Administration:
Katherine Werner Ciano, MHA, RN joined NHH as Executive Director in June of 2008. Originally from Southern California, Katherine received her masters degree in health care administration from Georgetown University. She began her career in nursing as an oncology and infusion specialist at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica, California. A Hawaii resident since 2006, Katherine previously worked in Washington D.C. to advocate for healthcare services delivered at home.
Colleen Norris, MBA joined NHH in June of 2007 as our Finance Manager. A native of Hilo, Colleen is well-known in North Hawaii from her many years working in visible locations such as KTA and Parker School. Colleen handles all patient billing and finance functions for our hospice. Colleen is the mother of four young adults and enjoys hula, needlepoint and singing.
Gayle Hubbard joined NHH in February 2008 as Administrative Assistant after being an NHH volunteer since August 2007. Gayle was born and raised in Hilo and graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with honors. Gayle provides support to the fundraising and development office as well as supporting our fundraising events.
Juli Szilagyi, MEd, CNA Volunteer Coordinator Juli’s background includes a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in counseling and human relations from Northern Arizona University. Juli has previous experience as a coordinator of volunteer services for Sharlot Hall Museum, located in Arizona. Juli is also a certified nurse assistant and has worked in this capacity with hospice patients. This experience carries over in her work with the volunteers, patients and their families as she understands the special work of the hospice caregiver. She is grateful for the team support hospice offers and knows firsthand, as a caregiver, how important this collaborative approach is in supporting our patients and families. In addition to her work for North Hawaii Hospice, Juli is an adjunct instructor of undergraduate humanities courses for Northcentral University, where she has taught for eight years and was previously an academic advisor for the School of Behavioral Health and Sciences before moving to Hawaii.
Denise Wade joined NHH as a volunteer in November 2009 and has always enjoyed helping in the office and filling-in where she could. She joined our hospice staff part-time in July 2011, then full-time in October 2011 as our Clinical Services Assistant to oversee patient medical records and the quality database, and provide clinical support for our hospice team.
Patient and Family Care Services
Nanea Brown, LPN was born and raised in Waimea, graduated from the Hawaii Preparatory Academy, and received her practical nursing degree in Honolulu. She worked for two years for St. Francis Hospice on Oahu. Nanea moved back to her Big Island home in the summer of 2011 where she joined NHH as a Hospice Nurse, providing nursing care and support for our hospice patients and families.
Lauren Butcher, APRN relocated to Waimea to accept an advanced practice nursing position at our local hospital and then joined our North Hawaii Hospice team in February of 2008. Lauren has a strong background in hospice and palliative care and provides consultations for our hospice patients as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.
Sindona Cassteel, MFT is a licensed family therapist and serves as our Bereavement Counselor. Sindona also provides counseling services and grief support groups for anyone in the North Hawaii Community requiring counseling support after the loss of a loved-one.
Reinhard Fritsch RN, PhD is originally from Northern California and has been a registered nurse since 1987. Reinhard has worked as a registered nurse for many years in North Hawaii. He also works with Kohala Home Health and serves on quality committees at North Hawaii Community Hospital. Reinhard joined our hospice team in July 2010 to serve as On-Call Nurse.
Sally Kaufmann, RN joined our hospice team as On-Call Nurse in December 2008. She also served NHH as volunteer coordinator. Sally also served North Hawaii Community Hospital as manager of the Heart and Brain Center. A nurse with 30 years experience, Sally has been a resident of the Big Island since 1991.
Lisa Lawrence, RN, CHPN worked as a full-time hospice nurse at North Hawaii Hospice for more than 15 years. Now, although she has scaled back her commitment, she can’t quite stay away, and serves NHH and our patients as an On-Call Nurse.
Nina Millar, RN is a 24 year resident of the Big Island. She became a registered nurse in 1990, after attending the University of Hawaii at Hilo. She is also a midwife, graduating from the Midwifery Program at the Maternity Center in Texas in 1983. Armed with this unusual combination of practices, which includes several years as a home health care nurse, Nina feels lucky to be present at both the beginning and the end of lives here in North Hawaii. Nina is an On-Call Nurse for NHH.
Felicia Murray, CNA joined our hospice team as a Hospice Aide in 2011 after being a volunteer since 2009. A resident of the Big Island since 1994, Felicia suffered an acute illness in 2007 that nearly took her life. Her long recovery became a pivotal point in her spiritual journey and gave her tremendous compassion for those with serious illnesses. It is her desire to not only serve the patients and their families, but to bring a spirit of encouragement and healing to the homes she visits.
Christine M. Richardson, RN, has served our hospice for many years as On-Call Nurse serving patients in North Kohala. She has lived and worked as a registered nurse on the Big Island for more than 14 years and was one of two nurses sponsored by NHH to go to Zimbabwe to work with our “sister hospice.”
Sandie Rossi, HA joined NHH in 2009 as our first Hospice Aide. Sandie has been a certified nurse’s aide and patient care giver for home nursing agencies in North Hawaii for many years. Sandie is a long time resident of North Kohala and visits all of our patients to evaluate home safety and check on equipment and personal care needs.
Mark Therrien, LCSW is our Hospice Social Worker with many years of experience working in the field of grief and loss issues with both children and adults. After studying with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in the 70′s and 80′s, Mark had a private practice in Honolulu and served as a school social worker and a member of a suicide crisis team and raised three children. After launching their offspring, Mark and his wife Rae returned to Hawaii, and now live on the Hamakua coast of the Big Island.
Debbie Washburn, RN, CHPN is our full-time Patient Care Coordinator. Debbie worked at North Hawaii Community Hospital as an ICU nurse before joining NHH in 2008. Debbie also served as our volunteer coordinator before moving into a staff nurse position. Debbie is nationally certified in hospice and palliative care nursing and serves on our quality improvement team.
Kristin Wohlschlagel, RN got her start in caring for patients when she was a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician in a rural mountain community in Northern California. She became a registered nurse and moved to Hawaii in 1994. Kristin worked in the emergency room at Hilo Medical Center for the past seven years. She joined our team in August 2010 as Patient Care Coordinator.