Orlando, Florida, June 14, 2007—Four registered nurses at VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® of Central Florida have passed the National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses, demonstrating their knowledge, skill, experience and general excellence in end-of-life care.

Adding CHPN (Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse) to their professional credentials are

• Judy Palmer, RN, CHPN, of Oviedo, who works with nursing home patients. She has been with VITAS since 1990.
• Terry Hirtz, RN, CHPN, of Minneola, also a nursing home nurse. She has been with VITAS since 2000.
• Kathy Rhodes, RN, CHPN, of Orlando, who works in the VITAS inpatient unit at Manor Care of Winter Park. She has been with VITAS since 2003.
• Arthur Westendorf, RN, CHPN, of Clermont, a VITAS field nurse who visits patients in their homes. He joined VITAS in 2000.

“Certification is an assurance to VITAS patients and their families that their hospice team offers the highest quality patient care,” says Carmen Demos, general manager. “But it also reveals the commitment these clinicians have to hospice.” VITAS Innovative Hospice Care® is the nation’s largest provider of end-of-life care. A pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, VITAS has been caring for the terminally ill and their families in Central Florida since 1996.