Board Member Highlight
Donna Oviedo-Co-Chair
Senior VITAS Representative
November 2024 marks my 30th year of working with hospice in the San Antonio market and beyond. Over 28 years of that time has been with VITAS Healthcare where I am currently employed. When VITAS first entered the San Antonio market in 1994, VITAS joined the ranks of the other 3 hospices in town making it the 4th hospice to provide end of life care. Fast forward to 2024, where there are now nearly 200 hospices with the number continuing to grow. I am proud to be considered a hospice pioneer and have held many positions over these 30 years, from VITAS Representative, Senior Director of Admissions, Regional Director of Admissions, General Manager, Regional Palliative Care Administrator, Director of Hospice Sales, Senior VITAS Representative. In all these roles, the core mission is to provide education on the many benefits hospice provides for those facing advanced staged illnesses and to overcome all the misconceptions that delay acceptance of hospice.
As a national company, VITAS Healthcare celebrates more than 40 years of families choosing quality care, dignity and compassion. Here in San Antonio, VITAS is a We Honor Veterans Level 5 Partner. To attain Level 5 status, there is a greater emphasis on staff education and efforts to meet the unique needs of Vietnam-era and combat veterans. Other qualifications include conducting veteran specific presentations, evaluating, and reporting of demographics of veterans served and developing procedures for transitioning veterans across a continuum of care. All of this requires annual recertification to maintain a Level Five status.
VITAS San Antonio is also proud to be a partner with Honor Flight San Antonio and has been involved with them since the beginning. Honor Flight recognizes Veterans for their sacrifices by providing expense paid trips to Washington DC twice a year so veterans may visit their respective memorials. VITAS has made this flight several times with veterans serving as guardians to ensure their safety and well-being.
My father was a Veteran in the United States Air Force and served in the Korean War. He never fully accessed his veteran benefits and didn’t enroll with the VA until a few months before he passed away. He missed out on benefits he didn’t know he was entitled to receive. Because of this, I am dedicated to making sure that all veterans are educated on what they rightly deserve.
