BY DAVID J. FOSTER
Staff Writer

The Temple University banners that wave along Allegheny Ave. send two messages: The pride and the hospital are back.

Two years ago, isolated in this era of mergers and multi-hospital systems, Northeastern Hospital, Allegheny Ave. and Tulip St., was a dinosaur, a stand-alone acute care facility struggling to treat an aging community with increasingly complex health needs.

Back in the 60's and 70's when its patient mix was younger and medical care less bureaucratic, technical, and costly, "Northeastern was the place too," said Jeffrey Susi, the hospital's new CEO.

Twenty years later, merger-mania and the aging of the local population made for some very difficult times. Survival was not guaranteed.

"Word spread quickly," Susi said. "This is a very close knit community."

That community Port Richmond was home to Northeastern's patient base. If they turned away, it was all over.

Port Richmond hasn't changed much over time. Still middle class and largely blue collar, its residents' roots are deeply planted along Frankford and Allegheny aves. It's how they've warded off much of the blight suffocating its neighboring communities. These are loyal, scrappy people.

"There was always a solid group of people who supported Northeastern," said Susi. But they are also attentive tony changes in their community.

"You can spend a fortune on marketing, but it's the word-of-mouth marketing people's perceptions and what they tell one another that's everything here," said Susi.

And when the community perceived Northeastern as suffering under the crush of hospital mergers and expansions, even the employees grew anxious.

The January 1995 acquisition by Temple University gave residents pause: "The attitude was, 'Gee, that's great, I think.' They feared (we would) still close and transfer the patients (to Temple)," said Susi, who arrived a year later.

But Temple backed their promises with money. Two years later, Temple has invigorated Northeastern with millions of dollars in services, medical expertise, and cash.

Those new problems have made the change palpable to the hospital board, the surrounding business community, and that core group of Northeastern patients.

It's that patient base that enticed Temple. Prior to the acquisition of Northeastern, local cardiac patients would utilize any one of three facilities (Temple University Hospital, Allegheny University Hospital, or Albert Einstein Medical Center). No longer. "Now, Temple receives the lion's share" of the patients, said Susi.

Susi says that while Temple brought much to Northeastern, cooperation with management by physicians, nurses, and employees have also played a major role in the rebirth.

"Four years ago, 40 percent of Port Richmond (patients) needing orthopedic surgery would have gone downtown. Now, we have a daily room dedicated just to orthopedics - two rooms on Friday," said Susi. Northeastern's orthopedics business has doubled. The surgeons are members of Temple's top flight orthopedic team.

One year ago, Northeastern opened a sports medicine facility. "That's something we couldn't have done without Temple," Susi said.

Temple is renown for guiding the city's top athletes back to peak performance after severe and complicated injuries. "Why can't Aunt Bessie use the same knowledge and approach to return to her highest level of performance? The concepts used in sports medicine can help the hip replacement patient become mobile again," said Susi.

In keeping with its dedication to me aging population, Northeastern has added a 20-bed extended care unit where patients can stay two weeks beyond what their insurer will allow.

Other programs targeted to the elderly: Home health services and adult day care.

The next big advance for the hospital will be in the area of pulmonary care.

"Port Richmond has high incidents of smoking and environmental-related lung and airway problems," Susi said. "The first thing we will do is get the staff of Temple pulmonology over here to see patients."

Northeastern is also examining the possibility of adding a lung and airways disorder center, which would house a sleep laboratory. A cancer treatment center is not far behind.

The union with Temple also played a critical role in helping Susi reduce costs. For example, Northeastern's food services have been consolidated with Temple's. "Half the preparation is done on-site, half is done at Temple," Susi said. Next on the agenda: consolidating laboratories. Estimated savings: $500,000.

"For the things we will never be able to do here, we have easy access - a doorway - into Temple University," Susi said. "That means all their information and their relationships with primary care doctors flow with them."

And if they can't get to Temple on their own, Northeastern runs a shuttle service to get them there.

"We've always been a community hospital providing health services to the community. Now we can deliver University level services locally to that community," said Susi.