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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Moving Forward Safely

One of the most frustrating and anxiety-producing traits of our COVID –19 pandemic is how much uncertainty is involved in all aspects of this disease. Symptoms caused by the Coronavirus, age groups affected, the usefulness of medications, anticipated death rate, and the timeline for development of a vaccine are examples of information that sometimes change on a weekly basis.

Vermonters have done a great job of limiting the spread of the virus and protecting our most vulnerable neighbors by following the Governor's "Stay Home, Stay Safe" order over the past few months. Now, we've all been directed to wear masks in public. Both Bennington and Wilmington's Select Boards have passed local mandates requiring masks in public places. Thanks to these efforts—along with distancing, handwashing, and other factors—Vermont is among the states with the fewest number of infections. Continuing each of these important infection-prevention strategies is crucial to returning to a more normal way of life.

As we open up and begin to re-connect, we fully expect to see a rise in COVID –19 cases in Vermont. Thankfully, we have had time to prepare for this increase. We also have adequate PPE, and increased testing will help us gather crucial information for stemming the spread with less disruption to our normal lives.

More than ever, I find it helpful to focus on what we have learned and how it can help us move forward safely. Here is some of what we have learned so far: Most large hospitals, often treating over 1000 COVID patients daily, effectively protected their workers by obsessively following the rules of screening, hygiene, distancing, and masking. Each of these components is designed to work together; Each alone has its inherent limits.

  • Absent quick testing at the workplace, the best screening is asking employees if they have COVID-like symptoms (fever, chills, new cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of taste or smell) and to stay home if they do.
  • Washing our hands (or using sanitizer) after touching well-handled items or visiting populated areas. Washing your hands 10 times daily is not too often.
  • Though an uncovered sneeze or cough can travel farther, 6 feet distancing continues to be the sweet spot for safety.
  • Masks (double layer cotton and surgical) are effective to prevent spreading of large and some small droplets containing virus. They also seem to give some minimal protection to those wearing a mask. Since possibly 40 percent of transmission happens when we do not have symptoms, we wear our masks to protect others and to suppress overall infection rate. They also help many people (not all) to avoid touching their face. The downside is a warm chin; the upside is you may be protecting someone from a significant illness. Masks are not a symbol of government intrusion. Masks are simply a tool to protect others and show empathy.

It is difficult to predict how many COVID-19 infections will occur in our communities in the coming months. What I am certain of is that our choices, on where we go and what we do, often affect the safety of those around us. As we learn to live with this virus in our community, following the recommendation above will help us all.

Marie George, MD, is SVMC’s infectious disease specialist.

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