The Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County named Kathleen Rhine, President and CEO of Mount Nittany Health as Healthcare Business Leader of the Year during their Annual Celebration and Chamber Awards event on Thursday, October 26, 2023.
“’Healthier people, stronger community.’ That’s Mount Nittany Health’s mission. It’s also been a driving passion for me as the President and CEO,” said Rhine. “Thank you to the CBICC for this immense honor, and a very special thank you to the physicians, nurses and staff at Mount Nittany Health who are dedicated to providing high-quality, patient-centered care to the members of our community each and every day.”
According to the CBICC, this award honors “the person who has adeptly positioned their business for maximum success bringing outsized exposure to its excellently run facilities, programs, and/or employee interactions.”
A Penn State graduate having returned to Happy Valley to lead Mount Nittany Health several years ago, Rhine recognizes the critical role our organization plays in supporting not only the health and well-being, but also the economic development of our communities.
“Kathleen has been instrumental in expanding access to care by recruiting more physicians to our community and growing our clinical programs. She is also leading Mount Nittany Health on one of its most extensive capital programs in its history – investing in new care facilities like the Outpatient Center and Patient Tower, but also in enabling technology and other infrastructure to support our providers and staff,” said Kurt Kissinger, Chief Strategy & System Development Officer, Mount Nittany Health. “All of this translates into better care that attracts more people to our wonderful community.”
Since joining Mount Nittany Health in 2017, Kathleen has advanced the development and execution of a long-term capital investment and expansion program to provide state-of-the art facilities and technology to meet the changing healthcare needs of the community. This includes such major projects as a new 10-story, 168-bed patient tower opening in 2026; a new 125,000 square foot outpatient center at Toftrees opening in 2024; a new State College express care location opening in spring 2024, recently renovated Cardiovascular Pavilion, Dialysis Center, Lab, and Women and Children’s unit; and a multi-phase expansion of the Diagnostic and Imaging Pavilion at Mount Nittany Medical Center.
Under Kathleen’s leadership, Mount Nittany Health has also expanded its clinical programming and reach, offering the region’s leading, multi-specialty medical group providing access to more than 30 medical specialties to serve the growing needs of the community and region.
During this time of growth and expansion, Mount Nittany Health has continued its reputation for providing nationally recognized care. This includes such recognitions as receiving a Five-Star Quality Rating by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the fifth consecutive reporting period, and being named a “World’s Best Hospital 2023” and “America’s Best Maternity Hospitals” by Newsweek and earning The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of ApprovalTM for quality care and patient safety. In addition, the American Heart Association honored Mount Nittany Medical Center with the 2023 Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Award.