MIAMI, Feb. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- President
& CEO Nick Westfall of VITAS® Healthcare, the nation's
leading provider of end-of-life care, has been named one of seven
new members of the board of directors of the National Hospice and
Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), effective January 22, 2020.
As executive leader of the healthcare provider that offers
hospice and palliative care to more than 19,000 patients and
families daily in 14 states and the District of Columbia, Westfall joins two dozen
other executives from hospice and palliative care providers and
healthcare organizations throughout the nation.
"I am honored to serve the NHPCO and the hospice profession,"
said Westfall. "I am committed to ensuring that all hospice
providers, for-profit and nonprofit alike, have the necessary
resources to increase quality and improve patient and family
experience and that, as an industry, we have a stronger voice in
the legislative and regulatory affairs that affect all of us. The
future of healthcare is bringing healthcare closer to wherever the
patient calls home; where hospice and palliative care has already
been for over forty years."
Edo Banach, president and CEO of NHPCO, welcomed Westfall among
the diverse and dedicated professionals "who are committed to
ensuring access to high-quality interdisciplinary care that is
offered by hospice and community-based palliative care
programs."
Westfall joined VITAS in 2012 to lead the company's field
operations, becoming chief operating officer in 2015 and president
and CEO in 2016. He previously was director of information and
technology and operations for Chemed Corporation (NYSE: CHE), the
parent company of VITAS. Prior to Chemed, he was a senior manager
at Deloitte and Touche LLP.
During Westfall's VITAS tenure, the number of patients served
annually has increased over 12%. He has overseen the company's
mobile healthcare technology initiative, a multi-year reinvestment
strategy focused on sustainable growth, and provided leadership
during times of crisis, including through the Texas and Florida hurricanes and California wildfires that required emergency
preparedness strategies to provide 24/7 care to hospice patients
and their families.
Westfall is a member of the Advisory Board to Programs in Health
Management and Policy at the University of
Miami Business School and a board member The Coalition to
Transform Advanced Care (CTAC). In 2018, he received a CEO Today
Healthcare Award.
Westfall earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from
the University of Dayton in
Ohio and a Master of Business
Administration from the University of
Michigan Ross School of Business.
About VITAS® Healthcare
Established in
1978, VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American
hospice movement. Headquartered in Miami,
Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 48 hospice
programs in 14 states (California,
Connecticut,
Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Illinois, Kansas, Missouri,
New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 12,388
professionals who care for terminally ill patients daily, primarily
in the patients' homes, and also in the company's 28 inpatient
hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and assisted
living communities/residential care facilities for the elderly. At
the conclusion of the third quarter of 2019, VITAS reported an
average daily census of 19,137. Visit www.vitas.com.
Media Inquiries contact: media@vitas.com or 877-848-2701
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SOURCE VITAS Healthcare