New Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer
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/ Categories: NEWS, 2019

New Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer

BENNINGTON, VT—December 20, 2019—Bringing more than 30 years of health care executive experience, Pamela M. Duchene, PhD, APRN, has joined the executive management team at Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) as its Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer. 

“Pam was selected from a very strong and impressive list of candidates through a rigorous national search,” said Thomas A. Dee, FACHE, SVHC’s president and CEO. “She has a strong clinical skill set and excellent administrative expertise, and we are grateful to have her join our talented and hardworking team of nurses and administrators.”   

Duchene has served as the chief nursing officer at Hallmark Health System in Melrose, MA, a 368-bed facility, and at St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, NH, which is a Magnet® Center for Nursing Excellence and has 208 beds. In addition, she has had extensive experience in the long-term care and rehabilitation industries, serving as a vice president of Harmony Healthcare International in Massachusetts, SunHealth Care Group in New Mexico, and HealthSouth New England in Massachusetts. Duchene is a practicing adult/gerontological nursing practitioner. She attained her Doctor of Nursing Science at Rush University in Illinois.

SVHC has been designated by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet® Center for Nursing Excellence four consecutive times. Magnet®-designated hospitals undergo rigorous review and are determined to offer the highest quality care, patient experience, collaboration, and innovation.

“I am thrilled to be here,” Duchene said. “Four consecutive Magnet® designations speaks to a culture of excellence, and walking through the halls of SVMC you can see and feel the high-quality care for patients and deep consideration for the community.”

In May 2019, SVHC designated Castleton University as its preferred partner for nursing education. Students who complete bachelor’s degrees in nursing at Castleton, obtain licensure, and meet pre-employment requirements are guaranteed employment at SVHC. In addition, the health system will pay back tuition debt to those accepted employees who work 6 consecutive years within the health system. The program is designed to incentivize advanced education and employment at SVHC.

“I approach the role of chief nursing officer from the servant perspective,” said Duchene. “I aim to support those providing direct care, so they can comfort and care for patients effectively.”

Duchene is expected to start in her new position at SVHC on January 2nd.

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, health care system providing exceptional, convenient, and affordable care to the communities of Bennington and Windham Counties of Vermont, eastern Rensselaer and Washington Counties of New York, and northern Berkshire County in Massachusetts. SVHC includes Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the Centers for Living and Rehabilitation, and the SVHC Foundation. SVMC includes 25 primary and specialty care practices. For more information, visit svhealthcare.org.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center provides exceptional care without discriminating on the basis of an individual’s age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. Language assistance services, free of charge, are available at 1-800-367-9559.

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Tags: Pamela M. Duchene PhD APRN Vice President of Patient Care Services Chief Nursing Officer

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5 Questions with the Chair of the Department of Surgery

Malcolm Paine, MD, of SVMC OB/GYN, serves as the chair of the Department of Surgery. We asked him five questions about COVID-19 and how it feels to deliver care right now.

SVMC: What would you like to share with patients at this time?
MP: First, on behalf of the Department of Surgery, I would like to acknowledge how tough it has been for our community members who have been affected by this pandemic. We see such tremendous strength in those who have been ill or lost loved ones to illness and in those who are working hard to get by without a job or while homeschooling their children. We are proud to be part of this community, whose careful social distancing efforts have prevented an unmanageable surge.

We are grateful, too, that as restrictions loosen, we can get back to seeing patients and providing care in a timely way. On the surface, the care may look or feel a little different—everyone will be wearing masks, for instance—but once we get accustomed to the changes, we hope that you will recognize the same level of personalized care we all enjoyed before COVID-19.

SVMC: What are the potential risks associated with postponing care?
MP: There are many types of surgery that can be delayed for a short time, often without any negative repercussions . However, surgery is often for situations that cause pain, and delaying the procedure can result in that pain getting worse or not getting better. Sometimes, there are situations where a minor surgery, if delayed, can turn into a more major or emergency surgery, and the patient can become very sick.

SVMC: In general, what additional precautions have been put in place to ensure that care is safe?
MP: We are absolutely committed to the safety of our patients, staff, and the community. We know how important it is for patients to be able to know and trust that we have their safety in mind at all times. We always want to use the best science and advice from the State to guide our practices. We have put several new measures in place.

We screen all patients and advocates who come to the hospital to make sure they do not have a fever or possible symptoms of COVID-19. All staff also undergo daily screening for fever and symptoms to make sure those looking after patients are healthy. We are also testing all patients with planned surgical procedures for COVID-19. This is performed as an outpatient test at no cost to the patient and increases our confidence that we are not putting patients or staff at increased risk. Patients with a scheduled surgery are encouraged to call ahead if they are feeling unwell, and after surgery, patients will be asked to check for fever for 14 days to make sure they stay healthy.

SVMC: How would patients be notified if COVID risk increased rapidly?
MP: There is always the chance that there may be a new "surge." In that case, a directive to stop elective procedures would likely come from the State. We may also decide, as a hospital, to stop these procedures in order to keep everyone safe. In that case, we would call the patients to let them know that their scheduled case is delayed until the risk decreases.

SVMC: How would you estimate the risk of contracting COVID-19 at the hospital right now?
MP: We are tracking these numbers on a daily basis. With all of these safety measures in place and due to the very low numbers of cases we are seeing in this area at the present time, we estimate this risk is extremely low.

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