Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City passed an inspection by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and will reopen tomorrow, Friday Feb. 13, just nine days after a fire destroyed its orthopedic institute.
The emergency room will resume operations at 7 a.m. and the operating rooms will follow at 9 a.m.
“This milestone speaks to the unwavering dedication and teamwork of our Jefferson colleagues, and the strong partnership we’ve had with local and state partners throughout this recovery,” said Joseph G. Cacchione, CEO of parent Jefferson Health.
“We’re grateful to safely restore these essential services, and we remain fully committed to supporting the health and well-being of the Dickson City community,” Cacchione said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said in a statement that the initial reopening inspection determined that the hospital "is in compliance with applicable regulations."
Emergency, surgical and limited inpatient services will resume, but Jefferson Health will continue to assess and repair the remaining parts of the hospital, according to a release. Surgeries will occur over the weekend to accommodate patients whose procedures were delayed due to the fire.
“Our goal is to ensure that when patients walk through our doors again, they feel the same confidence and trust they always have,” said Bob Begliomini, President of Jefferson Health–Lehigh Valley Region. “That means being deliberate, thorough and patient‑centered at every step of reopening.”
FAQs for patients
The hospital system has an updated FAQ to address patient questions on its website regarding rescheduling appointments now that the hospital is reopened.
Flames tore through the hospital's orthopedics wing late last Wednesday night. No injuries were reported, but 77 patients — six of whom were in intensive care — were evacuated.
There has been no word yet on a potential cause. Efforts to reach a spokesperson for the state police fire marshal's office were not successful.
'Nothing short of a miracle'
State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski (D-Lackawanna) assisted first responders by helping to calm down patients who were being transferred during the fire.
“It is nothing short of a miracle ... This is like our I-95," Kosierowski said at a Dickson City event earlier this week with Gov. Josh Shapiro talking about meeting a Friday deadline for getting the facility reopened.
She was referencing the 2023 reopening of I-95 just 12 days after a portion of it collapsed in Philadelphia.
Shapiro on Tuesday said the state was "going to be doing everything in our power" to work with hospital officials to meet their Friday deadline for reopening.
