A Conversation with Hospice of the Valley
Hospice of the Valley is Arizona’s largest hospice & palliative care provider. They provide many programs and services across Arizona.
We sat down with three of their leaders, CEO, Debbie Shumway, Executive Medical Director, Ned Stolzberg, MD, and Dementia Care Medical Director, Gillian Hamilton, MD, PhD, to discuss their career paths, their work at HOV, and how they help move forward HOV’s mission in the future.
We began our conversation with Debbie Shumway, CEO, who has now been at HOV for over 30 years. We discuss the programs/services HOV provides, plus her incredible leadership at the helm of one of Arizona’s renowned non-profit organizations.
ARIZONA PHYSICIAN: Deb, please share with us your history at Hospice of the Valley?
DEBBIE SHUMWAY: I am so honored to have just celebrated my 30th anniversary at Hospice of the Valley! I joined the
agency as finance director in 1994. But my appreciation for this wonderful organization began in the early ’80s, when I had the opportunity as a teenager to visit patients with my mother, who was a Hospice of the Valley volunteer. Over the years, I had the opportunity to work closely with our field staff and better understand the operations of HOV, and in 2016, I assumed the Executive Director role. There have been many changes over the last 30 years, but the dedication and commitment of our care teams to provide beautiful care has never wavered.
We continue to create programs to meet the changing needs of our community while staying focused on our mission: Bringing comfort, dignity and compassionate care to our community.
AZP: Deb, there are many hospices in our community, but Hospice of the Valley is unique because it is a nonprofit. Tell us more about that.
DEBBIE SHUMWAY: Hospice of the Valley was the first hospice in Arizona, founded by a small group of volunteers 47 years ago, our visionary founders. Today, we are the only nonprofit hospice in Maricopa County—a responsibility we take seriously As a nonprofit, we provide care for all in need, regardless of someone’s financial resources.
We can do this thanks to the support of our generous community. This last year, we provided more than $14 million in charity care and community services.
AZP: Hospice of the Valley also offers many other services and programs in addition to hospice care. Can you share a few that patients use most?
DEBBIE SHUMWAY: Many families come to us for compassionate Hospice Care. Our
skilled interdisciplinary teams of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers,
nursing aides and chaplains are focused on personalizing care for each individual while supporting their family members.
We can provide this important care through strong collaboration with community physicians and other healthcare partners. All our programs are supported by a skilled after-hour clinical team that supports patients and provides in-home clinical visits 24 hours a day. The goal of each of our programs is to improve our patients’ quality of life, help them live safely at home and avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
We have several programs tailored to individuals dealing with advanced illnesses.
Some of them include:
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Supportive Care for Dementia, a unique program where dementia educators visit caregivers in the home to provide resources, clinical and emotional support, and help navigate the challenges of caregiving.
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Arizona Supportive Care is our program to manage the symptoms of chronic illnesses like heart and lung disease, along with cancer and other health challenges. We provide education, community resources, care coordination and after-hour support 24/7. Our experienced clinicians serve patients where they live, just as our hospice and dementia care programs do.
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Serving home-limited patients who are not able to get to their primary care provider, our Geriatric Solutions program provides in-home primary care services. Our physicians and nurse practitioners make home visits providing primary care services like wellness exams, symptom management and care coordination with specialists.
Hospice of the Valley (HOV) by the Numbers:
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Founded in 1977
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46 Physicians
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18 Nurse Practitioners
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Over 1,500 Total Employees
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Other staff include:
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Nurses, certified nursing assistants, socialworkers, chaplains, educators, and administrative.
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Services & Programs:
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Hospice care, palliative care, MediCaring,pulmonary care, grief support, family caregiversupport, pediatric services, mindfulness, musictherapy, and dementia care.
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​Connect with Hospice of the Valley (HOV) at hov.org or call (602) 530-6900​
Ned Stolzberg, MD, serves as Executive Medical Director for Hospice of the Valley. We asked a few questions on why physicians come to work at HOV and what it takes as a physician to be successful working at hospice & palliative care organization.
AZP: Dr. Stolzberg, please share with us your history at Hospice of the Valley.
DR. STOLZBERG: My interest in hospice began during my Family Medicine residency. Subsequently, both of my parents needed hospice, and I was able to experience the care Hospice of the Valley provides from the perspective of a family member. As a result, in 2007 I joined the agency part time as a team physician. I gradually transitioned away from private practice to work in hospice care full time, and along the way became board-certified in Palliative Medicine. I held multiple clinical positions with HOV prior to assuming my current role in 2015.
AZP: You oversee all physicians and nurse practitioners at HOV, what makes a physician a good fit at HOV? What are
qualities you look for in a physician looking to work in non-profit and hospice & palliative care?
DR. STOLZBERG: We look for physicians who are compassionate, good communicators and skilled at working in a team
environment. They also must be comfortable working in gray areas. End-of-life care often defies what might be found in a textbook and hospice physicians need to be able to treat the patient and not the disease.
AZP: There are 45 physicians at HOV, are they all full-time or part-time?
DR. STOLZBERG: Our physician team is a blend of doctors who have had formal training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and those who have had experience in other fields (Internal Medicine, ER, anesthesia, etc.) and were new to hospice when they started with us. There is a learning curve to hospice medicine, but the person is more important than their background. We also have a mix of people who work full-time and those that are part-time and still work in another area of medicine.
AZP: What can physicians expect working for a hospice & palliative care organization like yours instead of, say, working with geriatric patients in a hospital?
DR. STOLZBERG: The bulk of hospice care is delivered in a patient’s home. You can get a much deeper understanding of what might work best for a patient in this environment. The care is also delivered by an interdisciplinary team (nurse,
certified nursing assistant, social worker, chaplain, volunteer, etc.). This allows for very personalized care plans with the patient as the focus, not the disease. Sometimes my input is the key to achieving the patient’s goals, sometimes it’s another team member’s. It’s a great model of practice.
