Geisinger celebrates 500th patient with COVID-19 returning home from hospital
DANVILLE, Pa. – As Geisinger continues reopening its clinics and welcoming patients and members back for procedures, the health system is announcing the successful discharge of more than 500 patients who were treated for COVID-19 across its Pennsylvania hospitals.
Of those more than 500 patients, about 150 of them spent time in one of Geisinger’s intensive care units. More than 95 of them were on ventilators and transitioned off during their hospital stay.
“As a large health system, we’re fortunate to have a dedicated staff and resources to provide a high level of care to our communities,” said J. Edward Hartle, M.D., Geisinger executive vice president and chief medical officer. “The staff’s effort during these challenging times is inspiring and we’re grateful for their commitment to meeting the health needs of our patients, members and communities now and into the future.”
Geisinger’s clinical efforts were led by a multidisciplinary team that meets regularly to review and adapt treatments for patients with COVID-19. In addition, Geisinger leveraged its specialized programs and staff to provide care options not widely available in its communities. Innovative solutions like ECMO, which isn’t a treatment specific for COVID but can help when a ventilator is no longer sufficient, and convalescent plasma have been used in caring for patients.
The health system is also participating in large clinical trials to better understand the latest treatment options.
This milestone comes as Geisinger begins consolidating its COVID treatment areas and begins offering more services that were paused during the pandemic. With declining numbers of new positive cases locally, the health system is gradually returning services and reopening clinics with extra safety precautions and measures to stop the spread of the virus in the community.
“As we continue to bring back more services and reopen facilities, we will do it the right way and with safety at top of mind,” Dr. Hartle said. “We’re here for our community and are ready to provide safe care.”
To learn more about how Geisinger is safely caring for its patients, visit Geisinger.org/safe.
Geisinger has discharged the following totals of patients from each of its hospitals, as of June 8:
- Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital (Bloomsburg): 3
- Geisinger Community Medical Center (Scranton): 160
- Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital (Jersey Shore): 12
- Geisinger Lewistown Hospital (Lewistown): 18
- Geisinger Medical Center (Danville): 95
- Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital (Shamokin): 5
- Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre (Wilkes-Barre): 3
- Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (Wilkes-Barre): 157
About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
