About Us
Our Mission:
Northland Hospice and Palliative Care is a non-profit, community-based organization committed to excellence in end-of-life and comfort care.
Our Vision:
Northland Hospice and Palliative Care, a non-profit organization, is the first choice of professionals and families to provide the highest quality hospice and palliative care services in Northern Arizona, serving those in need of services regardless of ability to pay.
Hospice: A Historical Perspective
The term “hospice” (from the same linguistic root as “hospitality”) can be traced back to medieval times when it referred to a place of shelter and rest for weary or ill travelers on a long journey. The name was first applied to specialized care for dying patients by physician Dame Cicely Saunders, who began her work with the terminally ill in 1948 and eventually went on to create the first modern hospice—St. Christopher’s Hospice—in a residential suburb of London.
Saunders introduced the idea of specialized care for the dying to the United States during a 1963 visit with Yale University. Her lecture, given to medical students, nurses, social workers, and chaplains about the concept of holistic hospice care, included photos of terminally ill cancer patients and their families, showing the dramatic differences before and after the symptom control care. This lecture launched a chain of events, which resulted in the development of hospice care as we know it today.
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Our Founder Marilyn Pate
In 1982 a small group gathered with a vision to meet the needs of the terminally ill in our community.
In 1983 “Hospice of Coconino,” as it was originally named, began with support of the Coconino County Health Department. It soon became “Northland Hospice” with Marilyn Pate carrying the dream forward, originally coordinating the program out of her own home. Marilyn served as Executive Director until retirement in 2006. Under her leadership, Northland Hospice became one of the most recognizable and well-respected non-profit organizations in town. Most patients were served in their own homes; others could not be served there, so Marilyn’s dream for a Hospice Home took shape and in 2002, The Olivia White Hospice Home became reality.
Proudly, we are committed to upholding Marilyn’s wish to provide the very best end-of-life care possible to those who need it. Northland Hospice has served Flagstaff and surrounding communities for 36 years, thanks to those who have believed in and supported the dream.
It is amazing to see how far Northland Hospice has come while still remaining true to Marilyn’s vision and dreams. Thank you to Ms. Marilyn Pate for her compassion and dedication to the community of Flagstaff.
Our Leadership & Staff
Board of Directors
President, Cindie McArthur
Vice President, Angelic Lomeli
Treasurer, Twila Gleason
Secretary, Katrina Cuevas
Associate Providers
Stephen Peters, MD
Thomas Myers, MD
Nurses
Heather Babbott, RN
Cristine Kolody, RN
Gary Schepper, RN
Emily Barton, RN
Claire Colie, RN, BSN
John Gooby, RN
Volunteer Coordinators
Lisa Hodak, RN
Chief Executive Officer
Kathy Simmons, CEO
Medical Director
Carrie Monroy, MD, HMDC
Bereavement Counselors/Social Workers
Peggy Sheldon-Scurlock, MA
Marlene Edgley, MSW
Spiritual Counselor
Janetta Beaumont, Chaplain
Administrative Staff
Cynthia Daulton, Billing Specialist
Rhiannon Rubio, Executive Assistant
Olivia White Hospice Home &
Elaine’s Forest House
Ben Cutter, LPN, House Manager
Hodgepodge Thrift Store
Peter Notar, Manager
Greg Steffensen, Associate