Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is moving almost 500 Information Services, Enterprise Analytics and Clinical Informatics employees to offices at Three City Center, part of Allentown’s Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ), beginning in November.

The employees will be moving from the 1245 and 1247 buildings in Cedar Crest Professional Park, 1255 S. Cedar Crest Boulevard, Salisbury Township, once LVHN’s leases for those offices have expired. The employees will move into 81,000 square feet of space on three floors in the downtown Allentown location. A long-term lease at Three City Center has been approved by LVHN’s Board of Trustees.

The floors two, three and four of Three City Center to be leased by LVHN is an increase from the 70,000 square feet LVHN leases in the two buildings in the Professional Park, which is across the street from Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest.

Other tenants in Three City Center are a law firm, Norris McLaughlin & Marcus; an engineering firm, Rettew Associates, AlphaGraphics, and street-level restaurant, Nosh.

“Thanks to favorable lease rates offered through the NIZ, LVHN will be able to reduce network operating expenses with this move,” said Brian Nester, DO, MBA, LVHN’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“It gives us the opportunity to move into state-of-the-art, energy-efficient office space, which will result in even more cost savings. It also helps us to establish more of an LVHN presence in the downtown Allentown area,” Nester said.

In addition to providing services at Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street since its founding in 1899, LVHN began its venture into the center city area in 2014 when it opened a 25,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art sports medicine, sports performance and fitness location at One City Center, a seven-story office building adjacent to the PPL Center arena. It occupies five floors and includes sports performance, sports medicine, sports nutrition, concussion management and rehabilitation services. Since then, several LVHN departments have moved to office space at One City Center, where about 450 LVHN employees work.

“From the beginning, LVHN has been committed to the revitalization effort that has been transforming downtown Allentown for a number of years now,” Nester said. “We’re honored to be able to play a role in that effort.”

Overall, LVHN employs 17,600.

It’s anticipated that by Nov. 1 there will be 350 LVHN employees moving to two floors of Three City Center. An additional 125 LVHN employees are expected to occupy a third floor by June 2018. Three City Center is about one and one-half two blocks from One City Center.

“As the largest healthcare provider and employer in the region, LVHN plays a key economic development role in the Lehigh Valley and downtown Allentown. LVHN continues to take a major leadership role in the transformation of the city, and their commitment to the downtown Allentown community is vital,” said J.B. Reilly, co-founder and president of City Center Investment Corp. “City Center is excited that LVHN has chosen to grow downtown, and we’re confident their employees will enjoy the vibrant environment here.”

According to Fortune magazine, Allentown is one of the “10 Best U.S. Cities for Finance and IT Operations.”

Lehigh Valley Health Network includes eight hospital campuses, three in Allentown, including the region’s only facility dedicated to orthopedic surgery; one in Bethlehem; one in East Stroudsburg; one in Hazleton, and two in Pottsville; 18 health centers in seven counties; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices and 12 ExpressCARE locations in the region; pharmacy, imaging, home health services and lab services; inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services, and provider services through Valley Preferred.

Specialty care includes: trauma care; burn care; kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal-neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, orthopedics, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Lehigh Valley Children’s Hospital provides care in 28 specialties and general pediatrics.

Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for 21 consecutive years as one of “America’s Best Hospitals.”

Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest, Lehigh Valley Hospital - 17th Street and Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg are national Magnet hospitals for excellence in nursing.

LVHN’s Cancer Institute is a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, an initiative to improve the quality of care and outcomes for people with cancer in community health care settings, including access to key MSK clinical trials.

Information: lvhn.org