SACH and Geisinger Explore Additional Ways to Provide Healthcare Together Collaboration will benefit health and well-being of community Geisinger Health System and Shamokin Area Community Hospital announced today the signing of a non-binding letter of intent to explore additional ways the healthcare organizations can work together. “Geisinger and Shamokin Area Community Hospital have had a long history of working together to meet the healthcare needs of the community,” said Geisinger President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Steele, Jr., MD. “With the signing of this letter of intent, we are able to involve more people from each organization and investigate the possibilities in greater detail.” “Our goal at Shamokin Area Community Hospital is to provide a wide spectrum of medical services so people can access care close to home,” said Shamokin Area Community Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas R. Harlow, FACHE. “During our long-standing relationship with Geisinger, we have discovered that we have many mutual goals. We are pleased that we are now able to explore together ways to engage doctors and other healthcare professionals to jointly develop and expand services for patients and their families.” Both organizations stressed they are in the early stages of exploring possibilities. No timetable has been set regarding determination on joint programs or other potential areas where Shamokin and Geisinger could work together. “Prudent healthcare organizations regularly talk with other providers on such issues,” Harlow said. “We will provide additional information if our discussions with Geisinger lead to anything definitive.” Geisinger and Shamokin Area Community Hospital already collaborate to provide women’s health services in the Shamokin area, and Geisinger operates a multi-specialty clinic located on the Shamokin Area Community Hospital campus that includes gynecology, cardiology and sleep medicine. Both organizations are members of the Keystone Health Information Exchange, a program designed to increase the electronic infrastructure and electronic health record system throughout central Pennsylvania. Founded in 1912, Shamokin Area Community Hospital offers a wide variety of inpatient, outpatient and emergency services including medical/surgical care, intensive care, cardiac care, transitional care, diagnostics, occupational therapy, cardiac rehabilitation and geriatric psychiatry. Physicians on the hospital’s open medical staff practice in 26 areas of medicine and surgery, with an emphasis on family practice and internal medicine. For more information, call 570-644-4200 or visit www.shamokinhospital.org. Founded in 1915, Geisinger Health System is one of the nation’s largest integrated health services organizations. Serving more than two million residents throughout central and northeast Pennsylvania, the physician-led organization is at the forefront of the country’s rapidly emerging electronic health records movement. Geisinger is comprised of two medical centers, a children’s hospital, 740-member group practice, a not-for-profit health insurance company and the Henry Hood Center for Health Research—dedicated to creating innovative new models for patient care, satisfaction and clinical outcomes. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org.