WellSpan to open 3 new hospitals in rural Central Pennsylvania

• Katie Knol
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  Katie Knol was WITF's newsroom summer intern for 2023.
  
  She currently a senior at Penn State University majoring in digital/print journalism and political science. She has also worked at WPSU, The Daily Collegian and CommRadio.

WellSpan Health plans to build three neighborhood hospitals in Cumberland and York counties.

The facilities will be smaller than a traditional hospital, but they’ll be open 24/7 and will have an emergency department and up to 10 inpatient beds.

Ryan Coyle, a spokesman for WellSpan, said the new hospitals are an attempt to make healthcare more accessible for rural Pennsylvanians.

“There are a number of communities in York and Cumberland counties that are not within close range of a hospital, and this effort looks to address that by bringing hospital-level care into those communities, filling in gaps that may exist to ensure patients do not have a long trek to the emergency department or hospital,” Coyle said.

Though WellSpan hasn’t announced the precise locations or services that will be offered, Coyle said each location could be different, with some having primary and specialty care that would allow patients to follow up with their doctors.

They expect to start construction on the first hospital by the end of 2023, with a tentative grand opening by the end of 2024.