Geisinger breaks ground for new orthopaedic center
$180 million center anticipated to open in 2024
BUCKHORN, Pa. – Geisinger and the community gathered to celebrate the next step in making better health easier and more accessible in central Pennsylvania. Officials ceremonially broke ground on the future site of The Orthopaedic Center Pennsylvania on Wednesday, May 25.
The celebration was a pep rally themed event featuring pom poms, confetti and music by the Central Columbia High School Pep Band.
The $180 million center in Columbia County is part of Geisinger’s investment to make better health more accessible to area residents. It will consolidate orthopaedic services offered at Geisinger Medical Center, Geisinger Healthplex Woodbine and Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital. The freestanding orthopaedic facility’s staff is dedicated to bone, joint and muscle health, creating an environment for better patient outcomes.
The project is Geisinger’s latest investment in the Buckhorn area. Earlier this year, Geisinger Medical Clinic Buckhorn opened across the road from the future site of the orthopaedic center. The $10 million facility features primary care, a Geisinger 65 Forward Health Center and a ConvenientCare location. Since 2020, Geisinger has invested more than $250 million into better and more accessible care for people in communities in central Pennsylvania and the surrounding area.
“For far too long, healthcare relied on us building large traditional hospitals with many specialties and the community coming to them. But if we’re truly going to make better health easier for our communities, we need to continue investing in high-quality programs that provide comprehensive care to meet the patients’ needs right where they live,” said Geisinger’s president and CEO, Jaewon Ryu, M.D., J.D.
The Orthopaedic Center Pennsylvania offers specialized operating rooms and a dedicated inpatient unit focused on recovery and mobility after surgery. An on-site outpatient clinic will focus on wellness, injury prevention and bone, joint and muscle health. Patients will also benefit from an imaging center and pharmacy, as well as rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy services.
By moving orthopaedic surgeries and services out of the region’s traditional hospitals, this new facility creates space for new and existing programs to grow within the hospitals and outpatient specialty centers.
The Orthopaedic Center Pennsylvania will have 96 exam rooms, a full imaging center, an inpatient unit for postoperative recovery and eight specialized operating rooms with state-of-the-art surgical enhancements and technologies, such as intraoperative 3D imaging systems and joint robotic assisted surgery.
“Orthopaedic care, including bone and joint services, is one of the fastest-growing needs of our community,” said Michael Suk, M.D., J.D., Geisinger chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “This facility will be truly comprehensive and patient-focused, and will allow our neighbors and patients across the state to receive state-of-the-art care options here in Columbia County.”
The center is anticipated to open in 2024.
PHOTO CAPTION: Geisinger representatives and community members took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Orthopaedic Center Pennsylvania, which involved the shoveling and throwing of biodegradable confetti. In the photo (From left to right): Dr. Ed Hartle, Geisinger executive vice president and chief medical officer; Janet Tomcavage, Geisinger executive vice president and chief nursing executive; Matt Walsh, Geisinger executive vice president and chief operating officer; Dr. Jaewon Ryu, Geisinger president and CEO; Dr. Michael Suk, Geisinger chair of the department of orthopaedic surgery; Megan Brosious, chief administrative officer of Geisinger’s Central Region; Mark Morrow, Hemlock Township board chairman; Matt Beagle, chairman of the Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital advisory board
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 nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. 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 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 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 follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.