In 2017, when Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Highmark announced a partnership, Penn State Hershey said at the time it would spend $1 billion to expand and improve its facilities, with the backing of Highmark. And the latest expansion announcement hits right at home for Highmark.
Penn State Health announced this week that it is building a new health practice on the Highmark corporate campus on Center Street in East Pennsboro Township.
The practice will be open to members of the community, including the 3,500 local Highmark employees who live and work nearby, the two organizations said in a joint new release.
The practice will be open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and be staffed by Penn State Health providers.
Construction is expected to begin this summer and conclude in the fall.
“The new clinic in East Pennsboro Township is a critical access point for primary care, point of care testing and referrals for specialty services,” Deborah Rice-Johnson, president of Highmark Inc. said in a press release. “Highmark is a proud partner of Penn State Health and we are pleased to provide vital services for our employees and community members who live and work in central Pennsylvania.”
Penn State Health is expanding rapidly on the West Shore. It plans to open Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center in Hampden Township next summer. The hospital will include a 108-bed, 300,000-square-foot hospital and an attached outpatient medical office building at 2200 Good Hope Road in Hampden Township.
And Penn State Health’s expansion to the West Shore not only includes the new hospital in Hampden Township but the acquisition of Geisinger Holy Spirit in East Pennsboro Township. In June, Penn State Health trustees voted to acquire Geisinger Holy Spirit hospital. The move still needs approval from the Federal Trade Commission and the Pennsylvania Attorney General. Trustees said they hope to close on the deal in October.
And Penn State Health also plans to open a new 10,000-square-foot primary care facility in Upper Allen Township on Route 114/Market Street near the Route 15 interchange, just south of Mechanicsburg.
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