Dina Ellwanger, RN, BSN, MBA, has been named President and Chief Nursing Officer for Saint Alphonsus Medical Center in Ontario, OR. She assumed her new role on Monday, August 17, according to Odette Bolano, President and CEO of Saint Alphonsus Health System.
Most recently, Ellwanger has served as Interim Chief Nursing Officer at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, but she’s not a newcomer to the Ontario hospital. She served as Vice President of Operations and CNO in Ontario for six years.
“Dina comes to her SAMC-Ontario President role with an impressive 15-year career of strategic and operational accomplishments at Saint Alphonsus,” said Bolano. “She helped the Ontario hospital achieve a 5-Star CMS (Centers for Medicaid and Medicare) rating this year, and she’s led a number of significant strategic initiatives at our hospitals in Nampa and Baker City.” Ellwanger began her Saint Alphonsus nursing career in Nampa in 2005 as Director of Critical Care, with additional responsibilities for Telemetry, the Access Center, Women and Children and Perioperative Services. She then assumed the Assistant CNO position before transferring to Baker City as Vice President Patient Care Services/CNO. In 2014, she transitioned to Ontario to serve as VP Operations/CNO.
During her career with Saint Alphonsus, she helped manage the opening of a new Telemetry Unit in Nampa, a new Infusion/Oncology Department in Baker City, as well as the remodels of a $12M Medical/ICU floor and a $4M Obstetrical Unit in Ontario.
A graduate of South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing Science, Ellwanger earned her Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. She resides in Payette with her husband, Scot. They have two adult sons, both married and living in Fruitland and Boise.
She replaces Ken Hart, who announced his departure from SAMC-Ontario in July.
