Samira Beckwith NHPCO Board Board of Directors Election Questionnaire

1.  What prompted your interest in serving on the NHPCO Board of Directors?

At this moment in American healthcare, hospice is challenged to remain relevant.  The sustained quality of the entire healthcare system is in question because of the current state of the economy, legislative issues and so many other factors.  With my experience and vision I can make a difference in assuring that hospice and palliative care will continue to be relevant and even a more vital, reliable part of the healthcare system.  My desire is to continue developing new opportunities for hospices to expand our circle of care, with a focus on improving quality, reducing costs, and giving access to everyone in need. 

2.  What special expertise would you bring to the board?   See the statement of characteristics to be evaluated for guidance on this question.

Developing and implementing new ways to expand the continuum of care is a primary area of expertise, along with maximizing access to excellent hospice and palliative care.  I have the vision, collaborative skills and the ability to produce substantive outcomes, as evidenced by Hope’s innovative long-term care programs that are now becoming part of the continuum of care nationwide.  These programs are bridges to the future for our growing and aging population.  My extensive background in healthcare administration and public policy has proven to be an asset.  Board memberships and other positions of leadership in national healthcare organizations have given me leverage in effecting change.  As a social worker, my career remains grounded in meeting the needs of each individual, and that has been my approach in developing policy and implementing each new program of care. 

3.  How can the NHPCO meet the needs of a diverse group of hospice and palliative care providers? (i.e. rural vs. urban, community based vs. corporate, small vs. large)

Meeting the diverse needs of our members requires broad leadership experience.  I served eight years as Director of United Hospice in rural Grand Forks, North Dakota.  At Hope HealthCare Services, based in Fort Myers, Florida, we care for nearly 3,000 people in a 10,000 square mile area – rural, suburban and urban, representing many different cultures, ethnicities and lifestyles.  My service as a consulting surveyor for the JCAHCO Accreditation Program for Hospice Care gave me further insight into the needs of all types of providers.  As an NHPCO Board member, I will bring a first-hand understanding of how today’s healthcare issues impact all hospices, and the broad experience to meet their needs. 

4. What leadership positions, beyond hospice and palliative care, have you held?

• Team Leader, Florida Governor-elect Rick Scott’s Health and Human Services Transition Team
• Founding President, Florida PACE Association
• Director, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
• Director, The Ohio State University Alumni Association
• Founding Director, Riverside Bank of the Gulf Coast
• Founding Director, Investors’ Security Trust

5.  Health care reform initiatives could significantly change the health care delivery system in the next three years. What roles do you think hospice and palliative care should play in the health care continuum that it currently does not?

The principles of palliative care and the required skills can be applied across a larger continuum beyond end-of-life care, creating bridges and links to other types and levels of care.  Simplified, obstacle-free transition among care programs will improve outcomes for patients and their families while decreasing costs, making life easier and better for everyone.  Demanding more from our existing resources is one of the most practical and efficient ways to meet the needs of those in our care while also keeping hospice as a vital part of the care system.  NHPCO can play a role in educating hospices on how to meet our healthcare and economic challenges, enabling a much more accessible, efficient and economical healthcare system.  Through my positions of leadership in a number of leading health care organizations including NHPCO, I will be instrumental in maximizing support from other organizations. 

6.  Other than health care reform, what do you think are the most important issues/challenges facing hospice and palliative care in the next five years?   What do you see as NHPCO’s role with regard to those issues?  How would you as a board member help NHPCO fill that role?

Although many Americans are living longer and maintaining better health than previous generations, rising healthcare costs as well as other economic factors impact the progress that has been made over the past 30 years in improving care.  Concurrently we are seeing hospitals and other agencies now offering their own versions of palliative care.  The most important challenge facing NHPCO over the next five years is ensuring that hospice remains relevant and viable, expanding access for more people through our core skills.  As and NHPCO board member, I will work with health care leaders, educators, policy makers and elected officials to be a part of the solution to providing quality care for everyone. 

7. Describe an innovative or visionary achievement you led that had a broad effect in your community or state.

Originally known as “Hope Hospice,” our agency is now Hope HealthCare Services, reflecting our innovations in the continuum of care.  In hospice and palliative care, we have core skills that have been traditionally reserved for the end of a person’s life.   At Hope, we realized that our skills and services could have a much broader application.  Our strategic question was, ”How can we affordably increase our circle of care and services, giving more people access to the comfort and safety they need?”  As we began to create new programs and partnerships, we accessed new revenue streams and found new economic efficiencies. 

Along with Hospice, Hope now offers:

• Hope PACE – The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, helping people 55 and older to live independently
• Hope Comfort Care – Palliative care and services for those with a serious advancing illness
• Hope Parkinson Program – Services, education and activities for people with Parkinson’s and their care partners.
• Hope Connections – Home-based independent living for people 60 or older
• Hope Choices – Long-term, at-home care
• Hope Kids Care – Hospice, palliative care and grief support

With the addition of these new services, Hope’s care circle has grown exponentially, yet only limited expansion was required for our administrative services and infrastructure.   Accounting, HR, Marketing, Volunteer Services and other departments and functions have been able to easily accommodate the new programs with minimal increase in staff.  In fact existing IT tools and systems now have lower operating costs as a benefit of the economy of scale.

In addition to creating new streams of revenue, Hope has collaborated with agencies throughout the communities we serve, resulting in additional cost-saving efficiencies and increased levels of service.