| McGinnis Receives Peter Keese Award |
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 Myra McGinnis
Ms. McGinnis joined Hospice Cleveland County in 1990 and was promoted to Executive Director in 1994. Her first year as Executive Director, 207 patients and families in Cleveland County received hospice services. In 2011, over 750 patients and their families benefitted from the care Hospice Cleveland County provided.
During her leadership, Hospice Cleveland County has grown from a staff of 25 to a staff of over 125 and is JCAHO accredited. The hospice office, beginning in an uptown train depot, was relocated to a 12 acre campus in 1996. The administrative building houses all clinical and clerical staff. Situated on the same property is Wendover, our 16 bed inpatient/residential facility. Through the support of our community and the diligence of financial management, in 2010, Hospice Cleveland County built an additional eight-bed inpatient/residential hospice house in nearby Kings Mountain.
Envisioning a community that receives excellent health care, Ms. McGinnis helped develop a comprehensive Palliative Care program under the umbrella of Hospice Cleveland County. The operations of the hospice program were able to financially maintain the palliative care program. Over 60% of the patients served by the palliative care program are transitioned into the hospice program.
Hospice celebrated 26 years of operations last November and has served over 8,000 patients in our area. Last year, hospice and palliative care programs provided care to 61% of the people who died in Cleveland County. With the many rules, regulations, audits, and requirements that encroach on hospice care in these times, Ms. McGinnis maintains the true spirit of hospice care. In a publication, she wrote, “at its simplest, hospice is about affirming life and the dignity of individuals traveling through their final days. We are
committed to providing high quality skilled compassion care and support to those in our area who need hospice care.”
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization recently printed an article “Choosing a Quality Hospice for You or Your Loved Ones”. The article included a list of questions to help identify factors important in selecting a hospice, such as being Medicare certified, available for admissions 24/7, receiving accreditation, operating a hospice facility, providing crisis care in the home. Under the leadership and direction of Ms. McGinnis, Hospice Cleveland County scores high on every important factor.
Ms. McGinnis has proven to be a competent and fair CEO. She maintains the highest ethical standards for herself and expects nothing less from her staff. Her involvement in the community is extensive. She is on the Board of Directors for the Salvation Army, the treasurer for her Homeowners Association, the past president of the Kings Mountain Rotary Club, and a devout member of St Matthew’s Lutheran Church. She regularly attends the hospice directors meetings and receives many calls from other directors requesting advice from her. While she maintains an active social life, Ms. McGinnis works long and tireless hours to ensure that Hospice Cleveland County is available for those in need.
The staff at Hospice Cleveland County respects her ideals and her vision for the future of hospice care in Cleveland County. She is continuously monitoring operations, quality, and the needs of our community. It is important to her that Hospice Cleveland County meets those needs and meets them excellently. She once commented that one hospice in the world has got to be the best hospice in the world. She followed that with this comment: “I want that hospice to be Hospice Cleveland County!”
The requirements for the Peter Keese Award are that the nominee must have:
-devoted significant time to promoting hospice care
-vision and be forward thinking
-been involved in hospice care throughout NC
-an active involvement in all stages of hospice development
These requirements have thoroughly and entirely been met during Ms. McGinnis’ tenure at Hospice Cleveland County.
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