Hershey Med president leaves job; national search for replacement planned

Deborah Berini has left her job as president of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

A brief statement from Penn State Health on Monday gives no reason for her departure, and a spokeswoman said she would provide no further information.

Deborah Addo, the executive vice president and chief operating officer for Penn State Health, was put in charge of the medical center last Thursday, the statement said.

The change came within about a week of the revelation of a Pennsylvania Department of Health investigation and report that detailed problems within Penn State Health’s kidney and liver transplant program, which is based at Hershey Medical Center.

The investigation also involved the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the United Network for Organ Sharing. It found problems including failing to recognize and analyze instances of new or recent transplant patients having to be taken back to the operating room or readmitted to the hospital, failing to inform two patients they were offered and ultimately accepted high-risk organs, and failing to keep UNOS and CMS apprised of significant personnel changes.

Penn State Health voluntarily deactivated its kidney and liver transplant program in April. It’s implementing a plan of correction but hasn’t disclosed a timetable for resuming the transplants.

Asked if Berini’s departure is related to the problems with the kidney and liver transplant program, spokeswoman Barbara Schindo said Penn State Health would provide no further information.

Addo began working for Penn State Health about two years ago and has more than 30 years of experience working in hospital operations and management.

Berini began working at the medical center in September 2018, after previously serving as chief operating officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch Health System.

Penn State Health plans a national search for a new president for Hershey Medical Center, the statement said.