Lehigh Valley Health Network

New ambuance service formed

Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) has announced plans to form a singular Emergency Medical Service (EMS) organization called Lehigh Valley Health Network–Emergency Medical Services (LVHN–EMS), as of Jan. 1. LVHN–EMS will be comprised of West End Community Ambulance Association (WECAA) in Effort, the former American Patient Transport System (APTS) in Hazleton and LVHN–MedEvac in Lehigh County.

While the community may see a new look of vehicles and branding, all three entities will retain the same staff and continue to provide the same services from the same locations throughout Luzerne, Monroe and Lehigh counties and surrounding communities. This includes the many resources they provide to the community, such as CPR training and standby services for special events.

St. Luke’s Health Network

Youth behavioral unit opens

St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) opened its new Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit Dec. 14 to provide safe, expert and compassionate care to children and adolescents experiencing serious mental, emotional or behavioral symptoms.

The Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit is located at St. Luke’s Easton Campus, on the hospital’s third floor.

The addition of its Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit further expands St. Luke’s continuum of inpatient behavioral health services, which already includes facilities for adults and the geriatric population. The need for adolescent behavioral health care has only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 16-bed, 16,000-square-foot unit is specifically designed for patients ages 12 to 18 who are experiencing emotional and behavioral problems that interfere with their daily life, physical health, family or school routine.

The unit’s hospital-based, person-centered treatment offers the patient in crisis opportunities to attend individual sessions with case managers, group sessions with program and nursing staff, and daily assessments completed by the psychiatrist or advanced practitioners. “The unit’s therapeutic focus is on safety, comfort and resiliency to enable patients to identify stressors and learn to manage their responses so they can feel calmer and more confident in any setting,” Dr. Clark says.

Psychiatrists, psychologists, specialized nurses, advanced care practitioners and other certified mental health professionals will staff the St. Luke’s Adolescent Behavioral Health Unit 24/7.