More than 600 people attended a preview showing of the new Lehigh Valley Hospital - Carbon on Saturday, and from their response, the new medical facility is well-appreciated.

“I used to commute to East Stroudsburg (for treatment of a medical condition),” said Bernadine Daddaril. “I live in Summit Hill. Now I can just come down here, only a few minutes and a few miles.”

She said Lehigh Valley’s hematology and oncology services saved her life. “I can’t wait until it opens,” she said.

The visitors were offered guided tours by hospital personnel of the 100,578 square foot, two-story building. They saw the emergency rooms, operating rooms, waiting areas and other specialty treatment sites.

Christine Biege, president of the Lehigh Valley Hospital - Carbon, participated in the tours. She said the large attendance for the open house exceeded her expectations. She said the visitors “were very engaged, very excited.”

The new hospital, which had a ribbon cutting scheduled for this afternoon and an opening planned in the very near future, has 20 patient beds and 17 bays in the emergency room. It is constructed for expansion, including the addition of more beds.

Biege said the new hospital “has telemedicine, so patients can see your same specialists for anything you need. You can see the same specialists that work at our Cedar Crest campus - and you don’t have to travel.”

Mahoning Valley and Lehighton Fire Departments and the Lehighton Ambulance brought their apparatus to display. The Lehighton Ambulance personnel gave hands-on demonstrations on administering CPR. The Lehighton Fire Department brought its boat from its water rescue unit.

MedEvac Helicopter, a part of the Lehigh Valley Hospital emergency transport service, had a landing on the hospital’s new helipad during the open house, giving visitors an opportunity to see the inner workings of the aircraft.

Refreshments were also made available by the hospital to visitors.

Pam Klitsch of Mahoning Township said she wishes the hospital had opened sooner. She is an RN and “for 42 years I drove to Pottsville, in blizzards and all kinds of weather. I retire and now they build a hospital.”

She said, “I’m happy. I’m glad. Even for things like sutures, instead of driving to Lehighton or Palmerton, this is closer.”

Carbon County Commissioner Wayne Nothstein attended as a member of the Lehighton Fire Department. With him was his wife, Donna; their children and grandchildren.

“It’s nice,” Nothstein said. “I like that already they can add on. I like the private rooms and the ER. They are really nice rooms.”

He said it will help the local economy, too, “because they’re bringing their workers here. Even our granddaughter, who works at Lehigh Valley in Pottsville, is moving here.”

Lisa Marie Halecky, communications and community engagements manager, pointed out that in the emergency area, cars can pull up front to an area covered by a canopy. Ambulances have a separate entrance area.

Other hospital personnel also said they are excited about the new hospital.

Larry Riddles, M.D., regional chief medical officer, said while standing in an emergency room, “I love it. This is absolutely exciting to me that we have this type of capability. We can tie it with any mixture of specialists.”

He said, “It’s very spacious. It’s modern. We built it to expand. The reception from the community is exceptional. Patients now can meet the care that Lehigh Valley offers.”

He said the patient rooms are located on the second floor. There are various specialty groups including the Lehigh Valley Physicians Group, oncology, heart and vascular, advanced imagery, obstetrics and gynecology. The hospital’s oncology department is tied to the Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, which is part of world renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance.

Daddaril said she likes the doctors in the Lehigh Valley network. “They have more compassion and are more down to earth than in some other area. If you ask them a question, they answer in a way you understand.”