Penn Highlands Huntingdon Unveils New Behavioral Health Unit and Hahne Cancer and Outpatient Infusion Center

On March 23, 2023, representatives from Penn Highlands Huntingdon were joined by government and community leaders for a ribbon cutting to signal the completion of the hospital’s $4.5 million Third Floor expansion and renovation project. Following brief remarks and the ribbon cutting, members of the community received a “behind the doors” tour of the Third Floor that houses the expanded Behavioral Health Unit and Hahne Cancer and Outpatient Infusion Center.

“This is an exciting day for Penn Highlands Healthcare and the Huntingdon County community,” said Joe Myers, President of Penn Highlands Huntingdon. “Since becoming part of Penn Highlands Healthcare in 2019, the hospital’s care for the residents of this region has been enhanced with the introduction of several new services and providers as well as improved access to care. This is yet another testament to Penn Highlands commitment to the health and vitality of this area.”

The opening of the Third Floor completes $9 million in projects to expand services at Penn Highlands Huntingdon. This portion of the project includes the new Hahne Cancer and Outpatient Infusion Center and expanded Behavioral Health Unit which will provide patients with a peaceful environment for treatment and healing.

Behavioral Health Unit

The $3 million Behavioral Health Unit doubles the size of the unit – with 28 beds. The Unit also includes:

• 13 dual rooms that offer a calm environment for treatment.
• Three state-of-the-art group rooms.
• Two safe rooms that allow for de-escalation.
• A new patient cafeteria.
• Enhanced security measures with increased video presence to promote patient safety.

Hahne Cancer and Outpatient Infusion Center

By moving the oncology/hematology infusion services from Bryan Street and the outpatient infusion services from the ground floor of the hospital to the Third Floor, it enables Penn Highlands Huntingdon to expand its services while making infusion more accessible and comfortable for patients.

The new $1.5 million Hahne Cancer and Outpatient Infusion Center includes:

• A total of 16 treatment bays.
• Nine bays for the Hahne Cancer Center that will be used for chemotherapy, hematology, infusions and injections such as IV iron, Bone Marrow Biopsy.
• Seven infusion bays in the Outpatient Infusion Center for blood transfusions, IV antibiotics, IV iron, rheumatology infusions, Multiple Sclerosis infusion, pulmonology injections and more.

The Economics of the Project

During the event, Mr. Myers outlined that the Third Floor project is generating 15 new good-paying jobs for the Huntingdon community. He also expressed appreciation on behalf of the Hospital to two organizations which helped with the funding of the expansion and renovation. They include: PNC Bank for providing $3.36 million in equity to support the project and provided $1.5 million of their New Markets Tax Credit allocation; and Primary Care Development Corporation, a community development financial institution that supports healthy, thriving communities across the country through capital financing, expertise and advocacy.

Additional Enhancements

In addition to the expanded Behavioral Health Unit and the Hahne Cancer and Infusion Center, the Penn Highlands Huntingdon $9 million expansion project includes:

• Installation of state-of-the-art equipment in the Cardiac Cath Lab in fall of 2022 that totaled $750,000.
• Installation of the Cerner Electronic Medical Record system to align services and communications across the health system which will be implemented later this spring.

Penn Highlands Huntingdon is still making final preparations to open the Third Floor. It is expected to be open for patients in April.