VITAS Healthcare proudly announces the addition of four new leaders
to its executive management team, including the promotions of
Jennifer Melad, Martin Escueta and Lauren Loftis, MD. The hospice
company also welcomes Vicky Durkin as its latest newly hired
executive.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is
available by clicking on this link.
As the nation’s leading end-of-life care provider and a globally
recognized best-in-class employer, VITAS is dedicated to excellence
in leadership and service delivery, ensuring that patients and
their families receive the highest quality of care, while employees
benefit from an engaging and fulfilling career.
These appointments follow several recent promotions at VITAS for
two key operations executives and a new executive vice president
role, as well as two senior vice presidents and four vice
presidents in Florida.
JENNIFER MELAD, VP OF HOSPICE OPERATIONS
Overseeing the operations of six VITAS service areas in Southern
California, Jennifer Melad ensures the delivery of compassionate
care to patients and their families across Orange County, the
Inland Empire, Coastal Cities, San Diego, San Gabriel and San
Fernando-Ventura/Los Angeles. With more than 25 years of healthcare
operations experience, including six years at VITAS, Melad’s proven
leadership continues to drive success in providing quality
end-of-life care to these communities.
Melad joined the company in 2018 as associate general manager in
Irvine, California. She quickly rose through the ranks and led the
Orange County team to achieve Program of the Year in 2021, earning
Melad a spot on the company’s elite “Circle of Excellence”
committee.
She is pursuing a Master of Business Administration from Western
Governors University in Salt Lake City, Utah, and earned a
bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and management from
Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester.
MARTIN ESCUETA, VP OF HOSPICE OPERATIONS
In Northern California, Martin Escueta now leads VITAS service
areas across East Bay, San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley.
With more than a decade of management experience in senior living
and healthcare, Escueta’s expertise in multi-site management and
business development continues to enhance the VITAS mission to
provide comprehensive hospice services to patients in the Northern
California region.
Escueta joined VITAS in 2021 as regional director of admissions.
In this role, he supported admissions directors and teams across
multiple locations as they achieved steady year-over-year growth
and provided more patients with access to VITAS services.
He is a licensed vocational nurse and studied business economics
at the University of California, Los Angeles.
LAUREN LOFTIS, MD, REGIONAL MEDICAL
DIRECTOR
A family medicine physician specializing in end-of-life care,
Dr. Lauren Loftis now serves as the regional medical director for
VITAS in Northern Florida and Alabama. In this role, she leads the
medical care of hospice patients and their families throughout
Citrus County and the Nature Coast, Pensacola, Panama City,
Jacksonville, Tallahassee, Mobile-Daphne and Dothan.
Dr. Loftis joined VITAS in 2022 as medical director in Brevard
County where she delivered comprehensive pediatric palliative
services for children facing serious illness and interfaced with
hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and other facilities to
consult and develop services for hospice and palliative care.
Dr. Loftis is board certified by the American Academy of Hospice
and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and the American Board of Family
Medicine (ABFM). She also received the Hospice Medical Director
Board Certification (HMDC) and is a fellow with AAHPM.
She completed her medical degree at the University of Texas
Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, and holds a
bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M
University in College Station. In addition to noteworthy awards
honoring her dedication to hospice, Dr. Loftis has also contributed
to scientific publications, particularly on the topic of childhood
cancer survivors.
VICKY DURKIN, VP OF EMPLOYER COMMUNICATIONS AND
BRANDING
As a new addition to VITAS, Vicky Durkin brings more than 25
years of brand marketing and leadership experience in content and
creative strategy. She oversees all talent and employer brand
marketing, digital content strategy and creative development.
Most recently, Durkin served as director of talent marketing and
employer branding at ChenMed, one of the leading healthcare
providers for seniors in the United States. Her career spans
various industries including healthcare, media/entertainment and
technology. She has worked for Fortune 500 and mid-size
organizations as well as The Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel.
She is an alumna of Florida International University where she
earned a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of
Science degree in communication, journalism and related
programs.
About VITAS® HealthcareEstablished in 1978,
VITAS Healthcare is a pioneer and leader in the American hospice
movement. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced
VEE-tahs) operates 52 hospice programs in 14 states (California,
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas,
Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and
Wisconsin) and the District of Columbia. VITAS employs 10,763
professionals who care for patients with advanced illness,
primarily in the patients’ homes, and also in the company’s 25
inpatient hospice units as well as in hospitals, nursing homes and
assisted living communities/residential care facilities for the
elderly. At the conclusion of the first quarter of 2024, VITAS
reported an average daily census of 19,952.
Visit www.vitas.com.
Media inquiries contact: media@vitas.com, 877-848-2701