Press

Community Hospice Foundation Announces New Board Members

April 6, 2023

MODESTO, CA (March 29, 2023) – Community Hospice, the oldest and largest nonprofit hospice provider serving the Central Valley, is pleased to announce its new Community Hospice and Community Hospice Foundation Board Members.

Joining the Community Hospice Board of Directors is Mr. David P. Benn. Mr. Benn retired in 2016 from Sutter Health where he most recently served as the Regional President for the Central Valley. Prior to his Regional President position, he served as the Chief Executive Officer, among other roles, for Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. During his healthcare career of nearly 40 years, he was accountable for operations, long range strategy, leading growth, affordability, quality, service integration and community responsiveness.

Joining the Community Hospice Foundation Board of Directors is Mrs. Deborah Kidwell-Grayson, retired Assistant Store Manager for JC Penney Co. and Ms. Veronica Napier, retired Hospital Compliance Officer for Tenet Healthcare and Memorial Medical Center. Mrs. Grayson worked at JC Penney Co. for 30 years demonstrating great leadership and customer service. She was honored several times for her dedication and leadership, receiving recognition on multiple occasions for top campaign performance. Ms. Napier has more than 25 years’ combined experience working with Medical Group, Hospital, Health Plan and Foundation entities. She has extensive experience in healthcare compliance, operations, finance and administration.

“We are very excited to welcome our recently appointed Community Hospice, Inc. and Community Hospice Foundation Board Members,” said Alisa Bettis, Community Hospice President/CEO. “As we continue to meet the evolving needs of those in our community, we look forward to working alongside our new Board Members that can lend their leadership and expertise in helping us provide compassionate and quality care to our community residents and their providers. We are very grateful they have chosen to share their time and talents with us.”

The Community Hospice and Community Hospice Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of community volunteers who provide strategic oversight and governance to the organization’s mission to embrace individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all.

About Community Hospice

Community Hospice is the largest and oldest nonprofit hospice agency in the Central Valley. Serving the community since 1979, Community Hospice has cared for thousands of friends and neighbors in their time of need providing hospice and palliative care services. Care extends to over 2,000 patients each year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities and at the 16-bed inpatient Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides grief and mental health support services through Hope Counseling. For more information, please call 209.578.6300 or visit hospiceheart.org.

About Community Hospice Foundation

The Community Hospice Foundation is a charitable organization established in 2001 to raise funds and awareness for Community Hospice.

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Kristin Mostowski 209.402.5154

Kristin.mostowski@hospiceheart

Community Hospice Announces New President/Chief Executive Officer Alisa Bettis

August 24, 2022

MODESTO, CA (August 24, 2022) – Community Hospice, Inc., the Central Valley’s oldest and largest nonprofit hospice and community-based palliative care provider, is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Alisa Bettis as the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer effective September 6, 2022. Ms. Bettis replaces C. DeSha McLeod, Community Hospice’s President/CEO, who resigned after eight years in October of 2021, and John E. Renner, Director of Logistics and Operations who has served as the Interim President/CEO.

“We welcome Alisa to the Community Hospice family,” shared Susan Donker, Community Hospice Board of Directors Chair. “Her background in clinical operations, quality and planning and compliance, along with her compassionate character, will play a pivotal role as we extend our excellent care to more families in need.”

Ms. Bettis has been employed the past six years as the Associate Director for the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. In her current role, she managed a $60 million annual budget, 500 employees, 55,000 patient visits a year, clinical operations for family medicine, multispecialty, physical rehabilitation, and urgent care clinics. Prior to her position with the county, Alisa worked in leadership roles at both Bloss Memorial Healthcare District/Castle Family Health Centers and Kaiser Permanente.

“We are thrilled to have Alisa join Community Hospice and feel she is a perfect complement to our Leadership team and Community Hospice family,” said John E. Renner, Interim President/CEO. “Her invaluable background and experiences will support our staff and most importantly, help us better serve our patients and their families.”

“I am very excited to join Community Hospice and its excellent team. For more than 40 years, Community Hospice has grown from an inspired idea by two registered nurses to a respected and leading provider of vital service for those with serious and life-limiting illness in the Central Valley area,” said Ms. Bettis. “I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to work with the dedicated Community Hospice and Foundation Boards, volunteers and incredibly talented healthcare professionals and staff.”

Ms. Bettis holds a Bachelor’s degree from California State University Sacramento, in Health Sciences with a concentration in Healthcare Administration and Community Health Education and a Master’s of Business Administration from California State University Stanislaus. She is also a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, Healthcare Accreditation, Healthcare Compliance and Lean Healthcare Trained.

About Community Hospice

Community Hospice is a nonprofit, community-based hospice agency, serving the Central Valley since 1979. Community Hospice embraces individuals and families facing life-changing journeys, enhancing quality of life for all. Care extends to over 2,000 patients and families every year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities and at the sixteen-room Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides palliative care, grief and mental health support. For more information, please call 209.578.6300 or visit give.hospiceheart.org.

