Impact

Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health issues Quality Improvement award

Pictured, from left, are Larry Baronner, deputy director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health; Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health; Cyndy Whipple (second from right), director of nursing at Muncy Valley Hospital; and Ronald Reynolds, president of Muncy Valley Hospital. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Muncy Valley Hospital received the 2014 Louis A. Ditzel Award for Quality Improvement in Rural Health from the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health (PORH) at a ceremony Jan. 7 at the hospital. The award was accepted by Ronald Reynolds, hospital president, and C. Cynthia Whipple, director of nursing.

The Louis A. Ditzel, Jr. Award for Quality Improvement in Rural Health recognizes an individual or organization whose contributions and visionary leadership significantly improve the health of rural Pennsylvanians and strengthen the quality of the health care systems that serve them. Muncy Valley Hospital is one of 13 Critical Access Hospitals in Pennsylvania, a designation that recognizes the unique characteristics of very small rural hospitals. Located in Muncy, the hospital is part of the Williamsport-based Susquehanna Health.

“Muncy Valley Hospital has made exemplary contributions to rural health care,” said Lisa Davis, PORH director and associate outreach professor of health policy and administration at Penn State. “They ranked amongst the top in the nation and state in quality measures with a 99.4 percent from iVantage Health Analytics. Muncy Valley Hospital proves that rural health care facilities are important and valuable to the communities they serve.”

“Muncy Valley Hospital is proud of the efforts of its physicians, employee service partners and board of directors who contribute to our continued success,” said Ronald Reynolds, president of Muncy Valley Hospital. “Our hospital provides quality services to rural communities who would often have to travel to receive care. By offering the best quality care possible within these rural communities, we can focus on every patient and provide a more individualized care they may not experience elsewhere.”

PORH was established in 1991 at Penn State to enhance the health status of rural Pennsylvanians and strengthen the delivery and quality of care in the communities in which they live. Each year, the organization presents awards to recognize rural health programs and individuals who have made substantial contributions to rural health in Pennsylvania. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, visit www.porh.psu.edu. 

Last Updated January 26, 2015

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