Penn State Hershey and PinnacleHealth Target April 1 Start for Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute

 

Both Penn State Hershey Medical Center and PinnacleHealth recognize there is an unmet – and increasingly pressing need in the region for psychiatric services. The reduction in inpatient psych beds in central Pennsylvania over recent years has placed increasing stress on remaining psych units.

 

As major providers of behavioral health care, PinnacleHealth and Penn State Hershey both face many of the same operational, financial, and clinical challenges of meeting the needs of community and have chosen to collaborate on a solution.

 

The following is an update on the progress being made toward the new psychiatric services organization being developed between Penn State Hershey and PinnacleHealth:

 

Board Approval

 

Both the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Board of Directors and the PinnacleHealth Board of Directors have approved the formation of a psychiatric institute corporation. The boards have agreed to an April 1, 2008 start date for operations of the new corporation involving all inpatient services with the intent of including partial programs and outpatient psychiatric services at a future date, still to be determined.

 

Formal articles of incorporation have been signed by both Penn State Hershey and PinnacleHealth and filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State. The name of new enterprise will be the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute.

 

Sleep disorders treatment and research will continue at Penn State Hershey and be relocated off-campus near the Medical Center, with plans to expand services related to sleep and sleep disorders. Adult eating disorder patients will be treated at the new joint venture, while pediatric eating disorder patients will continue to be treated at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in its existing program.

 

Renovations Underway

 

Renovations are currently being made at PinnacleHealth’s Polyclinic Hospital, the future home of the 74-bed Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute. Changes are scheduled for completion in late March. The fifth floor of the Landis Building will house pediatric and adolescent psychiatry beds, and the fifth floor of the Memorial Building will house adult psychiatry beds.

 

When construction is complete, the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute will be a state-of-the-art inpatient psychiatric facility able to support the Institute’s integrated missions of patient care, education and research.

 

The Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute offers an exciting opportunity to enhance the level of psychiatric care and services available in the region for those interested in employment with the Institute. A formal public announcement of regarding the development of the Institution will occur in the coming weeks.

Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute
Polyclinic Campus
Attn: Human Resources
2501 North Third Street
Harrisburg, PA
17110-2098
(717) 782-6420 (24-hour telephone number)
(717) 782-4742 (Administration)