What’s the Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice Care?

Dr. Cheryl-Lynne McCalla, DO

Cheryl-Lynne McCalla DO is a board-certified Family Medicine Physician. Dr McCalla is originally from Flossmoor, Illnois. She was an Air Force Flight Surgeon taking her from Virgina to Alaska and South Korea. Dr McCalla has worked as a Family Medicine Physician in Georgia and has recently relocated here to Virginia. Dr McCalla will be the Primary Care at Home team’s Physician for Virginia patients outside the beltway.

Dr McCalla received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Tuskegee University and a Masters in BioMedical Science from Barry University prior to attending medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her Family Medicine Residency at Augusta University Medical Center.

Kathleen Ramkaran, RN, CCM

Kathleen Ramkaran, RN, CCM, is the Nurse Care Manager for Primary Care at Home. She has extensive nursing experience, including chronic care management and acute care hospital experience. Kathleen is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and speaks three languages fluently. She received her nursing degree from Howard Community College.

Hali Gantumur

Hali Gantumur is the Team Coordinator supporting the Virginia North team.  She has been with Capital Caring since 2012, supporting the Capital Caring providers and patients. Hali is the point person for patients, families, and providers, as she handles many of the administrative tasks of caring for our patients.     Hali is originally from Mongolia and earned her Bachelor degree in Business Administration from Mongolian Technical University. 

Yasmin Eleady-Cole

Yasmin Eleady-Cole is the Team Coordinator supporting the DC/MD and VA South teams. In this role, Yasmin is the point of contact for patients and families regarding scheduling and all the administrative responsibilities of caring for our patients.    Yasmin is a Washington, DC native with more than 10 years’ experience in the physician practice management field. Yasmin attended North Carolina Central University, where she studied Exercise Sports Science. 

Carol Joy “CJ” Cabahug, BSN RN

Carol Joy “CJ” Cabahug, BSN RN, is the office nurse at Primary Care at Home.  Earned her  BS Nursing degree at Central Philippine University in 1993.  She has 20+ years of Nursing experience, including  Emergency Dept., Med-Surg. Also worked at  Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Medical-Oncology Department  in 2005-2008. Prior to joining CCH, she worked at Manor Care Fair Oaks as a Nurse Supervisor, assigned  in Skilled, Long -Term and Memory Care units. CJ had also served as a part-time Clinical Instructor to LPN students at Ultimate Health School.

Jennifer Olsen GNP-BC

Jennifer Olsen GNP-BC, has more than 15 years experience as a Nurse Practioner with her focus on Geriatrics and Palliative Care. She has extensive work in Palliative Care at Georgetown University Hospital and George Washington University Hospital. She worked at Capital Caring as a Palliative Care Nurse Practioner and we are thrilled to have her return in 2022 as a Primary Care at Home NP.

Jenny grew up outside of Philadelphia and earned her BSN in Nursing from University of Pennsylvania. She received her MSN as a Nurse Practioner from Catholic University of American with a speciality in Geriatrics.

Meena Raj, MD, is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician. Dr Raj is originally from Cleveland, Ohio before transplanting herself to the east coast. After working in finance for almost five years, she decided to pursue a career in medicine. Prior to working at Capital Caring Health, Meena was a hospitalist at Inova Fairfax Hospital for almost six years. Dr Raj is the supervising physician for the Primary Care at Home team in Northwest DC and Chevy Chase, Maryland.

Dr Raj received her undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Economics from Northwestern University. She completed a Post-Baccalaureate degree from Columbia University prior to attending Emory University School of Medicine for her Medical Degree. She completed her Residency in Internal Medicine at George Washington University.

Allison Kuchar

Vice President, Pediatric Services

Allison Kuchar is the Vice President of Pediatric Services. In this role, she oversees all children’s hospice, palliative care, and community bereavement programs. She is also responsible for facilitating ongoing complex care coordination and best practices for all pediatric patients, paving the way for how pediatric concurrent care is effectively implemented, and provides needed guidance, resources, and support to the Capital Caring Kids team. She is also involved with managing grants, donors, and sponsorships supportive of Capital Caring Kids programming and local, regional, and national involvement with increasing access and awareness of pediatric hospice and palliative care for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. Allison, formerly the Director of Pediatric Care Coordination with Capital Caring Kids, has worked closely for years with hospitals and outpatient clinics in the metro region to educate providers of children’s hospice eligibility and offer support with hospital to home discharge planning. She has supported hundreds of parents through difficult decision making, guiding them through the process of enrolling with hospice.

Pediatric programs require specialty considerations for models of care delivery, staffing ratios and management, funding mechanisms for care, and methods for care coordination. Allison is committed to breaking down accessibility barriers for children with complex illness and their families and has presented on topics pertaining to concurrent hospice care, complex care coordination, and pediatric hospice program structure at multiple national conferences, including with the Hospice Foundation of America. She is also a contributing author in several scholarly articles on these topics, some of which have been featured in the Journal of Palliative Medicine and American Academy of Pediatrics.

Allison’s journey with hospice started twelve years ago as a volunteer with Capital Caring, when she would visit hospice patients in their home to offer companionship and socialization. Her passion with caring for patients and their families navigating end-of-life has led to a ten-year career with hospice. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral and Community Health, along with a Master’s of Healthcare Administration, Masters of Business Administration, and advanced certificates in Health Education.

