In 2019, Penn State Health announced that it had signed a letter of intent with Danville-based Geisinger Health to purchase Geisinger Holy Spirit in East Pennsboro Township. 

More than 70 Geisinger Health System employees filed a class-action suit against Danville-based Geisinger Medical Center and its affiliated hospitals and clinics, claiming its COVID-19 testing requirements for employees exempt from getting the vaccine force them to choose between their religion and their jobs. 

Geisinger will temporarily restrict in-person visits to all of its hospitals, including Geisinger Holy Spirit, following spikes of positive COVID-19 cases across the state.

A Geisinger Health Plan executive of the last six years was named the company’s permanent president this week after serving as interim president since February.

The sale of Geisinger Health-owned Holy Spirit Health System to Penn State Health will take longer than expected after regulatory bodies requested more time to investigate the sale due to antitrust concerns.

Penn State Health could be the new owner of Holy Spirit Health System by next year if Penn State Health and Danville-based Geisinger Health follow through on a letter of intent the two systems announced on Tuesday.

Geisinger Health System’s newest executive oversees the Danville-based hospital system’s 6,500-plus nurses.