HERSHEY, Pa. — Construction of the new Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center in East Hempfield Township is complete, clearing the way for staff to prepare the 132-bed, acute care hospital to welcome its first patients this fall.
“We are committed to providing the Lancaster community with world-class primary, specialty and acute care, closer to home where it’s most convenient for them,” said Joe Frank, Penn State Health East Region hospital president.
Work on Lancaster Medical Center began in May 2020 and brought hundreds of well-paying jobs to the area. Construction was officially completed on June 10. Penn State Health partnered with Oak Tree Development Group, Barton Malow Alexander and HKS Architects on this project and sourced many key services and materials from Lancaster County businesses. Teams of local contractors worked safely throughout the pandemic to keep construction of the hospital on schedule.
The 341,000-square-foot, six-story medical center includes 132 private inpatient beds; an emergency department; and various specialty inpatient services, including a cardiac catheterization lab, labor and delivery, and complete medical and surgical capabilities. It also has an attached medical office building for physician practices and outpatient services.
Now that the health system has taken possession of the completed building, Lancaster Medical Center teams will spend the summer getting ready to care for the first patients. Teams also are planning opportunities for community members to visit the site for events and tours leading up to the opening.
Hiring is underway, with opportunities listed on the Lancaster Medical Center careers website. The new medical center will eventually employ nearly 1,000 employees at full occupancy.
Located near the intersection of State Road and Harrisburg Pike in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster Medical Center will give residents in this growing community expanded access to Penn State Health’s primary, specialty and acute care, including the advanced care and clinical trials at the health system’s academic hub, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
The completion marks another step in the Penn State Health and Highmark long-term goal of ensuring that everyone in the communities the health system serves has access to virtual care in zero minutes, and is within 10 minutes of a Penn State Health primary care provider, 20 minutes of its specialty care services, and 30 minutes of a Penn State Health acute care hospital.
The health system’s commitment to Lancaster County families also includes the new Penn State Health Children’s Lancaster Pediatric Center, which opened in June. Located at the intersection of Harrisburg Pike and Route 30 in Manheim Township, the 47,000-square-foot outpatient center — designed especially for children from infancy through age 18 and sometimes beyond — offers 20 medical and surgical pediatric specialty and subspecialty services, including cardiology, dermatology, neurology, ophthalmology, rheumatology, gastroenterology and urology.