Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) broke ground Dec. 6 for its new health campus just off Route 33 along Hecktown Road in Lower Nazareth Township. Grand opening is slated for summer 2021.

The new medical campus will include a 106,000-square-foot, two-story hospital; 35,000-square-foot Lehigh Valley Cancer Institute and 61,000-square-foot medical office building. The campus will offer advanced surgical, emergency, and orthopedic care, cancer services, advanced imaging, diagnostic testing and more.

At the groundbreaking, Brian Nester, DO, MBA, FACOEP, LVHN President and Chief Executive Officer, announced that the new hospital will be called Lehigh Valley Hospital - Hecktown Oaks.

“Oak trees evoke a sense of strength and protection and inspire awe in nature. By naming our hospital Lehigh Valley Hospital - Hecktown Oaks, we want the residents of Northampton County and nearby communities to know that we are here to provide strength and sanctuary when you need a health care partner most,” said Nester.

Nester announced that the President for LVH - Hecktown Oaks is Rachel Lefebvre, Vice President, Operations at LVH - 17th Street in Allentown. “I am looking forward to bringing Lehigh Valley Health Network’s advanced services and technologies to patient care in this area, and am particularly proud to bring an amazing team of health care providers who offer the best in expert and compassionate care,” Lefebvre said.

Surgeon Pat Toselli, DO, Chief Medical Officer at LVH - Muhlenberg, Bethlehem, was introduced as Chief Medical Officer for LVH - Hecktown Oaks.

The construction of the campus is a direct response to demand for LVHN care in Northampton County, where nearly one-third of residents already receive health care services from an LVHN provider. Over the last seven years, the number of visits from Northampton County residents to Lehigh Valley Physician Group (LVPG) providers increased 91 percent. In fiscal year 2018, LVPG had more than 430,000 visits from Northampton County residents. The new health campus extends the services LVHN and Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital already provide in the county.