Health Care Heroes Awards 2023: Health Care Administrator
Jennifer Ritzau
HopeHealth vice president, medical staff
What led you to choose health care as your profession? I fell in love with science in college and thought I would end up with a [doctorate degree] but realized I felt empty without being able to comfort and help people. Medicine is a place where my love of science and my desire to be useful in a very practical way could both be fulfilled.
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How have you helped boost the quality of or access to health care? Although I loved direct patient care, I realized several years ago that I could have a bigger impact in bringing more patients critically needed palliative care services by focusing on leadership. I am extremely proud of the medical staff at HopeHealth who provide expert symptom management and sensitive, honest communication at some of the most critical times in patients’ and families’ lives. Because of their skills and increasing awareness of the benefits of palliative care, we have been able to build more teams to serve patients in a variety of settings across Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
What is the biggest challenge you and your organization are facing this year? In the health care industry as a whole, there’s a big focus on recruiting and retaining clinicians to meet the needs of our community. Our employees are the heart of what we do, and as we continue to grow, it is important for us to also grow our team.
Tell us one thing that most people don’t know about you. You may not know it from my “public persona,” but I need quiet and space to recharge. My best weekends are spent at home with my deepest joys – being with my family, cooking, gardening and fixing up an old farmhouse.
