Hospicare Executive Director Dale Johnson announced recently that he will retire March 15, 2019.
Dale has been with Hospicare for nine years after initially accepting an interim position as executive director and we are so grateful for his work. “I did not intend to stay but found myself enjoying the agency, the people, and this community more than I expected,” Johnson said. “So I threw my hat in the ring and was hired as executive director shortly thereafter. It has been an incredible experience for me and a pleasure to work with such good people, the volunteers and dedicated professionals on the clinical and support staff.”
Board President Loren Gardner said a search for a new executive director is underway. “I will miss working with Dale and am grateful for his service over the last several years,” Gardner said. “I am pleased that we will have the benefit of his unique expertise until March. He has done a lot for our community through his work at Hospicare.”
Hospicare and Palliative Care Services provides services in Cortland and Tompkins counties to more than 500 patients and their family members annually.
During Dale’s tenure, he has overseen a complex and shifting state and federal regulatory environment. He has managed substantial agency growth with the 2014 merger of the Cortland County hospice program. In 2018 the Palliative Approach to Health (PATH) program was introduced, significantly expanding access to palliative care services.
Dale’s reputation for advancing the work of hospice and palliative care extends well beyond Cortland and Tompkins counties. He is a founding board member of the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa that has formed more than 75 partnerships between US and African hospices.
He recently was awarded the 2018 Carol Selinske Founders Award by the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of New York State (HPCANYS) for “outstanding efforts on behalf of hospice and the needs of the terminally ill in New York State.” He has served as HPCANYS chair, vice-chair, board member, and member of several committees. Since 2012, he has been co-chair of the Federal Legislative/Regulatory Committee. Trained as an attorney and as a member of the NYS bar, Dale has provided a legal perspective on pending legislation and is serving on a task force that will propose changes to the state’s regulatory process that leads to adding health care services and facilities.