Congratulations to the NorthStar Care Community Gathering Award Winners, Presented by Netsmart
After the tremendous success last year introducing the NorthStar Quality Award and the first Community Partner Award, we decided to expand the program and add the Innovation and Impact Award to the lineup. We are pleased to announce that all three award categories were be presented at this year’s NorthStar Care Community Gathering. In Boulder Colorado.
The winners span from Rhode Island to Central Oregon and everywhere in between.
2025 NorthStar Innovation and Impact Award Winners Presented by Netsmart
Partners in Care Hospice program, Central Oregon
Accepted by Lisa Hurley, Chief Operations Officer
The first award goes to Partners in Care hospice program from Central Oregon. Their program The Partners in Care End of Life Doula Program is a groundbreaking initiative designed to elevate the quality of end-of-life care by integrating specially trained volunteers—known as end-of-life doulas—into interdisciplinary care teams. These compassionate volunteers offer an essential layer of non-clinical support, focusing on emotional presence, companionship, and advocacy for patients and their families during one of life’s most vulnerable transitions.
Samaritan, New Jersey
Accepted by Phillip W. Heath, President and CEO
In 2025 their program received two distinguished awards:
- The 2025 Health Care Heroes Award for Mental Health (NJBIZ) in recognition of its groundbreaking Social Connections program. This intergenerational initiative pairs local youth with seniors, fostering mutual learning, companionship, and social engagement. The Social Connections program reflects Samaritan’s mission to extend care beyond medical needs, embracing the whole person and their community
- The 2024 Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education. In December, Samaritan became the first hospice organization in the United States to achieve Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education. This distinction enables Samaritan’s Boccolini Institute to offer continuing education credits to a wide range of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and social workers, through a single, streamlined process. This achievement underscores Samaritan’s commitment to clinical excellence, workforce development, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
HopeHealth, Rhode Island
Accepted by Diana Franchitto, President and CEO
HopeHealth provides exceptional, comprehensive end-of-life care, focusing on high caregiver and employee satisfaction, fostering strong patient and family support, and continually expanding its pediatric services. They are recognized as a leader in their community, and their work reflects the values of innovation and community care through its deep integration with academic institutions, personalized support programs, and forward-thinking partnerships. As the major teaching affiliate for hospice and palliative medicine at Brown University, HopeHealth trains future clinicians to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care. It also leads initiatives like Camp BraveHeart for grieving children, caregiver support groups, and dementia care programs that are free and open to the public. Under CEO Diana Franchitto’s leadership, HopeHealth has expanded its reach through innovative collaborations with healthcare systems and was recently recognized nationally for driving nonprofit care innovation.
2025 NorthStar Community Partner Award Winners Presented by Netsmart
Beads of Courage, Tuscan Arizona
Accepted by Jean Gribbon, Founder and Beth Moneck, CEO of Beads of Courage
Beads of Courage is NorthStar Care Community’s newest partner for the Life’s Big Moments Campaign. The organization started 20 years ago when a pediatric oncology nurse learned that her patients had no way of telling the story of the journey of their disease and treatment at the hospital. Beads of Courage was created as each bead tells a story of life moments and treatments along a patient’s journey. One area that Beads of Courage realized was missing was a bead program for when a patient transitions to hospice care and the subsequent hospice journey. Over a years’ time frame, Beads of Courage joined the specialized pediatric staff at the Jo Elyn Nyman Anchors Programs for Children at Hospice to create a hospice and palliative care bead program which will be used in hospice programs across the country along as well as the 300 children’s hospital in the US and abroad who have an existing Beads of Courage program. Learn more about Beads of Courage here.
Hospice of Lenawee, Michigan
Accepted by Dr. Jennifer Meade, DNP, RN, Director of Patient Care
HOL carries a rare distinction: they are 5-Star rated by Medicare, one of only twelve hospices statewide and among just seven nonprofits to earn this honor. As the only nonprofit hospice based in Lenawee County, they are rooted deeply in their community— providing more visits, more personalized care, and richer services because they are invested in the place, they call home.
Their eight-bed inpatient Hospice Home, built by their community for their community, offers private rooms, serene views, thoughtful comforts—they also welcome loved ones at any time and even our patient’s beloved pets. Their clinical leadership shines through our fulltime Medical Director, Board Certified in Hospice & Palliative Care, and their strength lies in our 115+ trained volunteers, giving their time across care, education, outreach, and community enrichment. Their Charity Care Program ensures no one is ever turned away for inability to pay.
Beyond hospice care, they are proud of the breadth and accessibility of their bereavement services. They provide free counseling for adults and children, support groups, workshops, seminars, workplace grief assistance, trauma/crisis intervention, and their youth-focused Kaleidoscope Program. Their community bereavement program is available to any community member who has suffered a loss. They believe wholeheartedly that no one should grieve alone, and no one should have to pay for grief counseling.
Applied Innovation, Michigan
Accepted by CEO John Lowery’s son Kyle Lowery, Director of Production Print
A Grand Rapids Michigan based company that has supported Hospice of Michigan, one of our founding programs for more than a decade. Most touching was when the founder and owner of Applied reached out for hospice services for his beloved wife Sandy. Following the difficult but beautiful hospice and palliative journey. John was featured in public service campaign promoting hospice and palliative care.
Link to video
2025 NorthStar Quality Award Presented by Netsmart
NorthStar currently provides triage services to 50 programs across the United States. Some of the more recent quality metrics that we have begun tracking across all providers including our own hospice brands are what we define as Avoidable Calls. We believe these are leading indicators that highlight gaps in hospice care at the bedside and include medication refills, supply shortages, and constipation reports. These are measured in percentages and represent the proportion of calls in each category relative to the total number of calls received. The three programs selected are all at least 4-star programs as defined by CAHPS and each also had the best performance in one or more of these Avoidable Call categories.
ConnectionsPlus Healthcare + Hospice, Virginia
Accepted by Tasha Walsh, CEO and Executive Director and Lisa Howard, Chief Clinical Officer
Their service area includes Lexington, Buena Vista and Rockbridge Counties. They pride themselves on hometown roots and their tagline is Neighbors Helping
Neighbors. They are a 5-star program which was selected for their low call volume in both medication refills and constipation. Two of their tactics include increasing their visit frequency across all disciplines as needed and a steady focus on quality metrics.
Visiting Nurse and Hospice, Vermont and New Hampshire
Accepted by Tammy Tarsa, President and CEO
They are a member of Dartmouth Health and service more than 140 towns across these two states. They have been providing care in these communities since 1907 as part of the local home nursing movement. They are a 4-star program which was selected for their low call volume in medication refills. Their tactics focus on high touch and increasing their visit frequency across all disciplines.
Hospice of Washington County, Maryland
Accepted by Sara McKay, Chief Business Development Officer and Tracy Moser, Director of Community Programs and Partnerships
They are now affiliated with Gilchrist. This is the second year in a row that they have been selected to receive a Quality Award which underscores their strong clinical leadership. They are a 4-star program which was selected for their low call volume for supplies. Their tactics focus on high touch including tuck in calls and scheduled after-hour visits and regular monitoring of quality metrics.
Don’t Miss the 2026 NorthStar Community Gathering! Early Bird Registration now open!
