New Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Operating Officer Appointed for Trios Health

Dena Putnam-Gilchrist and Chad Pew have joined Trios Health as the new Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, respectively.

Putnam-Gilchrist joined Trios in February and has more than 29 years of experience as a nurse. Most recently, she worked as an interim CNO and assistant CNO at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Springfield, Ore.

“I’m really looking forward to launching this CNO career and working with the team at Trios,” she said. “This is my first full CNO position, and I’m excited to be here. There are a lot of opportunities out there for CNOs, but I wanted to stay in the Northwest and am happy to now be part of the Trios team.”

She attended community college in Oregon for her AA and received her bachelor’s in nursing from Western Governors University. She earned a second bachelor’s in management from Northwest Christian University and an MBA from Colorado State through an online program.

Putnam Gilchrist’s career in healthcare began when she worked for a local doctor in Eugene following high school. She has spent her nursing career in several areas, including primary nursing, patient care, staff development, quality and risk, care management, critical care, surgery, respiratory and sleep lab, among others.

She and her 16-year-old daughter have relocated to Kennewick. Her husband, Andy, will join them once their house in Eugene sales. She also has two stepchildren, who will remain in Eugene and visit here.

Pew joined Trios in March. Originally from Nebraska, Pew has worked for 20 years in medical facilities and was most recently interim CEO at a facility in Nebraska.

“There are wonderful people at Trios and a great team,” Pew said. “We have a tremendous opportunity here. What Trios went through (with the bankruptcy) was tough for everyone involved, but there’s really only one way out, and that’s up and there’s a lot of excitement here.”

Pew completed his undergraduate degree in biology at Chadron State College in Nebraska, as well as a med tech degree from Hayes Pathology in Kansas and an MBA from the University of Nebraska.

He began his career as a med tech at a critical access hospital in Kansas and has also worked as a lab director, associate administration and COO. He has worked at hospitals in Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.

Pew has been married for 23 years to his wife, Dana. They have a daughter who a freshman at the University of Nebraska and a son who is a freshman in high school. They all enjoy the outdoors and are looking forward to their first summer in the area.

Trios Health operates two hospitals to accommodate the area’s fast-growing population: Trios Women’s and Children’s Hospital at its downtown Kennewick location and Trios Southridge Hospital, a state-of-the-art hospital, which opened July 15, 2014. Trios Medical Group, comprised of nearly 100 employed physicians and providers, serves as the core of a growing medical staff network of 325+ providers throughout the Tri-Cities and includes practices and services at nine Care Centers and four Urgent Care Centers.

For more, visit Trios online or follow us on Facebook.