This Pennsylvania Mayor Said a Local Hospital’s Plan To Expand Its Emergency Room Was in the ‘Best Interests’ of Her Constituents’ Health. Then She Helped Block It.

This Pennsylvania Mayor Said a Local Hospital’s Plan To Expand Its Emergency Room Was in the ‘Best Interests’ of Her Constituents’ Health. Then She Helped Block It.

Geisinger Community Medical Center operates one of just two emergency rooms in Scranton, Pa. In 2023, its leaders advanced a plan to expand its ER, citing a lack of space for hospital beds that left doctors treating patients in closets and bathrooms. Scranton mayor Paige Cognetti (D.), now running for Congress against Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Bresnahan (Pa.), portrayed the expansion as necessary for her constituents' health. Then she approv…