Lehigh Valley Health Network is in the final stretch toward opening its fourth neighborhood hospital, a three-story, 90,000-square-foot building on Main Street in Hellertown that occupies the site of the former Champion spark plug factory, with the network having set a mid-2026 target for the facility to begin serving patients.
Emergency Care and Specialists Under One Roof
The Hellertown facility, located just off Interstate 78 in Northampton County, will feature a 24-hour, full-service emergency room with 11 ER beds and 10 inpatient beds for patients requiring overnight observation or additional monitoring and testing. On the building’s upper floors, LVHN will offer outpatient services including family medicine, a sleep center, adult and pediatric rehabilitation, and cardiac rehabilitation. Imaging and HNL Lab Medicine will also be housed on the first floor alongside the emergency department.
Part of a Growing Regional Network
Neighborhood hospitals are licensed, accredited acute care facilities that LVHN has expanded across the region in recent years. The health network is partnering with Peron Development and J.G. Petrucci Company to construct the Hellertown building. Existing neighborhood hospitals in the network operate in Macungie and Gilbertsville; a Tannersville location is under separate construction in the Poconos region. The model is designed to bring hospital-level emergency and specialty care closer to communities that previously faced longer drives to LVHN’s main campuses in Allentown and Bethlehem.
What It Means for Hellertown and Lower Saucon
For Hellertown Borough and neighboring Lower Saucon Township residents, the new facility is expected to significantly reduce travel time for emergency care. The Hellertown hospital is also part of the broader Jefferson Health system, which combined with LVHN in a merger that created a 32-hospital network across the mid-Atlantic region. LVHN leadership has pointed to the neighborhood hospital model as a key strategy for meeting rising patient demand without overburdening the system’s flagship campuses.
At a Glance
- LVHN’s fourth neighborhood hospital is under construction in Hellertown on the former Champion spark plug factory site on Main Street near I-78.
- The three-story, 90,000-square-foot building will include a 24-hour ER (11 beds) and 10 inpatient beds.
- Services include family medicine, sleep center, rehab, imaging, and HNL Lab Medicine.
- LVHN is partnering with Peron Development and J.G. Petrucci Company on the project.
- The network’s mid-2026 opening target places the debut in the current summer months.
