State News

DeAnn Collins named Executive Director of

Community Hospice Foundation

Community Hospice of Northeast Florida has named DeAnn Collins vice president of philanthropy and executive director of Community Hospice Foundation.  She succeeds Jane Jordan who is leaving to launch a new consulting practice. 

Collins joined Community Hospice in 2004 as associate executive director of the Foundation.  Prior to joining Community Hospice, she served as Episcopal High School’s director of development for 13 years.  Collins has been an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since 1991.  She is also a sustaining member of the Junior League and serves as a board member for Building Resources for AIDS Education, Prevention and Support (brAIDS) and for the Planned Giving Counsel.

“I am very pleased to announce DeAnn’s expanded role with the Foundation,” said Susan Ponder-Stansel, Community Hospice president and CEO.  “We are also fortunate in continuing to benefit from Jane’s counsel and expertise as she has agreed to remain with us in a consulting capacity.  I look forward to continuing to work with both of these talented professionals in building philanthropic support for our efforts to improve the quality of life for patients and families and to be the compassionate guide for end-of-life care in our community.”

Collins earned a bachelor of science in marketing and computer information systems from Kansas State University in 1986 and was credentialed as a certified fund raising executive (CFRE) in 1996.  She resides in Magnolia Point in Green Cove Springs with her husband. 

Catholic Hospice Names

Kiedrowski as Vice-President and Medical Director

Catholic Hospice has named Brian J. Kiedrowski, M.D., C.M.D. as the Vice President and Medical Director for the organization. As Vice-President and Medical Director, Kiedrowski is responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of the medical management of the patients of Catholic Hospice and the L’chaim Jewish Hospice Program. He will assume his responsibilities on January 9, 2006.

Dr. Kiedrowski, who has distinctive experience in Geriatric Medicine, previously ran a successful Private Practice of Internal and Geriatric Medicine from the Anchor Health Centers in Naples, Florida. A physician since 1992, Dr. Kiedrowski received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and is Board Certified in Geriatric Medicine as well as Internal Medicine. Kiedrowski is also a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Geriatric Society.

“Catholic Hospice is blessed to have recruited Dr. Kiedrowski, a talented and very well trained physician, with unique expertise in the care of the elderly. His commitment to the sick and especially those at the end of life will mark his leadership as Vice President and Medical Director of Catholic Hospice and his support with all Interdisciplinary Team members who provide direct patient care”, said Sister Elizabeth Anne Worley, SSJ, President and CEO of Catholic Hospice.

Over the last ten years Kiedrowski has been a dedicated physician to the sick, especially the elderly, serving as the Associate Medical Director for Moorings Park Continuing Care Retirement Community, Medical Director for the Wellness Clinic and Skilled Nursing Unit in the Glenview Residencies, and Medical Director for the Wellness Clinic and Assisted Living Center at Arden Courts Manor; all in Naples, Florida.

The move represents a homecoming to Dr. Kiedrowski who served the South Florida Community during his Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, and completed a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at the Veteran’s Hospital in Miami. “I love the diversity and culture of South Florida, but I am looking forward not only to joining, but to being a part of, Catholic Hospice which is a wonderful organization,” said Dr. Brian J. Kiedrowski, M.D., C.M.D.

LifePath Hospice Medical Director Honored

LifePath Hospice Medical Director Dr. Ronald Schonwetter, M.D., has been appointed President-Elect of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (www.aahpm.org), an organization made up of physicians and other medical professionals dedicated to excellence in and advancement of palliative medicine. The group is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.

Dr. Schonwetter was also recently listed by Best Doctors as a leader in geriatric medicine. The list is based on this question, asked of 50,000 physicians nationwide: “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, and you could not treat them yourself, to whom would you refer them?” The list has been compiled yearly since 1989, when Best Doctors was founded by two Harvard Medical School physicians.

An article co-authored by Dr. Schonwetter has been accepted for publication by the Journal of the American Cancer Society. The other authors include Susan C. McMillan, Ph.D., Brent J. Small, Ph.D., Michael Weitzner, M.D., Mary Tittle, Ph.D., Linda Moody, Ph.D., and William E. Haley, Ph.D.

“Impact of Coping Skills Intervention with Family Caregivers of Hospice Patients with Cancer” is based on a four-year study of 350 caregivers and community-based, home-dwelling hospice patients with advanced cancer. The study found that the coping skills intervention led to significant improvement in the caregivers’ quality of life, reduced burden related to patients’ symptoms, and reduced burden related to caregiver tasks compared with hospice care alone or hospice plus emotional support.

NEWS from

HOSPICE of Lake & Sumter

Youngsters Raise $2,700 +

For New Hospice House

More than $2,700 has been raised by a group of Cypress Ridge Elementary School students to help build a new facility for Hospice of Lake and Sumter in South Lake County.

In return, Hospice Foundation Board Member Richard Lindgren and Foundation Executive Director Ted Williams presented a special “Caring and Sharing 2005” award to the students and Cypress Ridge Principal Carmen Arnold.

