Designed to improve both patient experience and operational efficiency, the project will transition the hospital to an all-private-room model while expanding services in emergency medicine, trauma care, critical care, surgical services and cardiovascular care. | Photo Credit: Courtesy of O’Donnell & Naccarato
- Geisinger completed structural steel installation on its nearly $900 million Wyoming Valley Medical Center expansion.
- The 600,000-plus-square-foot project will add an 11-story patient tower scheduled to open in 2028.
- Expansion includes new inpatient beds, operating rooms, emergency treatment areas, trauma bays and advanced cardiovascular facilities.
- The project will transition the hospital to all-private patient rooms while nearly doubling the size of the medical center.
- O’Donnell & Naccarato is providing structural engineering services for the expansion.
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Geisinger has reached a significant milestone in the nearly $900 million expansion and modernization of Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, completing structural steel installation for the project’s new patient tower during a beam-topping ceremony held July 15. The achievement keeps the transformative healthcare project on schedule to open its 11-story inpatient tower in 2028, with campus renovations continuing through 2030.
The more than 600,000-square-foot expansion will nearly double the size of the medical center, positioning it among the region’s premier destinations for advanced acute care while addressing growing healthcare demand across northeastern Pennsylvania. According to Geisinger, the region’s population aged 65 and older is projected to increase by approximately 11% between 2023 and 2028, driving the need for expanded clinical capacity.
Designed to improve both patient experience and operational efficiency, the project will transition the hospital to an all-private-room model while expanding services in emergency medicine, trauma care, critical care, surgical services and cardiovascular care.
When complete, the expansion will add:
- 58 medical-surgical inpatient beds
- 24 intensive care beds
- Six operating rooms
- 22 emergency treatment areas
- Three trauma bays
- Dedicated behavioral health emergency space
- Two structural heart procedure rooms
Expanded cardiac catheterization laboratories and imaging space (geisinger.org)
Hospital leaders said the investment reflects Geisinger’s long-term strategy of strengthening acute-care capabilities while expanding outpatient services throughout the region.
“This expansion will provide better access to exceptional care in a setting where patients can heal in peace and privacy,” said Ron Beer, Chief Administrative Officer for Geisinger’s northeast region, during the topping-out ceremony.
The project also marks a significant engineering achievement. Structural engineering firm O’Donnell & Naccarato is providing structural engineering services for the expansion, celebrating the completion of the building’s steel frame as a key milestone in constructing one of Pennsylvania’s largest active healthcare projects.
Construction remains on schedule, with the new tower expected to begin serving patients in 2028 before renovation work continues across the existing campus through 2030. Once complete, Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center will offer expanded capacity and modernized facilities designed to support increasingly complex care needs while enhancing the patient and caregiver experience.