• Online Scheduling | Careers

Commonwealth Health
  • Quick Links
    • Find a Doctor
    • Services
      • Services

        • View All Services
        • Bariatric Weight Loss Services
        • Behavioral Health
        • Cancer Care
        • Diagnostic Imaging
        • Digestive Health
        • Ear, Nose & Throat Care
        • Emergency Services
        • Endocrinology
        • Eye Care
        • Heart Care
        • Infectious Disease Care
        • Kidney Disorders
        • Laboratory Services
        • Maternity Care
        • Neurology
        • Nutrition Services
        • Orthopedic Services
        • Pain Management
        • Primary Care
        • Rehabilitation Services
        • Respiratory Care
        • Rheumatology
        • Robotic Surgery
        • Sleep Medicine
        • Surgical Services
        • Urology
        • Walk-In Clinic
        • Women's Health
        • Wound Care
          • Patients & Visitors
            • For Patients

              • Patients & Visitors
              • DAISY Award Nominations
              • Events
              • Financial Information
              • Health Library
              • Online Scheduling
              • Patient Portal
              • Physician Referral
              • Request Medical Records
                • Careers
                • Locations
                  • Hospitals
                  • Imaging Centers
                  • Laboratories
                  • Outpatient Rehabilitation Locations
                  • Sleep Care Centers
                  • Walk-In Clinics
                  • Wound Care Centers
                  • Ambulatory Surgery Centers
                  • Commonwealth Health Physician Network
                  • Emergency Departments
                • About
                  • About

                    • About Us
                    • Careers
                    • Community Benefits
                    • Contact Us
                    • Mission, Vision & Values
                    • NEPA Quality Health Alliance (CIN)
                    • Newsroom
                    • Quality & Safety
                    • Volunteer Opportunities
                      • Online Scheduling
                      • Online Bill Pay
                      • Patient Portal
                      • Events
                      • Directions
                      • Contact
                      • analog clock icon
                      • Avg ER Wait Times

                        View ER Wait Times
                      Home/About Us/Newsroom/Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Launches Geriatric Emergency Department

                      Refine Results

                      Affiliated Hospitals





                      About Us
                      Careers
                      Benefits
                      Hospital Opportunities
                      Nursing Opportunities
                      Available Positions
                      I'm Interested
                      Physician & Provider Opportunities
                      Community Benefits
                      Contact Us
                      Mission, Vision & Values
                      NEPA Quality Health Alliance (CIN)
                      Newsroom
                      E-Newsletter Sign Up
                      Patient Testimonials
                      2024 News Releases
                      2023 News Releases
                      2022 News Releases
                      2021 News Releases
                      2020 News Releases
                      2019 News Releases
                      2018 News Releases
                      2017 News Releases
                      2016 News Releases
                      2015 News Releases
                      Quality & Safety
                      ADA Accessibility Policy
                      Diversity Policy
                      Joint Commission Notice
                      Notice of Privacy Practices
                      Organized Health Care Arrangement Status
                      Patient Rights & Responsibilities
                      Privacy Policy
                      Safe Haven for Pennsylvania Newborns
                      Safety Improvement
                      Terms & Conditions
                      Volunteer Opportunities
                      eNewsletter Redirect
                      Events
                      Events
                      Find a Doctor
                      Locations
                      Notice of Non-Discrimination
                      Patients & Visitors
                      Services
                      • information
                      • news
                      • Avg ER Wait Times

                        View ER Wait Times
                      • Directions

                        Find Our Location
                      • Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

                        06.25.2025

                      • Six Things to Know as Measles Outbreaks Spread

                        06.11.2025

                      • See All News & Press Releases
                      • Sign Up For Our E-Newsletter

                        Sign Up For Our E-Newsletter

                        Featuring a monthly dose of information and inspiration for living well.

                        Learn More
                      • Mobile Device

                        Online Scheduling

                        Free, convenient online check-in services.

                        Learn More
                      • Nurse and Patient

                        Patient Portal

                        Access your medical information
                        on demand.

                        Learn More

                      Wilkes-Barre General Hospital Launches Geriatric Emergency Department

                      9/25/2019

                      The accredited Geriatric Emergency Department at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is one of just three accreditation emergency departments in Pennsylvania – and the only one in Northeastern PA – to achieve accreditation from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

                      “We are dedicated to providing specialized emergency care to our aging population and are focused on providing the highest level of care for our patients, their families and our community,” said Cornelio Catena, CEO. “We are grateful to ACEP for recognizing the expertise of our staff and the healing environment we have created for our senior community members.”

                      ACEP’s Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program promotes the goals of quality care for older adult patients: enhanced staffing and education, geriatric-focused policies and protocols including transitions of care, quality improvement and outcomes, and preparation of the physical environment. ACEP launched this effort to improve and standardize emergency care for older patients and to recognize hospitals that meet and exceed national geriatric care guidelines.

