Early this afternoon, officials from St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network and Bethlehem Township announced St. Luke's acquisition from Mrs. Elaine Emrick of a 300-acre tract located adjacent to 200-acres in Bethlehem Township already owned by St. Luke's. This 500-acre property – to be known as St. Luke's Riverside – represents the largest contiguous health care campus in Pennsylvania; and one of the largest in the United States.
“The Board of Trustees and Management recognize if St. Luke's is to continue to fulfill its mission to care for the increasing number of people who trust and choose us, it is imperative we develop additional facilities, while maintaining our commitment to our current hospitals in Allentown, Fountain Hill, Quakertown and Coaldale,” said Kenneth Smith, chairman, of the Board of Trustees of St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network.” In addition to four hospitals, St. Luke's operates more than 150 satellite medical practice, education, diagnostic and office facilities.
“St. Luke's has experienced consistent growth for more than a quarter of a century, and this growth has significantly escalated in recent years. Because of this unprecedented demand for our services, many of St. Luke's facilities are at, or near, capacity and are landlocked,” Smith indicated. The region's growing population further strains St. Luke's existing capacity. The population is expected to increase overall 23 percent by 2030 and about one-third of the total population in 2030 will be those 65 years of age and older – consumers with the highest utilization of health care services.
Smith said St. Luke's has built a national reputation not only for its world-class technology and clinical care, but also for its commitment to cost-effective care. St. Luke' has twice been named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals (Solucient/Thomson), the only hospital in the Lehigh Valley to have ever earned this prestigious distinction. Smith pointed out that St. Luke's ranks among the top 25 percent of U.S. hospitals for its responsible fiscal management (Solucient/Thomson). “The communities we serve, including Bethlehem Township, deserve nothing less than the best care provided in the most cost-effective manner,” Smith added.
Additionally, Smith acknowledged Bethlehem Township's desire to make St. Luke's Riverside a “destination,” a vision he said St. Luke's shares, not only for the patients who will come for world-class health care, but to help St. Luke's recruit the nation's brightest graduates from medical and nursing schools. “Many of today's graduates seek to locate in communities where they can ‘live where they work’,” said Smith. St. Luke's Riverside offers the potential to create the lifestyle/town center environment they are seeking.
Smith continued, “I also want to take a moment to publicly assure Township leaders that St. Luke's has an established record of exemplary corporate citizenship. We recognize our duty and we are proud to point out that we voluntarily pay real estate taxes on more than 150 non-hospital properties we own throughout an eight-county region.
“We estimate more than two million square feet of various types of facilities may ultimately be constructed on the original 200-acre tract alone. These facilities are expected to generate substantial additional tax revenue for both the Township and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In addition, the Township will benefit from wage tax revenue from potentially thousands of employees who will work at the Riverside Campus, as well as various other forms of positive economic impact resulting from development of this site,” Smith said.
Smith reiterated St. Luke's permanent commitment to the Riverside Campus. “We did not buy this land for short-term financial gain. We are taking a long-range view and we will build now to meet the region's current – and future health care needs.” He cautioned that projects of the magnitude and complexity of the 500-acre campus take time and patience.
St. Luke's and GE Will Create World's First GE Ecomagination Health Care Campus on 500-Acre Site
Smith also announced St. Luke's and GE have entered into a partnership to create the world's first GE designated Ecomagination health care campus. Ecomagination represents GE's vision and commitment to help solve some of the world's toughest problems.
The goal of this partnership, which requires funding, is to significantly reduce a building's energy consumption, environmental impact and operating costs. For example, GE has proposed use of the most energy efficient technology for lighting and electrical distribution, potentially resulting in a reduction of one and a half million pounds of carbon emissions – the equivalent of removing 130 cars from the road annually or planting more than 200 acres of trees. An advanced water re-use system will annually save more than two million gallons of water.
Smith continued, “At the recommendation of the Department of Environmental Protection, plans are being made for an on-site farm to grow organic food to feed patients and visitors. GE expects the Riverside Campus to serve as a global showcase for environmentally friendly solutions, as well as for its medical imaging technology and other programs to enhance excellence in clinical quality, customer service and operation efficiency. Additionally, GE will provide St. Luke's the opportunity to be an early adapter of emerging GE technology and therapies, such as those related to genomics.”
In a recent written communication to St. Luke's, Lorraine Bolsinger, Vice President, Ecomagination, observed: “The development of St. Luke's Riverside provides a truly unique collaborative opportunity for GE and St. Luke's to develop products and services that not only result in the provision of world-class health care, but also are ecologically sound. We have partnered with St. Luke's because they share GE's demonstrated vision and courage to dream, to innovate and to execute.”
Richard A. Anderson, President & CEO of St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network, thanked Mrs. Elaine Emrick, noting that she has created an unprecedented opportunity to bring nationally recognized health care services to her neighbors and friends.
He continued, “We have been planning the development of Phase I for the past five years, and we are anxious to see the buildings rise from the earth. As has been mentioned by others today, development of this magnitude is complex and, frankly, at times, daunting.” For example, an investment of close to $6 million must be made for the necessary sewage capacity and transmission. Roadway improvements to the Route 33 overpass and to Freemansburg Avenue are expected to approach $20 million.
Anderson lauded Governor Edward Rendell who has been personally involved in the development of St. Luke's Riverside. “The Governor clearly understands the economic impact of this development and most especially the jobs it will create both now and in the future,” said Anderson.
Anderson concluded, “As I said last September when we broke ground for Phase I, it is here at our Riverside Campus – through hard work, creativity, compassion, collaboration, insight and an unwavering commitment to the mission of St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network – that we will invent the future of health care.
Phase I
Phase I features an outpatient complex to be located on the original 200 acres. The 383,272 sq. ft. complex will include the region's only freestanding outpatient cancer center; a health pavilion featuring a GE Healthcare Global Show Site with the latest radiology, interventional radiology and women's imaging technology in the world; an urgent care center; vascular, cardiology, sleep lab and general laboratory services; an ambulatory surgery center, retail pharmacy and café; as well as a medical office building. Northstar is the construction manager and Cogdell Spencer is the developer.