Angi Stapleton

Regional Executive Director, DC

Angi Stapleton, BSN, RN, is the Regional Executive Director for the District of Columbia. In this role, she provides leadership and support to the interdisciplinary teams caring for patients and families in DC. Angi has extensive healthcare experience, from her start as a Licensed Practical Nurse to the completion of her bachelor’s degree and working in a medical and trauma intensive care unit. As her career progressed, Angi developed a deep compassion for patients and families experiencing challenging times, leading her to seek work in hospice.

After working as a travel contract nurse with Capital Caring Health, Angi became a full-time employee and served as a Clinical Manager. Angi’s enthusiasm and dedication to Capital Caring Health have continued to grow throughout her tenure, especially in her current role as Regional Executive Director.

Angi holds a Bachelor of Science from Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Pennsylvania.

Kimberly Grove

Managing Director

Kimberly Grove is the Managing Director for Capital Caring Health. In this role, she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the region’s largest nonprofit advanced illness care providers. Previously, she served as Chief of Staff and Chief of Human Resources for Capital Caring Health. In that role, she worked with the CEO to provide direct executive support, acted as a liaison, managed strategic initiatives, and oversaw administrative operations.

Kimberly has 20-plus years of experience in healthcare and human resource management. She joined Capital Caring Health in October 2016 as a Recruitment Manager, and in March 2018, she was promoted to Director of Human Resources.

While serving as Director of Human Resources, Kimberly successfully led the hiring and recruitment team and worked to build relationships to expand the pipeline of job candidates to fit critical roles within the organization.

Lisa Robinson

Regional Executive Director, Maryland

As Regional Executive Director for Maryland, Lisa Robinson oversees the clinical teams supporting Maryland patients daily at Capital Caring Health. Lisa has served in healthcare for 24 years, including as an emergency room nurse and a pediatric HIV and AIDS nurse, a role that brought her into patients’ homes and worked closely with families.

Lisa was introduced to Capital Caring in 2006 when she witnessed the high-quality care and what she calls “committed compassion” towards a family member. The experience left an indelible impression on her life, ultimately leading her to hospice nursing at Capital Caring. Lisa’s experience as a case manager and a clinical supervisor prepared her for work in the field which she enjoys with her team. The most gratifying part of her work is receiving words of appreciation from families and knowing that she and her staff are making a difference.

Pat Bishop

Regional Executive Director, Western Virginia Region

Patricia A. Bishop, RN, MSN, CHPN, is the Regional Executive Director for the Western Virginia region. Pat provides leadership, management, and support for the clinical operations and services for Loudoun, Western Fairfax, Prince William, and Fauquier counties, serving over 300 patients daily. Pat’s scope of responsibilities includes hospice home and facility patients, the Adler Center for Caring – a 21-bed hospice inpatient facility located in Aldie, VA, and inpatient care with our partner hospitals within the service area.

Pat has extensive healthcare experience, including both acute care hospital and hospice, devoting the past 25 years to hospice and palliative end-of-life care. In addition to her experience in leadership and management of clinical operations, she has experience and a special interest in quality, performance improvement, and regulatory compliance.

Pat holds both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and maintains national certification in Hospice and Palliative Care.

Elizabeth Ariemma

Regional Executive Director, Fairview Park Region

As Regional Executive Director for Fairview Park, Elizabeth’s role is to ensure patients and families have the highest quality of care and team support when receiving hospice care in their homes. Her mission is to support our teams with the right tools, resources, knowledge, empowerment, and financial viability to provide our patients and families with a genuine hospice hug.

Her education includes degrees in nursing, psychology, and metaphysics. Her background in nursing includes medical-surgical, geriatrics, addictionology, and behavioral health. These disciplines led her to an executive-level career in managed healthcare, including medical, EAP, and behavioral health utilization review and case management. Elizabeth’s greatest professional joy is when families complement staff for support during the most difficult time of life and when our staff identifies a magic moment of healing within the patient and family.

Ray Jay Garcia, M.D.

Dr. Ray Garcia is a Medical Director with more than 10 years experience providing hospice and palliative care and 14 years practicing Family Medicine. He is a firm advocate for providing comfort and dignity to patients and families facing life-limiting illnesses, and promoting a positive philosophy of hospice care to the community.

Medical Education

University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center

Residency

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Family Medicine

Fellowship

Cleveland Clinic

Internship

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Heidi Young

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician

Dr. Heidi Young has more than a decade of experience as a hospice and palliative care physician. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, she attended Georgetown University School of Medicine.

She completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago followed by a chief resident year at MacNeal Hospital in Chicago. She returned to Washington, D.C., in 2010 and completed fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine through the National Institute of Health and Capital Caring in 2011. Prior to joining Capital Caring, she served as a general internist and palliative medicine consultant at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital as well as the Chief of Palliative Medicine at MedStar Georgetown for five years.

She currently serves as an Associate Professor with Georgetown University School of Medicine. Dr. Young is based in Arlington, Virginia.

Matt Kestenbaum

Matthew Kestenbaum, M.D. is Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Kestenbaum has been with Capital Caring Health since 2006 and is well known in the industry as an expert in hospice and palliative care. Among his many accomplishments and successes include his leadership with the Virginia POST (Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment) and work with CMS. Prior to joining Capital Caring, Dr. Kestenbaum served as hospice medical director for 10-plus years.