KATELYN HIBBARD/Sun-Gazette David T. Feinberg, left, president and CEO of Geisinger Health, shakes hands with Edward Sowul, administrative director of Jersey Shore Hospital’s radiology department, while he and other Geisinger officials tour the hospital. Jersey Shore’s President and CEO David Shannon, center, joins them.

KATELYN HIBBARD/Sun-Gazette
Leaders of Geisinger Health toured the newly dubbed Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital, handing out welcome baggies filled with ID card holders, pens and cookies to doctors, nurses and other hospital staff. From left are Lynn Miller, Geisinger executive vice president and chief administrative officer of clinical enterprise; Brock Trunzo, Geisinger marketing and public relations director; David Shannon, Jersey Shore president and CEO; Joe Stender, Geisinger media specialist; Tom Sokola, Geisinger central region chief administrative officer; and Jaewon Ryu, Geisinger executive vice president and chief medical officer.

KATELYN HIBBARD/Sun-Gazette
Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital nurses and doctors gather to celebrate the merging of Geisinger Health and Jersey Shore Hospital on Monday. Several leaders for both parties spoke excitedly of the unification and later toured the facility to welcome Jersey Shore staff to the Geisinger family.

KATELYN HIBBARD/Sun-Gazette
David T. Feinberg, left, president and CEO of Geisinger Health, shakes hands with Edward Sowul, administrative director of Jersey Shore Hospital’s radiology department, while he and other Geisinger officials tour the hospital. Jersey Shore’s President and CEO David Shannon, center, joins them.

JERSEY SHORE — Staff and community members gathered Monday to celebrate the successful unification of Geisinger Health and Jersey Shore Hospital, now Geisinger Jersey Shore.

David Shannon, Geisinger Jersey Shore president and CEO, said the staff allows Jersey Shore to live its mission — the “culture of caring” — every day, and he’s confident Geisinger has done, and will continue to, do the same.

As the organizations went through the process of merging, Geisinger “was always looking at

the way we do things because they felt they could learn just as much from a small hospital as we could learn from them,” Shannon said.

Geisinger’s central region Chief Administrative Officer Tom Sokola echoed Shannon.

“The culture of caring … That’s such a sweet spot for us. That’s our motto,” Sokola said. “We will learn, as Dave said, from each other.”

The organization is 10 days into its unification after over a year of decision-making and integration. The merger officially was cleared by the state attorney general at the end of June.

While some of the Jersey Shore staff will relocate to Geisinger, Sokola said, Geisinger welcomes all of Jersey Shore and its affiliated locations — Avis Medical Center, Tiadaghton Health Center in Lock Haven and its Urgent Care Center in McElhattan — to the family.

Dr. David T. Feinberg, Geisinger president and CEO, said he appreciates the culture of caring that Jersey Shore has culminated. He said Geisinger’s goal is to provide more and better “high quality, low cost” local care and strengthen community engagement.

“The No. 1 thing we’re going to ask our team to do is learn from you,” Feinberg said to Jersey Shore employees.

As the event came to a close, Feinberg, Sokola and Shannon toured the hospital and distributed welcome gifts to many doctors and other staff members throughout the facility along with Jaewon Ryu, Geisinger executive vice president and chief medical officer, and Lynn Miller, Geisinger executive vice president and chief administrative officer of clinical enterprise.

“I know it’s only 10 days since the actual merger, but you guys are doing great,” Feinberg told members of the radiology department on his tour. “Keep the culture you have here.”

Many at Jersey Shore are excited about joining Geisinger, too. Dr. Raj Patel, who specializes in internal medicine at Jersey Shore, said a majority of the staff are very happy about the merger.

“It’s a great day for Jersey Shore Hospital,” Patel said.