President & CEO , Hospice of Huntington , Inc ./ Tri-State LifeCare
Melanie Hall
President & CEO , Hospice of Huntington , Inc ./ Tri-State LifeCare
JEAN HARDIMAN
When it comes to health care , Melanie Hall , president and CEO of Hospice of Huntington , has worked with patients in almost every stage of life .
As a nurse , she worked in OB-GYN , pediatrics and adolescent health care . As an administrator , she has worked with primary care centers that treat adults and children . Her work as an administrator has also involved bringing medical care to schools , expanding dental and behavioral health care , including the early years when medication-assisted treatment first became available to help those affected by the opioid crisis . Today , she leads a team helping patients and families through the later stages of serious illness and final stages of life .
According to Hall , every new journey has been a calling of faith and an opportunity to shepherd projects and organizations through continued growth .
“ My path was blessed by being able to build on the great foundations laid by others ,” says Hall , a Huntington native who earned her associate and bachelor ’ s degrees in nursing from Marshall University and a master ’ s degree in nursing in primary care from West Virginia University . “ I always felt that during my time with the baton in my hand during the race I would do all I could to make it better and leave it better for the next person who would come behind me .”
That is exactly what she is doing at Hospice of Huntington , where some of her latest efforts have involved expanding services and treatment opportunities for both hospice patients and patients not yet ready for hospice services by helping the patient and their family care for them as they live with a serious illness . Hall joined Hospice of Huntington in 2014 , after 25 years with Valley Health .
“ I was not looking to make a career change at that time , but the Lord picked me up from what I was doing and put me into the hospice and palliative care realm ,” she says . “ I gained a greater appreciation for the work of Hospice
Photo by Rick Lee .
because , at that time , my father was battling appendix cancer . I had been in the CEO position at Hospice of Huntington for nine months when he passed .”
Founded in 1982 , Hospice of Huntington is a not-for-profit organization that serves a five-county area covering West Virginia and southern Ohio , caring for patients and families through a team of physicians , nurses , aides , social workers , pharmacists , dieticians , clergy , bereavement counselors and volunteers . Services are offered regardless of a person ’ s ability to pay .
Lately , the organization has expanded options for patients who aren ’ t quite yet eligible for hospice care .
72 WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE