Our History

The Wyoming County Community Health Foundation is built upon the efforts of earlier organizations also committed to improving the health and quality of life of the greater Wyoming County Community.

In December of 1987, the Tyler Health Foundation was created to support the work of Tyler Memorial Hospital.The hospital was founded in 1948 by a group of medical professionals and local citizens who recognized the urgent need for the emergency services, obstetrics, general medicine and surgical care that could only be provided by a local hospital.

Tyler was the lone acute care facility in Wyoming County and grew to serve a regional population base of approximately 30,000 that included all of Wyoming County and parts of both Susquehanna and Bradford Counties. Because the nearest full-service facilities were 30 miles and 45 minute drives away, the hospital was vital to the health, safety and quality of life of this growing community.

For 23 years, the Tyler Health Foundation, with the help of dozens of community volunteers, raised funds through annual campaigns, grants, fundraising events, bequests and memorials to supply much-needed equipment and to help expand the services of this small, rural hospital.

As the new century approached its second decade, the financial challenges of sustaining an independent hospital increased and to ensure the hospital's long-term survival, the decision was made by the Tyler Board of Directors to seek a partner. On January 1, 2010, Tyler Memorial Hospital was fully acquired by Mercy Hospital, a subsidiary of Catholic Health Partners (CHP), a non-profit hospital organization.

The Tyler Health Foundation reorganized and continued its mission of supporting the hospital, now renamed Mercy Tyler Hospital. During this period, the hospital embarked on an ambitious project to expand the capacity of its emergency and outpatient services departments.

On October 6, 2010, CHP announced its decision to sell all of its hospitals in Northeastern PA, including Tyler. On May 1, 2011, Mercy Tyler Hospital, Mercy Hospital, Scranton and Mercy Special Care Hospital, Nanticoke were sold to Community Health System (CHS), a for-profit, hospital system based in Tennessee. The Tyler Health Foundation was not included in this sale and was granted legal permission to retain the accumulated assets of the foundation.

Tyler's acquisition by a for-profit corporation presented new challenges for the Tyler Health Foundation. After much consultation, research and community input, the Tyler Health Foundation reinvented itself as the Tyler Health Partnership and on December 13, 2012, was recognized by IRS to as a 501(c)3, organization independent from Tyler Hospital.

In September of 2013, the Tyler Health Partnership, in order to reflect its expanded emphasis on supporting a wider variety of organizations and projects to enhance the health and quality of life of the community, the organization took steps to change its name to the Wyoming County Community Health Foundation.

Tyler Memorial Hospital

Tyler Memorial Hospital located in the heart of Wyoming County.

The children were engaged, entertained and learned a lot about food and nutrition! -- Wendy Morris, 3rd grade teacher Mehoopany Elementary

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