DuBOIS – Healthcare in multiple counties is about to see some major improvements.
At a press conference held Friday, representatives from Penn Highlands Healthcare outlined a $111 million master facilities plan which will mean major renovations and construction in several Penn Highlands locations.
The project includes work at the DuBois West, DuBois East, Clearfield, Brookville, Clarion, and Pinecrest Manor.
According to Steve Fontaine, chief executive officer and Mark Norman, chief operating officer, the project will create about 400 jobs across the region, as well as providing enhanced healthcare in the 12-county region served by Penn Highlands Healthcare campuses.
According to Fontaine and Norman, the construction and renovations have already begun and will continue for the next three years.
The renovations include:
· The expansion and renovation of the Penn Highlands DuBois East Campus Behavioral Health Hospital. The project will create a 126-bed hospital to provide behavioral health services, a walk-in urgent care center for behavioral health issues, outpatient care, child/adolescent care, adult care and drug and alcohol detox and rehabilitation.
· The construction of an emergency department/patient tower at Penn Highlands DuBois West Campus, which will allow the department to become a Level III trauma center. The tower will include 30 emergency department bays, a 12-bed observation and clinical decision unit, a four-bay vertical care area and two large trauma rooms. The tower will provide a combination of traditional medical/surgical patient rooms which will be single-patient with private bathrooms.
· A five-story annex at Penn Highlands DuBois West Campus will add a new kitchen and cafeteria, a physicians’ lounge and administrative wing, an expanded maternal and child care center, an ambulatory surgery center, and an expansion of the heart center and cardiology services.
· A new healthcare Center of Excellence will be built onto the existing Penn Highlands West Campus which will create a facility for orthopedics, pediatrics and women’s health. The center will provide offices for orthopedic surgeons, an outpatient rehabilitation center for physical, occupational and speech therapies, x-ray and imaging services and pain management care.
· The Emergency Department at Penn Highlands Clearfield will be renovated and modernized to provide easier access to patients and additional room for staff. The renovations include improved ambulance access and relocation of the main entrance.
· A medical office building will be constructed at Penn Highlands Brookville. The building will house primary and specialty care “super clinics” for multiple providers. The new building will be located adjacent to the main hospital for convenient drop-off and pick-up of patients and additional parking.
· Pinecrest Manor in St. Marys will be modernized with new rooms for residents, a solarium, a multipurpose room, and modernized furnishings, window and accents.
· A new two-story Q-care walk-in clinic will be built in Monroe Township, Clarion County to provide specialty care and a “super clinic” to house multiple providers. The facility will provide virtual care using innovative technology to reach out and see patients and provide care any time, from multiple locations. The new clinic will minimize the need for patients to travel for specialty care.
Fontaine and Norman said the projects mark “really exciting times” for residents in the area. The projects are designed to address capacity limitations, provide new services, and update facilities which date back to the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s.
Ron King, Penn Highlands Healthcare board president said the expansion and renovations will have a tremendous impact on the area.
“I believe our future has limitless possibilities,” King said. “If you’re not moving forward, you’re falling behind and our commitment to the communities we serve will not change.”
