Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice has hired Mickey Gerhard, MSN, RN as its new hospice and palliative care coordinator. Each year, Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice provides end-of-life services to over 200 local hospice patients and their families. The agency’s team of physicians, nurses, social workers, certified nursing assistants, chaplain and specially trained volunteers provide hospice and palliative care in private homes, nursing facilities, assisted living facilities and group homes.

Kathy Bean, RN, executive director of Miles & St. Andrews Home Health & Hospice, said, “I am confident in Mickey’s ability to lead our hospice team into the future." She added, "Her understanding of our mission and our interdisciplinary approach will be imperative as we face the challenges of the ever-changing and complex world of healthcare, and her enthusiasm for patient care is exciting.”

Gerhard earned her master of science in nursing administration from Villanova University. She has extensive clinical, administrative and educational background with a focus on hospice care nursing. Her experience has included work as a staff nurse, administrator of a hospital-based hospice program, and consultant for several national companies as a site visitor for an accrediting organization. Most recently she worked for the state of Maine as a long term care surveyor.

Hospice care includes medical services, emotional support, and spiritual resources for people who are in the last stages of a serious illness. Hospice care also helps family members manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for a dying loved one. The goal is to keep patients comfortable and improve their quality of life. For more information about hospice care services available throughout Lincoln and Knox counties, call 563-4592.