Winchester, Va., Nov. 7, 2023—Altonia Garrett, MBA, MHA, RN, a proven healthcare leader and change agent locally and nationally, has been named Chief Operating Officer of Blue Ridge Hospice.
With more than two decades of experience in post-acute sector operations, strategy, innovation, and business development, Garrett will lead all day-to-day operations and service delivery for the fast-growing and expanding serious illness, end-of-life, and grief and bereavement care provider that has served the northern Shenandoah Valley and northwestern Virginia for more than 40 years.
“Altonia’s depth of operational knowledge, commitment to excellence, and record of advocacy in public policy, mission fulfillment, and diversity and equity will help propel Blue Ridge Hospice forward during a time of rapid change in healthcare,” stated Cheryl Hamilton Fried, President and CEO of Blue Ridge Hospice and Blue Ridge Independence at Home.
“Her extensive experience and her passion for ensuring health equity in advanced illness care align perfectly with our mission,” Hamilton Fried continued. “Her appointment as COO at Blue Ridge Hospice demonstrates our commitment to delivering the highest level of care to our community. We look forward to the positive impact she will bring as we continue to grow and expand the services we provide.”
Over the course of her career, Garrett has worked for four of the oldest, most respected end-of-life care providers serving the Greater Washington Metro area while also gaining valuable experience at area home health and senior living providers.
She comes to Blue Ridge Hospice from Accent Care (formerly Seasons Hospice), where she most recently served as Executive Director of the national hospice provider’s start-up Washington, D.C., program.
Garrett enjoyed a lengthy tenure at Capital Caring Health, Falls Church, Va., where her roles at various times encompassed executive leadership, health equity advocacy, public affairs, hospice operations, and clinical supervision. She was the Founder and Executive Director of Capital Caring’s Center for Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity, in which role she was responsible for developing a robust culture of equity, inclusion, and diversity across the Capital Caring family of programs and services to meet the needs of a diverse community and workforce.
She previously had worked for Hospice of the Chesapeake, Annapolis, Md., as a Professional Relations Representative and for the Washington (D.C.) Home and Community Hospices as a Business Development Consultant.
A Virginia native, Garrett earned her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. She went on to attain her nursing degree from Marymount University in Arlington, Va., and later received both her Master of Business Administration and Master of Science in Health Care Administration from the University of Maryland Global Campus in Adelphi, Md.
About Blue Ridge Hospice
Blue Ridge Hospice is a community-based, not-for-profit serious illness and end-of-life care provider that has been serving friends and neighbors across the northern Shenandoah Valley and northwestern Virginia since 1981. With a mission of “brightening life’s journey with quality and compassionate care for all whom we are privileged to serve,” Blue Ridge Hospice serves the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Fauquier, Loudoun, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren. Accredited by The Joint Commission, Blue Ridge Hospice consistently exceeds the national averages for quality as reported on Medicare’s Hospice Compare website. To learn more about Blue Ridge Hospice call 540-313-9200.
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