Geisinger opens 65 Forward Pottsville

POTTSVILLE, Pa. – Geisinger patients and members in Schuylkill County can now take advantage of a proven model of senior-focused primary care to make better health easier. 
 
Geisinger 65 Forward Pottsville is open at 529 Terry Reiley Way and offers the personalized care, inviting environment, and wellness and social benefits that Geisinger Gold Medicare Advantage members appreciate at all 65 Forward locations.
 
With same-day appointments and up to one-hour physician visits, 65 Forward patients get the care they need to manage chronic conditions. Lab, imaging, mental health and nutrition services are onsite in 65 Forward Health Centers, which also offer personalized wellness plans, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, exercise classes, and fun and educational group activities to combat senior isolation. 
 
Compared to a similar population cared for in a traditional primary care model, 65 Forward patients have had about 15 percent fewer hospital admissions and about 40 percent fewer emergency department visits. 
 
The 7,500 square-foot 65 Forward Pottsville center was part of a two-floor renovation at Geisinger Pottsville that established the 65 Forward space on the facility’s first floor where it would be most accommodating to older adults. In total, the project was a $5.8 million investment in the Pottsville community. 
 
Ricky Heath, M.D., is the first physician to join 65 Forward Pottsville, and he specializes in geriatrics and internal medicine. Dr. Heath helps patients and their families manage age-related health conditions like frailty, falls, dizziness and confusion and has held several leadership roles in establishing senior-focused care programs before coming to Geisinger. He also has clinical expertise in helping patients manage multiple prescriptions. 
 
“The thing I love most about being a geriatrician is taking the time to sit with patients and understand what matters most to them, and that’s why the 65 Forward model is attractive to me as a care provider,” Dr. Heath said. “By working together, we can achieve and maintain our patients’ health goals.”                                

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.