HYANNIS – After serving for seven years as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hyannis-based HopeHealth, David W. Rehm has announced his plans to retire.
HopeHealth’s Board of Directors has created a search committee to select his successor. Rehm will continue to lead HopeHealth until a replacement has been named.
Under Rehm’s guidance, HopeHealth diversified its servicees and offered expanded admission criteria, according to a statement from the agency. The so-called “Open Door Philosophy” now in use at the agency breaks down barriers for patients who are eligible for hospice care but due to the complexity or cost of their medical needs, often are not served by traditional hospices, the statement continued.
Over the past seven years, Rehm expanded HopeHealth’s service area beyond Cape Cod to include Plymouth, Bristol, Norfolk, Suffolk and Dukes counties, managed a merger with Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod & the Islands, introduced new services for the chronically ill, and undertook a successful capital campaign.
The capital campaign for McCarthy Care Center resulted in a legacy gift that will support the organization’s inpatient unit, the only licensed hospice inpatient unit in the region.
“These accomplishments, and many others, have provided HopeHealth with a strong position from which to move forward,” said Lawrence Capodilupo, Chairman of HopeHealth’s Board of Directors. “This is a complex and rapidly changing industry and David has been a leader and visionary in guiding us through these challenging times. We are grateful for his leadership, his attention to detail and more importantly his commitment to our mission, providing hope to patients and their families whether facing serious, long-term illness, or end-of-life issues.”
During his career and tenure as CEO of HopeHealth, Rehm has been recognized as a national leader on hospice care, advocating for a health care system that is better equipped to address the needs of patients near the end of their life, according to Capodilupo. In particular, Rehm stressed the need for increased access and innovative approaches to quality hospice care, also advocating nationally on legislative and regulatory issues.
Rehm was also responsible for leading the rebranding of the organization, which was established in 1981 as Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod. In 2012,
Rehm launched “HopeHealth” executing on his strategic plan to expand the reach, scope and impact of its services. HopeHealth services now span six counties in eastern Massachusetts providing special programs for patients with chronic conditions, including Hope HouseCalls, a home-based primary care practice, and an array of supportive services for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
“It has been a privilege to serve with an organization such as HopeHealth that strives every day to help those struggling with very serious illnesses and end-of-life issues,” said Rehm. “I am so proud of our employees who, in a period of fast-paced market and industry change, have been receptive to innovation all in the name of making sure our patients and clients receive the services they truly deserve. The healthcare market challenges are great, but the strength, commitment and leadership of the Board and the employees, provides much promise for the future of HopeHealth.”
Capodilupo indicated that the Board intends to have a new CEO in place no later than June 2015 and felt fortunate that Rehm has agreed to stay on until a successor is chosen. Capodilupo said the search committee is looking for exceptional candidates who will build on Rehm’s work, continuing to enhance the organization’s role as a special place that provides not only exceptional clinical care, but wonderful support for patients and their families.
