Good Health Lives Here: A Look at the Lehigh Valley’s Healthcare Excellence

There are many great reasons to move into a Kay Builders community in the Lehigh Valley. You can get a beautiful CUSTOM-i-ZABLE home with so many attractive amenities, nearby shopping, restaurants, attractions, and more.

One factor that might get overlooked is the impressive level of quality healthcare in the Lehigh Valley. Those who work in healthcare are already well-aware, and many health professionals move to the Lehigh Valley to be part of a quality care team. But if you’re just a patient like most of us, you can have peace-of-mind knowing you live in an area that’s home to exceptional healthcare institutions and skilled healthcare workers.

The Lehigh Valley Healthcare Giants: LVHN and St. Luke’s

The Lehigh Valley is served by two primary health networks: Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and St. Luke’s University Health Network. Both networks have their loyal fans, but the competition between the two has resulted in multiple hospital campuses in the area, which ultimately benefits everyone.

Lehigh Valley Health Network has local hospital campuses at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedarcrest (Salisbury Township), Lehigh Valley Hospital-17th Street (Allentown), Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hecktown Oaks (Easton), Lehigh Valley Hospital-Macungie (Macungie), and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg (Bethlehem).

St. Luke’s University Health Network has local hospital campuses at St. Luke’s Allentown Campus (Allentown), St. Luke’s Anderson Campus (Easton), St. Luke’s Bethlehem Campus (Bethlehem), St. Luke’s Palmerton Campus (Palmerton), St. Luke’s Quakertown Campus (Quakertown), St. Luke’s Sacred Heart Campus (Allentown), and St. Luke’s Warren Campus (Phillipsburg, NJ).  

A broad range of specialties is offered between the two hospitals. Lehigh Valley Hospital offers the Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute, Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence, and the Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute.

St. Luke’s University Health Network is dedicated to advancing medical education and is considered one of the leading teaching hospitals in all of Pennsylvania. Through its partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the St. Luke’s School of Medicine,  Lehigh Valley’s first and only four-year medical school campus. St. Luke’s University Health Network specializes in cancer care, heart & vascular, obstetrics & gynecology, orthopedics, physical therapy, sports medicine, and weight-loss. In 2022, St. Luke’s opened their Children's Hospital, located at St. Luke's University Hospital - Bethlehem.  

Both hospital networks have many clinics, community health centers, local “neighborhood hospitals”, and outpatient facilities scattered around the area which helps bring care closer to you. This gives you more choices and greater convenience when you seek care.

For example, Lehigh Valley Hospital-Macungie opened in 2024. Located on Route 100 in Macungie, this is convenient for you if you live in Macungie, Emmaus, Upper Milford, or the surrounding area. Several Kay Builders Communities are near this location including The Fields at Brookside and The Fields at Twin Run. In addition, St. Luke’s Anderson Campus in Easton, near our 55+ community The Fields at Lafayette Way is undergoing current expansions, to further bring the best care possible.

Another example is St. Luke’s Walbert Avenue Medical Center. Kay Builders contributed to the construction of this state-of-the-art facility to help improve healthcare for local residents. The medical center is part of Kay Builders’ upcoming Ridge Farms “smart growth” community that will offer many amenities within walking distance of beautiful CUSTOM-i-ZABLE homes. (Stay tuned for many more new details on this exciting new community!)

In 2024, the Lehigh Valley Health Network merged with Jefferson Health. The two systems are now one integrated health system that includes 32 hospitals and more than 700 care locations across Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. In the unlikely event that you need specialty care not available in the Lehigh Valley, you could travel to the Philadelphia area and still receive that care in network.

Should Healthcare be a Reason to Move to the Lehigh Valley?

If you live in the Lehigh Valley, you can have peace-of-mind knowing that you are surrounded by outstanding hospitals and healthcare practitioners.

Many hospitals in the region have earned “A” grades on patient safety. LVHN has been nationally recognized by Vizient for outstanding quality and accountability, while St. Luke’s has earned the highest-possible five-star quality ratings from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Lehigh Valley Hospital is highly ranked nationally for both orthopedics and pulmonary/lung surgery.

Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest is a Level 1 trauma center, one of the premier trauma centers in the entire state of Pennsylvania. Certainly no one plans to need trauma care, but it’s nice to know that resource is available here in the Lehigh Valley if you should ever be seriously injured in an accident.

Both LVHN and St. Luke’s participate in clinical trial programs and offer advanced treatments in their hospitals. So you can get the most cutting-edge treatments for a variety of conditions right here in the Lehigh Valley. This is an important factor whether you’re living in one of our 55+ adult communities or if you’re building your dream home to raise your family here. You’ll know that you and your family will get the best possible care.

The Lehigh Valley Delivers Outstanding Value for Your Healthcare Dollar

If you lived in New York City or Philadelphia, you would certainly have access to outstanding health care. But those areas have a higher cost of living than the Lehigh Valley.

Because the Lehigh Valley offers a comparable level of care, the value you get for your healthcare is higher. This can help reduce the financial burden for patients, ensure that you’ll have greater access to care, and help improve the quality of your life.

A Great Location for Healthcare Workers

Of course, if you work in healthcare, you already know the Lehigh Valley is a great place to live. By choosing to live here, you’ll have a number of career choices across the two hospital networks. You can choose to work in a variety of healthcare settings, from a regional trauma center to a community hospital to a local neighborhood hospital or outpatient clinic. You can also choose across a variety of diverse specialties to find the healthcare career you want.

According to healthcare and business experts, the LVHN-Jefferson Health merger is expected to open the door to more resources, more collaboration and the potential for future growth.  

Because the Lehigh Valley is so convenient to New York City and Philadelphia, you could live here (and enjoy the lower population density and lower cost of living) and easily travel to those big cities for meetings, collaboration, or referrals.

The Lehigh Valley is growing, so demand for healthcare services is expected to continue to rise. As new communities are built, there will be a continued need for more community hospitals to serve these areas. So you’ll likely have career opportunities for years to come.

Enjoy the good health available in the Lehigh Valley!

Outstanding healthcare is just one more great reason to move here. Ready to start planning your move? Talk to us - we can help you build your dream home in the Lehigh Valley, CUSTOM-i-ZABLE to your exact needs so it’s perfect for you!

Call us at 484-353-6100 or submit our online form to learn more about our communities. Soon you can call the Lehigh Valley home and enjoy every day in great health!