Holy Spirit and Penn State Hershey sign cardiac and thoracic surgery agreement

Holy Spirit Cardiovascular Institute and Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute have signed a collaborative agreement for cardiac and thoracic surgery. It will allow physicians from Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute to provide world-class cardiothoracic surgery at The Ortenzio Heart Center at Holy Spirit.

The agreement will optimize the use of existing, state-of-the art facilities in Camp Hill and Hershey, allowing physicians to be able to better meet the needs of the region's residents, and expand the types of heart surgeries offered at The Ortenzio Heart Center at Holy Spirit.

“Holy Spirit has always been innovative and collaborative in meeting community healthcare needs and adapting to and changing in a challenging environment,” says Rick Schaffner, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Holy Spirit Health System. “We're always looking for ways to work more effectively, without compromising quality, access, service and value. When that means collaborating with other healthcare providers, we do that. We will continue to evaluate opportunities and partnerships if they bring value to the communities we serve.”

Drs. Vincent Park and John Pennock from the Holy Spirit Cardiovascular Institute will be joined by Drs. David Campbell, Michael Lazar, Walter Pae, Michael Reed, Behzad Soleimani, and Edward Stephenson from the Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute to provide a full spectrum of cardiac and thoracic procedures at The Ortenzio Heart Center at Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit patients also will be able to take advantage of a robust, heart and vascular clinical research study program at Penn State Hershey.

“As an academic health center, we are eager to partner with a strong community hospital and health system like Holy Spirit that is nationally recognized for the quality of its cardiac program,” said Robin Wittenstein, chief operating officer, Penn State Hershey Health System. “This collaboration will enable our two systems to optimize our facilities and expertise to ensure that no one from central Pennsylvania needs to leave the region to access cutting-edge care and research related to heart and thoracic surgery.”

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