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Contact

Kristin Mostowski 209.402.5154

Kristin.mostowski@hospiceheart

Community Hospice Foundation Announces Appointments to Board of Directors

June 24, 2022

For Immediate Release

Contact: Kristin Mostowski | Director of Public Relations, Community Hospice | Kristin.Mostowski@hospiceheart.org | 209.578.6301

Community Hospice Foundation Announces Appointments to Board of Directors

Modesto (June 23, 2022)– Community Hospice Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness to support the patients and families of Community Hospice, announces the appointment of two community leaders to its Board of Directors.

Joining the Community Hospice Foundation Board of Directors for an initial three-year term is Erika Mendoza, Senior Technical Project/Program Manager of AT&T Operations, Inc., San Ramon/Modesto and Melissa Williams, Public Affairs Manager of Modesto Irrigation District.

Click here to read more. CHF Announces New Board Members- Erika Mendoza and Melissa Williams

Community Hospice Foundation Celebrates 20th Annual Gala Offering Route 66 Road Trip Experience

May 21, 2021

 

For Immediate Release        

Contact: Kristin Mostowski, Director of Public Relations | Community Hospice | Kristin.Mostowski@hospiceheart.org | 209.578.6301

Community Hospice Foundation Celebrates 20th Annual Gala Offering Route 66 Road Trip Experience

Modesto, Calif. (May 21, 2021) – On May 15, 2021 over 330 community members took a journey down Route 66 at the Community Hospice Foundation 20th Annual Gala. Held in the airport district at Ann Endsley’s 3400 Finch Road industrial park, guest traveled in their cars through the parking lot from Chicago to sunny Santa Monica guided by a mobile app. Guest enjoyed the amazing sites and entertainment and had the opportunity to learn more about the important programs offered by Community Hospice. Trip admission included delicious appetizers, a multi-course take-home dinner prepared by Greens with wine pairings and other special surprises and goodies. Open to the public was an online auction through Handbid and a chance to participate in a Raffle Drawing for a brand-new Toyota Corolla thanks to our community partner Modesto Toyota.

Several community members were recognized for their dedicated service and support in advancing the organization’s mission. The Julio R. and Aileen Gallo Leadership Award was awarded to Mr. Jim and Mrs. Lisa Cogdill for their passionate commitment and enthusiastic leadership. The Honorable Tom and Mrs. Grace Van Groningen were awarded the John and June Rogers Philanthropic Award for embodying the heart of hospice by giving and raising funds to assure that the mission of Community Hospice continues, regardless of the patient’s or family’s ability to pay. The Harold A. Peterson, III Heart of Hospice Award was presented to Dr. Larry and Mrs. Nancy Podolsky for their long-standing commitment to the mission of Community Hospice. To learn more about our award recipients visit, Community Hospice Awards – YouTube.

This year’s Honk for Hospice (cash for the cause) was to raise needed funds to support Camp Erin® of the Central Valley. Thanks to our generous community, Honk for Hospice raised necessary funds to support many children in our community who have experienced a loss.

Community Hospice Foundation Executive Director, Melissa Van Diepen said, “This year’s gala was very special, and we are all delighted with the outcome. The public health emergency crisis pushed us to think outside the box when it came to our Gala. We were certain we wanted to continue to hold our event as it is crucial in supporting our services and programs, but also recognized that it would have to look completely different than prior years to keep everyone safe. The result was our Route 66 Road Trip Experience which would not have been possible without our amazing Co-Chairs, committee members, staff, volunteers and guests. Ultimately, we celebrated our 20th Annual Gala with our community friends, enjoyed some delicious entertainment and food and most importantly raised funds to support the mission of Community Hospice. We are humbled and grateful for the continued dedication and generosity our community members. We are looking forward to next year’s Gala and hope everyone saves the date, May 21, 2022.”

The 20th Annual Anniversary Celebration Gala was a great success raising more than $277,000 to support the patients, families and programs of Community Hospice.

 About Community Hospice Foundation

Community Hospice Foundation is a community-based nonprofit, raising awareness and funds to support the patients and families of Community Hospice.

About Community Hospice

Community Hospice is the largest and oldest nonprofit hospice agency in the Central Valley. Serving the community since 1979, Community Hospice has cared for thousands of friends and neighbors offering compassionate and quality care, education and support to terminally ill patients and families, regardless of ability to pay. Care extends to over 2,000 patients each year in private homes, skilled nursing facilities, retirement communities and at the 16-bed inpatient Community Hospice Alexander Cohen Hospice House. Community Hospice also provides bereavement and grief support to anyone in the community. For more information, please call 209.578.6300 or visit hospiceheart.org.  ###