The Denver Hospice – an affiliate of the Care Synergy network – has named a new president.
The end-of-life care provider announced the hiring of Ernesto Lopez on July 11. The hospice veteran officially takes over as The Denver Hospice’s president on Aug. 21, according to the organization.
“We know [Lopez] will make a significant impact in building relationships within the Denver community as well as unlocking the potential for The Denver Hospice in its service to the community,” Tim Bowen, president and CEO of Care Synergy, said in a statement.
The Denver Hospice is one of the largest end-of-life care providers in its region. The nonprofit’s services include hospice and palliative care, in addition to cultural-specific care programs and a range of grief-support services.
Meanwhile, Care Synergy is a group that provides back-office and administrative support to its network of nonprofit, home-based care providers, primarily in Colorado. In addition to The Denver Hospice, its affiliates include Colorado Visiting Nurse Association (CVNA), Pathways, and Pikes Peak Hospice and Palliative Care, among others.
Care Synergy is also the national center for the innovative Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) program, developed by Johns Hopkins University.
The hiring of Lopez as president comes about six months after The Denver Hospice also named a new medical director in Dr. Robert Howe.
“After an extensive national search, we are pleased to have identified a hospice leader that will bring the level of experience and track record that [Lopez] has, to actively partner with the Denver community as well as provide hospice and palliative services that are best-in-class,” said Brad Baumgartner, who serves as the board chair for The Denver Hospice.
Most recently, Lopez served as president and CEO at Hospice of Washington County in Maryland, a community-based, nonprofit hospice and palliative care organization. Prior to that, he served in the same capacity for a large, faith-based hospice provider that’s part of the AdventHealth System.
Lopez’s experience additionally includes serving as a hospital chief nursing officer and chief operating office for two different community-based hospitals within the AdventHealth Network of Central Florida.
Established in 1978, The Denver Hospice provides care to several thousand hospice and palliative care patients annually.
Melinda Egging previously served as The Denver Hospice’s president, leaving the role in November 2022. Egging now serves as CEO of Sangre de Cristo Community Care, according to her LinkedIn page.
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