SVHC Recognizes Nursing Advisory Council Leadership

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BENNINGTON, Vt. — 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.

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Companion Corner: Lucy at Second Chance Animal Shelter

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

ARLINGTON, Vt. — There is an excited and energetic pup looking for her new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Lucy is nearly 2 years old. She is a heeler/terrier mix with energy to spare. She has been at the Second Chance Animal Shelter since the summer.

We highlighted Lucy in June, but she is still looking for her forever family.

Lead canine care technician Alaura Lasher introduced us to her.

"She is a very energetic girl. She loves to play, and as you can see, she came to us from animal control," she said. 

Lucy was not in a great situation before coming to the shelter and they are still trying to learn more about her.

"They had seized her from a pretty neglectful situation. She was actually technically abandoned. She just came to us this last month, so she's still showing us all of her energy she has," Lasher said.

Lucy is able to go home with a dog-savvy cat and older children as she can be a bit jumpy with her bounds of energy.

"The perfect home for her is one that is able to give her a ton of attention and a ton of time playing, she loves her time outside," said Lasher. "She can run forever and not get tired. She can possibly live with another dog who is used to more of a pushy play style. She can be a little pushy when she plays, just because she's so hyper."

Since she is young, she is still learning and training with the staff and might need more with someone who takes her home.

"To the best of our knowledge, she's just a healthy young girl, because she's only a year and a half old, she still got a little bit of learning and training that she could use."

But Lucy is always happy to see anyone and immediately wants to play and say hi. Her endless energy makes her a great companion to play outside with and then hang out after a long day of fun.

"She's just a super sweet girl again. She'll need some help with the training, but as long as you've got time to burn out her energy, she'll make a great family dog," she said.

If you think Lucy might be the girl for you, reach out to Second Chance Animal Shelter and learn more about her on their website.

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