Three main hospitals cater to the health care needs of Lancastrians. City health care facilities include Lancaster General Hospital, with more than 550 beds and 470 physicians; the hospital's emergency room treats more than 68,000 patients each year, and the hospital's Lancaster General Heart Center performs more than 600 open heart surgeries annually. For more than 60 years, Ephrata Community Hospital has been providing preventative services, primary care, diagnostic services, and rehabilitation services to area residents. Other available services include an active wellness program, a pain management center, and a women's health services center. Lancaster Regional Medical Center, a 268-bed acute-care community hospital, offers care in 32 specialties, including dermatology, orthopedics, gynecology, psychiatry, and urology. Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic, affiliated with Lancaster General Hospital, conducts research on children with cranio-facial anomalies, and provides medical, dental, speech, and hearing services.
Lancaster's health care facilities are booming with new projects. In 2005, Lancaster General Hospital opened its Lancaster General-Norlanco facility in order to service residents of northwestern Lancaster County. The facility offers radiology, laboratory, and rehabilitation services. Ephrata Community Hospital recently renovated its CardioVascular Laboratory, including the purchase of the Siemens Axion Artis, a piece of diagnostic equipment that produces high-quality images through very low radiation doses.
Health Care Information: Lancaster General Hospital, 555 N. Duke St., Lancaster PA; telephone (717)544-5511. Ephrata Community Hospital, 169 Martin Ave., PO Box 1002, Ephrata, PA 17522; telephone (717)733-0311