Having already gained caregiving footholds in nearby Bucks County and established one toehold in Montgomery County, it seems as if Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) will continue wandering from its Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton base. John George and Natalie Kostelni reported the health system’s latest strategic move in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

LVHN has acquired 21 acres of land in Gilbertsville, Douglass Township. What is now a cornfield will soon be a “neighborhood” hospital, according to an LVHN source.

The brand proliferation seems to target rural geographies where legacy healthcare-provider access represents what might be considered a long commute.

Its first collar-county moves — Quakertown, Sellersville, Doylestown — were closer to base. A Pennsburg outpost, opened March 2022, is almost 20 miles from Allentown, and the Gilbertsville site is about three miles further southwest than that.

“This health center was developed because the community asked for improved access to Lehigh Valley Health Network doctors and providers in northern Montgomery County,” Dr. Brian Nester, network CEO. “We listened and we’re thrilled to be here.”

More on LVHN’s growing regional footprint is at the Philadelphia Business Journal.