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O’Donnell & Naccarato Celebrates Topping Out of Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Expansion

11-story patient tower is part of Geisinger’s $900 million campus investment and is designed to support future expansion

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – O’Donnell & Naccarato (O&N), a leading structural engineering firm specializing in innovative and client-focused design solutions, celebrated the topping out of the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center expansion, a major milestone in Geisinger Health System’s $900 million campus investment and one of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s largest healthcare projects.

Following years of planning and foundation work, steel has now topped out on the 11-story, approximately 600,000-square-foot patient tower, marking a major milestone in Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center’s large-scale expansion and renovation project. O&N is providing structural engineering services for the project, working alongside owner Geisinger Health System, architect FCA, and general contractor Turner Construction. Once complete, the tower will significantly grow Geisinger Wyoming Valley’s bed count while expanding the hospital’s operating room capacity and adding space to its emergency department. Completion of the patient tower is slated for 2028, with renovation of the existing hospital space continuing through 2030.

To allow Geisinger to plan for future growth, the structural design for the expansion’s lower-level Diagnostic & Treatment Podium will include vertical expansion capability for a second 11-story patient tower directly adjacent to the current addition. The scope also includes an approximately 102,000 square-foot renovation of existing hospital space and a pedestrian bridge connecting the new expansion to a medical office building currently under construction on campus.

“Delivering a project of this size alongside an active, operating hospital requires immense coordination and a shared commitment to maintaining uninterrupted patient care throughout construction,” said Kyle Terry, Principal at O’Donnell & Naccarato. “The collaboration among the entire project team has been exceptional, and we’re proud to help deliver a facility that will support Geisinger’s growth and the healthcare needs of the region for decades to come.”

The project presents a unique structural engineering challenge due to Wilkes-Barre’s coal mining history. The new patient tower is being constructed above former mine shafts, requiring a specialized foundation system to support the 11-story structure. Construction is also occurring immediately adjacent to the fully operational hospital, demanding careful planning and coordination throughout design and construction.

The project utilizes the Integrated Project Delivery-Lite (IPD-Lite) method, a highly collaborative design and construction approach that facilitates more efficient communication and decision-making without multi-party agreements. The project team met regularly to evaluate design options and engaged key subcontractors early, leveraging their knowledge to inform cost and schedule decisions. O&N collaborated with FCA, Turner Construction, and steel fabricator Beauce Atlas to deliver both the structural steel framing design and steel connection design. Providing both services streamlined steel detailing and shop drawing reviews, resulting in an accelerated delivery schedule.

O&N has provided structural engineering services for numerous large-scale healthcare facilities throughout the region, including the Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, Cooper University Health Care Tower A, University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, and Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, helping health systems expand capacity, modernize infrastructure, and meet evolving patient care needs.