NHHS welcomes chief nursing officer

NEWPORT – Newport Hospital and Health Services have welcomed new chief nursing officer Theresa Hollinger, RN, MSN, MHA, NEA-BC to Public Hospital District 1.

Hollinger, originally from Illinois, arrived with a successful 25-year career in nursing leadership and clinical practice. She said that the combination of the opportunity to work in a small critical access hospital and the ability to get outside and enjoy the mountains and trees drew her to Pend Oreille County.

While she has extensive experience with larger Level 1 trauma centers, she was most recently at Mercyhealth Hospital and Medical Center in Harvard, Illinois, also a small critical access hospital like Newport Community Hospital.

“Critical access hospitals allow a greater ability to work for and support staff, rather than managing large teams up to 170 people," Hollinger said. "It allows me to provide meaningful support and influence.”

Hollinger’s primary goal as CNO with NHHS is to ensure that the community has confidence in choosing Newport Community Hospital as their own.

“When you need immediate care, getting to the closest emergency room to initiate life-saving interventions is crucial, even if you know you may be transferred to a larger hospital in the long run. Our community will have better outcomes and live healthier lives.” Hollinger said.