Penn State Health Temporarily Closes Some State College Outpatient Sites

Penn State Health Medical Group announced on Sunday it is temporarily closing or consolidating some of its physician practices across the region, including four in the State College area, to deploy doctors and staff to other locations.

The medical group offices at 32 Colonnade Way, 476 Rolling Ridge Drive (the Windmere Centre) and 303 Benner Pike, as well as the Employee Health and Wellness Center in the Nursing Sciences Building, University Park, are temporarily closed.

Penn State Health Medical Group and Penn State Sports Medicine at 1850 Park Avenue remain open.

‘In many cases, patients will be redirected to other clinic sites, and Medical Group staff are contacting those who are affected,’ a Penn State Health statement said. ‘Physicians and staff at closed or consolidated sites are being redeployed to other locations, with some physicians serving to provide remote consultation for patients with respiratory and other symptoms through the Penn State Health OnDemand telehealth platform.’

Patients have canceled regular checkups and other appointments and the decrease in patient volume, along with the need to preserve medical supplies for an expected increase in patients with symptoms that could be related to COVID-19, were among the reasons for the temporary consolidations, according to Penn State Health.

Details on the status of all Penn State Health locations in the state can be found here.

Penn State Health reported on Saturday that an employee at one of its outpatient practices on the campus of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey had tested positive for COVID-19, the first such case for the system. The employee has been at home since symptoms were recognized. Evidence suggested the individual had been exposed through a family and not in the workplace, according to Penn State Health.

A small number of patients who may have interacted with the staff member were notified and told to self-quarantine and monitor themselves for symptoms. They will be further evaluated to determine if testing for COVID-19 is needed.

‘The employee’s coworkers also have been notified of their possible exposure and all members of the clinic are wearing masks while around other people on campus, checking temperatures twice per day and monitoring for symptoms,’ according to a news release.

On Sunday, Hershey Medical Center confirmed its first in-patient case of COVID-19. 

‘The adult, non-employee patient is in negative-pressure isolation and is receiving care from dedicated, specially trained medical teams, according to COVID-19 treatment protocols,’ a statement said.