Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Completes Structural Steel for Expansion Project

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center has completed steel frame construction on its expansion and modernization project, keeping work on pace to open the hospital’s new 11-story patient tower in 2028.

Geisinger officials and community partners held a beam-topping ceremony on Wednesday, July 15, to commemorate the milestone, which brings Luzerne County and northeastern Pennsylvania a step closer to better access to acute hospital-based healthcare services.

The project, which grows clinical space and enhances programs in medical-surgical care, critical care, emergency medicine, trauma care, surgical care and advanced cardiovascular care, is designed to meet the growing needs of a region whose 65-and-older population is projected to grow by 11% between 2023 and 2028.

“When this project is complete, Geisinger Wyoming Valley will be more capable of meeting the needs of our friends and neighbors across NEPA, but it will also be the destination medical center our region deserves,” said Ron Beer, chief administrative officer for Geisinger’s northeast region. “This expansion will provide better access to exceptional care in a setting where patients can heal in peace and privacy.”

The new patient tower will allow Geisinger Wyoming Valley to transition to an all-private-room model. Private rooms offer a more spacious and tranquil environment in which patients can rest and recover, while also improving families’ and care teams’ exchange of information and collaboration on care plans.

Between new construction and renovation, the project covers more than 600,000 square feet. Upgrades to the hospital include:

• 58 medical-surgical inpatient beds
• 6 operating rooms
• 22 emergency medicine treatment areas
• 3 trauma bays
• Dedicated emergency room (ER) space for behavioral health patients
• 24 intensive care beds
• 2 structural heart rooms for advanced valve procedures
• Updated cardiac catheterization labs for heart attack care and interventional cardiology procedures
• More clinical space for cardiovascular programs and cardiac imagery

The nearly $900 million project continues a recent series of Geisinger investments in Luzerne County focused on providing high-quality outpatient specialty care and acute inpatient care, including the expansion and renovation of the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Cancer Center, opening of Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint, construction of Geisinger Medical Office Building Wyoming Valley, and continued program growth at Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre.

“Our mission is to provide the best care close to home for the communities we serve,” said Megan Brosious, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Geisinger. “That includes everything from the most routine well visit to the most advanced hospital-based intervention. As we’ve been able to provide outpatient services at dedicated clinics and centers out in our communities, we’ve been able to invest in and grow our medical centers.”

After the new patient tower opens in 2028, renovation work will continue through 2030. In all, the project nearly doubles the size of Geisinger Wyoming Valley and puts its capability on par with major academic medical centers.

“Our nurses, advanced practice providers and doctors care about this community, and they give a lot of themselves,” said Renee Blakiewicz, vice president and chief nursing officer for Geisinger’s northeast region. “For their hard work and commitment, they also deserve the best medical center we can create. Geisinger Wyoming Valley should be the hospital that makes local talent want to stay local and invites great talent from all over the world to practice in northeastern Pennsylvania.”