Kate Cummings
Biographical Profile

With 30 years of home care and hospice leadership experience, Kate leads Fairview Hospice and the Transitions Life Choice (TLC) Palliative Home Care Program for Fairview Home Care and Hospice.  She has written publications and spoken locally, state-wide and nationally on various hospice and home care topics.  She was one of the initial members of the Quality Advisory Council that met and participated in creating NHPCO’s product:  Quality Partners. Also for Quality Partners and this project, she provided national education for a number of hospice programs.  Kate was the President and Past President of the Minnesota Network of Hospice and Palliative Care, ending her seven years on this board in 2009.  She continues to serve on their Standards and Quality Committee. In the position of National Director, Kate has been on the Board of NHPCO for the past three years.  She serves as chair of the NHPCO Education committee and she is on the NHPCO membership committee. Kate received her Masters’ degrees in Nursing Leadership and Organizational Leadership in 2007 from the College of St. Catherine’s in St.Paul, MN.  Kate co-founded in 2005 a non-profit organization:  ArmInArmInAfrica(AIAIA) for work that is being done in Guguletu and Malugeni, South Africa.  Kate is the recipient of the 2005 Heart of Hospice Award for the National Hospice and Palliative Professionals and a 2007 recipient of Fairview Health System’s Fairview Cares Award.