San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine Statement on the News of the Passing of Kaye Mattison Woltman

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "The entire San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine family mourns the death of Kaye Woltman," said Kathleen Pacurar, President and CEO.

"San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine will forever honor Kaye's role in promoting quality of life at every stage of life, for adults and children living with a life-limiting illness. Through her generous support of our annual charity walk, named in memory of her daughter Melisa, along with her unselfish philanthropic support and leadership, Kaye made an enormous impact on the patients and families we serve through her immeasurable good works. We are forever grateful for her contributions. Our hearts go out to the entire Woltman family."

"Along with her husband Richard, Kaye generously gave of her time and resources for causes surrounding health care, education and youth," noted Dr. Arthur C. Johnson, Chair of the Board of Directors for San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine. "Although her presence will be missed deeply, her strong core values and character founded on dignity and respect, and doing the right thing, is the incredible legacy she leaves with us."

Mrs. Woltman had been a member of the Board of Directors for San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine since 2003. A past Board Chair, she served as a member of the Board Affairs, Finance/Investment, and External Relations Committees. 

During her tenure on the San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine Board of Directors, Mrs. Woltman's leadership and involvement helped to shape new initiatives and recognition such as:

• The creation of San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine's first-ever walk, "Melisa's Memorial 5K Walk and Fun Run" in 2010 – named in memory of her daughter, Melisa, who died in 2002. The event was considered the most successful first-time Walk in San Diego, in terms of participation and money raised.
• Supporting the movement to create formal recognition of Hospice and Palliative Medicine as a medical subspecialty, the American Board of Medical Specialties and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved Hospice and Palliative Medicine as the newest subspecialty of medicine in 2006 - the first ACGME-accredited fellowship program of its kind in San Diego.
• New comprehensive care management programs featuring the "Partners for Children" program - a palliative care state waiver program that provides palliative case management type services to Medi-Cal and California Child Service (CCS) approved children with life-threatening illnesses.
• San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine was honored with the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics in 2005 and the University of San Diego's Kaleidoscope Award for exceptional governance in 2008.
• San Diego Hospice's renowned inpatient acute care expertise, provided within the GlenBrook Skilled Nursing Center in Carlsbad, CA – comprehensive inpatient care conveniently located for patients and their families who live in the North County.

Recently, Mrs. Woltman and her husband wanted to recognize the incredible work and dedicated efforts of San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine's staff and volunteers. They generously offered to underwrite the organization's 2010 Employee and Volunteer Appreciation Event, scheduled for October 2, 2010 at the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park.

About San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine

San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine (www.sdhospice.org), the leader in the relief of suffering, is considered one of the largest community-owned, not-for-profit hospices in the country, with one of the largest resources in the world for training palliative medicine physicians and other specialists. The organization brings compassionate, expert medical care to more than 1,000 seriously ill adults and children each day throughout San Diego and North County. More information is available online on the company's website: www.sdhospice.org and on Facebook: www.facebook.com/sandiegohospice or by calling toll-free at 1-866-688-1600.

CONTACT: Melissa DelaCalzada, office: 619-278-6139; cell: 619-517-2053

SOURCE San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine