Our Leaders
Executive Director- Michelle Hambly RN, MBA
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Michelle Hambly has been appointed as Hill House Hospice’s Executive Director, effective January 11, 2021.
Michelle is a Registered Nurse and holds an MBA. She has extensive experience in the not-for-profit sector, having worked for the last 15 years in the international development sector, focusing on health programming, as well as building and running health institutions. Her experience in program development and infrastructure projects is extensive, and has involved working with multiple stakeholders, internationally, nationally and locally, and across many sectors. In addition to her strong communication skills, Michelle brings a proven track record in team leadership and cultivating trust and positivity.
The Board of Directors is confident in Michelle’s experience, ability and commitment to support the excellent clinical care team and volunteers at Hill House Hospice.
Michelle lives with two young sons in York Region. She is excited and humbled to contribute and be part of the local healthcare system, particularly at this challenging time.
Director of clinical Care- Terrilynne Young RN
Reporting to the executive director, our Director of Clinical Care has an extensive nursing background with specialties in emergency and trauma medicine as well as palliative care.
As nurse manager, providing leadership and guidance is imperative to maintaining the high level of nursing care provided at Hill House Hospice.
Medical Director- Dr. Brian Berger MD
Our Medical Director Dr. Berger was awarded the Ontario Medical Association's Award of Excellence, a well deserved award from the OMA for his palliative care work. Everyone at Hill House Hospice has benefited from his empathy, compassion and strong skill set. We’re so thankful for his dedication to improving care for our patients, families and community.
Admission to Hill House
Admission Criteria...
Prospective clients and/or their families will be encouraged to visit Hill House when it's appropriate and safe to do so. Visitors receive a tour and have an opportunity to ask questions and meet the staff. Due to COVID-19 tours are on hold.
Applicants must be:
· An adult (age 18 or over)
· Diagnosed with a terminal illness
·The client and/or the substitute decision maker (SDM) have an understanding that resuscitation and other life prolonging interventions are not provided at hospice. There should be no expectations from the client or SDM regarding further diagnostic testing, monitoring or curative treatments.
Who Can Admit?....
Referrals are accepted from many sources. If you are an attending physician, a hospital, a home for the aged, any community hospice organization, any type of health care professional, or even a family member you can make a referral to us.
The best way to start the referral process is to call the hospice and speak with an intake nurse. The nurse can advise you on the next steps depending on where you are calling from.
If yo are a GP (general practitioner) you can continue to provide care to your patient as their primary physician as long as you feel comfortable doing so and meet our standard requirements. Please contact us for more information on our doctor mentorship program.
Waiting Period.....
At Hill House there is no waiting list per say. Once a referral has been made a file is created. Some referrals are for future admissions others are for urgent admissions and every stage in-between. An intake nurse stays in contact with clients or their SDMs and when a bed becomes available a triage system is used. We make every effort to be there for those when they need us most. Admissions are based on the applicants care needs and not the length of time since the referral was made.