We advocate and care for vulnerable children who are in harm’s way, or who need additional support to secure their safety.

• Combating abuse, neglect and self-harm: Our Child Advocacy Center serves approximately 600 children each year, providing compassionate medical exams, forensic interviews, crisis intervention counseling, trauma therapy and advocacy. We are seeking visionary partners to help sustain and strengthen this vital work.
  
  
• Supporting young victims of sexual violence: Geisinger’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) program provides developmentally appropriate and sensitive care to victims of sexual violence, and it trains nurses and caregivers in identifying signs of abuse or trafficking in adults and children. We also collect and store forensic evidence properly to aid in prosecution. Donated funds will help us expand this program.
  
  
• Providing specialized pediatric emergency care: We provide specialty pediatric emergency care at Geisinger Medical Center. With the help of philanthropy, we can invest in specialized pediatric emergency room equipment and provide advanced training to nurses and physicians.
  
  
• Improving outcomes and awareness for children with autism and developmental disabilities: Our Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute (ADMI) improves access to specialty care, accurate diagnosis and testing, discovery of underlying causes and the development of targeted treatments. Philanthropic support will help us build on all aspects of ADMI’s important work.

We embrace new strategies and technologies that help us provide every child with rapid access to essential, convenient, high-quality care.

• Breaking down geographical barriers with telemedicine: Video technology gives children in remote communities virtual access to the full complement of pediatric specialists at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital without leaving home. Philanthropy will help us expand to other emergency locations, including Gray’s Woods (State College), Lewistown, Jersey Shore and Scranton.
• Expanding access to pediatric subspecialties in northeast Pennsylvania: We are committed to providing more pediatric specialists in northeast Pennsylvania for situations where in-person visits are essential, including board-certified cardiologists, oncologists and neurologists. Philanthropy will help us provide children in our communities with access to experienced and well-trained specialists close to home.
• Bringing pediatric services into remote communities: Mobile health units bring the pediatrician’s office to schools and communities where access is an issue, providing vaccines, well-child visits, checkups and more for our highest-risk and lowest-resource families. With donated funds, we can make this care accessible to even more communities.
• Enhancing care with play: Child Life specialists help children cope with pain, discomfort and anxiety through play and education that’s tailored specifically to them, communicating about complex procedures, medical conditions and equipment in a way that children and their families can understand. We are seeking long-term funding for this vital service.

Many children in our region lack access to innovative child and adolescent behavioral services. Bringing this care closer to home is even more essential during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has significantly impacted our community’s mental health and well-being.

• Improving access to behavioral healthcare: Our Primary Care Behavioral Health program provides specialty behavioral care to patients and families at 11 pediatrician clinics. With philanthropic support, we can expand this program to all 29 of our pediatric clinics.
• Expanding our scope of pediatric behavioral health services: Our newly launched Pediatric Behavioral Health Consultation Liaison Service provides psychiatric evaluations at Emergency Departments across our system. We’ve also grown our pediatric neuropsychology services. Philanthropic support will help us expand our “toolkit” of care options for our youngest behavioral health patients.
• Meeting the challenge of postpartum depression: While postpartum depression screenings are a standard part of our follow-up care, more can be done. Philanthropy will help us provide more comprehensive care, such as frequent screenings and home visits.
• Breaking generational cycles of despair: Geisinger’s Healthy Generations program analyzes social determinants of health to identify mothers-to-be who are at higher risk for committing abuse in the first two years of their child’s life. This program also provides interventional behavioral health services, addiction services, nutrition assurance and maternal education to give their babies a safe, healthy start in life. Philanthropic support will allow us to help up to 500 mothers and babies per year.

We recognize and support mothers as the hub of healthcare decision-making and the foundation for a child’s start in life, further reducing maternal mortality and promoting health and well-being for our newborns.

• Caring for mothers in substance abuse recovery: Geisinger’s Free2BMom program provides medical care, counseling, community-wide social support and medication-assisted treatment to women in Columbia, Luzerne, Montour and Northumberland counties. Continued financial support will help us expand this program, helping more mothers and babies thrive.
• Caring for new mothers and infants in the northeast: The Tambur Family Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center provides expert care for infants as premature as 29 gestational weeks — a tremendous resource in that region. Philanthropy supports our equipment and training needs so our team can provide complex care for some of our smallest and youngest newborns.
• Genetic testing in the NICU: Knowing a specific genetic diagnosis can dramatically impact the clinical care of NICU babies. These early results also help families by reducing stress, saving money and providing necessary information to begin preparing earlier for their child’s future care. Philanthropy will help us provide more patients with a stronger start in life.
• In-home hypertension monitoring for high-risk mothers: Remote monitoring allows our care teams to stay in frequent contact with new and expectant mothers with health conditions that put them at greater risk for serious birth complications. Philanthropy will help us expand this program, forging better outcomes and stronger communication bonds with mothers.
• Breastfeeding support and education: Geisinger is participating in the statewide Keystone 10 Initiative, which educates and aids new mothers in positive breastfeeding practices. With your support, we can increase the availability of lactation stations in our service area.
• Caring for expecting mothers with a helping hand: Our new Maternal-Child Health Patient Care Fund provides at-risk expectant mothers with travel vouchers for appointments, and housing vouchers so those at increased risk for complications can remain close to our Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Geisinger Medical Center in case complex surgery or rapid care is needed.

Research and education empowers our providers, families and future pediatric caregivers to impact complex pediatric disorders and improve population health.

• Education at all levels of caregiving: We’re always looking for more efficient, effective ways to provide care, including by researching new treatments and embracing new technologies and protocols that improve outcomes. We also educate families about their child’s diagnosis, treatment and care plan, recognizing how their own health literacy can also influence outcomes. Philanthropic partnerships will help us further identify and implement new or improved approaches to care.
• Pursuing innovation: As one of the first healthcare organizations to adopt electronic health records more than 25 years ago, we continue exploring new ways to optimize healthcare, such as through the use of telemedicine, creating the largest healthcare system biobank in the country and leading-edge clinical research. Continued philanthropic support will help us expand in these areas.