Pittston Twp., Luzerne County, PA -
Geisinger plans to develop an $80 million outpatient facility at the former site of Walmart at 1201 Oak St., Pittston Twp.
Geisinger officials said the facility will improve the availability of a variety of in-demand health services from surgery to eye care for residents of Northeast Pennsylvania.
The 124,000-square-foot Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint will house nine clinical suites providing services in surgery and endoscopy, orthopedics, urology, ophthalmology, and retail eyewear, laboratory and imaging, and a hybrid medical and orthopedic ConvenientCare.
The facility will be designed to bring together services that complement each other, such as diagnostic imaging and orthopedics, and reduce the need for patients to go to different facilities for related appointments. It will have ample, ground-level parking, multiple entry points and will be reachable by public transportation, Geisinger announced.
The project, expected to be complete by summer 2022, will create 154 jobs and is the latest in a line of Geisinger investments totaling more than $200 million in Luzerne County since the beginning of 2019.
The healthplex also will allow Geisinger to offer more appointments in the services provided and to hire new providers, which means patients will experience shorter wait times between scheduling an appointment and being seen by a provider.
“When we looked at the services needed by our patients here in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, we realized we were limited by the space we had available,” said Ron Beer, chief administrative officer of Geisinger's northeast region. “This location makes care more accessible to our friends and neighbors, because it's about as centralized between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre as it can be, truly making it easier for our patients and members in both counties to get the care they need more quickly.”
Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint will offer treatment options unique to the region, Geisinger officials said.
For example, a subspecialty eye care program will feature ophthalmic providers capable of delivering virtually any service a patient may need, including neuro-ophthalmology care and pediatric ophthalmology care, which are currently limited in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. The team also will perform LASIK surgery, a first for Geisinger in the northeast region.
Extended hours of operation will be available for diagnostic and by appointment or walk-in ConvenientCare services. Amenities will include a central café and atrium with outdoor green space and seating.
“Geisinger Healthplex CenterPoint will offer distinctive, convenient care to the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Beer said. “Along with expanded services, we're proud that our growth means more employment opportunities for local residents. We're also excited to be renovating a space that was a popular place of commerce for the community. What was a frequented place of business will now be an easy-to-reach destination for exceptional care.”
Geisinger purchased the vacant former Walmart store from Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services earlier this year for $11.5 million, according to a Luzerne County deed. The building sits on nearly 24 acres near the entrance to Mericle's CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park West.
Walmart vacated the building when it constructed a new store nearby on state Route 315 in Pittston Twp. that opened in 2010. The store was later turned into a market-style center called Merchants' Village that closed in 2013.
Over the last year, the Commission on Economic Opportunity had been using the building as a place to pack food for people in need during the pandemic.
Jim Cummings, vice president of marketing for Mericle Commercial Real Estate Services, said Mericle is pleased to have helped Geisinger find and acquire the building at 1201 Oak St.
“Geisinger's new building is in a great, centralized location and will enhance health care in the region,” Cummings said. “The new facility is a wonderful addition to our CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park and will bring even more prestige to the fast-growing area off of Exit 175 of I-81.”
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115, @CVAllabaugh
