Fort Wayne & NE Indiana News

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Visiting Nurse Announces Change In CEO Position

Visiting Nurse is pleased to announce that Eric Klimes has been named the agency’s new CEO, effective July 10. Klimes succeeds Phyllis Hermann, who has held the position since 2009 and will retire on July 7.

Hermann has served in various capacities at Visiting Nurse over a nearly 27-year career with the agency, starting as a hospice nurse. She served as Director of Hospice Care and successfully established Hospice Home, the region’s first facility-based hospice inpatient unit in 1995. Hermann served on two statewide task forces to support the development of legislation for a Medicaid Hospice Benefit and for Hospice Licensure in Indiana. She was named the agency’s CEO in November 2009, leading the agency during its 125th anniversary celebration in 2013 and the establishment of the Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center, which opened in 2015.

Klimes has most recently been executive director and CEO of Hospice of Washington County, Inc., in Hagerstown, Maryland, and has more than 13 years of hospice experience. His background includes managed care contracting, financial operations and compliance. Klimes has extensive experience in increasing the number of patients served and improving employee engagement while also enhancing financial stability. He recently spearheaded the development of an inpatient hospice unit and the development of an endowment to provide hospice care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

Klimes earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from Washington Adventist University and holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational management and healthcare administration. He is a former U.S. Army Reservist, serving for 13 years as an automated logistical specialist.

About Visiting Nurse: Visiting Nurse has served northeast Indiana since 1888. Visiting Nurse provides compassionate care to alleviate suffering and ensure quality of life for those affected by serious illness. Its hospice, palliative and grief services are available in eight northeast Indiana counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Wabash, Wells and Whitley. Visiting Nurse’s Hospice Home, a 14-bed inpatient unit, is the only freestanding hospice facility in the region. Grief services are available at no charge for any adult who has experienced the loss of a loved one at the Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center, located on the Visiting Nurse campus on Homestead Road in Fort Wayne.