PHOTOS PROVIDED Nicole Picerno, Director of Nursing at UPMC Lock Haven, checks in with a nurse in the emergency department.

LOCK HAVEN — Although UPMC Lock Haven is shifting from its inpatient model to an Outpatient Emergency Department, its staff wants to remind the public they’ll still see the same faces they always have.

Dr. Jeff Muenzer, Medical Director, Emergency Service for UPMC Lock Haven, said one of his staff summed up the change best: “There’s nothing to think, nothing’s going to change. It’s an emergency department and the only difference is instead of staying here, (patients) will go to Williamsport.”

Muenzer, who splits his time between Lock Haven and Williamsport’s emergency rooms, said the resources that are in the emergency department will remain.

“We have our resources that will remain here. The same imaging modality, the same individuals — nursing staff such as LPNs and RNs,” he said. “Our job isn’t changing.”

Muenzer further noted that if a patient isn’t able to be treated in the department, and requires a higher level of care — they’re already being transported to UPMC Williamsport.

PHOTO PROVIDED Dr. Jeff Muenzer is pictured checking patient info in the emergency department.

This connection to Williamsport, the “mother ship” as Muenzer calls it, offers an extensive amount of resources when needed.

“Nothing in the emergency department is going to change. There will be the same providers, some are full time exclusively and some of us both work at Lock Haven and Williamsport,” he said.

According to Muenzer, there are four full-time physicians in Lock Haven with six or seven part timers. They include Dr. Alejandro Ramon, who works five to six shifts per month in the facility; Dr. Jeffery Myers, UPMC’s EMS director; Dr. Adrian Brandau and Dr. Taylor Hoss.

“Really, with the exception of the four full timers, the rest of those shifts are 90 percent filled in by the providers here at Williamsport,” he said.

In terms of its nursing staff, nothing will really change either according to Nicole Picerno, Director of Nursing, UPMC Lock Haven.

Picerno said there are currently 14 nurses in the emergency department that include LPNs and RNs.

According to Picerno, nurses in other departments at the hospital have expressed interest in moving into the emergency department.

“Moving forward, we have LPNs in the med-surg unit who work to the top of their license,” she said. “With the unit closing, they’ve shown interest in moving to the ER.”

Those nurses are being trained at UPMC Williamsport and UPMC Muncy by LPNs in their emergency rooms in preparation.

The healthcare system is doing that with Patient Care Techs (PCTs) as well.

“We have new ones coming down. They’re going to Williamsport to train for a few weeks. Then they’ll be back here,” she said.

Two LPNs are joining the ER staff along with an RN and two PCTs.

In total, the emergency room will have 15 full-time nurses on staff along with two full-time LPNs and one casual. Four PCTs will work in the department, too.

Others have chosen to further their careers elsewhere.

“We’ve had a few accept positions down in Williamsport on their medical surgery unit. We have one accept in the emergency room down there because they liked the growth potential,” she said. “We’ve had about eight others who are interviwing for different positions that they’re interested in within UPMC.”

This will have the emergency room staff at near capacity.

According to Muenzer, this is more than enough to handle the number of patients that come to the emergency room.

Muenzer said roughly 29 to 30 patients come to the department a day, equating to under 10,000 per year. Of that number, only 3 to 5 patients per day would be admitted into the hospital.

“The majorty of patients are already being discharged,” he said.

The emergency department will retain its status as a certified stroke care center and can help treat heart attacks, upper resporatory issues, congestive heart failure and more.

“We can still handle, evaluate and treat many conditions,” he said.

And, for those who may be suffering from a more traumatic issue, having access to UPMC Williamsport’s resources is helpful.

At the end of the day, Muenzer stressed that the faces residents are used to seeing in the hospital won’t change.

“I think the biggest thing for everybody to remember it that it’s the same people that have been working in that emergency department,” he said. “With the same resources to treat all ailments.”