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Centre County economic development strategy

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State College, PA Hotel Named Best of Super 8 Award Winner-Three Consecutive Years

Posted on by Jules Slater

State College, PA – The Super 8 at 1663 South Atherton Street today announced it has been awarded the annual Pride of Super 8 Award, which recognizes the brand’s top-performing hotels and their staff. This is the third consecutive year that the hotel has won this prestigious award.

Honoring the hotel’s continued excellence, Edward Tubbs, CEO of Hospitality Asset Management Company, accepted the award during the Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Annual Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“We are extremely proud of this award as it validates our ongoing commitment to customer service every day. This award is a testament to our hard-working employees that include front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, and breakfast attendants who consistently deliver superior service,” said General Manager, Jessica Peters.

To be eligible for the award, hotels must have demonstrated strong guest satisfaction, had all their staff complete Wyndham’s required health & safety training, and remained in good standing with the brand in the past year.

This Wyndham Green Core property offers 141 guest rooms with free breakfast, fitness center, free parking, complimentary coffee service, meeting space, and on-site laundry facilities. Room amenities include refrigerators and microwave, free Wi-Fi, and pet-friendly and accessible rooms are available.

Penn Highlands Healthcare Residents and Fellows Graduate

Posted on by Jules Slater

(July 1, 2025 – DuBois, PA) Penn Highlands Healthcare is pleased to announce the graduation of its Graduate Medical Education Residents in Family Medicine and Psychiatry and Fellow in Sports Medicine. Of the 10 graduates, five will remain with Penn Highlands Healthcare as psychiatrists and Family Medicine physicians in the Northwest, Central and Southwest regions.

Evan DeFalco, DO, a Family Medicine resident who graduated from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, will be working at a Family Medicine practice at Penn Highlands Mon Valley.

Mitch Kovacs, MD, a Family Practice resident who received their Doctor of Medicine degree from George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., will practice outpatient Family Medicine at Penn Highlands State College.

Joshua David Lowery, MD, M.Ed, a Psychiatry resident who received his Medical degree and Master of Education degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey, PA, will be an attending psychiatrist on the inpatient adult unit and see outpatients at the Penn Highlands Stern Center for Behavioral Health in DuBois.

Dylan Ricker, DO, a Family Medicine resident who graduated from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine at Seton Hill University, will be a hospitalist at Penn Highlands DuBois. 

Jessie W. Zhang, MD, a Psychiatry resident who received her Medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, will be an attending psychiatrist on the inpatient adult unit and see outpatients at the Penn Highlands Stern Center for Behavioral Health in DuBois.

Dawit B. Ayalew, MD, a Family Medicine resident who obtained his Doctor in Medicine degree from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine, is looking forward to returning to VCU to complete a Sports Medicine fellowship at his alma mater.

Mohammad Azim, DO, a Family Medicine resident who attended medical school at Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson, NV, plans a career in Outpatient Family Medicine. 

Drushti Mehta, DO, who was the Sports Medicine Fellow at Penn Highlands Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and Penn Highlands Family Medicine Residency Clinic, is excited for a career in a combination of Sports and Family Medicine.

Rahul Patel, DO, a Family Medicine resident who received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine in Davie, FL, is planning a career as a hospitalist.  

Erica Schmidt, MD, a Psychiatry resident who received her Medical degree from Trinity School of Medicine, Ribishi, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, is leaning toward working at an outpatient facility or a dual-diagnosis residential treatment facility. 

Penn Highlands Healthcare offers Graduate Medical Education (GME) opportunities in Family Medicine and Psychiatry. The health system also offers a fellowship in Sports Medicine. The programs are designed to develop competent and caring physicians that deliver high-quality and compassionate care to patients. Penn Highlands offers a broad range of training experiences with exemplary physicians engaged in the practice of evidence-based empathetic medical care for patients.

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Penn Highlands Healthcare was officially formed in 2011 and is comprised of nine hospitals. Penn Highlands Brookville, Penn Highlands Clearfield, Penn Highlands Connellsville, Penn Highlands DuBois, Penn Highlands Elk, Penn Highlands Huntingdon, Penn Highlands Mon Valley, Penn Highlands Tyrone have served area communities for the past 100+ years. Penn Highlands State College is a new state-of-the-art hospital that opened in 2024. The health system’s business continuum also includes a home care agency, 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 approximately 6,200 employees in 150+ locations throughout 26 counties in Pennsylvania that include community medical buildings, outpatient facilities, surgery centers and physician practices. The facilities have a total of 1,396 inpatient, skilled nursing and personal care beds.  The system, which has 849 physicians and 427 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 a great choice for healthcare in the region.

State-of-the-art disinfection devices to launch at Geisinger hospitals

Posted on by Jules Slater
Skinny machine on four wheels

DANVILLE, Pa. – Geisinger is deploying advanced ultraviolet (UV) disinfection devices across its hospital campuses, enhancing infection prevention efforts in patient care areas.

These cutting-edge devices use UV light to eliminate harmful pathogens. They improve safety by disinfecting patient rooms following manual cleaning, specifically if the room was occupied by someone with an illness that can be spread.

“Bringing UV disinfection technology into our hospitals is a powerful step forward in protecting our patients,” said Mark Shelly, M.D., medical director of infection prevention. “It’s not just about adding new tools. It’s about strengthening our commitment to safety and quality and doing everything we can to prevent hospital-acquired infections. A visibly clean surface is just the beginning. Because germs are invisible, they’re susceptible to UV light. This technology helps us take another meaningful step toward becoming a high-reliability organization, where safety is at the center of everything we do.”

