Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care announces Shannon Winterton, RN as Director of Nursing and welcomes five new members to the nursing team: Jenny Larkin, RN; Chris Miller, LPN; Susan Sparks, RN; Susan Triggs, RN and Barbara West, RN.
“Nurses are the heart of hospice, and we are thrilled to welcome such talented and passionate nurses to the Lumina family,” says Executive Director, Elizabeth French. “Under Shannon’s leadership, our growing team can better serve the end-of-life needs of our community.”
At a time when the healthcare industry is facing a shortage of nurses, Lumina’s expanding team becomes even more significant. Hospice care—a nurse-driven practice—has been disproportionately impacted by the nurse staffing crisis. At one point Lumina, along with other hospices in the area, had to limit or delay admissions due to the reduced capacity of clinical staff, while other hospices in the state closed for good. This meant that, for many Oregonians, timely hospice care was out of reach. With the announcement of Winterton’s role and growing clinical team, Lumina returns to its practice of admitting patients within 24 to 48 hours of referral.
“This is great news for our community,” says Helen Kao, Lumina’s Medical Director of Clinical Innovations who has been advocating at the state level for policies to increase nurse education and workforce, and an equitable distribution of nurses throughout the state. “The benefits of hospice care are tremendous,” says Kao. “Not only for the patient who is dying, but family members, loved ones, and the entire community.”
To learn more about Lumina’s services, or to make a referral contact 541-757-9616 or visit www.luminahospice.org