Sherry Kwater was recently named chief nursing officer for Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She replaces Donna Reck who left the organization in June.
Kwater, who joined the Medical Center in August 2010, brings more than 25 years of health care executive leadership to the role. Her experience as chief and vice president of clinical excellence at the Sisters of Mercy Health System in St. Louis included oversight for Nursing and Quality across 26 facilities, which ranged in size from critical access clinics to a 1,000-bed teaching facility.
Her responsibilities there included the development of a system-wide, patient care strategic plan and nurse staffing strategy. Kwater also had oversight of the health system’s quality and safety initiatives, which resulted in the creation of a patient safety center focused on creating a transparent and just culture. Through this center the organization successfully reduced hospital-associated infections, performing at the top 10 percentile in the United States. Her role also included managerial relationships with 24 separate chief nursing officers across the health system.
Since May, Kwater served as interim chief nursing officer at Penn State Hershey in addition to carrying out her existing duties as director of clinical quality.