Granite VNA hospice clinical resource nurse and daytime triage nurse Christine McDonald, RN, was recently honored with the Home Care, Hospice & Palliative Care Alliance of New Hampshire’s Ira Byock and Yvonne Corbeil Award for Innovation and Collaboration. Established in 2013, the award recognizes those providing services in New Hampshire who demonstrate innovation and collaboration to improve quality, expand access and increase efficiency in all areas of hospice care.

“We are grateful to have Christine on our hospice team and for the value she brings to creating impactful change and innovation to Granite VNA every day,” said Granite VNA Chief Hospice Officer Kristine Green, MS, RN. “She continually works to identify barriers and develop solutions in order to address them, benefitting patients, their families, and our team.”

McDonald, who joined Granite VNA in October 2021, has been an integral part in identifying how to efficiently and effectively communicate with patients and families who are newly referred to hospice care. For many, the transition, or thought of transition, to hospice is a very challenging and emotional time, making it critical for hospice providers to be as helpful and supportive as possible.

McDonald has become the welcoming voice for newly referred patients and their families. She assisted with redesigning Granite VNA’s communication process for addressing patient and family needs. Upon receiving a new hospice referral, McDonald reviews the patient’s information to familiarize herself with the individual’s situation and needs, and calls each patient (or a family member/caregiver) directly to provide information and to answer questions. This simple step helps patients and their families understand what to expect when they enter hospice care, and helps the agency’s hospice team provide individualized care to each patient.

Once patients are admitted to hospice care, McDonald monitors their status to ensure they receive necessary support and equipment when needed.

McDonald earned her Associate’s degree in Nursing from Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire, and holds certifications in basic life support (BLS), electrocardiogram (EKG) and phlebotomy and she has completed training in caring for people with dementia.