A Century of Innovation: Pennsylvania's Geisinger Health System Celebrating 100 Years of Excellence in 2015

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Jan 05, 2015, 11:30 ET

DANVILLE, Pa., Jan. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The original dedication of the George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital – slated for Sept. 25, 1915 – started out as an extravagant affair, featuring a parade, fireworks, a full musical program and a public address by M.G. Brumbaugh, the 26^th Governor of Pennsylvania.

None of that happened.

Founder Abigail Geisinger (center with shovel) leads the official groundbreaking for the George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital on May 1, 1913.

Instead, a typhoid epidemic engulfed Danville, triggering a cancellation of all public events by the Pennsylvania Commissioner of Public Health. The outbreak also led to a desperate need for hospital beds and thus Geisinger Health System threw open its doors earlier than planned, ready to provide much-needed medical care to the residents of rural Pennsylvania.

One hundred years later, Geisinger Health System still stands ready to provide the best in patient care only today the nationally-recognized health system serves more than 3 million residents throughout 48 counties in central, south-central and northeast Pennsylvania.

In honor of Geisinger's 100th anniversary, the health system is announcing celebratory observances in the months leading up to Sept. 12, 2015 that include an historic exhibit, an original time capsule unveiling, employee celebrations and a two-day national health symposia and reception.

Northeastern Pennsylvania PBS affiliate, WVIA Public Media, is also producing a documentary film, "Reinventing American Healthcare," that depicts how Geisinger "transformed itself from a small community hospital to an integrated health care system that is advancing science while achieving national and international prominence."

"Ever since our founder Abigail Geisinger and her first chief of staff, Dr. Harold Foss, opened Geisinger Medical Center, the Geisinger name has stood for quality patient care and a commitment to community," said Glenn D. Steele Jr., M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Geisinger Health System. "Today, that commitment to innovation, patient care, community service, medical education and research benefits not only the people we serve, but the entire nation as a model of truly integrated care."

Since 1915, Geisinger has evolved from a single, 63-bed hospital in Danville into an expansive health system made up of a 1,200-member multi-specialty group practice, nine hospital campuses, two research centers and a 467,000-member health plan, all of which leverage an estimated $7.7 billion positive impact on the Pennsylvania economy.

Geisinger's workforce is now made up of more than 23,500 employees.

"Throughout our history, Geisinger has been and continues to be fortunate to have a dedicated, professional and compassionate workforce, as well as a consistent philosophy of doing what is right and best for our patients and members," said William Alexander, Chairman of the Geisinger Health System Foundation Board of Directors. "While we look back with pride on the past 100 years, we also look forward to a future of further accomplishment and achievement."

Highlights of Geisinger's planned Centennial events in 2015 include:

Time Capsule Unveiling: On Sept. 2, 1913, a time capsule was placed in the original cornerstone of the then George F. Geisinger Memorial Hospital. The contents of that time capsule will be unveiled at an employee event in September 2015 and a new time capsule will be buried outside Geisinger's new $100 million Hospital for Advanced Medicine which opened in 2010 and is located on the original Geisinger campus in Danville.
Documentary Film: Reinventing American Health Care – written and narrated by renowned health policy expert Susan Dentzer and produced by WVIA Public Media – details the evolution of a single hospital in rural Pennsylvania into what Geisinger Health System has become today. According to WVIA, the "Geisinger story reveals the most critical issues plaguing U.S. healthcare and describes Geisinger solutions that have increased quality of care for its patients while reducing costs across the board. These innovative programs are now being adapted by hospital systems, large and small, across the country and affecting the changes necessary to improve quality of care and increase quality of life for the population." The documentary will premiere on WVIA-TV in Spring, 2015.
Geisinger Centennial Symposia: A two-day event, "Geisinger, a Transformative Health System over the Past 100 Years" is slated for Sept. 24 and 25 on the campus of Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. National speakers will include Mark Barr McClellan, senior fellow and director of the Health Care Innovation and Value Initiative at the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at The Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C; Atul Gawande M.D., M.P.H., surgeon, best-selling author, and public health researcher; and Donald M. Berwick, former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Previously, Berwick was president and chief executive officer of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of healthcare throughout the world.