GROSS JOINS VNA/HOSPICE AS COO

Jody Gross is no stranger to the idea of working from the heart.

A registered nurse, and former director of cancer centers, Gross has given her heart to the community of the Florida Keys once before, when she served the Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of the Florida Keys, as director of clinical services from 1990-1998.

After Gross left Key West in 1998, she was director of an outpatient cancer center in Palm BeachCounty, and managing director of a hospice in Miami.

Recently Gross has returned to VNA/Hospice in the capacity of chief operating officer.

“I came back here to work with Liz,” Gross said of VNA/Hospice chief executive officer Liz Kern, who has been with the agency almost since its inception.

VNA & Hospice of the Florida Keys beganas a hospice program in 1984 by a group of committed volunteers. Kern came on board a short time later. “If it hadn’t been for volunteers getting us started and incorporated, we wouldn’t be here today,” said Kern.

Kern was instrumental in expanding the agency by adding a home health program - VNA in 1988. “We will do whatever it takes to keep people at home during their illness, whether it is a temporary situation or a terminal illness,” said Kern, who has a background in community health.

The Visiting Nurse Association of the Florida Keys provides assistance toanyone in need of in home skilled health care, from newborn to elderly patients for the all phases of a persons’ Life Cycle.

With Gross’s return to Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of the Florida Keys a great opportunity has arisen. With Kern looking to retire in a few years, Kern & Gross will work closely together to make natural the progression of transition that will lead to Gross taking over the reins of CEO from Kern.

“Jody is very comfortable with the situation here,” said Kern. “She’s very well-liked here, and her coming on board now will save the agency from having to recruit a newcomer. Jody’s already familiar with us.”

Kern is comforted to know she will be leaving the agency in capable hands when she is ready to make the move into retirement in a few years.

VNA/Hospice has grown in the past 12 years since Gross last served. The non-profit agency focuses its energy on the unique challenges of serving the area from Key West to Key Largo, a community 120 miles long and, as Gross joked, “two blocks wide.”

In 2008, the agency augmented its visiting nurse and hospice program to include “Life. at Home®,” a private duty program to assist patients with personal & companion care, ensuring their wellness, safety and independence at home.

VNA/Hospice journeys into the future while continuing to meet the ever-evolving needs of the community. Kern and Gross, both working together at the helm, never lose sight of the fact that their hearts are at the center of the services they provide to the people of their community.

“Liz and I can focus on doing things together at this point and moving forward,” said Gross. “Together we are at a place where we can make a difference in a lot of people’s lives.”