For Cheryl Hamilton Fried, joining Kirva Hospice in Richmond as CEO is an inspiring opportunity.
“I am excited to join Kirva Hospice. I really love the Jewish roots of the organization founded by Jewish Family Services and Beth Sholom Life Services,” Fried noted.
The Board of Directors of Kirva Hospice welcomed her to the non-profit organization, effective Nov. 18.
“Cheryl comes to Kirva with more than 30 years of healthcare experience working in a variety of key roles within both for-profit and not-for-profit hospice and palliative care agencies,” the announcement said.
“She is well-known in the field for her strategic mindset and for driving operational excellence and organizational growth,” the announcement continued.
She most recently served as CEO of Blue Ridge Hospice in Winchester., where she achieved 25% year-over-year growth and doubled the organization’s net assets.
She joined Blue Ridge two months before the outbreak of COVID-19. During her time there at this 40+-year-old not-for-profit, she was also able to stabilize the operation, maintain services, reduce clinical turnover, and grow the staff to more than 400.
She is particularly proud of securing a $1 million gift for that hospice’s Future Fund.
“During Fried’s career, she has provided executive leadership for hospice, certified home health, private home care, memory care and has also developed
and led several palliative care programs. In addition to home-based hospice care, Fried has operated pediatric hospice programs and hospital-based and free-standing inpatient care centers.”
In talking with the Reflector, she shared, “Joining Kirva Hospice brings me back to my roots. Kirva already has a strong reputation in the Richmond community. This is one of the things that drew me here.”
“I really believe in the continuum of service for the aging community. I want to be able to bring my experience of integrating hospice with the other healthcare services for the aging.”
She continued, “There is a fantastic board here, and that is important. The fact that the boards (JFS and Beth Sholom Life Services) have come together is a great accomplishment. Kirva is truly a gift to the community – a testament to the individuals on the board and the community – not just to the Jewish community but throughout their service area.”
Fried is looking forward to focusing on a list of priorities and wearing several hats as the new CEO – strategic direction as well as operational.
“Both are important at this time. I am energized to do this work.”
She added, “I am really impressed with the Kirva team and its mission. I am thrilled to be here.”
Fried had no knowledge of Kirva Hospice until being contacted by a search group. “I did some research and quickly became positive and impressed about the opportunity for all the right reasons.”
In talking about the hospice field, she admitted there are still many misconceptions from the general public and even many physicians are unsure of when to refer a patient.
Fried noted, “We don’t care for death, we care for life. We work for life for those individuals we are privileged to serve. Education is so important and hospice care is very individualized.”
She concluded, “This is the right place for me and the right time. I feel really confident I can take on this new task. And I know Kirva is well-positioned to offer the best experiences that our clients deserve.”
A Florida native, she received her undergraduate degree from Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., and her MBA in Health Services Management from Webster University in St. Louis. Fried earned her Hospice Administrator Certificate from the California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH).
You can reach her at
chamiltonfried@kirvahospice.org and via phone at (804) 578-1048.
