100 Years of Care
The Geisinger Story
A history of Geisinger Health System
By honoring our 100 year past, we honor our patients, the Geisinger family and our dedicated community partners. Our commitment to the services, programs and facilities that help to make and keep our patients [you] well is steadfast.
| 1913 | Groundbreaking and laying of the cornerstone for the George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital. |          |
| 1915 | September 12, 1915, George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital opens in Danville, PA. Harold L. Foss, MD, is the hospital’s Superintendent and Surgeon-in-Chief. | |
| 1918 | The first class of nurses graduates from the George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. | |
| 1958 | Leonard Bush, MD, becomes Geisinger Chief of Staff. | |
| 1961 | George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital reorganizes and incorporates into Geisinger Medical Center. | |
| 1962 | The Institute for Medical Education and Research at Geisinger Medical Center (later to become Geisinger Clinic) incorporates. | |
| 1972 | Geisinger Health Plan launches as a joint venture with Capital Blue Cross and Pennsylvania Blue Shield under a grant from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. | |
| 1974 | Henry Hood, MD, becomes Geisinger Executive Director. | |
| 1981 | Geisinger Medical Center and its affiliated companies are restructured into a regional health system. Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (originally known as NPW Medical Center of Northeastern Pennsylvania) opens in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Life Flight® program is established. | |
| 1982 | Marworth Alcohol & Chemical Dependency Treatment Center opens in Waverly, PA. | |
| 1987 | Sigfried and Janet Weis Center for Research is dedicated. | |
| 1991 | Stuart Heydt, MD, becomes Geisinger President. | |
| 1992 | Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center is dedicated. | |
| 1995 | Janet Weis Children’s Hospital is dedicated. Geisinger begins using an electronic medical record system. | |
| 2001 | Glenn D. Steele, Jr., MD, PhD, becomes Geisinger President and CEO. | |
| 2005 | Richard and Marion Pearsall Heart Hospital (originally known as The Heart Hospital) is dedicated. | |
| 2007 | Henry Hood Center for Health Research (originally known as Geisinger Center for Health Research) is dedicated. | |
| 2009 | Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre (originally Mercy Hospital Wilkes-Barre) becomes a campusof Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and transitions to providing ambulatory, short stay, and urgent medical services. | |
| 2010 | Hospital for Advanced Medicine (HfAM) opens. Geisinger launches eICU® program. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awards $16 million to Geisinger to create the Keystone Beacon Community, extending patient-focused health information technology to five Pennsylvania counties. | |
| 2012 | Shamokin Area Community Hospital in Shamokin, PA; Community Medical Center in Scranton, PA; and Bloomsburg Health System in Bloomsburg, PA, become part of Geisinger Health System. Geisinger Health Plan expands service outside of Pennsylvania. |