AZP: What’s your pitch to young or seasoned physicians interested or considering hospice & palliative care?
DR. STOLZBERG: Most of our physicians “self-select.” That being said, hospice offers an opportunity to practice medicine in a manner free of many of the constraints and frustrations common in our medical system. You can use your skills to solve unique challenges creatively and make significant impacts every day for your patients and their families. I’ve not worked with a better group of colleagues or in a better culture. Hands down this has been the most fulfilling job I’ve had in medicine.
Being board certified in both internal medicine and geriatrics & palliative medicine, makes Gillian Hamilton, MD, PhD, a natural fit as leader of HOV’s Supportive Care for Dementia program. We discussed HOV’s new Dementia campus and how physicians can feel comfortable referring their patients to hospice & palliative care providers like HOV.
AZP: Dr. Hamilton please share with us your history at Hospice of the Valley
DR. HAMILTON: When I was teaching Geriatrics at Good Samaritan Hospital (now Banner U.) 28 years ago, I attended an open house at Hospice of the Valley and the executive director at that time, Susan Goldwater (now Levine) admired a photo of my daughter just adopted from Peru. We had an immediate connection, and I started working at HOV a few hours a week—gradually increasing as more needs appeared. HOV is incredibly innovative and provided the opportunity for me to develop many new programs, including volunteer programs for teens and pet therapy teams, a pulmonary program, a dementia program (including an inpatient unit just for dementia), and then a program to support people living with
early or mid-stage dementia is called Supportive Care for Dementia. The most recent innovations have been a Dementia Care Fellowship (for all professions, including architects, hospital systems, improvisation actors, educators in underserved communities, etc.) and finally, our wonderful Dementia Care and Education Campus– a comprehensive resource for our whole community.
AZP: Tell us more about your dementia care campus and the services it provides for patients.
DR. HAMILTON: The campus is an incredible gift to our community provided by our Board. It includes an Education Center providing many services at no charge, including events, support groups and educational programs on campus and
virtually. Supportive Care for Dementia (SCD) also operates from the campus to support people with dementia living in their homes alone or with caregivers. That program has grown to a current census of over 750 and will expand further in July because we have just been awarded a new 8-year CMS demonstration program, Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience Model (GUIDE), to improve care of people with dementia and their families. In addition to the free programs, the campus includes assisted living facility, an Adult Day Club with adjoining childcare and daily interaction, and a hospice inpatient unit. The Campus is a place to model superb dementia care for mild, moderate and advanced dementia for all learners: medical students and residents; students in nursing, social work, occupational and physical therapy; certified nursing assistants and home health aides; college undergraduates; as well as family caregivers. A full-time music therapist and occupational therapist serve the campus and our patients at home.
AZP: Do you feel there is any disconnect between primary care physicians and organizations such as yours when it comes to referring patients? If so, how do we change that?
DR. HAMILTON: When primary care physicians and neurologists learn about our Supportive Care for Dementia program for those with mild cognitive impairment or any level of dementia, they are eager to refer. We can partner with home visits to find ways to provide support for patients and family and coordinate with their providers. Our census has grown very rapidly as physicians learn about the program, and we are thrilled to help families, who often come to us with very little knowledge about dementia and how to help those they care for.
AZP: Your Dementia Care and Education Campus recently received a grant from MCPHD to educate PCPs and other primary care medical providers about dementia diagnosis and management. How did that go? Beyond the grant, how do you educate primary care physicians on dementia care for their patients?
DR. HAMILTON: The grant-funded education we provided was extremely successful and showed the demand for dementia education in our community. During the 15 months of the grant, we educated over 6,000 professionals, focusing on medical students and physicians/NPs/PAs, but also many students in other health professions, from high school students getting nursing assistant certification to first responders across Maricopa and Pinal counties. We continue to provide education to healthcare professionals and caregivers in many venues throughout the Valley. We also look forward to serving primary care providers and specialists caring for people living with dementia in our new federal GUIDE program, which will provide free respite for caregivers, when eligible.
We concluded our conversation about Hospice of the Valley by discussing its recent patient acquisition of Banner Health's hospice operations and future at HOV with CEO, Debbie Shumway.
AZP: How did HOV become the hospice provider for Banner Health? Share what that means for patients and families.
DEBBIE SHUMWAY: We were pleased to work with leaders at Banner Health as they transitioned their hospice operations
in Phoenix and Tucson to Hospice of the Valley. This helped us expand our care for more families and strengthen nonprofit hospice care in Arizona. The transition was seamless for patients, thanks to a dedicated team of experienced hospice care professionals. Banner hospice employees joined Hospice of the Valley, providing patients with continuity of care with their clinical teams. It has been our hope to expand services to Tucson and this integration allowed that to happen smoothly.
Over our 47 years, we have been fortunate to collaborate closely with all the regional hospital systems. Our admission nurses work seamlessly with hospital case managers to ensure a smooth transition from the hospital to the patient’s home, wherever that may be.
AZP: Where do you see Hospice of the Valley in 10 years?
DEBBIE SHUMWAY: Over the next 10 years, Hospice of the Valley will continue to expand programs and create new care models to support those dealing with advanced illnesses. Our ongoing focus will be to partner with community physicians and other health providers to provide excellent care and education, improve quality of life for those dealing with significant health challenges, and reduce unnecessary healthcare expenses. We are committed to growing a workforce that is dedicated and passionate about caring for our community and serving all in need. As we all age, we anticipate that care needs will continue to grow, and we are honored to help ensure that all of us have access to this critical care.â–
