HERSHEY, Pa. — Penn State Health today resumed construction of Penn State Health Cocoa Outpatient Center, an expansion of medical services at the former CocoaPlex Center location. Construction began earlier this year but was suspended at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic due to state and federal restrictions on construction projects.
With exceptions now in place for healthcare construction projects, Penn State Health decided to move forward after careful consideration with its partner, Pyramid Construction. As construction resumes, site workers will be screened daily for COVID-19 symptoms by a licensed nursing provider prior to their shift.
The completion of this project, expected to be late 2020 or early 2021, will help provide the Penn State Health community with additional exam rooms, several of which will be equipped with negative pressure to safely treat patients with infectious or respiratory illnesses.
The old CocoaPlex Cinema space is in the same complex as the Penn State Health Medical Group – Cocoa family medicine practice site. The space is also adjacent to Penn State Health Medical Group – Fishburn family medicine practice and within less than a half of a mile of the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus.
Two Internal Medicine practices operating in separate locations on the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus will consolidate services to the Cocoa Outpatient Center. Adult Endocrinology and Nephrology services also will move to the new outpatient center from locations at the University Physician Center.
Moving these services off campus will provide easier access for internal medicine and adult endocrinology and nephrology patients. The move allows Penn State Health to create additional capacity for pediatric specialties on the Hershey campus. It also frees up more space for specialty services remaining in the University Physician Center to expand and treat more patients in need of these services.