Submitted by Providence Swedish
When Kelli Burkhardt moved to Centralia at 18, she pictured a future in teaching and coaching volleyball. Nursing wasn’t part of the plan, but friends recommended becoming a CNA at a local nursing home, so she decided to try it.
What she didn’t expect was how quickly the work would resonate. “I just fell in love with taking care of people,” she says.
Burkhardt earned her LPN at Centralia College and joined Providence Centralia Hospital in 2001. The small town, closeknit environment felt like home. “I loved the small community feel and that everybody was family,” she says.
Seeking broader experience, she later transferred to Providence St. Peter Hospital, spending nearly a decade in the Emergency Department. As a charge nurse, she became deeply involved in quality and trauma programs, discovering a passion for improving systems and patient outcomes. “I loved striving to improve patient care, and I liked getting involved in the quality aspect,” she says.
While completing her bachelor’s degree at the University of Washington, and raising two young children, an opportunity opened back at Providence Centralia. Returning felt right. She accepted the Emergency Department manager role in 2015 and today serves as Senior Nursing Manager, overseeing Emergency, Medical South Unit and Respiratory Therapy Unit at Providence Centralia Hospital, and the Respiratory Therapy Unit at St. Peter Hospital.
More than two decades into her career, Burkhardt says the sense of family she felt at the start has never faded. Caregivers who have spent 30 or 35 years at Providence inspire her. “People have worked here for decades and still love it. That sense of family hasn’t left.”
That community connection is part of what makes care in Centralia unique. Many caregivers live locally. “They’re caring for their neighbors, friends and families. When you’re caring for someone you already know, you pour even more of your heart into it.”
Under her leadership, Centralia’s Emergency Department has seen major improvements. Nearly two years ago, the team redesigned its throughput model with TeamHealth, cutting patients leaving without being seen from 13% to 2.5%, and at times as low as 1.1%. Patient experience scores have climbed about 15%. “Our team was completely invested,” she says. “They’ve been amazing.”
Telehealth partnerships, including TeleStroke, TelePsych, TeleICU, TeleNeuro and TeleID, have also strengthened local care. “The telehealth services have been phenomenal. It’s helped with our quality, care and patient safety,” she says.
“We want the community to know we want to serve them,” Burkhardt says. “We are a closer first stop, and you don’t have to travel far to get great care.”
Outside work, Burkhardt stays grounded spending time with family and in her community. Her family lives on 16 acres, where she spends time outdoors with her college and high school aged children, and with extended family. Active in her kids’ booster club, she also hopes to expand volunteer opportunities that connect Providence caregivers with the community.
After more than 20 years in nursing, her purpose remains clear: lead with heart, build community and support the people she serves and serves alongside.
Providence Centralia Hospital is a 128-bed, not-for-profit community-based hospital. The services the hospital provides make it the heart of medical care in Lewis County. As a community hospital with outstanding technology, Providence Centralia Hospital is large enough to provide state-of-the-art services such as MRI, 64-slice CT scans and digital mammography. The hospital is also small enough to offer personal, compassionate care to everyone it serves.
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