Press Releases
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Highmark and Penn State Health continue to expand access for residents of central Pa
Hershey, Pa. (March 25, 2021) — Highmark Health and Penn State Health are making it easier for residents of Cumberland County to access primary care with the opening of a new clinic on the Highmark Corporate campus on Center Street in East Pennsboro Township.
The new Penn State Health Medical Group — East Pennsboro practice will be open to members of the community, including the 3,500 local Highmark employees who live and work nearby, on March 29. This critical access point in Cumberland County will provide convenient preventative and interventional medical services close to home for people in West Shore communities like Enola, Lemoyne and Camp Hill.
“We had a health clinic for employees for many years and now it has evolved into a primary care clinic for the public as well as our employees,” said Deborah Rice-Johnson, president of Highmark Inc. and chief growth officer for Highmark Health. “The region continues to grow and this is an excellent location for our members. It is really convenient, it will have a pharmacy and a number of services for people.”
The practice will be open from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday and be staffed by Penn State Health providers.
In addition to the practice on Highmark’s Camp Hill campus, Highmark and Penn State Health are partnering to build new hospitals in Lancaster and Cumberland counties, enhancing access to Penn State Health primary and specialty services in growing regions of the state where the demand for care has increased. Penn State Health Hampden Medical Center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2021 and will serve Cumberland and surrounding counties. Penn State Health Lancaster Medical Center will open in 2022 and complements the health system’s other efforts to provide care for residents of Lancaster County close to where they live.
In December 2017, Highmark and Penn State Health announced a joint investment of $1 billion in the health and well-being of central Pennsylvanians to keep health care local.
“Since announcing our partnership, Penn State Health and Highmark have been delivering on our promise to give communities we serve more convenient access to the health care services they need,” said Dr. Safa Farzin, senior vice president for Penn State Health Medical Group. “The addition of this new clinic is proof of our continued dedication to offering high-quality care close to home.”
In November 2020, Penn State Health announced the acquisition of Holy Spirit Health System in Cumberland County, which means more access to quality health care for people in the region.
About Highmark Blue Shield
Highmark Inc., doing business as Highmark Blue Shield, serves approximately 1.1 million members through the company’s health care benefits business and hundreds of thousands of additional individuals through the BlueCard® program. Highmark Blue Shield has significant commercial market share and strong Medicare Advantage membership [through certain of its affiliated Blue companies] as well. Through its affiliated Blue companies, all of Highmark's Medicare Advantage plans in Pennsylvania received a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality rating of 4.5 out of 5.0 stars. Highmark Blue Shield employs approximately 3,500 people in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, serving as a key economic driver in the region. Highmark Blue Shield’s total economic impact throughout central Pennsylvania is more than $978 million. Highmark Blue Shield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit www.highmark.com.
About Penn State Health
Penn State Health is a multi-hospital health system serving patients and communities across 29 counties in central Pennsylvania. It employs more than 16,500 people systemwide. The system includes Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Children’s Hospital, and Penn State Cancer Institute based in Hershey, Pa.; Penn State Health Holy Spirit Medical Center in Camp Hill, Pa. Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center in Reading, Pa.; and more than 2,300 physicians and direct care providers at more than 125 medical office locations. Additionally, the system jointly operates various health care providers, including Penn State Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center, Hershey Endoscopy Center, Horizon Home Healthcare and Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute. In December 2017, Penn State Health partnered with Highmark Health to facilitate creation of a value-based, community care network in the region. Penn State Health shares an integrated strategic plan and operations with Penn State College of Medicine, the University’s medical school.
For more information, contact
Leilyn Perri
Highmark Health
717-215-7835
leilyn.perri@highmarkhealth.org
Barbara Schindo
Penn State Health
717-424-2304
bschindo@pennstatehealth.psu.edu
