From Walmart to medical clinic: Geisinger shows off new Pittston Township Healthplex
Jul. 22—A few years ago it was a hulking, hollowed-out husk, a discarded Walmart with the guts removed, the doors gone and long strings of temporary lighting showing off ceiling beams and bare floor. On Thursday modern glass doors opened to reveal a 124,000 square foot medical clinic bustling with state-of-the art equipment amid scores of rooms tailored to serve a wide range of outpatient needs.
"We have three X-ray rooms, three ultra-sound, two MRI scanners and one CT scanner," Operations Manager Michael DiMare said as he offered a tour of the new Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint just off State Route 315 on Oak Street. And that was just the radiology department.
The urology department has five procedure rooms and will offer same-day care for patients with emergent situations like kidney stones or an inability to urinate. It will include sophisticated equipment allowing analysis of bladder function.
The ambulatory surgery department has 31 bays for patients in either pre-op or post-op, and there are six operating rooms for same-day procedures. The Healthplex is adding three endoscopy rooms to Geisinger's offerings in the area.
The opthamology department is set up to serve both adult and pediatric patients, and includes an eye wear show room and abilities to perform "virtually any service a patient may need," a media release said. It also will have the first Lasik procedure ability in the Geisinger northeast region system.
The orthopedic program has a separate, ramped entrance, larger rooms for most patients and smaller rooms for those with hand problems, services in sports medicine and the ability to perform arthroscopic surgery.
There's also a cafe with outdoor seating, and planned use of facial recognition to speed up check-ins.
"This is a new era in patient-centered care," Ron Beer said at the start of remarks preceding an official ribbon cutting. The chief administrative officer for Geisinger's northeast region noted the facility was deliberately designed to bring a wide range of frequently needed outpatient services into one location with "nine clinical suites," eliminating the need for patients to travel from one specialty clinic to another during treatment.
Scheduled to open to patients Aug. 1, the healthplex will offer surgery and endoscopy; bone, muscle and joint care; urologic services; eye care and eye wear; and physical and occupational therapy, as well as laboratory and diagnostics. And that's just phase one. ConvenientCare and orthopaedic urgent care services are expected to open in the fall.
Re-purposing the former Walmart "reduced the environmental impact" of the project, Beer pointed out. And the Pittston Township location right near the intersection of Interstate 81 and State Route 315 mean all the services will be centrally located and easily accessible for clients from Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.
"We couldn't ask for a better location," Beer said. Combining diagnostics and treatment for so many conditions — as well as ample room to expand if needed — is not only easier for the patients, it is freeing up space and staff in Geisinger's acute care hospitals by moving some outpatients services to the new healthplex.
"We're outgrowing our footprint at our hospitals in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre," Beer said. "Healthplex CenterPoint makes better health easier for patients and members in two counties by providing care in an easy-to-reach location away from the bustling activity of our medical centers."
All told, the facility will employ about 250 people to start, 154 of them new jobs and the rest transferring from other Geisinger locations.
Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish
