Alliance Honors Patty Husted With Lifetime Achievement Award at Annual Meeting & Expo

WASHINGTON—The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) honored multiple industry veterans during the first days of the 2027 Annual Meeting & Expo.

Lifetime Achievement Award

During the expo’s opening keynote, Alliance CEO Jennifer Sheets recognized Patty Husted with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Husted, executive vice president of patient and family supportive services at VITAS Healthcare, joined the company in 1989 and has since served in more than a dozen clinical, operational and executive leadership roles during the company’s growth into 12 additional states and Washington, D.C.

Husted thanked the Alliance for the award, and said it really belongs to the countless people who she has worked for and alongside during her time in the industry as well as the patients and families that have taught her lessons about courage, resilience, dignity and love.

“When I began my career as a nurse, I never imagined where this journey would lead,” she said. “What I did know was that every person deserves compassionate care, dignity, respect and the opportunity to be supported wherever they call home. That belief has guided me in every role I’ve held and every decision that I’ve made.”

During her time as a hospice leader, Husted advocated for programs that extended care beyond the bedside. She oversees volunteer bereavement, spiritual care, psychosocial support and veteran services—aiming to ensure that patients and families who need access to comprehensive interdisciplinary care receive it.

Husted served as a nurse during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, led teams throughout multiple hurricanes to ensure patients received uninterrupted care and employees remained safe and led grief support efforts following the Pulse nightclub shooting.

“For 37 years, Patty has dedicated her career to advancing compassionate, high-quality care for patients and families facing serious illness,” Sheets said. “From her beginnings as a nurse to her current executive leadership role, Patty has shaped the experience of hundreds of thousands of patients and millions of family members across the country.”

Additionally, Husted serves on the board of the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association, the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association and the Florida Council on Aging.

“Watching others grow and carry this mission forward has been one of the greatest rewards of my career… I accept this award with deep gratitude and great optimism for the future of care at home; the work is far from finished, but I have never been more confident in the people who are leading it forward,” Husted said. “Thank you for this honor, and thank you for all that you do each and every day for patients and families.”

Advocate of the Year Award

Teri Henning, vice president of government affairs at Aveanna Healthcare, was honored with the Advocate of the Year Award before Thursday’s keynote.

“Teri has been an exceptional partner and champion,” a spokesperson for the Alliance said. “Her passion for the people we serve, her strategic influence, her willingness to engage and her consistent support for the Alliance’s mission and vision have made a meaningful and lasting difference.”

Henning leads advocacy efforts on behalf of patients, families, clinicians, caregivers and employees, and her leadership has been informed by years of service to the broader home-based care community, including her previous role as CEO of Pennsylvania Homecare Association.

Teri thanked the Alliance leadership team, the Aveanna advocacy and leadership teams and the government relations and provider leaders who she collaborates with across the country.

“It takes a lot more than a village sometimes, and every single voice matters,” Henning said. “Like many others, I bring my personal experiences with me in our advocacy efforts. Homecare is so much more than policy … it’s personal. …It’s certainly personal to the patients and families we serve. It’s personal to the caregivers providing care, and it’s an honor to help them share their stories through our advocacy.

“There’s so much to do,” she continued. “I’m excited to continue to advocate with all of you, our colleagues across the country, the Alliance and our state association partners to improve the health and lives of the patients and families we serve.”