Tobyhanna, L3Harris Technologies Partner to Sustain Air Force MQ9 Reaper Tobyhanna Army Depot has joined forces with defense contractor L3Harris Technologies to repair portions of a critical intelligence collection system for the U.S. Air Force. The depot is scheduled to repair two types of line repairable units (LRUs) for the MQ-9 Reaper ground control station (GCS), part of a lucrative public-private partnership (P3) agreement between the organizations. The Reaper is an armed unmanned aircraft system that performs strike, coordination, and reconnaissance missions. The asset is designed for long-endurance and high-altitude surveillance, with the ability to carry 15 times more ordnance payload than its predecessor. The Reaper is monitored and controlled by an aircrew in the GCS. The acquisition of this new workload is directly aligned with Tobyhanna’s long-range strategic plan, TOBY2028. The plan, which focuses on posturing the depot to be competitive in coming years, has lines of effort dedicated to expanding an already diverse portfolio through securing new workload, as well as connecting with community partners. The mission represents further growth for the depot’s support of assets used by the U.S. Air Force. The workload’s arrival is the culmination of several years of effort, according to Logistics Management Specialist Christopher Volch. Volch works in the Production Management Directorate. “We have been working with L3Harris Technologies since 2016 to transition sustainment responsibility incrementally. This measured approach ensures Tobyhanna is prepared to provide superior support to this program,” he said. The cross-functional transition team included personnel from the C4ISR, Production Engineering and Production Management Directorates. Much of the transition has focused on technical requirements, such as the development of test program sets (TPS). Matthew Rhoades, chief of the Production Engineering Directorate’s Test Engineering Branch, says the TPSs serve an important purpose for the program. “These TPSs will allow Tobyhanna’s electronics personnel to screen the LRU at the beginning of the process to identify where the asset requires repair. Once repair is complete, the asset will be tested to validate the repair, ensuring the warfighter receives a quality product – every time.” Rhoades noted the TPS development was only possible due to the P3’s collaborative working relationship. “It has been a great experience working with L3Harris Technologies. Their personnel have been extremely good communicators and are willing to help however they can.” The transition team has also focused on training to close the capability gap between the contractor and Tobyhanna personnel. A cadre of depot subject matter experts traveled to an L3Harris Technologies facility in Salt Lake City, UT last month for side-by-side training and validation of technical documentation. Attendees praised the experience, citing it as a valuable opportunity to collaborate and learn from subject matter experts. Representatives from L3Harris Technologies say they are pleased with the depot’s efforts to prepare for the new workload. “The entire team has been extremely accommodating. We are very excited for this workload to come to Tobyhanna,” said Steven King, project manager for the Reaper transition. Volch is hopeful that the already fruitful partnership will lead to more work for Team Tobyhanna. “This partnership has been a fantastic experience, and we’ve been able to meet all of their expectations thus far. I believe we are well postured to work together again in the future, “ adding that P3s allow the Department of Defense to leverage unique capabilities available in the private sector to support operational readiness in the most effective and efficient fashion. The depot has entered into nearly 300 partnerships since the program began in 1996.
Geisinger Partners With Acadia Healthcare to Expand Behavioral Health Services Geisinger and Acadia Healthcare Company have formed a joint venture to address the urgent need for expanded, high-quality inpatient behavioral health services in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. As part of the joint venture, two new freestanding inpatient behavioral health facilities will be constructed in Moosic and Danville with plans to serve adult and pediatric patients beginning in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Geisinger, which serves more than 1 million people across 45 counties in Pennsylvania, has partnered with Acadia Healthcare, the nation’s largest stand-alone behavioral healthcare company, to establish these new 96-bed, 73,000-square-foot facilities. Geisinger chose Acadia Healthcare, as its partner based on their shared commitment to quality care, strong clinical outcomes, and successful track record of collaborating with numerous premier health systems. Geisinger and Acadia will be investing a combined close to $80 million into these two facilities that together are expected to create approximately 200 new jobs by 2024. “At Geisinger, we are setting out to make better health easier for the communities we serve,” said Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, Geisinger’s president and CEO. “This joint venture was a natural fit based on a shared commitment to identifying behavioral health needs in the community and partnering to bring world-class care close to home for everyone who needs it in central and northeastern Pennsylvania.” Both the Danville and Moosic locations are easily accessible from the entire central and northeastern Pennsylvania regions, and are near Geisinger hospitals in Danville, Scranton and Plains Township. Construction is scheduled to begin in Moosic in Fall 2021 and in Danville in 2022. The partnership will provide an opportunity for Geisinger to consolidate inpatient behavioral health programs from Geisinger Medical Center, Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital and Geisinger Community Medical Center into these new facilities, which will allow an opportunity for these vacated units to be repurposed for additional capacity, including expanded private room availability. “Acadia is proud to be partnering with a leading health system like Geisinger to provide these life-saving services to individuals and families throughout central and northeast Pennsylvania,” said Debbie Osteen, Chief Executive Officer of Acadia Healthcare. “We look forward to collaborating with Geisinger to create these two state-of-the-art, patient-centered facilities that will provide hope and healing for those in need. The increased bed availability and freestanding structures will enable us to care for more patients who require these critical services and help meet the growing need for inpatient behavioral healthcare in these communities.” A recently released 2020 Mental Health America Report estimates that 47 million Americans now struggle with mental health challenges, an increase of 4 million people since the 2018 report, which mirrors trends locally in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Upon completion, the two new inpatient behavioral health facilities will address current and future demand for adult, pediatric and adolescent patients who struggle with acute symptoms of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This vast array of acute behavioral health services provides a level of care previously not seen in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, especially for children and adolescents. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
