SVHC Recognizes Nursing Advisory Council Leadership

BENNINGTON, VT—October 27, 2022—The nurses of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), part of Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC), would like to acknowledge the inspired leadership of Bentley Munsell, BSN, RN, CEN, who has served as the chair of its Nursing Advisory Council (NAC) for the last three years and to welcome Deborah Mone, RN, as the incoming chair-elect for 2022 – 2023. The NAC works to advance nursing and nursing care across the health system. Mone will take on the role of chair in May 2023.

“We are so grateful for the astute leadership Bentley has offered to our nurses throughout the pandemic,” said Pamela Duchene, APRN, PhD. “His ability to articulate the needs of nurses and work across interests to meet needs has been integral to our success.”

Munsell is an emergency nurse. He holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and a bachelor’s in nursing from University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is a student in the master’s degree program in nursing at Chicago-based Rush University. He has worked at SVMC since 2015, when he started as an Emergency Department technician. He became a nurse at SVMC in 2018, after having earned his nursing degree.  In addition, he is a certified emergency nurse with the Board of Certification in Emergency Nursing. Munsell also serves on the Night Shift Council and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve nurses at SVMC in this capacity,” Munsell said. “I aim to stay involved and look forward to all that SVMC nurses can accomplish together in the future.”

Mone has been a nurse at SVMC for 42 years and takes great pride in helping countless birthing families throughout her tenure. She is a clinical expert, designee, and preceptor for novice nurses learning high-risk obstetrics. She is an electronic fetal monitor instructor with the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses and the counselor and coordinator for SVMC’s inpatient and outpatient perinatal bereavement program. She is a past chair of the Staff Nurse Council.

“I look forward to continuing to advocate for nursing responsibility, autonomy, and accountability, while embracing family-centered care,” Mone said. “I aim to facilitate the dissemination of critical communications, promote shared decision making, and embrace the changes that will carry on SVMC’s tradition of exceptional care.”  

Mone received her nursing degree at Columbia Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Hudson, NY. She holds an inpatient obstetrics certification from the National Certification Corp.

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. 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.