Compass Regional Hospice, which offers individuals, families and the community “Care on your terms” through comprehensive, professional and compassionate end-of-life care and grief support, serving Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties, recently welcomed three local women to its team.
“As Compass Regional Hospice grows, so does the talent we recruit and hire,” said Compass Regional Hospice Executive Director Heather Guerieri. “I am so excited to welcome Katie Willis, our communications and web specialist; and Dawn Victoria, our clinical assistant, to our amazing team. I also want to give big congratulations to Shannon von Hagel as she transitions from a part-time position in medical records to our full-time referral specialist. We are blessed to have such talented and dedicated staff.”
As Clinical Assistant for Home Care, Victoria, who took on the position in May, will assist in the role of patient care by ordering supplies, such as beds, wheelchairs and oxygen, and coordinating equipment deliveries for home care patients; maintaining schedules for home; and assisting in areas of logistics and patient care or acting as a liaison for those caring for patients in home care (which includes private residences, assisted living and nursing home facilities) their nurses and senior clinical staff.
Victoria comes to Compass Regional Hospice from Anne Arundel Medical Center, where she worked in patient care. She also is a per diem certified nursing assistant with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, floating between their Easton and Dorchester hospitals, as needed.
“I’m the first person the hospital or a loved one will speak with when referring a patient or family member into hospice,” von Hagel said. “I will be there to facilitate every step from the moment they call to when they can get in the door and get Compass Regional Hospice’s services.”
In her new role, she also fills growing staffing needs during crucial weekend hours.
von Hagel came to Compass Regional Hospice in May 2017 with nearly 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, where she managed up to 100 employees at one point and has had a wealth of experience coordinating a variety of moving parts that make up running an organization. She said she believes hospice work is her life’s “calling.”
“My past has given me the opportunity to be good at my job,” von Hagel said. “My son was diagnosed with cancer at 6 years old — with leukemia. Through my journey with him, it’s allowed me to be really good for this job, it’s made me into who I am. I always feel like this has been my calling — really understanding what people are going through — I can relate.”
von Hagel said her son recently graduated from fourth grade at Church Hill Elementary School, where he was honored to receive the Student of Character Award — the highest award a child is able to receive at the school. He now lives cancer free.
Willis comes to Compass Regional Hospice from APG Media of the Chesapeake, where she was editor of Shore Monthly magazine and community editor for The Star Democrat. She has 12 years’ experience in communications and holds a Bachelor of Science in journalism from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga.
Looking forward, Compass Regional Hospice is continuing to grow, and is seeking registered nurses and certified nursing assistants to assist with an expanded need for hospice care in the three Mid-Shore communities the organization serves — Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties.
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~ Compass Regional Hospice – Care on your terms
Compass Regional Hospice is a fully licensed, independent, community-based nonprofit organization certified by Medicare and the state of Maryland and accredited by the Joint Commission. Since 1985, Compass Regional Hospice has been dedicated to supporting people of all ages through the challenge of living with a life-limiting illness and learning to live following the death of a loved one. Today, the organization is a regional provider of hospice care and grief support in Queen Anne’s, Kent and Caroline counties. “Care on your terms” is the promise that guides staff and volunteers as they care for patients in private residences, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and the residential hospice centers in Centreville, Chestertown and Denton. Grief support services are offered to children, adults and families of patients who died under hospice care, as well as members of the community who are grieving the loss of a loved one, through The Hope and Healing Center. For more information about Compass Regional Hospice, visit compassregionalhospice.org.
Photos were contributed