St. Luke’s to Open New Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Bethlehem Campus

St. Luke’s University Health Network is opening a new, 8-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at St. Luke’s University Hospital in Bethlehem in early 2020.

This new unit is part of a significant expansion dedicated to improving pediatric health care within the region and providing advanced care to critically ill children close to home. In addition to adding pediatric critical care specialists, the expansion includes several new pediatric subspecialists and primary care physicians.

The unit will be equipped with the latest technology and staffed with pediatric critical care specialists (intensivists), available to care for children 24/7. St. Luke’s pediatric intensivists and nurses are specially-trained to be sensitive to the needs of children and teenagers who are experiencing critical illness or injuries.

“Last year, the St. Luke’s network of ten emergency departments provided care to over 46,000 children, with over 200 of these children transferred from St. Luke’s to other organizations for PICU-level care,” said Glenn Stryjewski, MD, PICU medical director. “When the new PICU is complete, these children and their families will be able to remain in the region and within the St. Luke’s network for high quality pediatric critical care.”

The St. Luke’s PICU will care for patients who require intensive physician and nursing care with continuous multi-system monitoring and advanced technologies such as mechanical ventilation and dialysis. PICU intensivists will collaborate with St. Luke’s pediatric specialists to manage care for children suffering from a variety of illnesses such as severe respiratory distress, infections, serious injury and heart disease.

The multidisciplinary unit will have a 2:1 nurse-to-patient ratio. Nursing stations will be positioned outside each patient room to allow for close patient monitoring. The unit will also be supported by social workers, physical therapists and nutritionists.

The opening of the PICU will allow the St. Luke’s Network to continue its growth and dedication to pediatric care by attracting new subspecialties to the Network. The department currently spans twelve pediatric subspecialties and plans to continue its expansion through the recruitment of pediatric general surgery and pediatric orthopedics.

The new, 8-bed unit will be designed with spacious, private rooms with homelike amenities. Each room will have video game connectivity, color-changing lights, books and toys for patients. St. Luke’s will also provide pet therapy and art therapy. For parents and families who need to spend extended periods of time with their children in the PICU, rooms will be equipped with TV specifically for parents, access to washers and dryers, extra charging ports, showers and a sofa for an “at home” comfortable feeling.

“The support goes beyond the extra amenities - we understand that caring for a child in the PICU includes caring for the whole family. Parents and family members play an integral role in the care team and we welcome their involvement,” Dr. Stryjewski said. “We are here to support patients and families and when it’s time to go home, our social workers will help ensure that patients are comfortable and connected with their primary care physician and any pediatric specialists needed for follow up. We look forward to expanding our services and continuing our tradition of providing high quality care.” 

Philanthropic support allows St. Luke’s University Health Network to deliver world-class care that makes a difference every day for every patient. Make a gift online to help support the development of the new PICU, or call the Development Office at 484-526-3067 to learn more.

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 15,000 employees providing services at 10 hospitals and 300 outpatient sites.  With annual net revenue greater than $2 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey.  Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.  In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke’s created the Lehigh Valley’s first and only regional medical school campus.  It also operates the nation’s longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 34 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 263 residents and fellows.  St. Luke’s is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system with Medicare’s five- and four-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.  St. Luke’s is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital.  In 2019, three of IBM Watson Health’s 100 Top Hospitals were St. Luke’s hospitals.  St. Luke’s University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health seven times total and five years in a row. St. Luke’s has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program.  Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.  St. Luke’s is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest cost providers.