UPMC provides update on changes at UPMC Lock Haven hospital plans; last surgery Feb. 15

LOCK HAVEN, PA – Officials with UPMC Thursday evening hosted a 45-minute “Tele-Town Hall” relative to changes at the UPMC facility in Lock Haven. UPMC is in the process of ending its acute care hospital status for Lock Haven.

Patti Jackson-Gehris, president, UPMC in North Central Pa., Ron Reynolds, president, UPMC Lock Haven, and Jeffrey Muenzer, MD, medical director, emergency medicine, UPMC Lock Haven and UPMC Williamsport, answered dozens of questions phoned in on Thursday.

As announced earlier, surgeries and in-patient services are being eliminated. Reynolds said last evening the last date for surgeries will be Wednesday, Feb. 15, in-patient services ending in mid-April. Jackson-Gehris noted that UPMC Williamsport, as a Level 2 trauma center, is the closest such facility to Lock Haven and said that only surgical and in-patient services at Lock Haven are being affected by the changes.

She said upgrades are underway in Williamsport to handle patient transfers as quickly as possible there. Both Reynolds and Jackson Gehris spoke of working with local EMS providers to, as Reynolds said, “make sure we have stable, reliable service.”

Reynolds said visitors to the Lock Haven emergency department will see “no noticeable difference” in service and UPMC can successfully transfer patients to Williamsport. He pointed out that statistics show 85 percent of emergency department visitors are not admitted and said “a considerable amount of money” has been spent to upgrade the Lock Haven emergency department.

Muenzer said visitors will see the same staff upon entering the emergency department.