Penn State Health has appointed Claire Mooney, a health care executive from eastern Pennsylvania, as senior vice president and chief operating officer with responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Lancaster Medical Center, which is scheduled to open at 2160 State Road in the Fall of 2022. She will begin on Monday, Sept. 13.

Mooney is the current president and CEO of two Tower Health hospitals: Brandywine Hospital in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and Jennersville Hospital in West Grove, Pennsylvania. She brings a strong record of executive leadership in the southeastern region of Pennsylvania that will prove beneficial as construction of the hospital progresses.

“I look forward to partnering with Claire in the development of a distinctive hospital that gives residents of Lancaster County and the surrounding area access to Penn State Health services without the need to make the drive to Hershey for all but the most advanced level of care,” said Joe Frank, interim regional president. “Her ability to synthesize the clinical capabilities of doctors and nurses with highly capable support staff in a way that results in high patient satisfaction scores will be instrumental in our ability to safely deliver quality patient outcomes.”

An active community participant, Mooney has driven change in her community by serving as chair of the Chester County Economic Development Council for Healthcare Connect and as a general member of its board of directors. In 2021, Dr. Mooney was appointed to the Chester County Workforce Development Board. She is the recipient of the 2020 March of Dimes Salute to Chester County Women of Achievement Health Care Award and in 2021 she was named the Chester County VISTA Leadership Megastar.

Mooney holds a doctorate degree in nursing practice and a master’s degree in leadership and health systems management from Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana. In addition, she earned a master of business administration in health care from Alvernia University, Reading, Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Immaculata University, Immaculata, Pennsylvania. She holds a certificate in health care finance from the Healthcare Financial Management Association.