TOBYHANNA TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Hundreds of jobs and more health care will soon be available to people in the Poconos.
Tobyhanna Township officials announced a medical and retail campus will be moving into New Ventures Commerical Park near Blakeslee.
Six buildings will soon be built on different lots within the commercial park. Renderings for a new medical and retail campus can be seen outside each lot.
Tom Spitz lives in Pocono Lake and is excited to hear about the project.
"I think it's great. A lot of us locals up here are frustrated. They closed down our doctor's office a few years ago, and we have one doctor here to service everyone. There used to be four."
The Parkside Medical Campus will be home to a micro-hospital that will offer a number of different services.
"This unique initiative is very innovative, innovative in a sense that we are blending health care with retail experiences. When an individual has a health care appointment, what they will be able to do is not only have quality health care, but have access to a retail experience, whether that be light restaurants, medical supplies. It's really a one-stop shop for all the innovations in health care that are out there," said township manager John Jablowski.
In addition to bringing more health care options to Monroe County, township officials say this medical campus will also create more than 300 jobs.
"We definitely need more jobs up here to support the incomes and things like that, that people have, instead of traveling out," Spitz said.
"These are high-paying, high-quality jobs. We are really blending the unique opportunities that we have here in this region with good-paying jobs and a great experience for folks that are in need of health care," Jablowski said.
Construction on the medical campus is scheduled to begin in the spring.