Guthrie Clinic announces new nursing leadership at Robert Packer Hospital 

The Guthrie Clinic is pleased to announce the appointment of two nurse leaders at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital. The addition of these new leaders exemplifies the critical role that nursing plays at The Guthrie Clinic and the organization’s commitment to improving the patient experience, quality, and safety, while advancing the overall health of the communities it serves. 

Guthrie welcomes Patricia Vassell, DNP, MBA, BSN, CNOR as Vice President, Nursing Services / Chief Nursing Officer at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital. Vassell brings with her over 35 years of nursing experience, more than 20 of which have been in nursing leadership. 

In a prepared press release from Guthrie’s Corporate Communications, they wrote that Vassell has held multiple leadership roles including Director of Nursing, Associate Chief Nursing Office, and Interim Chief Nursing Officer. Her most current role was the Director of Nursing for Riddle Hospital in Media, Pa. She is a member of the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses, Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing, American College of Healthcare Executives, and the American Organization of Nurse Leaders.

Vassell holds a Master of Business Administration from University of Phoenix, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and Doctor of Nursing Practice from American Sentinel University in Denver, Colorado. 

Guthrie is also pleased to announce that Wesley Boles, RN, BSN, MBA, CLNC is the new Senior Director, Emergency Services for Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital. 

According to Guthrie, Boles brings with him over 30 years of health care experience, including 10 years of nursing leadership. He has held multiple leadership roles including Director of Emergency Services, Director of Trauma Service, and Assistant Vice President of Trauma Services. 

His most recent role was the Assistant Vice President of Trauma Services at HCA East and West Florida Division Offices where he provided executive oversight of the Trauma Service Line of five trauma centers. Boles holds a Master of Business Administration, Healthcare, from Western Governors University in addition to his Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Phoenix. He has also been awarded his Certification as a Legal Nurse Consultant from the Vickie Milazzo Institute.  

Vassell and Boles join Guthrie one month after the organization announced that Debra “Deb” Raupers, MSN, RN, CENP, EVP, will now serve as the organization’s first enterprise Chief Nurse Executive.  

As Chief Nurse Executive, Raupers sets the vision for nursing practice in the delivery of safe, timely, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care across the Guthrie system.  

Dr. Edmund Sabanegh, president and CEO, Guthrie Clinic, stated, “Together, Patricia, Wesley and Deb bring nursing leadership and stability to Nursing and Emergency Services at Guthrie. Recruiting and retaining these highly qualified leaders, in addition to a recent $23 million investment in the organization’s staff, are steps in Guthrie’s journey to becoming an employer of choice in the region.”  

The Guthrie Clinic is a non-profit integrated health system located in north central Pennsylvania and upstate New York, serving patients from a 12-county service area. To learn more, visit www.guthrie.org.