital near Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, along the Route 61 corridor.
The three-story, 120,000-square-foot hospital will be located on Paramount Boulevard off Route 61 in West Brunswick Township. St. Luke’s and Geisinger announced the project on Tuesday. The new 80-bed facility is expected to open in late 2019.
According to a press release, the hospital will include an emergency department and a full range of specialties and services.
Officials say it’s the first time in Pennsylvania that two health care systems have agreed to build and co-own a new hospital.
St. Luke’s also recently agreed to use Geisinger’s Life Flight helicopter to serve its campuses.
Groundbreaking will occur this spring and the hospital will open late next year.
“Geisinger’s commitment to caring means providing compassionate, comprehensive health care to our patients close to home,” said David T. Feinberg, Geisinger president and CEO.
“We know that many patients are leaving Schuylkill and Berks counties for hospital services. Our growing partnership with St. Luke’s will not only expand the range of health care services in that community but perhaps, more importantly, will offer greater convenience so that patients, including many of our Geisinger Health Plan members, will receive the care they need right where they live.”
Under terms of the agreement, the new hospital will operate under SLUHN and Geisinger as a joint venture, with funding and governance shared equally between the two nonprofit health systems. Bethlehem-based St. Luke’s will build and manage the hospital. St. Luke’s and Geisinger, headquartered in Danville will both contribute physicians and specialty support staff and expertise.
“The new hospital in Orwigsburg will emphasize the strengths of St. Luke’s and Geisinger, extending the best value in health care — that is, the highest quality at the lowest cost — to more residents of Schuylkill County and surrounding areas,” St. Luke’s President and CEO Rick Anderson said.
St. Luke’s currently has a hospital in Schuylkill County-St. Luke’s Miners Campus in Coaldale.
St. Luke’s Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton campuses, which recently joined SLUHN, are located in nearby Carbon County.
