WILLIAMSPORT – The UPMC hospital chain plans to take another step eastward, this time into Northumberland County.

On Wednesday, UPMC Susquehanna announced it has signed an agreement to purchase the 70-bed Sunbury Community Hospital and the 47-bed Lock Haven Hospital.

It’s the latest in a series of moves by the Pittsburgh-based health system, which is bringing it into direct competition with Danville-based Geisinger Health System. Geisinger recently announced plans to purchase Jersey Shore Hospital and to partner with Highmark to form a health campus in the Montoursville area.

The hospitals in Sunbury and Lock Haven are currently owned by Quorum Health, a company spun off last year from Community Healh Systems, owner of Berwick Hospital.

“We are excited to extend our tradition of high-quality, compassionate care to the Lock Haven and Sunbury communities,” says Steven P. Johnson, president of UPMC Susquehanna. “Bringing these hospitals into our family allows us to reinvest in both facilities to improve access, enhance care, and grow existing services.”

In a press release, Sunbury Community Hospital CEO Bob Williams noted that “The employees of Sunbury Community Hospital are greatly looking forward to our new relationship with UPMC Susquehanna.”

Steven Davis, CEO of Lock Haven Hospital, says becoming part of UPMC Susquehanna will benefit the operations and financial stability of Lock Haven Hospital. “We are pleased to join the UPMC Susquehanna family,” says Davis. “UPMC Susquehanna is well-known for providing patients with high-quality doctors, nurses and medical staff close to home. Joining this innovative team is a great win for our community.”

In the past year, UPMC has begun an eastward expansion, purchasing Susquehanna Health System in October, which included hospitals in Williamsport, Muncy and Wellsboro.

The amount of the sale was not disclosed in the press release.