Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)\u2013Dickson City will reopen the hospital, including its Emergency Department and operating rooms on Friday, Feb. 13, restoring critical services to the Scranton region following the recent fire at the medical office building. The reopening follows an inspection by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and coordination with borough officials. The emergency room is expected to resume operations at 7 a.m., with ORs following at 9 a.m.<\/p>\n
Achieving this reopening just one week after such a devastating fire underscores the extraordinary coordination, commitment and resilience of more than 400 Jefferson colleagues, partners and contractors who worked around the clock to safely restore care for the community. Their work was guided by a shared commitment to patient safety, clinical excellence and the trust the community places in Jefferson Health every day.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis milestone speaks to the unwavering dedication and teamwork of our Jefferson colleagues, and the strong partnership we\u2019ve had with local and state partners throughout this recovery,\u201d said Joseph G. Cacchione, MD, CEO of Jefferson. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to safely restore these essential services, and we remain fully committed to supporting the health and well-being of the Dickson City community.\u201d<\/p>\n
While emergency, surgical and limited inpatient services are resuming, work to restore additional services at LVH\u2013Dickson City is ongoing. Jefferson Health continues to assess, repair and prepare remaining areas of the campus, with patient and colleague safety as the top priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know how deeply this community depends on timely access to emergency and surgical care,\u201d said Baligh R. Yehia, MD, MPP, MSc, President of Jefferson Health.\u00a0\u201cFrom day one, our teams approached this work with urgency, compassion and a genuine commitment to ensuring people can get the care they need, close to home. As we move forward, we will continue to be thoughtful and deliberate in expanding access and supporting the community we proudly serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the reopening plan, surgeries will occur over the weekend to accelerate access to care for patients whose procedures were temporarily delayed. In addition, a mobile kitchen has been established on-site to ensure essential food services are available to patients.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal is to ensure that when patients walk through our doors again, they feel the same confidence and trust they always have,\u201d said Bob Begliomini, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, President, Jefferson Health\u2013Lehigh Valley Region. \u201cThat means being deliberate, thorough and patient\u2011centered at every step of reopening.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the fire, we heard countless stories of people stepping in without hesitation. Doctors who ended their shift and drove immediately to Dickson City, clinicians who took the jackets off their backs to help warm cold patients during the evacuation, and volunteer firefighters, EMS, police and state troopers who helped usher our patients and staff to safety,\u201d\u00a0said Joseph Pinto, Regional Chief Operating Officer, Jefferson Health. \u201cThose acts of quiet heroism made a profound difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff proactively reached out to hundreds of patients impacted by the closure of the attached medical office building to reschedule their appointments, either virtually or at alternate locations.<\/p>\n