Circle of Life Hospice on LinkedIn: Circle of Life Hospice | NWA's Premier Hospice Provider | Call Today! (2024)

We were honored to be selected as a finalist in the NWA Business Journal Outstanding Business Awards. https://lnkd.in/gyC5r3MM #makingadifference

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Meet Ashish Mathur, M.D. He recently joined Circle of Life as a physician in our hospice homes. Dr. Mathur was born and raised in South Africa and came to the United States to study engineering. He completed his studies in medicine in the Dominican Republic. After graduating in 2001, he returned home to Botswana and worked in the state hospital caring for HIV patients. In 2007, he completed his family medicine residency in Tulsa. Most recently, he has worked at the Gentry Medical Center for the past 17 years. He is fluent in English, Hindi, and Spanish. We welcome Dr. Mathur to the Circle of Life Team!

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Circle of Life was recently awarded the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's (NHPCO) Quality Connections program top honors for 2023. The Quality Connections program recognizes hospice and palliative care agencies for continuous quality improvement with top-performing agencies awarded rings in the four areas of education, application, measurement and innovation. Quality Connections is the only national program designed to recognize providers' delivery of high-quality end-of-life care. Circle of Life raises the bar with enhanced learning, skills and competency which lead to clinical excellence and improved patient care. We are not only committed to being there when we are needed the most, but also delivering the high-quality hospice care every patient, family and facility deserves.

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Omar Mejia is currently serving his first term as a member of the Circle of Life Foundation Board and was just named Treasurer of the board at the start of 2024. Omar is focused on supporting the organization’s mission to engage the community and ensure a sustainable future for Circle of Life. Omar graduated from Rogers High School and went on to obtain his Bachelor’s degree from John Brown University, majoring in Organizational Management. In 2013, Omar was honored to be selected as one of the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s “Fast Fifteen,” a designation for 15 individuals under the age of 30 who have demonstrated leadership skills to their employers and are considered to be on the fast track to success. In 2023, Omar was awarded Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s “Forty under Forty,” recognizing emerging leaders for achievements in their professional lives and the community. In April 2023, he was voted Best Mortgage Loan Officer for 2022 by the Northwest Arkansas’ Democrat-Gazette. Omar began his career at Arvest in 2002, joined the mortgage team in 2016, and currently serves as Mortgage Lending Supervisor. He has been awarded the “Best of the Best” honor, which highlights the top 16 producers among all Arvest Mortgage Lenders, for three of the five years in which he has been part of the division. Moreover, Omar was recognized as one of the Top 250 Latino Mortgage Originators in the nation in 2020, 2021, and 2022 by the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. Omar and his wife, Sandra, are residents of Lowell and are the proud parents of their son Oziel (Ozzy), 11, and their daughter Jezel, 6. His family is his source of inspiration, and they provide him with a daily reminder of the importance of his community. He is committed to the mission and vision of Circle of Life in providing families with compassionate end-of-life care. Omar is a supportive, enthusiastic member of the board. His strong commitment to the mission of Circle of Life is important as we ensure compassionate end-of-life care for our patients, their families, and the communities we serve.

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Steve Hacala serves as Chair of the Circle of Life Operating Board of Directors. As Chairperson, Steve supports the organization’s mission of compassionate end-of-life care for a person’s mind, body, spirit, and family.He first joined the Operating Board in 2012, serving as a director (2012-13), Vice President (2014-15), and President (2016). Steve stepped away from Circle’s Operating Board in mid-2016 due to family priorities. He rejoined the Operating Board in 2023, where he serves on the Finance Committee. In 2024, Steve accepted the Chair role.“I was first introduced to Circle of Life by a dear friend and work mentor, Horace Hardwick. Over the years, my support and commitment to Circle’s mission and purpose have grown exponentially, especially after experiencing the love, compassion, and services the Circle team provided to friends, my own family, and me. I look forward to supporting and building upon Circle of Life’s mission as Chair in the coming year.”Steve’s 35-year professional career was spent working for General Electric and Synchrony in various leadership roles in general management, product management, Six Sigma, client/business development, and sales. He worked in various consumer, commercial, industrial, and OEM industries, including lighting and electrical products and financial services. Steve led businesses primarily in the US and Canada but also lived in England and led teams across Europe. Steve is an adaptable business leader and change agent with a demonstrated ability to quickly learn diverse industries and make immediate improvements in team efficiency, profitable growth, and employee morale. Steve retired from Synchrony in 2021.Steve, his wife Betty, and their three children, Stephen, Christina, and Lauren, moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2006.After moving seven times together, Steve and Betty consider Rogers their permanent home. Sadly, in 2016, their son, Stephen, passed away from a morphine overdose from drinking poppy seed tea. Since Stephen’s passing, they have worked as advocates to raise awareness of the dangers of opium/morphine-contaminated poppy seeds, working with our state and federal legislators, regulators (FDA), law enforcement (DEA), food safety advocacy groups, addiction specialists, educators, researchers, retailers, medical and legal experts, and other impacted families to stop contaminated poppy seeds from entering the food supply. Prior to the new year, through Steve and Betty’s advocacy, the Stephen Hacala Poppy Seed Safety Act was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. The bill is currently under committee review in Congress.When free, Steve loves spending time with family and friends, boating and fishing on Beaver Lake, hiking, biking, and cheering on the Razorbacks.

