PASSHE Institutions Merging

[IUPNation]

Chester County lost two hospitals within the past couple of years thanks to the lowlifes who run Tower Health: Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville and Jennersville Regional Hospital near Avondale in Southern Chester County. The closure of Brandywine especially hurts because there's basically no hospital between Lancaster and Paoli, not to mention that Coatesville is a low-income minority area. Jennersville, however, appears to have been acquired by Delaware-based Christiana Care, so at least there's some hope for JRH.

The point is that this isn't just happening in rural areas like Lock Haven. Two hospitals closing in one of the state's wealthiest counties should've raised a few red flags in Harrisburg, but we know what a dumpster fire the political scene is in that state and we'll leave it at that.

Nobody would go to Brandywine if they had a choice. It was a chop shop. Chester County Hospital in West Chester just finished an expansion and is under Penn Medicine. They should take over Brandywine as an overflow facility.

[Fightingscot82]

With the declining high school enrollments in western Pa., it's really been interesting to watch the western PASSHE schools hone in on central Pa. We're all going for a slice of an increasingly small pie in Pa.

I think its just widening the mouth of the net.

[Ship69]

IUP and Harrisburg Area Community College enter an agreement

https://www.thepenn.org/news/iup-sig...ibextid=Zxz2cZ

With the declining high school enrollments in western Pa., it's really been interesting to watch the western PASSHE schools hone in on central Pa. We're all going for a slice of an increasingly small pie in Pa.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Things are going very well with the mergers:

The PennWest provost has resigned to pursue other opportunities.

The original Commonwealth provost left after one year to become president at Penn State Sheetz in Altoona. The current provost is a finalist to be president at Eastern Illinois.

Sounds like even the senior leadership is as the recruits say, locked in 1000% committed.

It was doomed from the start ... no matter how 1000% they were.

It was tossing up a Hail Mary.

[Fightingscot82]

Yeah, we're talking a "Lincoln Riley level of commitment to Oklahoma" right? Because the senior leadership doesn't look as committed as the powers that be in Harrisburg would want you to think.

From within the system, its clearly a charade. "Look at the drastic changes we've made!" Its a sneaky way to get additional funding and it allows "Chancellor Dan" (say it with a Forrest Gump voice) to give more media interviews and conference presentations. The reality is:

1. They're expecting people making $55k to do more work with students they never get to know.
2. They're expecting senior leadership to drive all over the state and hold endless Zoom check-ins.
3. The consolidation of staffing has made campuses even more like barren wastelands.
4. Its crippled alumni relations and fundraising beyond athletics.
5. A lot of staff at every level are scrambling to get out. Like seeing job postings as a lifeboat spot on the Titanic. Every search at the PASSHE school I work at has a pool that's 1/3 internal applicants from merger campuses.
6. The "Penn West Global Online" is just a rebrand of all the existing online programs from the 3 schools. Nothing new.
7. The people who treated university work as a state civil service job to ride out until pension time are the ones who will never leave. They're still there doing mediocre at best work. Enrollment still plunging.

[Fightingscot82]

The Evil UPMC Empire stretches as far east as Harrisburg and northeast as Williamsport. And they apparently have a hospital in Cumberland, Md.

As far west as Hanover and York. As far northeast as Wellsboro. Within the last few years they bought the hospital in Jamestown, NY. I still don't understand the Ireland thing.

A variable entering the picture is WVU Medicine starting a health insurance arm and looking to enter PA.

[ctrabs74]

Things are going very well with the mergers:

The PennWest provost has resigned to pursue other opportunities.

The original Commonwealth provost left after one year to become president at Penn State Sheetz in Altoona. The current provost is a finalist to be president at Eastern Illinois.

Sounds like even the senior leadership is as the recruits say, locked in 1000% committed.

Yeah, we're talking a "Lincoln Riley level of commitment to Oklahoma" right? Because the senior leadership doesn't look as committed as the powers that be in Harrisburg would want you to think.

[ctrabs74]

Evidently they were only serving about 8 patients a day, and elective surgery 2 days a week. Now they have to travel to UPMC Williamsport or Muncy, Many of these small hospitals are closing after being taken over by UPMC, Geisinger, or. Lehigh Valley. Berwick closed, and a psych hospital in Wilkes Barre closed.

Chester County lost two hospitals within the past couple of years thanks to the lowlifes who run Tower Health: Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville and Jennersville Regional Hospital near Avondale in Southern Chester County. The closure of Brandywine especially hurts because there's basically no hospital between Lancaster and Paoli, not to mention that Coatesville is a low-income minority area. Jennersville, however, appears to have been acquired by Delaware-based Christiana Care, so at least there's some hope for JRH.

The point is that this isn't just happening in rural areas like Lock Haven. Two hospitals closing in one of the state's wealthiest counties should've raised a few red flags in Harrisburg, but we know what a dumpster fire the political scene is in that state and we'll leave it at that.

[ctrabs74]

I didn’t think Pitt had a thing that far away from Yinzerburgh.

Penn Medicine is always my first choice….

The Evil UPMC Empire stretches as far east as Lititz (Lancaster County) and northeast as Williamsport. And they apparently have a hospital in Cumberland, Md.

[Fightingscot82]

Things are going very well with the mergers:

The PennWest provost has resigned to pursue other opportunities.

The original Commonwealth provost left after one year to become president at Penn State Sheetz in Altoona. The current provost is a finalist to be president at Eastern Illinois.

Sounds like even the senior leadership is as the recruits say, locked in 1000% committed.

[IUPNation]

IUP and Harrisburg Area Community College enter an agreement

https://www.thepenn.org/news/iup-sig...ibextid=Zxz2cZ

[iupgroundhog]

Evidently they were only serving about 8 patients a day, and elective surgery 2 days a week. Now they have to travel to UPMC Williamsport or Muncy, Many of these small hospitals are closing after being taken over by UPMC, Geisinger, or. Lehigh Valley. Berwick closed, and a psych hospital in Wilkes Barre closed.

I think it's a psychological shock to the area more than anything to not have an inpatient hospital. I've been in that hospital so much when I was growing up, mostly to visit others but a couple of times as a patient. In fact, my mother worked there for about 15 years. But actual hospital stays are a small fraction of what they used to be, in raw numbers and duration. There are facilities in both directions in Williamsport and State College. So, it probably is an efficient solution. Just not what the people of Lock Haven thought they were getting after the UPMC takeover.

[Fightingscot82]

I didn’t think Pitt had a thing that far away from Yinzerburgh.

Penn Medicine is always my first choice….

They have 4 hospitals in Ireland. Makes Pitt Bradford look more rational.

[Bart]

Perilous time to be a local in Lock Haven:

https://www.post-gazette.com/busines...s/202301200084

Evidently they were only serving about 8 patients a day, and elective surgery 2 days a week. Now they have to travel to UPMC Williamsport or Muncy, Many of these small hospitals are closing after being taken over by UPMC, Geisinger, or. Lehigh Valley. Berwick closed, and a psych hospital in Wilkes Barre closed.

[IUPNation]

Perilous time to be a local in Lock Haven:

https://www.post-gazette.com/busines...s/202301200084

I didn’t think Pitt had a thing that far away from Yinzerburgh.

Penn Medicine is always my first choice….