Lourdes Health and Trios Health Announce Laurel Palmblad as Market Director of Education
April 21, 2026
Lourdes Health and Trios Health are pleased to announce the appointment of Laurel Palmblad, MBA, BSN, RN, as Market Director of Education. Laurel stepped into her role on March 29, 2026.
Laurel brings a strong combination of clinical expertise, operational leadership, and business acumen to this role. With more than a decade of leadership experience across acute care, ambulatory services, education, and business development, she is well positioned to advance education strategy and support performance across the market.
Most recently, Laurel served as Regional Practice Manager at Kinwell Health, where she supported 17 primary care clinics across Washington State. In this capacity, she led multisite teams, implemented new services including virtual care, standardized workflows, and leveraged data to drive operational and quality improvements in close partnership with executive and clinical leaders.
Laurel’s earlier experience at Kadlec Regional Medical Center included progressive leadership roles in clinical education and nursing practice. Her background includes nursing education, onboarding, resuscitation training, and system-wide competency development—key areas that will support continued advancement of our clinical workforce.
In her new role, Laurel will partner with nursing and clinical leadership to align education with operational priorities, strengthen leadership development, and enhance consistency and quality across the market.
“Laurel’s diverse background and passion for developing people and programs make her an outstanding addition to our leadership team. Her experience will be instrumental in building a strong, well-prepared workforce and supporting high-quality care across our organization,” said Kena Chase, Market Chief Nursing Officer (CNO).
About Lourdes Health: Established on September 24, 1916, by the Sisters of St. Joseph Carondelet, Lourdes Health has been caring for our community for more than a century. With 6 locations serving the community, Lourdes is known as a compassionate, innovative healthcare leader. Lourdes is a for-profit organization following the directives and mission of the Catholic Church. Our health system employs nearly 850 associates with over 200 physicians on Medical Staff. For more information on Lourdes Health, visit www.YourLourdes.com and visit Lourdes Health’s Facebook page. For more information on the market, please visit LourdesAndTrios.com
About Trios Health: Trios Health, a UW Medicine Community Health Partner, operates a 111-bed hospital on its Southridge campus in Kennewick. Trios Medical Group serves a growing medical staff network of providers throughout the Tri-Cities and includes practices and services at 4 Care Centers and one Urgent Care Center. Our health system, established in 1952, is a sister facility to Lourdes Health in Pasco. For more information on Trios Health, visit www.TriosHealth.org or follow us on Facebook. For more information on the market, please visit LourdesAndTrios.com
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