Scranton, PA -
A hospital chain is solidifying its footing in northeastern Pennsylvania. It announced, Wednesday, it's investing $80 million to convert two hospitals into a single medical campus.
The work happening Wednesday on the outside of Regional Hospital of Scranton is just a sample of what you'll see in the next couple of years. Commonwealth Health announced it will physically merge Regional Hospital of Scranton and Moses Taylor Hospital. The facilities are just a block and a half apart. "Everybody knew something needed to change but it took us five years of working with our physicians and our employees and our community members to come up with exactly what that meant," said Regional & Moses Taylor Hospital CEO Justin Davis.
Mr. Davis used a power point presentation to explain the construction project that includes connecting bridges and four new buildings to create a unified Commonwealth Health Scranton Campus. Regional Hospital will become the campus' medical, surgical and cardiology center. Moses Taylor Hospital will house, both, the Women's and Children's Hospital and The Commonwealth Health Orthopaedic Institute. "We are here to serve the health care needs of our community. It's why we come to work in the morning," said Mr. Davis. "And anything we can do to enhance that makes our staff happy."
The plan, Mr. Davis said, should also make patients happy who are admitted. No more room sharing. All rooms will be private. Deborah England of Scranton, who happened to be at Regional Hospital said, "I think that's great because I think when you're in a hospital you need the privacy to heal yourself."
The merger plan will not only impact the patients who receive care from the two facilities but also the economic health of the very communities in which they live. With this project, the for-profit hospital chain will contribute even more to the local tax base. Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Bob Durkin said, "The scope of this initiative will pay dividends for the people of Lackawanna County and the region." Lackawanna County Commissioner Pat O'Malley added, "People from outside of our county and different counties are going to start coming to Lackawanna County because their medical needs can be met here."
Commonwealth Health expects to complete construction in 2020 on its unified Scranton campus.
Hiller, Mark. "Commonwealth Health Announces $80M Hospital Project in Scranton." PA HOMEPAGE. Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc, 26 Apr. 2017. Web. 28 Apr. 2017. .
