What began as a standalone community hospital on East Mountain Drive in Plains Twp. has transformed into a regional medical center with a mission to make better health easier for residents of Luzerne County and beyond.
Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Its history traces back to 1981 when three hospitals merged into the one that would modernize health care delivery in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Originally NPW Medical Center, a consolidation of Nanticoke, Pittston and Wyoming Valley hospitals, the health care facility was renamed Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center shortly after opening, as Geisinger joined the collaboration after Nanticoke’s withdrawal.
Geisinger recently received five-star status from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid as it celebrates its four decades of service to the community.
It is the highest quality and patient safety score bestowed by the organization, putting the medical center among the top 14% of hospitals in the country.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the rating is based on five categories: mortality, safety of care, readmission, patient experience and timely and effective care.
Dr. Karlyn Paglia, chief medical officer at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, said Geisinger Wyoming Valley is the only CMS five-star hospital in Northeast Pennsylvania.
“We are proud to provide care of unsurpassed quality to residents of the region,” Paglia said. “With a full spectrum of services available to our patients and members, we look forward to caring for our community for many more years to come.”
Andy Carter, president and CEO of the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, said Geisinger is a “leading contributor to health care and insurance coverage” throughout much of the state.
“Geisinger has fostered innovation and played a central role in improving access to quality health care,” Carter said. “They are one of the nation’s few fully integrated health systems that brings insurance…
Where We Belong: Madeline Sayet — Photo: Jon Burklund/Zanni Productions 
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Today, 165 years after The Nation was forcibly relocated to what are now the towns of Red Springs and Bartelme in Shawano County, Wisconsin (a result of the Treaty of 1856), a new exhibit at 
