Geisinger, Highmark Health announce start of construction on new healthplex in Muncy Township

MUNCY TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Construction at the site of Lycoming County’s newest medical complex is now underway. The work at the Geisinger Medical Center Muncy location signals another step forward in providing our neighbors with care closer to home.

Geisinger Medical Center Muncy is part of a clinical joint venture between Geisinger and Highmark Health to expand access to care for those who need it most in a four-county region covering Clinton, Lycoming, Sullivan and Tioga counties. The construction site is off Route 220 near the Pennsdale interchange of I-180 in Muncy Township.

The final plans for the new three-story, 120,000 square-foot hospital and healthplex were approved by the Lycoming County Planning Commission on March 19. The facility is designed to meet the emergency, routine and acute care needs of our neighbors. The new facility will include a full-service emergency department, as well as imaging and lab services. Medical oncology services, chemotherapy preparation and general surgery services will also be available. 

For more routine care, the healthplex will include a multispecialty clinic with adult and pediatric primary care, orthopaedics, cardiology, ophthalmology, pulmonary services and women’s health services. For hospital care, the Muncy Township facility will also house a state-of-the-art operating suite and 20 inpatient beds.

“This new facility is yet another way we can make health easier — by addressing a need in the community and complementing existing options so high-quality care can be more accessible and affordable,” said Jaewon Ryu, M.D., J.D., Geisinger president and chief executive officer. “When we do that, we know we can improve health, and Geisinger and Highmark Health want to be the resource for improving health here and providing easier access to care.”

Since announcing the joint venture in 2017, Geisinger and Highmark Health have committed more than $100 million to improve existing clinical facilities, develop new ones, and expand services to improve access to care in the region. The joint venture serves both Highmark and Geisinger Health Plan members — including those in Medicare Advantage Plans — as well as patients with other insurance plans.

“When we announced our joint venture with Geisinger, we pledged to improve access to care for residents of north-central Pennsylvania,” said Deborah Rice-Johnson, president, Highmark Health Plan. “This new facility, along with the facility in Lock Haven that is also under construction, shows how we are delivering on that pledge. We are proud to be working with Geisinger, and very pleased that this project is under way and on schedule.”

Construction at the site will be done in accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s order for the construction industry to adhere to appropriate business safety measures.  This includes protocols for proper physical distancing, use of face coverings, limiting the number of employees at a site, and personal and job site cleaning protocols.

The project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2021.

About Highmark Health
Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA-based enterprise that employs more than 35,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the parent company of Highmark Inc., a hospital system, and other businesses. Highmark Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates provide health insurance to more than 5.6 million members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware as well as dental insurance, and related health products through a national network of diversified businesses. Highmark Health’s other subsidiaries include an integrated delivery network comprised of eight hospitals, more than 2,500 affiliated physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, an employed physician organization, home and community-based health services, a research institute, a group purchasing organization, and health and wellness pavilions in western Pennsylvania; and an information technology business focused on meeting the information technology platform and other business needs of the Highmark Health enterprise as well as unaffiliated health insurance plans by providing proven business processes, expert knowledge, and integrated cloud-based platforms. To learn more, visit www.highmarkhealth.org.

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.