In my opinion there is at least a 20 percent increase, compared to the same period last year, in both our mental health and wellness services,” said Eduardo Espiridion, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Reading Hospital Tower Health.

Reading Hospital has added an emergency tent adjacent to the hospital’s emergency department, one of several changes to adjust to the hospital’s needs during the COVID-19 crisis.

Four area hospitals received a five-star ranking from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers the Medicare program. The CMS released its annual Hospital Compare star ratings last week, illustrating the quality performance of more than 4,500 hospitals in the United States.

Reading Hospital is looking to better support its diverse workforce through understanding which language their employees speak at home. The hospital, which employs close to 7,000 people, found that its employees speak at least 37 languages, according to a survey by the hospital’s Diversity & Inclusion Council.

A new cancer treatment tool which employs magnetic resonance imaging to treat tumors is now in use at the McGlinn Cancer Institute at Reading Hospital. The system is designed to minimize exposure of healthy tissue to radiation.

As part of Tower Health’s recent partnership with Philadelphia’s Drexel University, 110 clinicians and staff from Drexel Medicine joined Tower Health Medical Group, effective Jan. 1.

Researchers and health care providers at Reading Hospital have found an important key to improving patient care. Cultural awareness. To address this need, the hospital developed and launched its Cultural Awareness Program this year with Alvernia University. The in-classroom course teaches Reading Hospital employees how to be more culturally sensitive to their patients.

Learn how area hospitals rate for safety. The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization focused on improving hospital safety, released their biannual safety ratings of the nation’s hospitals Nov. 7. The majority of area hospitals received A grades, while a few earned B, C, and even D ratings.

Reading Hospital, the acute-care hospital of Tower Health in Reading, has hired a child-life specialist to support pediatric patients who may be experiencing anxiety during their stay in the emergency department.

Reading Hospital President and CEO William M. Jennings has personally donated $2,797.00 to the hospital’s employee assistance fund. Jennings presented his check to Katherine Thomas, president of the Reading Hospital Foundation on Aug. 21.  The donation was the result of Jennings’ pledge to donate $1 to the fund for every run scored in the Reading Hospital Employee softball leagues’ 2019 season.