LANCASTER, Pa. — Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center opened its doors to patients Monday; the $375 million facility is located at the intersection of State Road and Harrisburg Turnpike.
Officials say the new location is expanding access to York and Lancaster counties in East Hempfield Township.
The facility houses Penn State Health’s primary, specialty, and acute care. Residents will also have access to advanced care and clinical trials through the academic hub in Hershey.
“We are thrilled to welcome the community to this brand new, state-of-the-art facility,” Claire Mooney, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Lancaster Medical Center told FOX43. “Our carefully-selected leadership team understands the health needs of the Lancaster region and, more importantly, understands and relates to the people who live here. We are excited to provide the high-quality, compassionate care residents want and deserve."
The hospital is part of a long-term goal to provide expanded access to everyone in the community. The Lancaster Medical Facility is now a part of ensuring a health system is 10 minutes away from a primary care provider, 20 minutes from specialty care, and 30 minutes from Penn State Health acute care.
Over 500 employees work in the Lancaster Medical facility and 132 private inpatient beds are available. An emergency department is available as well as various inpatient services.
Jo Weston, director of nursing for medical and surgical services, said the pandemic put an emotional and physical strain on many health care providers. This year, the Lancaster Medical Center will implement new strategies to attract and retain health care providers.
"What we decided to do, which we’re very proud of at Lancaster Medical, is the fact that we’re introducing relationship-based care," she said. "That basically talks about care of self, care of patients, and care of colleagues. So we’re looking at the whole patient center care, we’re looking at the employee, and we’re putting everybody in the center of their care."
“The most important feature of Lancaster Medical Center is our caregivers,” Joseph Frank, regional president of Penn State Health said. “We’ve built a strong team of highly-experienced providers who are using their decades of knowledge to deliver an extraordinary care experience.”