October 26, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Hill Hospital top exec oversees $46 million expansion
by PAULA M. RILEY

Jon Nalli is overseeing the $46 million in capital improvement projects planned for the next five years at Chestnut Hill Hospital. (Photo by Paula M. Riley)

This is the third in a new series of articles by Chestnut Hill writer Paula M. Riley. Each week Riley will profile a business, community or educational leader.

Jonathan Nalli considers himself lucky to have had great mentors throughout his life. “My mentors have allowed me to get where I am today,” he told me recently. Where is that? He is the chief operating officer of Chestnut Hill Hospital.

When we sat down to talk about his own experience, Nalli shared many tales of these mentors. He began with his parents and told of his father’s 40 years at Lexmark/IBM: “My parents have very high morals and ethics. My father still has a daily influence on how I conduct myself in business.”

The local hospital COO considers himself a leader who tries to model the standards of ethics represented by his father. Working within a strong ethical framework and listening carefully to those around him are the guiding principles for Nalli. “I am surrounded by incredible people,” he said. “I rely on these experts in the areas I manage to show me the most expert way to run each area. My job is to set up the framework on how we get from point A to point B.”

In addition to his responsibility for the hospital’s departments, Nalli is overseeing the $46 million in capital improvement projects planned for the next five years, including expansion of the oncology and radiation, emergency, neonatal intensive care and intensive care units. Nalli cites the new technology in the surgical department and the spacious post-partum rooms as examples of the hospital’s expansion.

“At least twice a week, I am meeting with community members. Either one-on-one or in group settings,” Nalli explains. He wants to assure those residents, especially those living close to the hospital, that they have opportunities to provide input and remain well informed of the master plan. Responding to the community’s feedback on Laughlin Hall, for example, Nalli has taken care in the planning of the building’s demolition.

Soon after plans for the demolition began, Nalli contacted George Lyons, executive director of the Chestnut Hill Historical Society, to coordinate the best way to preserve the historically significant materials from the building. Interior elements were donated to the Historical Society, and currently Nalli and Lyons are working on an arrangement to preserve much of the building’s original Wissahickon schist stone for potential distribution to local residents. In celebration of the building’s rich history, Nalli has included the Historical Society, Laughlin family members, and past nursing students in Laughlin Hall commemoration efforts.

This is not Nalli’s first expansion project, though it is his largest. Seven years ago he began his employment with Community Health Systems, which now owns Chestnut Hill Health System. In these seven years, he has worked at many different hospitals and has been involved in some capacity with their expansion projects. Most recently, Nalli oversaw the $9 million expansion at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, which included a new Emergency Department.

Though he holds an MBA in Healthcare Administration from Drexel University, Nalli has no clinical background. He does not consider this a weakness at all. “I rely on clinicians to help me understand and help me come to the right conclusions. What I need to know is whether there is a clinical side to the issue; this will help me understand it better and make the right decision.”

Outside the hospital, Nalli enjoys spending time in Manayunk. He is a graduate and huge fan of University of Kentucky sports. When he has the chance, you will find him sneaking ice time for a chance to play hockey. Like so many other leaders, however, he struggles to turn off his Blackberry as he works to achieve a work/life balance. “With the work and responsibility I have been given, my job is a 24/7 mindset – I’m always on.”

When he does turn it off, he finds that Philadelphia really turns him on. Nalli and his lady friend enjoy discovering all the city has to offer. A history buff, Nalli loves the chance to live where ‘America began’ and speaks with passion about the underutilized Fort Mifflin. He plans to stay at Chestnut Hill Hospital to see through the many goals he has set forth. Though he has effected much change, he knows the hospital has a long way to go. He quotes a mentor when he says, “Change is the leader’s responsibility. I will be here until the changes have been made and Chestnut Hill is in a great position.”