Penn Highlands President To Retire in 2023
John Sutika, President of Penn Highlands DuBois, announced plans to retire on June 30, 2023.
"I want to retire while I'm still young and healthy enough to enjoy spending time with my family and doing the things we like to do together," said Mr. Sutika.
Mr. Sutika has been the president of Penn Highlands DuBois since 2011. His path to the hospital's senior leadership role included financial positions in both the corporate and healthcare sectors.
Following graduation from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, Mr. Sutika joined Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & Young) as a certified public accountant. In 1985, he began his career with DuBois Regional Medical Center. During a 20-year period at the medical center, he served as a staff accountant, accounting manager, controller and the chief financial officer. When DuBois Regional Medical Center began managing Brookville Hospital in 2005, he was named president. In 2011, Mr. Sutika played a key role in the integration of DuBois Regional Medical Center, Brookville Hospital and Clearfield Hospital when they merged to create Penn Highlands Healthcare.
"It has been wonderful helping our health system come together to add and expand services that allow people to receive care close to their homes," said Mr. Sutika.
During his tenure with Penn Highlands Healthcare, Mr. Sutika helped the system expand many services including The Heart Center, The Lung Center, Hahne Cancer Center, Neurosurgery, Neonatal and Obstetrics and growth in Psychiatry. He is especially proud that the system has been established as a teaching hospital.
"Our Graduate Medical Education program is training quality family medicine, psychiatry and now sports medicine physicians here in our community," he added.
Mr. Sutika is strongly rooted in the central Pennsylvania community. He was born and raised in Grampian, Pennsylvania and attended Curwensville High School where he met his wife, Cheryl. The Sutikas raised three children in that community including daughter, Michelle, and sons, John and Brett.
In addition to traveling, during his retirement, Mr. Sutika plans to spend time with his grandchildren, Judson and Lily; golf; hunt; and perhaps coach various sports.
"John's retirement is bittersweet news," remarked Steven M. Fontaine, CEO of Penn Highlands Healthcare. "While he has worked tirelessly to help expand and maintain quality healthcare in the communities we serve, he deserves to relax and enjoy life. We appreciate the time he has devoted to our health system and I am confident that everyone will wish him well when he begins the next phase of his life."
About Penn Highlands Healthcare
Penn Highlands Healthcare was officially formed in 2011, and is comprised of eight hospitals – Penn Highlands Brookville, Penn Highlands Clearfield, Penn Highlands Connellsville, Penn Highlands DuBois, Penn Highlands Elk, Penn Highlands Huntingdon, Penn Highlands Mon Valley and Penn Highlands Tyrone -- that have served area communities for the past 100+ years.
Its business continuum also includes home care agencies, long-term care facilities and residential senior living communities, as well as durable medical equipment companies and retail pharmacies.
Penn Highlands Healthcare has evolved into an organization with 6,651 workers in 150+ locations throughout 39 counties in Northwestern/Central and Southwestern Pennsylvania that include community medical buildings, outpatient facilities, surgery centers and physician practices. The facilities have a total of 1,498 inpatient, skilled nursing and personal care beds. The system, which has 827 physicians and 405 advanced practice providers on staff, offers a wide range of care and treatments with specialty units for cancer, cardiovascular/thoracic, neurosurgery, pulmonology, neonatal and high-risk pregnancy patients. Being focused on what is important – patients and families – makes Penn Highlands Healthcare the best choice in the region.