Community Impact Projects

Strengthening the Lifeline

This increase in emergency visits was because:

• 25 percent of visitors come to an emergency room for a minor ailment that could have been treated at a physician’s office 
• Patients who have limited, or no, health insurance come to the emergency room rather than seeing a private specialist
• Patients who don’t have a family physician are using the emergency room as their family doctor
• 65 percent of visitors come from outside of the city of Harrisburg

To meet these growing needs, the Harrisburg Campus recently expanded its emergency department. The new facility includes: 

• Twice the capacity of the former department -- no patient will wait more than 15 minutes to be seen by a healthcare provider
• More than 50 larger and more private treatment rooms, up from the previous 27 rooms 
• An expanded triage area to provide assessment upon a patient's entry to the emergency room
• A high-performance scanner and enhanced radiology services
• An expanded and improved waiting room
• A private area for patients who have been sexually assaulted
• Multi-functional treatment rooms

Community Investment Project Goals

PinnacleHealth and the Central Pennsylvania community worked together to raise $12 million in support of improving access to care and building the new emergency department at the Harrisburg Campus. The overall project cost was more than $27 million, meaning a substantial part of the total investment was provided by PinnacleHealth, including ongoing operational expenses. PinnacleHealth Foundation continues to raise funds to support the emergency department. A contribution to the Foundation means a contribution to the community. 
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Contact us to learn more about how to improve access to care.