WellSpan Health (WellSpan) is a physician-led, locally governed organization. It meets the region’s needs by connecting care delivery with responsibility. In response to patient demand and workforce challenges, WellSpan serves over 1.5 million patients in Pennsylvania and Maryland. It manages hospitals, outpatient locations, home care, and behavioral health services.
The organization shapes its approach with a shared mission: “Working as One to improve health through exceptional care for all, lifelong wellness, and healthy communities.” This mission guides nine hospitals and over 220 sites, where teams organize care that extends beyond single treatments. Founded in 1880, WellSpan continues to rely on local governance to balance decisions on growth, investment, and partnerships. Building on these foundations, WellSpan’s broad operational scope demonstrates how its mission is put into practice.
WellSpan Health operations and scope
Employing more than 23,000 team members, WellSpan’s workforce includes about 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers. The organization delivers care in hospitals, outpatient centers, and community settings, with over 130 locations for imaging, labs, rehab, and related services. Leaders see scale as a tool to improve coordination, building a provider network that reduces duplication and ensures patients receive seamless care as they move between primary care, specialty services, and hospitals.
To WellSpan, care delivery means choosing where to provide services and supporting patients before and after their visits rooted in the belief that access and affordability are central to long-term health, workforce participation, and family stability. That commitment is reflected in $126 million in services provided to patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Community Impact Report and reinvestment
WellSpan’s economic footprint extends beyond healthcare delivery. The WellSpan 2025 Community Impact Report states the system supported 45,557 jobs, directly and indirectly, in fiscal year 2025. As a major regional employer, it considers its workforce planning a key part of community stewardship.
The report reveals how the organization invests in community health through community grants. Available online, the report details financial contributions and program activities focused on access, prevention, and local partnerships.
WellSpan awarded $2.67 million in grants that year, supporting outreach and programs by local organizations. The grants bridge clinical care with factors such as food access, housing, transportation, mental health, and chronic disease prevention.
The report links WellSpan’s investments to its long-term vision. Its Path to 2030 framework integrates environmental responsibility, financial discipline, and system resilience. While the report presents annual data, leaders treat it as an ongoing effort, with transparency and measurement built into each year’s reporting.
Real-world impacts
Behind the data, frameworks and reports are real communities and real patients. The Sechler Family Cancer Center, which recently marked ten years of care, is one of the clearest expressions of that commitment touching thousands of lives through dedicated clinicians, generous supporters and community partners.
Dr Nikhilesh Korgaonkar, Chief Medical Officer of the WellSpan Cancer Institute, put it plainly: ‘it’s a promise to this community,’ he said in a press release. “It’s a promise that you don’t have to leave home to receive exceptional cancer care. It’s a promise that you can be surrounded by your family, your support system and your community during one of the most difficult times in your life.
“What makes this place so special is not just what we do, but how we do it,” he continued. “Care here is delivered as a team medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgery, pharmacy, nutrition, navigation and social work, among others.
Direction and next priorities
Looking forward, WellSpan Health maintains a clear vision: “A Trusted Partner. Reimagining Healthcare. Inspired Health.” This vision guides continued integration of services, stronger connections between clinical care and community life, and ongoing reinvestment in the region.
Over the course of its history, WellSpan Health has built enduring relationships with patients and communities. Not just by delivering services, but by aligning every step of its growth with its mission working as one to meet evolving healthcare challenges across regions and care settings.
WellSpan is also navigating a leadership transition. Roxanna Gapstur, PhD, R.N., who has served as President and CEO since 2019, has announced her retirement. During her tenure, she steered significant growth, strengthened the system’s integrated model, and consistently credited her team as the foundation of WellSpan’s success.
“The work we do at WellSpan has always been about our patients, our team members, and the communities who trust us with their care,” she commented in a press release about her retirement. “I am deeply proud of what we have built together and highly confident in WellSpan’s future.”
