FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Kal Mistry, Chief Administrative Officer/Senior Vice President
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, 305.350.5990
Megan Carella, APR, Public Relations Editor
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, 352.560.3415
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® Appoints Zientek
To Patient Care Administrator
San Diego, California, June 28, 2010—VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of San Diego announces the appointment of Mary Zientek RN, BS, MA, CPM, of San Diego as Patient Care Administrator. Zientek brings 20 years of healthcare clinical and leadership experience to her new role.
As a Patient Care Administrator, Zientek is responsible for the daily clinical operations for the VITAS San Diego program, which serves patients near the end of life and their families throughout San Diego County. She supervises patient care teams, which are composed of nurses, hospice aides, physicians, social workers, chaplains and volunteers who work together to provide medical, social and emotional support to patients and their families. The VITAS Patient Care Administrator also is responsible for daily communications, quality of patient care services, employee and customer satisfaction and financial management.
The founder of Coaching Techniques, which provides healthcare performance improvement, organizational development consulting and executive coaching, Zientek has worked for a variety of organizations, facilitating process improvement initiatives, aiding in ensuring regulatory readiness, developing and implementing patient and employee satisfaction programs and facilitating leadership development. Earlier in her career, she worked for Scripps Mercy Hospital for thirteen years in multiple roles, including director of systems improvement. She also has an extensive background in behavior health nursing.
Mary received her RN from Southwestern College, Chula Visa, California, a bachelor’s degree from Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, California, and a master’s degree from Chapman University, Orange, California. She currently is completing a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Phoenix. She holds a professional certification in Project Management.
VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, a pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, is one of the nation’s largest providers of end-of-life care. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 45 hospice programs in 16 states (California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin). VITAS employs 9,702 professionals who care for terminally ill patients daily, primarily in the patients’ homes, but also in the company’s 30 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 Fourth quarter of 2009, VITAS reported an average daily census of 12,322. Visit www.vitas.com.
Listed on the New York Stock Exchange and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Chemed Corporation (NYSE:CHE) operates two wholly owned subsidiaries: VITAS Healthcare and Roto-Rooter.
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