Cedar Crest Expansion is Revised to Meet Record Patient Demand

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (Oct. 10, 2006) – Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN) today announced revisions to the multi-phase expansion project currently underway at the Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest & I-78 campus in Salisbury Township.

Citing record patient demand for services (reflected in increased admissions and emergency department/outpatient visits—see chart) LVHHN officials said the project will be expanded within the original plans approved by Salisbury Township to include:

• 12 more Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds
• Six more Burn Center beds (from 12 to 18 beds; current Burn Center has nine)
• A ‘shelled’ patient floor for future bed space
• 30 percent more space in the emergency department (ED)
• Other expanded space to support surgery, pharmacy and dietary departments
• 250 additional parking spaces (bringing the post-construction total to over 4,200)

“Since the project began, projected demand for services on this campus has grown at twice the rate previously anticipated,” said Elliot J. Sussman, M.D., LVHHN’s president and CEO. “The demand is in virtually every area of the campus including operating rooms, the emergency department, inpatient rooms, critical care units, the Burn Center and parking.”

Jefferson K. Aiken, Jr., D.Min., chairman of the Board of Trustees, announced that the Lehigh Valley Health Network Board of Trustees unanimously approved an additional $59.8 million to fund the broader scope of the projects, with the total for all the work now $241.3 million. The original cost of the project was $181.5 million when it was announced in June 2004.

The funding increase is allocated as follows:

• $41.7mm for expanded patient services
• $12.6mm for inflation on building products
• $5.5mm to meet new regulatory requirements

The level of inflation in the cost of many building materials has added to the cost of the construction. Higher costs for materials include copper (300 percent increase), asphalt and utility piping (100 percent increase), structural steel (55 percent increase) and metal decking (245 percent increase).

“These enhancements ensure that we can continue to care for our community today and long into the future,” Aiken said. Dr. Sussman added, “Our financial performance allows us to pay for these additional costs with reserve funds.”

LVHHN announced the expansion project in June 2004 including construction of a seven-story patient care building—since named the Kasych Family Pavilion—with all private patient rooms, two parking decks for patients and visitors and a new medical office building—the Center for Advanced Health Care—with its own parking deck. The original project also called for increasing the size of the Emergency Department, expanding X-ray and CT scan testing areas, adding operating rooms, more classrooms and education space, a bigger cafeteria and expand parking for employees.

The additions and renovations, excluding the three parking decks, total about 450,000 square feet.

Portions of the project that are completed or nearing completion include:

• An 890 car parking deck on the east side of the campus
• The Center for Advanced Health Care (medical office building) exterior and common areas inside

Other portions of the project will be completed as follows:

• East parking deck in front of the hospital to be completed in Dec. 2006 (480 spaces)
• Emergency department Phase I to be completed in Spring 2007
• 30 percent more patient treatment areas and expanded waiting/triage areas
• Over 90 ED parking spaces
• West parking deck in front of the hospital to be completed in Fall 2007 (544 spaces)
• Tower construction floors 1-3 to be completed/occupied Dec. 2007
• Tower construction floors 4-7 to be completed/occupied Spring 2008
• Emergency department Phase II to be completed Winter 2008
• Additional fifteen patient treatment areas (doubling pre-construction total)

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