How the technology works

  • Fast and effective: Disinfects rooms in just 12 to 30 minutes, depending on room size.
  • Smart technology: Tracks usage and automatically adjusts UV light levels to ensure thorough disinfection, even in shadowed or hard-to-reach areas.
  • Safe and secure: Operated exclusively by trained Environmental Services technicians. Rooms are clearly marked during use to ensure safety.
  • Targeted use: Used in patient rooms previously occupied by someone with an illness that can be spread.


Tested, trusted and now everywhere

Following successful trials at Geisinger Medical Center and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, where the devices were integrated without disrupting patient flow, 16 of the devices are now being introduced systemwide.

Stopping germs in their tracks

The UV disinfection devices are effective against a wide range of pathogens, including:

  • Clostridioides difficile (C. diff)
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
  • Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE)
  • Acinetobacter baumannii
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae
  • Influenza A
  • Norovirus

About Geisinger

Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the nonprofit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 126 care sites — including 10 hospital campuses — and Geisinger Health Plan, with more than half a million members in commercial and government plans. Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,700 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $15 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country. Learn more at geisinger.org or follow on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

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Spotlight PA To Highlight Local Changemakers Through New “Good News” Newsletter; Seeking Partnerships Ahead of Launch

Posted on by Jules Slater

STATE COLLEGE, PA — Spotlight PA, Pennsylvania’s largest statewide newsroom dedicated to nonpartisan public-service journalism, will soon be offering a new way for local organizations, nonprofits, and businesses to amplify the good work happening in our community through a new “Good News” newsletter.

The newsletter will offer a dedicated space to highlight local changemakers, community initiatives, and the people making a difference across the Centre County region. It will reach thousands of local, highly-engaged subscribers.

Sponsors can showcase a person, project, cause, event, or success they want to celebrate through 250-300 word feature stories, complete with photos and links to their organization. Sponsors will have full control of drafting the story, with assistance from Spotlight PA’s business team and consistent with Spotlight PA’s sponsored content policies.

Sponsors also have the option of purchasing one or more sponsored stories and giving them to a partner organization, nonprofit, or small business of their choice — extending the community impact and directly helping to spread the word about the good things happening here.

All sponsored stories will be featured in Spotlight PA’s upcoming “Good News” newsletter. Spotlight PA is seeking founding sponsors ahead of the newsletter launch — a great opportunity to be a leader in promoting the positive things happening in State College and beyond.

The “Good News” newsletter joins Spotlight PA’s existing local offerings, including the growing “Talk of the Town” newsletter, fall fundraiser “Clink & Think” Quiz Bash, along with Spotlight PA’s award-winning local reporting.

Organizations interested in partnership opportunities can contact State College bureau General Manager David Abruzzese at dabruzzese@spotlightpa.org for more information.

Centre County Mental Health Awareness Month Wrap Up Party A Great Success!

Posted on by Jules Slater

(State College, PA)  A large crowd attended the Centre County Mental Health Awareness Month Wrap Up Party presented by Centre Cares / 988 Suicide Hotline, on Wednesday evening, June 4th, to celebrate the success of a national awareness campaign that concluded May 31st.   This 19th annual event was free to attend and hosted by Skills of Central PA and the Opportunity Centre Clubhouse and held at Wasson Farm.

In a brief but very emotional ceremony, three annual awards were presented.  The 2025 CIT Officers of the Year Award recipients were announced first.  Randi Smeal, Centre County Emergency Communications Public Safety Telecommunicator accepted the first award.  Randi consistently displays a calm and compassionate demeanor when answering emergency and crisis calls and is credited with saving the life of a caller in January, through compassionate and caring communication during a 911 call.  State College Police Lieutenant Bryan Foster was the second recipient.  Lieutenant Foster is the embodiment of calm under pressure.  In the most chaotic and emotionally charged situations, Lieutenant Foster maintains a steady, composed presence that sets the tone for everyone.  Lieutenant Foster’s ability to de-escalate some of the most volatile and delicate encounters without the use of force speaks volumes about his empathy, emotional intelligence, and respect for human life.  He diffused a dangerous situation earlier this year, leading to a very positive outcome. 

Finally, the Centre County Mental Health Advocate of the Year Award presentation closed out the ceremony.  This award is given every year to recognize someone who goes above and beyond to provide support to the mental health community.  For 2025, the State College Food Bank received the award.  Allayn Beck, the Food Bank Executive Director, accepted the honor on behalf of the entire team that makes the Food Bank such an important resource in our community.

More than a dozen mental health care providers participated in an evening-long vendor fair, offering valuable literature, useful free gift items, and great conversations with attendees who had questions about resources available in Centre County. 

The party atmosphere was bolstered with live music by Kevin Briggs and a free Wasson Ice Cream scoop to everyone in attendance!  Complimentary heavy hors d’oeuvres from Have A Nice Day Café and a coffee and snack station were enjoyed by all. 

Speakers from the mental health field addressed the crowd briefly, with valuable words of encouragement, success stories, and informative tips for those seeking assistance and resources.  Appearing at the podium were:  Nicki Tice, Regional Director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services with Skills of Central Pa;  Marisa Vicere, President and Founder of the Jana Marie Foundation;  Amanda Mittan, Police Civilian Social Worker with the State College Police Department;  Tracy Small, Crisis Intervention Team Coordinator;  Helen DeFilippis, Assistant Administrator with Centre County Mental Health; and Laura Gardner, Clinical Supervisor overseeing the Mental Health Services arm of Skills of Central Pa

The event had been scheduled as the 19th Annual Centre County Mental Health Awareness Kick Off Party, set for May 1st to launch the campaign with a bang.  However, widespread power outages from violent storms left much of the region and the event venue without electricity on May 1st.  The event was postponed, and was subsequently renamed “Wrap Up Party” to instead celebrate a successful end to the campaign with the June 4th date.