Judy Bartel Named Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator of the Year

Chief Clinical Officer Judy Bartel has been named “Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator of the Year” by the Hospice and Palliative Care Credentialing Center, the organization that provides specialty certification to 15,500 healthcare professionals nationwide.

Judy is recognized as a pioneer and national leader in both serious illness and hospice care. She entered palliative nursing when it was a comparatively new specialty. Ursuline College offered the first master’s in palliative nursing in the country, and Judy was the program’s first graduate.

“There are precious few individuals who personify excellence in clinical practice more than Judy,” said Bill Finn, President and CEO. “She has dedicated 34 years to hospice and palliative care. The standards of care she has created have been emulated by hospice programs across the country.”

Judy has innovated - among others - a dementia care program that adapts communications and engages individuals in care decisions earlier in their disease process and a renal disease model that integrates palliative care with dialysis services.

One of her crowning achievements was developing Western Reserve Navigator (WRN), a community palliative care program that is one of the few of its type in the country. WRN helps patients living with advanced illness maintain independence and prevent hospitalizations by managing symptoms at home. The program earned a national Circle of Life award from the American Hospital Association in 2019.

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic  presented previously unimaginable challenges. Judy’s strategic leadership helped HWR’s clinical teams navigate and adapt to the pandemic’s changing complexities. She collaborated with other clinical leaders who dealt with the pandemic before it arrived in Ohio. She continues to confer and share best practices with colleagues across the U.S.

“At her core, Judy is a teacher and mentor,” Bill said. “Empowering and elevating our staff members are fundamental to her modus operandi.”

Through Judy’s educational advocacy, HWR has the most clinical staff members certified within their specialties of any hospice organization in Northern Ohio.