When you need to eat, there are grocery stores in Pike County. But up until recently, there really haven't been any health care centers. But now Northwell Health has a physician partners facility here in Dingmans Ferry. A second one coming to route six in Hawley as well soon in 2026. So we wanted to meet the doctor behind Northwell Health here in the Poconos.

With a new year comes a new effort to provide healthcare to people in this part of the Poconos — south of Milford and the Big Lake, along Route 739 and the doctor is in.

"It's about community and recognizing that the person you're treating is a parent, a brother, a sister, a niece and nephew, a friend to someone. And we need to make them well so they can enjoy their time with their people."

Dr. Michael Mandarano has started seeing patients at the new Northwell Health facility. There's a walk-in option and appointments available as well — all part of an effort to deliver care where there wasn't care before.

"So it was recognized that there was, you know, this was a medical desert, if you will, and there was a need for care. So Dingmans Ferry is the first of that facility and recognizing and showing that we can grow and provide that need. It will be our second site in Hawley, hopefully opening in twenty twenty six in the early, late spring, early summer."

That second location is right at Lake Wallenpaupack on Route 6, near the high school.

Local leaders and healthcare officials with Northwell look forward to opening this location too like they did in Dingmans Ferry.

"Let me just by saying telling everybody from Northwell, welcome to Pike County. It's been a long time coming."

Bringing healthcare to Pike County has been a high priority of the commissioners for years, and now it’s happening with Northwell Health from New York.

"And then that service to that is coming to the lake is even just as important, because our population triples during vacation time. And that is the primary vacation spot. Milford and Lake Wallenpaupack and Woodloch. Um, that drives our everything that we do here."

"While we're New York based and our roots are in New York, it's not we're not trying to bring New York to Pennsylvania. We're responding to local needs. So recognizing that and our foundation is truly built on patient centered care, community based. And we're bringing that is what we're bringing, not New York to Pennsylvania. We're responding to local needs."

Patients have already been in the door in Dingman’s Ferry, with plenty of parking all around the immediate care facility, and brand new exam rooms with lab services and even some X‑ray capabilities — covering everything from sprains to strains, flu and cold.

But care is not confined to the doors of this office — Northwell plans to go out into the community now that it's expanded here from New York.

"We're looking into expanding our care, as you said, not just to patients that walk through the door, but the community at large. And a big focus of that is veterans and providing care for them."

Eventually the hope is to develop a micro-hospital in Pike County — the only county in PA without such a facility — and these Northwell Health offices are a start.

"This is more than just something professional for me. It's personal. I have a house in Woodloch since nineteen ninety three. And I've also seen in that time in my house in Woodloch, unfortunately, some health care issues, they're literally having to ride the ambulance down to Scranton with a dear friend whose mother broke her hip and was told quickly, that's the way you had to go with her."

Northwell Health is now in Pike County — in Dingmans Ferry — and by mid‑2026, Hawley by Lake Wallenpaupack.