At Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), we continually go the extra mile to further our mission to heal, comfort and care for the people of our community. Each one of our 19,000 colleagues contributes to this mission and helps make all communities we serve healthier – and better – places to live.

Rooted in history

Our legacy of patient-centered care began with 13 compassionate, civic-minded women more than a century ago. Caring deeply about the health and well-being of their community, they raised $5,300 for a plot of land at 17th and Chew streets in Allentown, Pa., and in 1899, opened The Allentown Hospital. Their generous example was the first step in our health network’s journey.

In the late 1950s, with the area’s population booming, a group of Lutheran clergy purchased a 102-acre alfalfa field in Bethlehem and set out to build another hospital for the community. Muhlenberg Hospital Center opened its doors in 1961 as a 192-bed facility for the chronically ill.

Vision – access to superior health care

The inspiration for our modern-day health network came from Leonard Parker Pool, the founder of Air Products. In addition to having a brilliant mind for business, Pool also had a passion for health care and serving his fellow man. In the late 1960s, that passion became personal.

When Pool’s wife, Dorothy, had to travel back and forth from the Lehigh Valley to New York City to receive leading-edge cancer treatment, Leonard Pool realized many in his community did not have the means to travel outside the region for such care. He had a vision to create a “superior regional hospital” so people could receive the best possible care without leaving the Lehigh Valley. He donated $5 million to help bring that vision to life, which led in 1974 to the construction of what is now Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest in Salisbury Township, Pa.

Vision realized – again and again

Guided by Pool’s vision, we have since transformed into one of the nation's most respected health networks, offering comprehensive care in 95 clinical specialties across eight campuses. This care is complemented by clinical research and education, including a medical school partnership with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine that’s preparing the doctors of tomorrow through the SELECT program.