CLEARFIELD – Penn Highlands Clearfield is seeking grant money to upgrade the emergency department.
At Thursday’s meeting, Gary Macioce, president of Penn Highlands Clearfield, spoke to the Clearfield Borough Council about plans to improve the hospital.
Macioce said the emergency department at the hospital sees about 21,000 people per year. He said the department hasn’t been renovated for about 40 years.
The proposed renovation will improve the emergency department, but also the parking. Macioce said the project will also address patient flow, traffic flow and ambulance access. He said a big part of the project will be separating out-patient registration to improve privacy.
Macioce said the project will also incorporate better accommodations for senior citizens, handicapped and mental health patients
He said the hospital will be applying for a Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program Grant through the Department of Community and Economic Development. Macioce said the process has changed slightly. He said the hospital must submit a pre-application and the actual application will hopefully be filed later this year.
To be eligible for a RACP grant, the cost of the project must be at least $1 million and at least half the project must be financed using matching funds. Macioce said estimated costs of the project will be about $3.5 million. The hospital must also have a host municipality listed on the grant application.
Since the hospital is located in Clearfield Borough, Macioce said the hospital is asking the borough to be the host municipality.
Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott said the renovation project shows that, despite rumors, Penn Highlands is not abandoning the hospital.
Macioce said the hospital is also in the process of installing a $6 million electronic record keeping system.
The council voted to approve submitting a letter of support to Penn Highlands for its RACP grant.
