Hospice welcomes two nurse practitioners to care for palliative patients

August 14, 2019 | 9:21 pm

Updated August 14, 2019 | 9:24 pm

Two nurse practitioners with Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Kentucky have been working with patients in the community in the past several months as part of the community-based palliative care program.

Krystal Medley and Matt Johnson have both been tasked with the care of patients who have a chronic or serious illness but don’t meet the criteria for the organization’s hospice program.

“Several years ago we identified a gap in services for patients who had a chronic illness, but didn’t have a diagnosis that warranted hospice care,” said Donna Fitzgerald, Hospice and Palliative Care chief clinical officer. “We started offering palliative care services to help with symptom management and improve the quality of life for those patients. Having symptoms controlled can also mean fewer trips to the emergency room, which really is such a benefit to our patients and their families.”

Johnson has previous experience working as an APRN with the Hospitalists at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, as well as working as an RN with the OHRH Cardiac Care Unit.

Medley has prior experience as an RN in medical oncology at Owensboro Health, as well as working as a nurse practitioner at the wound center.

Both Medley and Johnson received their Master of Science degrees in nursing as Family Nurse Practitioners from Western Kentucky University.

Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Kentucky is a local non-profit organization whose mission is “helping individuals live with dignity through the final stages of life.”

For more information regarding their services or to refer a patient to their hospice or palliative care programs, please call 270-926-7565 or visit www.hospiceofwky.org.

August 14, 2019 | 9:21 pm

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