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Does Mount Nittany Health have a plan for managing a pandemic?

Yes. Mount Nittany Health has a plan to manage a pandemic like COVID-19 . We have practiced this plan and are now executing on it to manage our resources effectively. This includes initiating a COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Team (CPRT), which meets regularly to plan on how we can meet the needs of our patients today while planning how to manage the potential of a dramatic increase of patient volumes in the future.

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We are also connecting with local, state and national partners, as well as our healthcare colleagues across the region and state. Decisions are made to protect our patients and staff while also doing our part to help contain rapidly progressing pandemic by:​

  • Strictly adhering to infection & prevention control policies

  • Continuing the education of employees and staff

  • Rescheduling elective/non-essential services to ensure we have the supplies we need to take care of patients that need immediate care

  • Limiting the number of people in our facility through temporary visitor restrictions

  • Implementing screenings and temperature checks for anyone who enters Mount Nittany Health’s facilities

  • Extending masking requirements to patients and visitors at all Mount Nittany Health facilities

What steps is Mount Nittany Health taking related to COVID-19?

The health and well-being of our staff, patients and visitors is our top priority. Mount Nittany Health is working closely with public health officials and other community health agencies to monitor local conditions related to COVID-19 (coronavirus).


Staying informed - We are continuously monitoring the outbreak as it evolves through the CDC, Pennsylvania Department of Health, and other expert sources.


Extra measures – We have implemented numerous extra measures to ensure everyone’s safety. This includes the following, among others:

  • Special cleaning of all areas several times a day

  • Screening

  • Requiring patients, visitors, employees and providers to mask

  • Using telehealth when possible to provide care

  • New protective barriers between patients and staff in registration areas

  • Scheduling time between patient visits to limit/eliminate people in the waiting rooms and practice social distancing

  • Temporary visitation restrictions

Collaboration - Our team has been working on education and preparedness, included providing a comprehensive grand rounds education session attended by hundreds of Mount Nittany Health staff and community organizations, posting current CDC and Department of Health (DOH) information on our website, coordinating with the DOH regarding patient testing and reporting protocols, planning with state and local emergency management agencies, participating with Penn State’s planning task force, providing daily updates at patient safety huddles, and working through treatment and testing decisions with providers around specific patients.

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