Providence Names Sylvain Trepanier as Chief Nursing Officer

RENTON, Wash., Oct. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Providence, one of the largest health systems in the country, today announced that Sylvain "Syl" Trepanier, D.N.P., R.N., will serve as the organization's new system-wide chief nursing officer (CNO), effective January 1, 2021.

As the new CNO, Syl will be a critical voice for nursing at the senior executive level, advocating for nurses and advanced practitioners while supporting the practice of nursing across the health system's seven-state footprint. He will play a meaningful role in setting the system's clinical strategy and will be at the center of workforce planning. One of Syl's earliest responsibilities will be continuing to build momentum for Providence's Nursing Institute and Clinical Academy, programs that provide a sustained talent pipeline of specialty nurses, nurse practitioners and clinicians.

"The CNO serves as a champion for our nurses and the invaluable role they play caring for the people in our communities, as well as ensuring we are attracting and retaining the most skilled and compassionate nurses. I know Syl will do both," said executive vice president and chief clinical officer, Amy Compton-Phillips, M.D., to whom he will report. "With 30,000 nurses, we have a unique opportunity to show how nurses are at the heart of our mission and helping achieve our vision of health for a better world."

Syl is currently serving as the chief clinical executive for Providence's Southern California region. His work reduced clinical variation across the region, making Providence Southern California one of the safest places to receive care. Additionally, Syl helped lead the COVID-19 response. "Our region's COVID-19 response demonstrates how the sharing of expertise across our system results in top-quality care, innovation and increased collaboration. I am excited to continue this work with my nursing colleagues across the Providence family of organizations," said Syl.  

Syl will follow Deb Burton, Ph.D., R.N., who will retire at the end of 2020 after serving 12 years as the CNO for Providence. Under Deb's leadership, Providence's successful nursing workforce development programs have gained national recognition. The Clinical Academy, a year-long program designed to launch the careers of new graduate nurses into 22 different clinical specialties, resulted in a reduction in first-year nursing turnover from 25% to roughly 9% today. Deb also led efforts to grow distance-based academic nursing and clinical programs through the University of Providence.

Prior to joining Providence Southern California in 2017, Syl served as system vice president and chief nursing officer for Premier Health in Dayton, Ohio. He also held leadership roles at Tenet in Dallas and at hospitals in South Florida. He has a doctorate in nursing from Texas Tech University, a Master of Science in Nursing, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Montreal. Syl is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a fellow of the American Organization of Nursing Leadership, and holds a certification in executive nursing leadership.

About Providence  
Providence is a national, not-for-profit Catholic health system comprising a diverse family of organizations and driven by a belief that health is a human right. With 51 hospitals, 1,085 physician clinics, senior services, supportive housing and many other health and educational services, the health system and its partners employ more than 120,000 caregivers serving communities across Alaska, California, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, with system offices in Renton, Wash., and Irvine, Calif. Learn about our vision of health for a better world at Providence.org.  

SOURCE Providence