Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke's University Health Network is weighing a proposal to construct a new 80-bed hospital instead of renovating two nearby hospitals it acquired last year, according to The Morning Call.
Here are six things to know:
1. St. Luke's acquired Lehighton, Pa.-based Gnaden Huetten Hospital and Palmerton (Pa.) Hospital when it merged with Lehighton-based Blue Mountain Health System in late 2017.
2. Hospital administrators are deciding whether to build an 80-bed hospital between Gnaden and Palmerton hospitals or invest that money into repurposing and modernizing the two acquired hospitals.
3. "You have to ask yourself, in the long run, does it make more sense to take the money it'll take to fix up and modernize these hospitals, and spend the money that way, or to build a new hospital and consolidate in that location," Bob Martin, senior vice president of network development at St. Luke's told The Morning Call.
4. Mr. Martin added that sometimes building a new facility is cheaper than renovating old buildings.
5. The proposed 80-bed hospital would house emergency services, operating rooms, medical/surgical beds and a critical care unit. Hospital administrators expect the facility to cost $60 to $70 million to build.
6. While weighing the decision, St. Luke's is accepting feedback from residents in Lehighton and Palmerton.