                      “Older adults visit emergency rooms at a higher rate, often present with multiple chronic conditions and face more social and physical challenges than the general population,” said Paul Kivela, MD, MBA, FACEP, past president of ACEP. “Seniors visiting ACEP accredited emergency departments can be assured that the facility has the necessary expertise, equipment and personnel in place to provide optimal care. This initiative enhances acute geriatric emergency care, especially in rural areas, and helps seniors ease back into their daily lives after they visit the ER.”

                      The Geriatric ER is led by a remarkable team of inter-disciplinary leaders including Adam Perry, MD, Jill Cook, RN and Marianne Rupchis, RN, MSN. The GEDA program is the culmination of years of progress in emergency care of older adults. In 2014, ACEP along with Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, Emergency Nurses Association, and American Geriatrics Society, developed and released geriatric ED guidelines, recommending measures ranging from adding geriatric-friendly equipment to specialized staff to more routine screening for delirium, dementia, and fall risk, among other vulnerabilities.

                      The voluntary GEDA program, which includes three levels similar to trauma center designations, provides specific criteria and goals for emergency clinicians and administrators to target. The accreditation process provides more than two dozen best practices for geriatric care and the level of GEDA accreditation achieved depends upon how many of these best practices an emergency department is able to meet. A Level 3 emergency department must incorporate many of these best practices, along with providing inter-disciplinary geriatric education, and having geriatric appropriate equipment and supplies available.

                      Back

                      Affiliated Hospitals

                      • Regional Hospital of Scranton
                      • Wilkes-Barre General Hospital
                      • Moses Taylor Hospital
                      • ADA Accessibility Policy
                      • Terms & Conditions
                      • Privacy Policy
                      • Change Your Privacy Choices
                      • Notice of Privacy Practices
                      • Patient Rights & Responsibilities
                      • Price Transparency

                      Copyright ©2025. All rights reserved.

                      An AllianceHealth Oklahoma® hospital

                      Services

                      • Bariatric Weight Loss Services
                      • Behavioral Health
                      • Cancer Care
                      • Diagnostic Imaging
                      • Digestive Health
                      • Ear, Nose & Throat Care
                      • Emergency Services
                      • Endocrinology
                      • Eye Care
                      • Heart Care
                      • Infectious Disease Care
                      • Kidney Disorders
                      • Laboratory Services
                      • Maternity Care
                      • Neurology
                      • Nutrition Services
                      • Orthopedic Services
                      • Pain Management
                      • Primary Care
                      • Rehabilitation Services
                      • Respiratory Care
                      • Rheumatology
                      • Robotic Surgery
                      • Sleep Medicine
                      • Surgical Services
                      • Urology
                      • Walk-In Clinic
                      • Women's Health
                      • Wound Care

                      Patients & Visitors

                      • DAISY Award Nominations
                      • Events
                      • Financial Information
                      • Health Library
                      • Online Scheduling
                      • Patient Portal
                      • Physician Referral
                      • Request Medical Records

                      About Us

                      • Careers
                      • Community Benefits
                      • Contact Us
                      • Mission, Vision & Values
                      • NEPA Quality Health Alliance (CIN)
                      • Newsroom
                      • Quality & Safety
                      • Volunteer Opportunities

                      Notice of Nondiscrimination
                      • English,
                      • አማርኛ,
                      • العربية,
                      • বাংলা,
                      • ျမန္မာဘာသာ,
                      • tsalagi gawonihisdi,
                      • 繁體中文,
                      • Chahta,
                      • Oroomiffa,
                      • Nederlands,
                      • Français,
                      • Kreyòl Ayisyen,
                      • Deutsch,
                      • ગુજરાતી,
                      • हिंदी,
                      • Hmoob,
                      • Igbo asusu,
                      • Ilokano,
                      • Italiano,
                      • 日本語,
                      • 한국어,
                      • Ɓàsɔ́ɔ̀‑wùɖù‑po‑nyɔ̀,
                      • ພາສາລາວ,
                      • Kajin Ṃajōḷ,
                      • ខ្មែរ,
                      • Diné Bizaad,
                      • नेपाली,
                      • Deitsch,
                      • فارسی,
                      • Polski,
                      • Português,
                      • ਪੰਜਾਬੀ,
                      • Română,
                      • Русский,
                      • Gagana fa'a Sāmoa,
                      • Srpsko‑hrvatski,
                      • Español,
                      • ܣܘܼܪܸܬ݂,
                      • Tagalog,
                      • ภาษาไทย,
                      • Türkçe,
                      • Українська,
                      • اُردُو,
                      • Tiếng Việt,
                      • èdè Yorùbá,
                      • עִברִית
                      Loading... Loading...