St. Luke's University Health Network's St. Luke's Anderson Campus, Bethlehem Township, celebrated its second anniversary Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

The first new, non-replacement hospital in Pennsylvania in more than 40 years has been enjoying two years of steady growth, according to Ed Nawrocki, President, St. Luke's Anderson Campus.

The $175-million construction project completed in November 2011 includes a 250,000-square-foot hospital, state-of-the-art cancer center and medical office building dedicated to bone and joint, heart and vascular and primary care medicine.

The surgeons and staff at the Anderson Campus repeatedly rank in the Top 10 percent nationwide for surgical outcomes (Fiscal Year 2013, National Health Care Safety Network).

According to Premier, Inc., St. Luke's Anderson Campus ranked in the Top 10 percent nationwide for patient safety and mortality last fiscal year.

In response to demand, the hospital recently underwent a $4.5-million Emergency Department expansion, doubling the number of treatment rooms and tripling the staff. Seventeen new private rooms were added to the space for a total of 32, as well as a new CT scanner and diagnostic x-ray. The 11,000-square-feet of additional treatment space brings total square footage to 18,000.

In July 2013, St. Luke's Anderson Campus opened a newly-outfitted medical-surgical floor, increasing the number of private patient rooms from 72 to 108. The $5-million, fourth-floor addition provides specialized care for oncology patients. Also included in the expansion was four additional ICU rooms for a total of 12.

Two other inpatient floors are tailored toward orthopedic, heart and vascular, as well as general medical-surgical patients. All of the private, inpatient suites are designed around patient comfort: peaceful, quiet, exceptionally clean and with great views. Each room is equipped with flat screen TVs, free WiFi service, daily newspaper delivery and iPads. Room service and patient robes are also available. The housekeeping department even folds patient towels into the shape of swans.

Another amenity the campus invested in last year is the Anderson Campus Auxiliary Gardens, a two-mile walking path, pond with fountain and a gazebo sitting area surrounded by a beautiful landscape.

The hospital is equipped with four state-of-the-art operating rooms and is expanding this area as well. The new space will accommodate more outpatient procedures which will allow the original space to be utilized for more complex cases.

St. Luke's Anderson Campus became the first hospital in Pennsylvania, and one of only about 50 hospitals nationwide, to acquire Intrabeam Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) to treat early-stage breast cancer. IORT delivers a full course of radiation treatment to the tumor site immediately following breast cancer surgery. IORT can potentially save a patient from having to undergo the typical six weeks of radiation therapy after surgery, by delivering the required dose in just one day.

Evidence-based processes have been implemented to ensure the highest quality medicine is delivered with every patient encounter. Serving as a team, physicians, nurses, case managers and therapists improve communication and patient outcomes. Additionally, upon discharge, hospitalist physicians electronically submit discharge memos to patients' primary care physicians, with 90 percent sent within the first 12 hours of discharge.

The campus is named after Richard A. Anderson, President and CEO, St. Luke's University Health Network.