SVMC hires Marketing and Communications Director

BENNINGTON, VT—December 11, 2023—Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member of Dartmouth Health, has hired Kate Czaplinski as Director of Marketing and Communications and Public Information Officer. Czaplinski joins SVMC with over 5 years of experience in nonprofit communications and more than a decade in Connecticut news and media.

A Vermont resident since 2021, Czaplinski most recently served as Director of Development and Communications for The Child & Family Guidance Center of Bridgeport, CT, a nonprofit providing mental health treatment and support services to children and families. Her role included marketing all the agency’s programs and launching major fundraising initiatives for a new electronic health record and renovation of the agency’s outpatient clinic. Prior to CFGC, she held a similar role at The Kennedy Collective of Trumbull, CT, where she led strategic planning initiatives and supported the early implementation of a government contract to provide PPE and cleaning supplies to federal agencies around the country, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Czaplinski began her career in journalism, working for a decade in local newspapers, online broadcasting and sponsored content throughout Fairfield County, CT. During this time, she received first place honors for her feature writing from the New England Newspaper and Press Association and acted as lead producer on regional broadcasts, covering health and politics.

Vice President of Corporate Development Leslie Keefe said Czaplinski’s experience is a great fit for SVMC and its future goals and growth.

 “Having an experienced communications professional is crucial to keeping our community informed and educated,” Keefe said. “This role is also focused on ensuring we remain active listeners, responsive to feedback and needs of our patients, stakeholders and staff.”

Czaplinski said SVMC’s reputation for excellence and its impact in the community made her eager to join the team.

“I am thrilled to be joining SVMC at an exciting time of change and growth for the system, in the midst of expansions that are critical to our community,” Czaplinski said. “I remain consistently impressed by the skill and kindness of the staff, and the level of engagement from our patients and volunteers.”

Czaplinski and her husband live in Dorset, VT.

Her tenure at SVMC began on November 6, 2023.

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About SVMC:

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC), a member hospital of Dartmouth Health, 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. SVMC includes Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center, the SVHC Foundation, as well as 25 primary and specialty care practices.

Southwestern Vermont Medical Center 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 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.

SVMC Contact: Kathryn.Czaplinski@svhealthcare.org

About Dartmouth Health: Dartmouth Health, New Hampshire’s only academic health system and the state’s largest private employer, serves patients across northern New England. Dartmouth Health provides access to more than 2,000 providers in almost every area of medicine, delivering care at its flagship hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC) in Lebanon, NH, as well as across its wide network of hospitals, clinics and care facilities. DHMC is consistently named the #1 hospital in New Hampshire by U.S. News & World Report, and is recognized for high performance in numerous clinical specialties and procedures. Dartmouth Health includes Dartmouth Cancer Center, one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, and the only such center in northern New England; Dartmouth Health Children’s, which includes the state’s only children’s hospital and multiple locations around the region; member hospitals in Lebanon, Keene and New London, NH, and Windsor, VT; and Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire; and more than 24 clinics that provide ambulatory and specialty services across New Hampshire and Vermont. Through its historical partnership with Dartmouth and the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth Health trains nearly 400 medical residents and fellows annually, and performs cutting-edge research and clinical trials recognized across the globe with Geisel and the White River Junction VA Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Dartmouth Health and its more than 13,000 employees are deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of everyone in our communities, and to providing each of our patients with exceptional, personal care.

DH Contact: news@dartmouth-health.org