{"id":149947,"date":"2026-06-11T22:34:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T02:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=149947"},"modified":"2026-06-11T22:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T02:34:40","slug":"record-number-of-births-at-st-lukes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevalleyledger.com\/?p=149947","title":{"rendered":"Record Number of Births at St. Luke\u2019s"},"content":{"rendered":"

While many health systems across Pennsylvania have been experiencing a decrease in newborn deliveries in recent years, St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network (SLUHN) is trending in the opposite direction as more mothers choose St. Luke\u2019s for their\u00a0prenatal care<\/a>\u00a0and deliveries than ever before.<\/p>\n

For the first time in the Network\u2019s history, a total of more than 6,000 babies were born at St. Luke\u2019s three birthing hospitals during a fiscal year, which ends June 30. The figure surpasses Fiscal Year 2024\u2019s total of 5,000 births, which at that time was a new record.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis major milestone reflects our patients\u2019 trust in, and desire for, the special care and expertise they experience in our\u00a0labor and delivery<\/a>\u00a0suites at\u00a0St. Luke\u2019s Allentown<\/a>,\u00a0Anderson<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Upper Bucks<\/a>\u00a0campuses,\u201d said Elizabeth Dierking, MD, chair of the Department of\u00a0Obstetrics & Gynecology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Number 6,000 was tiny baby Levi, arriving at 2:09 a.m. on Wednesday, June 10, at St. Luke\u2019s Allentown Campus. The 5-pound, 15-ounce and 20 \u00bd-inch-long infant is the son Kevin Kelenski and Eliza Oliveri of Orefield.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve met a lot of great employees over multiple shifts, due to the length of my time in labor,\u201d said Oliveri, a patient of St. Luke\u2019s Complete Women\u2019s Care in Fogelsville.<\/p>\n

Most hospitals in Northeast Pennsylvania are seeing a decline or flattening of their birth rates, consistent with the rest of Pennsylvania and the nation (https:\/\/www.health.pa.gov\/topics\/HealthStatistics\/VitalStatistics\/BirthStatistics\/Pages\/birth-statistics.aspx<\/a>).<\/p>\n

US birth rates are predicted to decline throughout the remainder of the 21st century, from 10.8 births per 1,000 people in 2023 to 8.5 per 1,000 in 2100, according to\u00a0usafacts.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis trend is happening throughout Pennsylvania and in most of the country \u2013 but not at St. Luke\u2019s,\u201d noted Dr. Dierking.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

St. Luke\u2019s is synonymous with all-around excellence. This past fall, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ranked St. Luke\u2019s #1 \u2013 ahead of Houston Methodist and Mayo Clinic, two of the nation\u2019s most prestigious institutions \u2013 as the nation\u2019s top health system for quality, safety, and patient experience. This objective recognition, based on public data reported to the government, reaffirmed St. Luke\u2019s preeminent position among the leading health systems in the country.<\/p>\n

Expectant mothers and couples know they can count on St. Luke\u2019s superior prenatal and postnatal care as well as the delivery of their babies by the small and intimate practices and care teams that provide patients personalized care.<\/p>\n

Additionally:<\/p>\n