Impact

Medical Center, Carlisle Regional sign emergency medicine agreement

Beginning Aug. 1, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine will assist in managing the operations of the Emergency Department at Carlisle Regional Medical Center. The agreement between the two organizations comes after nearly two years of discussion aimed at finding ways to build on the safe, quality emergency medical care already offered to people in the greater Carlisle area.

Physicians and other advanced care practitioners in Carlisle Regional’s Emergency Department will be employed by Penn State Hershey, providing them with access to a network of colleagues who are board-certified in emergency medicine and pediatric emergency medicine. Nurses and other emergency room staff will remain Carlisle Regional employees. The relationship also will lead to enhanced continuing education and training opportunities for Carlisle Regional’s providers and staff as well as the development of improved emergency protocols.

“Our hospital and its dedicated physicians and employees have made significant improvements in recent years in both our clinical performance and our patient satisfaction,” says Rich Newell, chief executive officer of Carlisle Regional Medical Center. “Research has consistently shown that residents are hungry for a higher level of emergency care in Carlisle. With this agreement, we are delighted to be able to offer that care right here in our community, close to home.”

The agreement will allow the organizations to streamline the transfer of patients from the greater Carlisle area who need the advanced services of a university health center. Penn State Hershey is a Comprehensive Stroke Center and a nationally-accredited Chest Pain Center, as well as the only Level One Trauma Center for both adults and children in Pennsylvania. The organizations plan to work toward development of a higher-level trauma center in the greater Carlisle community. The relationship will also enable pediatric patients in Carlisle to receive increased access to specialists from Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, which has the highest level NICU designation.

“This agreement reflects a collaborative effort between Carlisle Regional Medical Center and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to enhance the quality of, and access to, emergency care throughout the region,” said Dr. A. Craig Hillemeier, dean of Penn State College of Medicine, chief executive officer of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, and Penn State’s senior vice president for health affairs. “As a university health center, we can share our expertise with a community hospital that already provides quality emergency services, ensuring that patients can receive the best possible care in the most appropriate setting, hopefully closer to home.”

The latest agreement builds on existing relationships between Penn State Hershey and Carlisle Regional:

  • In 2012, Carlisle Regional became an affiliate of Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, offering residents of the greater Carlisle area access to advanced cancer care, from diagnosis to treatment, recovery and survivorship.
  • In 2013, Carlisle Regional joined Penn State Hershey’s LionNet program, which has connected nearly 70 stroke patients and their physicians in Carlisle with Penn State Hershey Stroke Center experts via real-time technology.

The agreement also builds on a strong relationship between Penn State Hershey Life Lion Critical Care Transport and EMS agencies in the Carlisle area. A Life Lion helicopter is stationed at Carlisle Airport, less than three miles from Carlisle Regional Medical Center.

Last Updated June 30, 2015

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