The money will help pay for construction of the Mike Conley Hospice House, a residence for patients who are no longer able to live in their own homes, Hospice officials said.

The youngsters raised the money by doing chores at home and bringing their earnings to school in envelopes with their names, explained Cypress Ridge teacher Mary Battersby.  She said she then drew five names a day during the five-day fund-raising drive.   Each of the five students won a miniature Hospice bear.  On the fifth day, two final envelopes were drawn, and those winners each received a large Hospice plush bear as a grand prize.

According to Battersby, the fund-raiser’s success was due to the great participation of the students and the support of their parents.  A parent volunteer’s daily accounting of the children’s donations helped make the drive go smoothly, too, the teacher added.

The Mike Conley Hospice House will be a 10-bedroom residence located near South Lake Hospital, Hospice officials said.  It will be named in memory of Mike Conley, a longtime Clermont resident and community supporter.  The new facility is planned to open in 2006, they said.

Hospice of Lake and Sumter is a not-for-profit, community healthcare organization.  It provides medical, nursing, emotional, spiritual, and personal care services for patients with serious, complex illnesses, and their families.  Services are provided according to need, not the ability to pay.

PHOTO CUTLINES -- Cypress Ridge Principal Carmen Arnold and the fund-raising students accept a special “Caring and Sharing  2005” plaque from Hospice Foundation Board Member Richard Lindgren.

Community Hospice Names Anna Wright, M.D. Associate Medical Director for

Admissions

Community Hospice of Northeast Florida has hired

Anna Wright, M.D. as an associate medical director and consultant to its

Admissions Department.

In her role as a medical director, one of 11 employed by Community

Hospice, Wright supports the organization's nurses by evaluating

candidates for hospice care prior to admission and ensuring their

eligibility for hospice care, as regulated by federal and state

guidelines. She also supports a team of nurses and professional

relations representatives in providing educational programs to health

care professionals.

Prior to joining Community Hospice, Wright was the residency program

director at the University of Florida Health Science Center's Department

of Community Health and Family Medicine in Jacksonville. While at UF she

also held the title of clinical assistant professor and was an associate

residency director and assistant medical director.

Wright earned her medical degree from the University of Mississippi

School of Medicine and performed her residency and a fellowship in

family medicine at the Medical College of Virginia. While in Virginia,

she also worked as an emergency department physician, as an associate

residency director and had a private medical practice.

A three-time recipient of Jacksonville Magazine's "Top Docs" award,

Wright also received honors as Teacher of the Year at UF's Department of

Community Health and Family Medicine three times. She is a diplomate of

the American Board of Family Practice and a member of the American

Academy of Family Physicians, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine and

the DCMS. She lives in Fernandina Beach.

Established in 1979 as the first hospice program in northeast Florida,

Community Hospice of Northeast Florida provides compassionate care to

nearly 1,000 patients daily in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns

counties, through the support of more than 700 employees and 1,100

volunteers. The nonprofit organization has served more than 38,000

children and adults-at home, in long-term care facilities, hospitals and

through its two inpatient facilities in Jacksonville. Community Hospice

Foundation generates philanthropic and community support for unfunded

and under-funded programs, including indigent hospice care, programs and

services through the Charles M. Neviaser Educational Institute, and

Community PedsCare, a pediatric palliative and hospice program. Care is

available to all patients who need it, regardless of their ability to

pay.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For additional information, please call

Terry Stone, Community Outreach, 321-269-4240

FREE LIFE PLANNING SEMINAR

Hospice of St. Francis and A. G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. are partnering to combine their expertise and provide a seminar on Planning for the Future. This free educational seminar is designed to help any individual make decisions on health and financial plans for later in life. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Hospice of St. Francis, located at 1250-B Grumman Place, Titusville.

Bruce Wolters, Executive Director of Hospice of St. Francis, will be presenting a segment on Understanding Hospice Care and Advance Directives. The information Mr. Wolters provides will allow individuals to plan for their future health needs. Ron Cecilione, VP of Wealth Management at A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. will be discussing Estate Planning and Understanding Trusts. Mr. Cecilione will provide details needed to help an individual plan for their financial future.

Persons attending this seminar will in no way be obligated to purchase any products or service. This educational program is provided as a community service to any person seeking information on planning for the future. All attendees will receive a complimentary lunch. To RSVP for the seminar and lunch, please call 321-269-4240 or toll free 866-269-4240.

Hospice of St. Francis (HOSF) was the first hospice established in Brevard County. HOSF is a local, non-sectarian, 501 (c)(3) organization that serves the needs of terminally ill patients and their loved ones. The corporation was originally formed in 1977 by volunteers from the medical community. In 1990, the organization transitioned to a paid professional staff supported by a strong base of volunteers. In addition to caring for the terminally ill and providing the Caregiving Education and Resource Program, HOSF offers adult support groups, memorial services, individual pastoral counseling, the Congregation Nurse Program and child grief support through the North Star Program. Hospice of St. Francis services are provided throughout Brevard County—north to south. For more information about these programs, please call 321-269-4240 or toll free at 866-269-4240.