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.