Center for Health Research
Construction update & construction photos

Exterior, March 2007. More photos below.

Background
On Wednesday, May 25, 2005, Geisinger Health System officially broke ground for the $21 million Center for Health Research (CHR). The Center will focus on developing methods for motivating lifestyle and behavioral changes to help decrease the incidence and effects of such medical conditions as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease that plague rural populations.

The Center building will be located on the west end of the Geisinger Medical Center campus, adjacent to the Weis Research Center.

The Center will focus on research that sheds light on how our environmental surroundings impact our health. This research will be facilitated by new healthcare information technologies, such as, the expansion of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), and will allow for direct access and sharing of information between the direct care and research settings.

Obesity is one example of a research topic that will focus on the environment and how it can affect our health. Other areas, which the research will focus on include: autism, stroke, diabetes, and hypertension.

“One of the deliberate efforts of the project will be to effectively and efficiently translate research into direct care for our patients,” said Walter Stewart, MD, CHR Director and Associate Chief Research Officer at Geisinger.

Another major goal of the center is to build a strong regional health information system that will allow physicians from all across the state to access patients’ electronic medical records.

“There are many attributes of Geisinger’s rural service area that make it a unique and valuable setting for health research, Dr. Stewart stated, “Much of the research we will conduct requires a stable population, and central Pennsylvania offers this very unique feature.”

The 65,000-square-foot facility houses an auditorium and conference room with seating for 400 and will also be the future site for the Thomas Jefferson School of Nursing. Additionally, the center will house part of the Susquehanna Watershed Project. Building construction is essentially complete and dedication is scheduled for March 22.

Images

Architect's rendering exterior:

Architect's rendering interior:

Architect's rendering interior:

January-February 2007:

December 2006:

November 2006:

October 2006:

September 2006:

August 2006:

July 28, 2006:

July 1, 2006:

June 2006:

April 2006:

February 2006:

December 2005:

November 2005:

October 2005:

September 2005:

August 2005:

July 2005:

June 2005: