St. Luke’s University Health Network was awarded a $750,000 state grant that will go toward construction of its new hospital in Franklin Township, Carbon County, announced Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, and Sen. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne/Carbon.

The two legislators, working together, played a key role in securing the funding through Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

“I fully support this important project, which will provide residents of the county and beyond with access to high-quality patient care much closer to home,” said Heffley. “In addition, the hundreds of family-sustaining health care jobs being created will have a positive impact on our local economy.”

“Today’s state funding announcement for the construction of a brand-new St. Luke’s University Health Network hospital facility in Franklin Township is a game-changer for the people and visitors of Carbon County,” Yudichak said. “The state’s investment will offer convenient, quality health care to our Carbon County residents with a state-of-the-art hospital that will also boost the regional economy with the creation and retention of over 900 family-sustaining jobs.”

St. Luke’s plans to construct a three-story, 155,500-square-foot acute care hospital which will consolidate all inpatient, outpatient and emergency services from the two existing hospitals it operates in the county into one modern facility. The new hospital will have a 15-20 bed emergency department, at least three operating rooms, a radiology department and additional ancillary services. The Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton medical campuses are being repurposed to provide additional health care services to complement the new hospital.

“This grant is great news for Carbon County. It will help St. Luke’s get started on construction of its new full-service, 80-bed hospital in Franklin Township that will create hundreds of family-sustaining jobs and allow area residents to receive even complex medical care close to home,” said John Nespoli, president of St. Luke’s Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton campuses.