Reading Hospital names new CEO

William Jennings has been named president and CEO of Reading Hospital in West Reading, effective Oct. 15, 2018.

The appointment was announced Thursday by Clint Matthews, president and chief executive officer of Tower Health, which is the parent company of Reading Hospital, Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; Brandywine Hospital in Caln Township; Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia; and Jennersville Hospital in Penn Township in southern Chester County.

As president and CEO, Jennings will be responsible for providing executive leadership to all aspects of Reading Hospital’s operations, performance, strategy, employee and physician engagement and service to the community, according to a press release.

Matthews, who held a dual role as president and CEO of both Reading Hospital and Tower Health, will remain with the system in the role of president and CEO of Tower Health.

Jennings comes to Reading Hospital from the Yale New Haven Health System, where he serves as executive vice president for the system and CEO of Bridgeport Hospital, an urban teaching hospital affiliated with the Yale University School of Medicine.

Under his leadership, Bridgeport Hospital increased patient and physician satisfaction, reduced serious safety events by 70 percent, improved the hospital’s awareness and preference among consumers and strengthened its financial performance. Jennings also initiated and led the hospital’s diversity and inclusion efforts, as well as a nursing standardization initiative.

“I am very excited to assume this new role with Reading Hospital and Tower Health. I was attracted by Reading Hospital’s reputation for excellence and service and there is a strong sense of opportunity and progress throughout the entire Tower Health system,” Jennings said in the release. “I’m excited to build on the progress that has been achieved, and to help Reading Hospital thrive in the challenging future for healthcare.”

Jennings previously served as president of SSM St. Mary’s Health Center in St. Louis, Missouri; and as president for the SSM St. Louis Heart Institute. He has also held executive positions for BayCare Health System in Florida, and the Cookeville Regional Medical Center in Cookeville, Tenn.

He earned his master’s degree in health administration from The Ohio State University, and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio.

“We are fortunate to have selected a leader of this caliber,” Matthews said in the release. “As Reading Hospital continues to grow and develop as the flagship hospital of Tower Health, Bill will provide the executive oversight to enhance existing services, and to continue our relentless pursuit of excellence in all we do.”

For more information about Tower Health visit www.towerhealth.org.

William Jennings