NEW ORLEANS—Jonathan Fleece, president and CEO of Empath Health, received recognition as Advocate of the Year from the National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance).
The award was given during the Alliance’s opening keynote address at its first Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orlean on Sunday, Nov. 2.
“Jonathan has been a strong, consistent voice for care at the home,” said Scott Levy, chief government affairs officer of the Alliance. “Whether testifying before Congress, writing op eds to raise public awareness or shaping policy at the state and local levels, he has worked tirelessly with compassion and expertise to make sure that the needs of patients, families and providers are both understood and addressed.”
According to the Alliance, the Advocate of the Year celebrates someone who has gone above and beyond to elevate the field through public policy, grassroots efforts and persistent advocacy. They make sure the voices of patients, families and providers are heard at every level, local, state and national.
“To be an advocate is to stand in the space between policy and people to make sure that the decisions in legislative and agency rooms reflect the lives lived in family rooms,” Fleece said. “That belief has guided my journey and the work of this extraordinary community to receive this recognition for the National Alliance for Care at Home is so deeply meaningful. And I accept this, not for myself, but on behalf of everyone who fights each day to ensure that patients can receive care where they want it the most, and that's at home.”
Fleece testified before Congress on the value of care at home in March, highlighting the essential role home health and hospice providers play in delivering patient-centered care.
“His advocacy has driven meaningful change, strengthening workforce pathways and improving reimbursement structures and reducing administrative burdens that get in the way of providing care through his work with the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association, the Alliance's advocacy committee and our political action committee and many, many other efforts,” Levy said. “Jonathan has shown how one committed leader can make a lasting impact on an entire field.”
Lifetime Achievement Award
Following Fleece’s recognition, Alliance CEO Steve Landers awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award to Richard MacMillan, retired senior counsel of regulatory and legislative affairs at LHC Group.
“For more than four decades, Richard has devoted his career to advancing care in the home,” Landers said. "As a registered nurse and an attorney, he helped to found LHC Group in rural Louisiana. Richard's impact extends far beyond. He has played a guiding role in homecare policy and advocacy, leading the way through times of transformation and growth, and his expertise is dual expertise in law and nursing positioned him to navigate complex regulatory changes while ensuring that care delivery always stayed patient-centered and focused on families.”
MacMillan has served as the general counsel for the Home Care Association of Louisiana, president of the Louisiana Rural Health Association and as a member of national organizations devoted to quality and compliance.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award,” MacMillan said. “It wasn’t expected or anything else, but next week, I’ll celebrate my 50th year as a nurse. Being a nurse enters into all my legal decisions as well … That’s the secret to my success, that and my collaborative nature. I’ve always collaborated because it doesn't matter who gets the credit, just so that the overall goal is achieved. And I'd like you all to keep that in mind.”