What is Project 2012?

Project 2012 is the name of the current Susquehanna Health master facility project designed to upgrade and or replace aging plant and facilities at the following locations:

• Muncy Valley Hospital.
• Divine Providence Hospital.
• Hepburn Plaza.
• The Williamsport Hospital & Medical Center.

The highlights of this project are:

• Continued use of existing campuses.
• Creation of modern facilities capable of housing state-of-the-art medical technology while significantly improving operational efficiency.
• Expansion of space for critical patient care areas such as the Emergency Department, operating rooms, Imaging Services, and special care units.
• Elimination of multiple-bed rooms to improve patient safety and infection control.
• Flexible design characteristics assuring effective building use for future decades.
• Emphasis on our faith-based, relationship oriented philosophy of care to reflect our local natural and cultural heritage.

The majority of the work envisioned under this project will be completed by the year 2012.

Why do we need to update The Williamsport Hospital & Medical Center facilities and how will this work affect patient care?

The Williamsport Hospital & Medical Center (TWH&MC) is our local "critical care" hospital. No major facility work has been completed there for the past 20 years. From 2001 through 2005, TWH&MC lost market share, due in part to the aging of its facilities while Evangelical Hospital, Geisinger Medical Center and Mount Nittany Medical Center have completed major overhauls of their respective facilities and have recruited many patients and physicians from our community. In addition, Mount Nittany and Geisinger in Danville have just announced additional major facility projects. Recruiting physicians as well as patients requires modern facilities and state-of-the-art medical equipment.

This Emergency Department (ED) is one of the 25 busiest in all of Pennsylvania. It was designed for 35,000 patients per year but is serving over 55,000. ED facility planning experts recommend 40 private treatment rooms for this volume. We currently have 25 and most of these are not private. In addition, the waiting rooms are designed for approximately two thirds of the current volume.

Our inpatient rooms are primarily two-bed and in some cases, three-bed and four--bed occupancy. This outdated approach makes patients more susceptible to cross contamination, exposes patients and family members to breaches of confidentiality and privacy, risks the potential of patient errors and is inefficient for the nursing staff. To resolve this, we will add about 90 new single occupancy inpatient rooms and change our two-bed occupancy rooms to single occupancy.

The maternal child health and inpatient pediatric units are the oldest such facilities in north central Pennsylvania. We will completely replace and expand our maternal, child health and pediatrics units.

Current facilities originate from the 1920's through the 1980's and lack the electrical, plumbing and air conditioning capability to support the modern computer-based patient care technology now used in nearly every aspect of hospital patient care.

How much will the replacement and reconstruction cost and how will it be paid for?

The budget for all three campuses is $250 million.

Why is Susquehanna Health called "not-for-profit"?

A not-for-profit institution reinvests its entire operating margin or revenue over expenses, back into health system services for the benefit of the community. In comparison, a for-profit institution distributes its earnings, or "profits," to shareholders first. During the past twelve years Susquehanna Health has contributed over $300 million or slightly more than 10 percent of its annual net revenue back to the community in the form of free care for those unable to pay; subsidized services for those able to pay some but not the full cost of their services; health and wellness related educational and self care programs; and pre-hospital and medical center based emergency care.

What kind of tax support does Susquehanna Health receive?

Susquehanna Health does not receive any money from state, local, property or sales tax. Although Susquehanna Health meets all of Pennsylvania's Purely Public Charity Act criteria, it voluntarily provides the City of Williamsport and our two host school districts with services and payments in lieu of taxes. For example, the Williamsport Area School district is given $125,000 in staffing and related services along with $50,000 in cash each year, while the Muncy School District receives $44,000 in staffing services. The City of Williamsport receives a payment similar to the amount it would have collected in taxes for each of the properties included in the expanded institutional zone and an annual grant for police and fire department support totaling $40,000 annually. In addition, several of the services Susquehanna Health provides at no cost or at very minimal charge would otherwise be provided using City or County tax dollars. These services include but are not limited to City ambulance services, a county forensic center, a DUI processing center, a dental clinic, and a community health center.

How will the $30 million in Blue Cross NEPA funds be utilized?

The $30 million for the Lycoming County region will be committed to Susquehanna Health and invested in the following Susquehanna Health facilities:

• Badly needed expansion and renovation of our Emergency Department.
• Construction of single occupancy inpatient rooms to help promote infection control, confidentiality, and patient privacy.
• Development of a new maternal child health and inpatient pediatric unit to support the growing demand for children's inpatient services.

How much money does Susquehanna Health contribute to the local economy?

According to a Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania report published in May 2006, Susquehanna Health provides $371 million to the region's economy and an additional $130 million statewide each year. Beyond this, it employs over 3,100 people with an annual payroll of over 100 million and is an active participant in regional public and human services.

How does good physical health equal good fiscal health?

Good physical health can be good fiscal health but only with your help.

After much urging from City and County officials, petitions from neighbors and patients and the encouragement of area business leaders, the Susquehanna Health Board of Directors made a commitment to keep its main facilities in the City of Williamsport. Even though this makes the project considerably more technically difficult and expensive, these community members convinced us this was the right thing to do for betterment of the City and region at large.

They convinced us that upgrading Susquehanna Health's aging facilities is a strategic community investment in keeping:

• Young professional healthcare employees in our community.
• Related businesses in our county.
• Robust healthcare at its best.

Eventually all of you or your families will use Susquehanna Health facilities. What do you want them to be when you get there? The legacy is yours. Make it one you will be proud to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Claim it as your vision, your legacy, and your gift to future generations!