Geisinger announces $10 million project to bring updated emergency department to Shamokin area

COAL TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Geisinger is strengthening its commitment to the Shamokin area as the health system is set to begin a $10 million project to update and expand the Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital emergency department later this month. 

The renovation project will almost double the space and exam areas of the current emergency department by repurposing existing space in the hospital near the unit. Its size will increase to nearly 11,000 square feet once complete, making it easier for people to get faster emergency care and spend less time at the hospital. The patient-centered redesign will give emergency staff centralized access to equipment and services needed most for care. 

With planned completion in early 2023, the emergency department will increase from nine to 19 private exam areas. A new five-bed rapid evaluation unit will quickly treat patients with less-severe injuries and illnesses that don’t require highly specialized care. 

Neighboring laboratory and imaging areas will also expand, including a new computed tomography (CT) machine used to get a detailed scan of the patient.

Because the work will be done in phases, the emergency department will remain open and patient care will continue throughout the project.

“The emergency department is an important community resource,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, M.D., Geisinger’s co-chair of emergency medicine. “This investment provides our staff with a more modern space with better workflows designed to provide our patients with timely emergency care as we focus on the needs of our patients and their families.”

This is the latest investment Geisinger has made in the Shamokin area and the community’s health. In recent years, Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital added a new MRI suite and a pulmonary rehabilitation clinic, as well as renovated an orthopaedic clinic in the hospital. A new Geisinger 65 Forward Health Center will open in Coal Township in August.

Patients at Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital also have access to telehealth technology to provide access to more specialty care without having to travel outside the area.

“Our community’s health needs continue to evolve, and we recognize that we need to adapt to meet those needs,” said Michael Morgan, Administrative Director of Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital. “We continue to make significant investments in Shamokin and the surrounding region to be sure that our friends, families and neighbors never need to leave the area for world-class care.”

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.