NHPCO and the National Alliance for Care at Home Celebrate Healthcare Leader and Volunteer Award Honorees at Final NHPCO Conference
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2024
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NHPCO and the National Alliance for Care at Home Celebrate Healthcare Leader and Volunteer Award Honorees at Final NHPCO Conference
(Alexandria, VA) – This week, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) and the new National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) honored standout members of the hospice and palliative care community during the 2024 NHPCO Annual Leadership Conference in Denver, Colorado.
Award presentations began on Sunday, September 15 with the NHPCO Founders Awards, honoring exceptional individuals whose pioneering vision, leadership, and innovative spirit have significantly contributed to the advancement and success of the hospice and palliative care community. The NHPCO Founders Award was presented to Susan Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer for Delaware Hospice, Chair of the Hospice Action Network (HAN) board, and member of the Alliance Transition Board, and Sandy Kuhlman, Chief Executive Officer for Hospice Services of Northwest Kansas.
On Monday, award presentations continued with the Dr. Bernice Catherine Harper Trailblazer Award, honoring a member who exemplifies Dr. Harper’s spirit of innovation and compassion, commitment to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and passion for providing high-quality, culturally appropriate, person-centered services. The award was presented to the Cultural Diversity Team of the MJHS Health System, in New York, New York.
NHPCO’s We Honor Veterans program presented two awards. The Outstanding Program Award, recognizing the extraordinary investment, commitment, and achievement of hospice organizations providing high-quality, end-of-life care to Veterans and their families, was awarded to Geisinger Hospice in Danville, Pennsylvania, a Level 5 We Honor Veterans Partner. The inaugural 2024 We Honor Veterans Leadership Award, recognizing an exceptional leader and longtime partner of the We Honor Veterans Program, was presented to Scott Shreve of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The 2024 Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards wrapped up Monday’s award presentations. These awards recognize hospice volunteers who embody the concept of volunteerism at the heart of hospice; improving the patient experience and serving as an inspiration to others. The Furst Group and NuBrick Partners sponsored this year’s volunteer awards, and the MyNHPCO Awards Committee led the selection process. The 2024 recipients of the Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Awards are:
Organizational Support Award:
Richard D. Bressler
Weinstein Hospice – Atlanta, GA
Patient and Family Service Award:
Morag Hunt
Hospice del Valle – Alamosa, CO
Specialized Volunteer Service Award:
Krysta Cash
St. Catherine Hospice – Garden City, KS
We Honor Veterans Volunteer Service Award:
Linda Collins
Empath Tidewell Hospice – Englewood, FL
Young Leader Service Award:
Madison Helmick
Empath Tidewell Grief Care Blue Butterfly – Sarasota, FL
Tuesday morning served as a time to honor and celebrate the legacy of NHPCO Board members who successfully stewarded the organization over 46 years since its founding. Those who most recently served on the Board – who led during an important time of transformation as NHPCO decided to integrate with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice to form the National Alliance for Care at Home – were specifically honored:
Melinda Gruber, Chair
Tarrah Lowry, Vice Chair
Samira Beckwith
Pete Brunnick
Trisha Crissman
Ronald Crossno
Carla Davis
Jim Deal
Liz Fowler
Stacy Groff
Katy Lanz
Susan Lloyd
Ben Marcantonio
Christine McMichael
Norman McRae
Sarah McSpadden
Bob Parker
Clevis Parker
Joe Rogers
Lynne Sexten
Terri Warren
Nick Westfall
Tracy Wood
Kristen Yntema
Ben Marcantonio, Chief Integration Office for the Alliance, was also presented with the Visionary Leadership Award to recognize the impact his leadership has had during his tenure with NHPCO and will continue to have in the Alliance. Future Alliance conferences will feature a Visionary Leadership speaker to reinforce his passion and mission.
During the conference at the National Hospice Foundation’s 2024 Gala on Tuesday evening, Melinda Gruber, Vice President of Medical Group and Rehabilitation Services, Corewell Health Southwest Michigan, Vice Chair of the Alliance Transition Board, and Samira Beckwith, Executive Vice President for Chapters Health System, were each honored with the Galen Miller Leadership Award. The Galen Miller Leadership Award, created in memory of NHPCO’s Executive Vice President, is presented to hospice champions who exhibit the same dedication and passion for the hospice and palliative care community that Galen Miller did.
The Healthcare Architect Awards were also presented at the Gala, recognizing individuals who have significantly impacted the delivery and accessibility of hospice and palliative care. Carla Davis, Senior Vice President of Hospice and Palliative Care Operations for LHC Group and HAN Board member, and Bob Parker, Chief Clinical Officer for Kindful Health and Alliance Transition Board member, were each honored.
On Wednesday, September 18, the conference closed with the Heart of Hospice Awards, honoring colleagues who lead by example, positively impacting care and services and instilling the core values of hospice in all that they do. Ronald Crossno, Chief Medical Officer for Gentiva, and Bernice Burkarth, Chief Medical Officer for Tufts Medicine Care at Home, accepted the award.
As NHPCO evolves into the National Alliance for Care at Home, the final Annual Leadership Conference served as an important milestone to recognize, honor, and celebrate the many leaders from across the nation who played critical roles in advancing the hospice and palliative care community. The National Alliance for Care at Home will continue the important work of these innovators.
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About NHPCO
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the nation’s largest and oldest membership association for providers who care for people affected by serious and life-limiting illness. Our members deliver and expand access to high-quality, person-centered interdisciplinary care to millions of Americans. NHPCO provides education and resources to support that mission. Together with our advocacy partner, the Hospice Action Network (HAN), we advance public policy to improve serious-illness and end-of-life care, while our CaringInfo program provides free resources to educate and empower patients and caregivers. NHPCO is currently in the process of joining with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) to form the National Alliance for Care at Home.
About the National Alliance for Care at Home
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is a new national organization representing providers of home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and other health care services mainly delivered in the home. The Alliance brings together two organizations with nearly 90 years of combined experience: NAHC and NHPCO. NAHC and NHPCO are in the process of combining operations to better serve members and lead into the future of care offered in the home. Learn more at www.AllianceForCareAtHome.org.
Press Contact
Elyssa Katz, NHPCO Marketing and Communications Manager
ekatz@nhpco.org | 571-281-0220