Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital heliport project moves forward
The heliport will be constructed above the hospital’s Emergency Department ambulance entrance. In addition to the heliport, renovation work will be done to add an elevator to provide direct access between the heliport and the emergency room.
“The community clearly sees the great things Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital is doing and the system’s commitment to this vital community hospital,” said Gerald Splitt, program director for Geisinger Life Flight. “Having this heliport at the hospital will help to save lives by dramatically decreasing the time to transport someone by air ambulance from the Jersey Shore area for higher level care.”
Geisinger Life Flight will be one of the air ambulance services to utilize the new heliport. Currently, medical helicopter transports from the Jersey Shore area occur at the Jersey Shore Airport in Antes Fort.
Earlier this year, Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital received a $250,000 grant from the Williamsport Lycoming Community Fund at the First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania to assist in constructing the hospital heliport. A construction timeline remains under development for the project.
As Pennsylvania’s second-largest air ambulance program, Geisinger Life Flight averages more than 3,200 transports a year and transported more than 69,000 patients since beginning operation in 1981. The service operates six of its nine aircraft from bases in Montoursville, State College, Selinsgrove, Avoca, Minersville and Lehighton. The program includes two critical care ground transport units based in Danville and Avoca and operates with approximately 150 staff members, including pilots, flight nurses, flight medics, communications specialists, emergency vehicle operators, maintenance and administrative staff. Life Flight is fully accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport System (CAMTS) and holds its own Air Carrier certificate through the FAA.
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.
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