Sen. Bob Casey Tours New St. Luke's Hospital

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania) stopped by at the new St. Luke's Hospital Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township during a brief visit to the Lehigh Valley on Monday.

After meeting with hospital president Ed Nawrocki, president and CEO of the health network and namesake of the new campus Rick Anderson, and St. Luke's legal counsel Robert Wax, Casey took a quick tour of the new facility, .

“It's a remarkable place,” the senator said. “We need a much longer visit to fully appreciate it.”

The hospital is equipped with some of the most advanced medical imaging technology available, an aspect Casey seemed particularly impressed with.

“It is so sophisticated,” he marveled, viewing brain scan images in the facility's $3 million MRI lab. “The constant advances in technology are amazing.”

That the new hospital, the first new non-replacement hospital in Pennsylvania in 40 years, is located in the Lehigh Valley is a credit to the area, he added.

“I think it speaks volumes about the strength and stability of this region,” Casey said.

Questioned about the 'supercommittee' and ongoing wrangling in Congress, Casey said, “If there's no agreement they'd be across the board cuts. We've got to come together (across party lines) and put together strategies to create jobs.”