Another Outpatient Hospital Within Two Years As Penn Highlands Eyes Clarion

Ron Wilshire

Ron Wilshire

Published November 8, 2019 5:20 am
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CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Exit 62 of Interstate 80 and Route 68 are well known for the large number of motels, restaurants, and Walmart, but the location is also getting known as a health care center with Clarion Hospital, VA Outpatient Clinic, Primary Health Care, UPMC Urgent Care, UPMC physician offices, and Clarion LIFE Northwest PA Center for qualifying seniors age 55 and over.

Clarion Hospital is also expected to offer additional services as it officially links with Butler Hospital, but more competition is coming in two years.

A new two-story 17,000 square foot out-patient hospital in Monroe Township will open within the next two years on Route 68 adjacent to the Pizza Hut, according to Steve Fontaine, CEO of Penn Highlands Healthcare.

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Fontaine reiterated plans for Clarion at the recent 100th-anniversary celebration of Brookville Hospital, now known as Penn Highlands Brookville. Penn Highlands Health last year announced a massive $111 million system Master Facilities Plan that includes Clarion.

Penn Highlands purchased two parcels of land in 2016, and the transactions were recorded at the Office of Clarion County Register and Recorder.  They included a 5.21-acre parcel of land from Keith A. Chernicky at a listed sale price of $1 (the former C&K Headquarters) and another 0.961-acre parcel of land from Klingensmith Properties at a listed sale price of $775,000.00.

The new Clarion building will house a QCare walk-in clinic with ancillary services, such as imaging and lab, according to information previously by Penn Highlands. Primary and specialty care super clinics will house multiple providers. This building also will be able to support virtual care to the extent that it could be called a virtual hospital. Using innovative technology, virtual clinics will allow specialty providers to reach out and see patients and provide care at any time from multiple locations. This will minimize the need for patients in the Clarion region to travel for specialty care.

“The Clarion Outpatient Facility will increase access to Penn Highlands’ services and care for those living west of Brookville,” stated a Penn Highlands web page. “Penn Highlands Ophthalmology has been in the community for years, and pulmonary services provided by The Lung Center have been well received in this market as well.”

The projects also include: expansion and renovation of the Penn Highlands DuBois East behavioral health facility; a new five-story annex at Penn Highlands DuBois West as well as a new Emergency Department that will serve as a Level III trauma center; a new three-story building housing Centers of Excellence in Orthopedics, pediatrics and women’s health; Emergency Department renovations at Penn Highlands Clearfield; and renovations at Pinecrest Manor.

Renovation projects in Brookville include the Brookville ER and the Medical Office Building.

Fontaine also mentioned family a residency program to retain doctors started three years ago that included rotations and clinics in Brookville and with DuBois. He anticipates in year four, six family doctors will graduate and hopefully, two or three will stay in the region.  Fontaine said the program has done so well that a residency in psychiatry is being considered.

With the five hospitals of Penn Highlands Healthcare (Penn Highlands Brookville, Penn Highlands Clearfield, Penn Highlands DuBois, Penn Highlands Elk and Penn Highlands Huntingdon) and the 12-county region it serves, Penn Highlands said it strives to provide exceptional quality, safety, and service.

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