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We are so excited about this new building project. It will allow us to continue to provide exceptional end-of-life care for Northwest Arkansas.

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Gwen Rockwood is a familiar name in NWA. She is a co-owner of www.nwaMotherlode.com, an interactive online magazine keeping women in Northwest Arkansas entertained, informed, and connected to local mothers and businesses.She also writes a syndicated newspaper column, The Rockwood Files, which is published by several newspapers in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma and has been appearing weekly for 14 years.Recently, this year, her father became a hospice patient at Circle of Life. Listen to her heartwarming story as she shares her experience with hospice care in this new podcast series. We discuss misconceptions and the fear that is involved in making that decision, as well as the love and support you will receive from our compassionate and caring staff. "Friends tell friends about hospice." #DontWaithttps://lnkd.in/gZ3SUQHz

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Circle of Life was recently awarded the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's (NHPCO) Quality Connections program top honors for 2023. The Quality Connections program recognizes hospice and palliative care agencies for continuous quality improvement, with top-performing agencies awarded rings in the four areas of education, application, measurement, and innovation. Quality Connections is the only national program designed to recognize providers' delivery of high-quality end-of-life care. Circle of Life raises the bar with enhanced learning, skills, and competency, which leads to clinical excellence and improved patient care. We are not only committed to being there when we are needed the most but also delivering the high-quality hospice care every patient, family, and facility deserves.

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Sarah Kendall is a member of the Circle of Life Foundation Board of Directors. Sarah is focused on supporting the organization’s mission to engage the community and ensure a sustainable future for Circle of Life.Sarah grew up in Bentonville, where she graduated from Bentonville High School. She went on to college at the University of Arkansas and then finished her education at UCA in Central Arkansas. Sarah soon married her husband Donnie and had three wonderful children, Matt, Missy, and Clay. Sarah devoted those early years to her children, and when they got a bit older, she began helping out with the family business, Kendall Law Firm, by handling the billing.Sarah has been a strong advocate in our community, giving much of her free time to public service. The art of fundraising has always been in her blood. As a young girl, she was the classmate who sold the most magazine subscriptions and girl scout cookies, year after year. She also learned early on how important it is to give back. She was influenced by many remarkable women, most importantly her mother Evelyn Harrison. Ms. Helen Walton and Ms. Jeretta Hardwick were strong influences, as well. Sarah remembers Ms. Helen signing her children’s graduation cards by saying, “It is not what you gather but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.”Circle of Life touched Sarah’s family by caring for her father before he passed in 2007. Soon following, she began giving back once again. She was an influential Capital Campaign member as the organization started the build of the Bentonville Hospice Home. She is also one of the founding members of Angels Paying It Forward, a group that raises money to fund end-of-life wishes for Circle of Life patients.Sarah has also participated as an NWA HeadStart Board member and Open Avenues Capital Campaign member. She has received several prestigious awards for her service and dedication. Some include; Outstanding Volunteer Fundraising Award of 2011, the Bernice Young Jones Award in 2019, and the Jeretta Hardwick Woman of Excellence Award in 2021. Sarah is a supportive and enthusiastic member of the Board. Her strong commitment to the mission of Circle of Life is important as we ensure compassionate end-of-life care for our patients, their families, and the communities we serve.

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