HERSHEY, Pa. — Penn State Health today (Nov. 8) celebrated the “topping off” of Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center, the future 300,000-square-foot, three-story acute care hospital in Cumberland County.
The topping off ceremony included speakers from Penn State Health, Highmark Health and members of the Pennsylvania Legislature. Construction workers used a crane to hoist the final beam of the structure and guide it into place. A “topping off” ceremony is a long-standing tradition of builders to commemorate the completion of a building’s structure. Many topping off ceremonies include a tree, said to be due to the Native American belief that no building should be taller than a tree. The final beam for Hampden Medical Center included a pine tree; two Penn State Health banners signed by patients, staff, students, volunteers and community members; and the U.S. flag donated by VFW District 18.
Hampden Medical Center, located in the Wentworth Corporate Center at the intersection of Good Hope and Wertzville roads, will give residents of Cumberland and Perry counties, as well as the broader Harrisburg area, enhanced access to the primary and specialty care services of Penn State Health without having to make the drive to Hershey.