Keeping rural healthcare convenient
Keeping rural healthcare convenient
To fulfill our mission of making better health easier for all, Geisinger has to get creative. That’s because we’re different from urban health systems.
Many of our patients live in rural communities, far from hospitals, clinics and specialty care. We could require them to come to us. But to truly serve those in our footprint, we look for ways to meet you where you are.
Sometimes our providers do it the old-fashioned way — like Lowell Stoltzfus, MD, a family doctor who still makes occasional house calls to Amish patients who don’t have phones. Or we can deliver care using high-tech methods, like telemedicine or with Geisinger Life Flight® flying ERs that can reach remote spots fast.
All that matters is delivering the great care everyone deserves, regardless of where they live.
Because of you
Geisinger Health Foundation is grateful for a $50,000 grant from the Ralph and Josephine Smith Fund of the First Community Foundation Partnership (FCFP) of Pennsylvania to support Geisinger at Home in Northumberland County. This third gift brings the FCFP’s total support for the program to nearly $125,000. Thanks for helping us keep people healthy and at home.
Telemedicine: It’s not just for pandemics.
Seeing providers from the comfort and safety of home became popular during the pandemic. And it’s still a great option for those who have difficulty leaving home, for busy families and for anyone who wants confidential, convenient access to care.
But you can also have a telemedicine visit at a nearby Geisinger clinic. This is a good option if you don’t have reliable internet service — or if you need your vitals and basic health status checked before seeing a specialist remotely.
Hop on the bus.
Mobile units take care practically to your doorstep. Retrofitted buses can bring mammography, dental and radiology services where they’re needed. And Geisinger recently partnered with the GIANT Company and Central Susquehanna Opportunities, a nonprofit organization, to pilot a mobile food pantry — a project supported by Geisinger Health Foundation. The bus will serve food-insecure people in the central Susquehanna Valley, because healthy food is foundational to a healthy life — and no one should ever go hungry.
If we build it…
Sometimes, the best way to make care more accessible is to build or expand clinics and hospitals.
For example, to better serve residents in rural Wyoming County, Geisinger recently expanded in Tunkhannock. The clinic, renovated with the help of a gift from Coterra Energy Inc., offers primary care; women’s health; ear, nose and throat; pharmacy; laboratory and imaging services — plus general surgery and outpatient care for neurology and cardiology.
And in 2022, we opened a new, state-of-the-art hospital in Muncy to care for residents of Lycoming, Sullivan, Clinton and Tioga counties. The 120,000-square-foot, three-story facility includes an emergency room, intensive care unit, surgical suites and primary and specialty care areas.
Home is where the healthcare is.
For some, just getting to the doctor’s office can seem impossible. But putting off appointments can result in ER visits and hospitalizations, especially for people with certain chronic conditions.
That’s why we created Geisinger at Home. Eligible Geisinger Gold (Medicare Advantage) members can receive in-home care from doctors, nurses, dietitians, case managers, pharmacists and support staff. The program is designed especially for people with difficult-to-manage conditions, such as kidney and heart disease, cancers and dementia.
It’s a new twist on the old house call, made not just by a doctor with a stethoscope but a whole well-equipped team. We’re always thinking outside the box, looking for new ways to help people manage their health conveniently and cost-effectively. As we do, we keep in mind that we have expertise to share — but ultimately, we’re partners in your care, on a team you lead.
Geisinger Gold Medicare Advantage HMO, PPO, and HMO D-SNP plans are offered by Geisinger Health Plan/Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Company, health plans with a Medicare contract. Continued enrollment in Geisinger Gold depends on contract renewal. Geisinger Health Plan/Geisinger Indemnity Insurance Company are part of Geisinger, an integrated health care delivery and coverage organization.
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This story originally appeared in PA Health, our quarterly full-color magazine filled with wellness tips, inspiring stories and more.
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