Hospice News

Passaic County RN Celebrates 25 Years with Hospice

Pictured left to right are, Lorraine Sciara, CHE, Executive Director of the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center and Ellen Coughlin, CHPN, MA, PA, Vice President of Patient and Family Services for the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center

Passaic County, NJ -- When you ask Little Falls Resident Ellen Coughlin, CHPN, MA, PA, about the last 25 years that she has devoted to the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, an affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, she will say that it has gone by in a flash.

As Vice President of Patient and Family Services for the program, her 25 years have included her role as a mentor and friend, caretaker and supervisor, nurse and mother. Her decision to become a hospice nurse has shaped her life and her work and brought comfort and dignity to the lives of so many patients and families.

“Ellen has a uniquely warm and comforting demeanor which resonates well with our patients and families,” says Lorraine Sciara, CHE, Executive Director of the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center. “She has taught our staff so much with her perceptive way of approaching people, her clarity and her depth. She is the ultimate educator, always striving for improvement within herself and her staff.”

Inspired to become a hospice nurse after working with pediatric oncology patients in Texas, many of whom shared the wish to be at home with their families for their final days, Ellen went on to become certified in hospice and palliative care nursing in 1998.

In her role, Ellen is responsible for the clinical operations of hospice including education, intake, performance improvement, nursing, social work, pastoral care, bereavement and home health aides. In addition, she oversees the inpatient hospice unit at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.

In her years with the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center she has forged many personal and professional bonds and has earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues who admire her broad knowledge and big-picture approach.

“She has taught me so many different ways of approaching people and situations,” reflects Elaine Leporati, MPA, CHPN, Director of Intake and Managed Care and colleague for over 22 years. “She is one of the most perceptive individuals I’ve met. It was through her modeling that I grew into the role of hospice nurse.”

Pat Kelley, MAS, BSN, CHPN, Director of Education, who has worked with Ellen for 17 years in a variety of capacities, admires her dedication to training and staff development and her commitment to instill independence among her staff. “She has been an advocate for ‘educating the educators,’ which has contributed to staff satisfaction and professional development,” comments Pat. “All of her efforts are really aimed at improving patient care and satisfaction. She will do whatever it takes to provide needed services to a patient and their family.”

In her 25 years, Ellen has gained a wealth of experience while also being humbled by the responsibility of hospice nursing: “Hospice nursing is about making a very difficult time a little easier, but it is also about dignity, choice and helping patients and families say goodbye,” expresses Ellen. “I believe it is a privilege to walk the final miles with a patient and family and to have made that journey an easier one.”

Established in 1981, the Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, located at 95 Old Short Hills Road in West Orange, provides comprehensive care for patients with advanced illness, and their families, throughout ten counties in the State of New Jersey.  The Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center supports inpatient units at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, and Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, NJ, as well as Van Dyke Hospice at Community Medical Center in Toms River.  It also provides home care and services for individuals in long-term care and assisted living facilities.

The Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center, which serves infants, children, adults and the elderly, honors the unique choices and values of patients and their families and offers full access to the broad array of services provided by the Saint Barnabas Health Care System. For information, call 973-322-4800 or visit www.saintbarnabas.com and choose the Extended Care tab.

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