Seline Skoug Takes on Role as SVMC Breast Health Nurse Navigator

BENNINGTON, VT—May 2, 2022—Seline Skoug, RN, has taken on the role of full-time breast health nurse navigator at the Breast Health and Imaging Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care.

“My goal is to be an educator and an advocate for those needing breast cancer screening. However, from the moment a patient needs imaging beyond their initial mammogram, I am there to support them, explain the clinical reasons for further imaging or treatment, and remove barriers to care,” Skoug said. “I am the nurse who navigates the healthcare pathway for patients and helps them through a potentially stressful time, with the goal of making their journey seamless and connecting them with the services they need.”

In this new role, Skoug works as part of a multidisciplinary team to coordinate care and will provide ongoing emotional and clinical support in developing a patients’ breast health treatment plan. For the relatively few patients diagnosed with breast cancer, she ensures a smooth transition to the Cancer Center team.

Skoug has deep roots with the breast cancer population. For 10 years, she was executive director at Casting for Recovery, a national non-profit organization supporting women with breast cancer. She has worked with numerous community organizations in the area.  

Skoug has worked as a nurse at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) since 2010 and as a volunteer EMT/AEMT with Arlington Rescue Squad since 2005. She has worked in family practice/pediatrics and the Emergency Department (ED) settings. She earned her associate’s in nursing from Vermont Tech and a master’s in healthcare administration from Simmons College in Boston. In addition, Skoug sits on the SVMC Nursing Advisory Committee, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She also serves on boards of local community organizations.

“Many hospitals our size devote a part-time staff member to this role,” said Melissa Spiezio, RT(R)(M), the director of Imaging at SVMC. “By welcoming Seline full time, we are making a commitment to increasing our community outreach, focused on preventative health and building on our successful breast cancer screening and prevention program”.

Skoug looks forward to using local contacts within community organizations to help identify and reach those who meet breast cancer screening criteria, especially those working with underserved and under-represented populations.

“By working together with community organizations” Skoug added, “we become partners with the community to reach more people, share important information about breast cancer screening, and help our patients discover cancer early, when it is easiest to treat.” 

About SVHC:
Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) is a comprehensive, preeminent, healthcare 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.

Southwestern Vermont Health Care is among the most lauded small rural health systems in the nation. It is the recipient of the American Hospital Association’s 2020 Rural Hospital Leadership Award. In addition, SVMC ranked fourth nationwide for the value of care it provides by the Lown Institute Hospital Index in 2020 and is a five-time recipient of the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence. It has also received the highest marks possible from the Leapfrog Group. The health system is fortunate to have the support of platinum-level corporate sponsor Mack, a leading supplier of contract manufacturing services and injection molded plastic parts based in Arlington, VT. 

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.