Penn State Health names chief nursing officer for Lancaster Medical Center

Penn State Health has named Barbara Zuppa as its chief nursing officer for Lancaster Medical Center effective Monday, Jan. 17. Zuppa will be responsible for nursing practice and administrative, operational and financial functions of nursing and clinical areas for Penn State Health’s fifth and newest acute care hospital, which is scheduled to open at 2160 State Road in Lancaster in late 2022.

“We are excited that Barbara will be joining our executive team,” said Joe Frank, regional president, Penn State Health. “She is an experienced nurse executive with a passion for excellence and a strong record of improving clinical quality and enhancing patient experience. We are confident she will provide valuable leadership to our nursing teams at the new hospital that we are building to give residents of Lancaster County and surrounding communities easier access to Penn State Health’s brand of care.”

Prior to joining Penn State Health, Zuppa served as the vice president for nursing operations for Reading-based Tower Health where she provided vision and strategic direction for nursing services.

An expert in building community relationships, Barbara partnered with the United Way of Berks County and the Reading School District to establish an adopt-a-class program that annually provides school supplies for more than 120 teachers and classes and supplies for school nurses to address student health needs. She partnered with Healthy Harvest regional fresh food bank to implement a “pound per person” challenge that provides more than 8,000 pounds of food donations annually.

Zuppa co-founded the Berks Regional Nursing Research Alliance, a community-based consortium with representation from hospital, academic, professional organizational and community nursing entities.

Zuppa holds a master’s degree in nursing education from Alvernia University in Reading. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from University of Phoenix. She is a member of numerous professional organizations, has presented at national conferences and published in professional journals.

Lancaster Medical Center is a 129-bed community hospital under construction in East Hempfield Township, Lancaster County. When it opens in late 2022, the hospital will give residents in this growing community expanded access to Penn State Health’s primary, specialty and acute care, including the advanced care and clinical trials at the health system’s academic hub, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Lancaster Medical Center will feature an emergency department, specialty medical and surgical services, an imaging lab, labor and delivery, and an attached medical office building for physician practices and outpatient services. It will employ nearly 900 health care workers when fully operational.

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