Our Vision
To inspire engagement and lead the community in the innovation and delivery of exceptional end-of-life services.
Our Values
Collaboration
Commitment to Excellence
Community Engagement
Innovation
Integrity
Leadership
Stewardship
What is ONHA?
ONHA is an alliance formed in 2018 by independent, non-profit hospice agencies across Oregon providing hospice and palliative care services to preserve the nonprofit difference: More Care for Every Dollar Spent.
ONHA strengthens each of its members through:
- Peer quality reviews
- Support for best-practice implementation
- Shared efficiencies and economies of scale
- Development of supportive care programs
- Leading innovation in serious illness care
ONHA is here to preserve the original mission and integrity of hospice and palliative care in a time when the landscape of healthcare is dramatically changing. Our affiliates have operated in their communities for more than 30 years, and OHNA enables the continuation of the original hospice movement’s intention and dedication to compassionate, charitable care.
Together we serve 142 zip codes across 12 counties (from Northern California to the Oregon/Washington border. It is our goal to welcome additional nonprofit hospices as affiliates of ONHA to provide services across all of Oregon. Together we are stronger.
OHNA members proudly put collaboration above competition to ensure that the benefits of nonprofit care are accessible to all Oregonians
What We Do

Peer Quality Reviews

Support for best-practice implementation

Development of supportive care programs and measure outcomes state-wide.

Shared efficiencies and economies of scale
Meet ONHA's Board of Directors
Our board members are representatives from each member's hospice. We're grateful to them for their commitment of time and talents to the mission of ONHA and their local community nonprofit hospices.

Chris Hudson
ONHA President
Care Partners Board Secretary

Amy Baird
ONHA Board Member
Lumina Hospice, Executive Director

Rachel Throne
ONHA Board Treasurer
Klamath Hospice, Executive Director

Barbara Trione, RN, MBA
ONHA Board Secretary
Lumina Hospice, Board Treasurer

Tom Hottman
ONHA Board Member
Klamath Hospice, Board Secretary

Tracy Villarreal, LCSW
ONHA Board Member
Care Partners CEO
News and Events
Amy Baird As Executive Director
Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care announces the appointment of Amy Baird as Executive Director. Baird has served as Lumina’s Social Services Manager for two years, overseeing bereavement, caregiver support, volunteer, and Transitions programs. With over 20 years of experience in social work, Baird is familiar with local resources, community partners, and the needs of patients in Linn and Benton Counties. Since coming to Lumina in 2019, Baird has been focused on caring for individuals and families. Born and raised in Oregon, Baird now resides in North Albany with her husband and two sons.
“Lumina has experienced tremendous growth under Amy’s leadership as Interim Executive Director over the past six months. Her passion to continue Lumina’s mission of providing compassionate care and support to individuals facing end of life is integral as we move into the future. The Board of Directors couldn’t be more pleased in our selection of a new Executive Director for Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care,” said Board Chair, Tamara Scoville.
Founded as Benton Hospice Service in 1980, Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care™ is an independent, non-profit community resource providing clinically excellent responsive care for those nearing the end of life. Lumina ensures in-home comfort, compassion, and control for every patient throughout their remaining days—wherever home is.
Lumina’s Dr. Helen Kao honored as American Geriatrics Society’s 2022 Clinician of the Year
Lumina’s Dr. Helen Kao honored as American Geriatrics Society’s 2022 Clinician of the Year

CORVALLIS, OR – (May 12 ,2022) –The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) is honoring Helen S. Kao, MD, as its 2022 Clinician of the Year during the AGS 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting taking place this weekend (May 12-14 in Orlando). Dr. Kao is Medical Director of Clinical Innovations at Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care, and Adjunct Professor at UCSF School of Medicine. “Our 2022 Clinician of the Year, Dr. Helen Kao, is an exceptional physician who provides exemplary care through many different care settings with a holistic, patient-centered focus,” said AGS President Peter Hollmann, MD, AGSF.
Dr. Kao, a board-certified physician in internal medicine with certificates of added qualifications in geriatrics and hospice and palliative care, has created programs to serve older adults with advanced and terminal illnesses. In her current role at Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care in Corvallis, Oregon, Dr. Kao continues to develop and provide palliative and geriatrics services by overseeing a growing palliative case management program. Previously, she directed UCSF’s house calls program and was responsible for tripling its capacity to serve older adults.
“Providing care that is equitable, ethical, and socially aware is at the heart of Dr. Kao’s clinical practice,” says Elizabeth French, Lumina’s Executive Director. “Dr. Kao demonstrates a strong belief that aging, or life-limiting illness, should not strip someone of their rights, choices, and dignity, or their ability to live as full and healthy a life as possible,” says French. “Dr. Kao continually looks for ways to make care accessible to marginalized populations, often exploring new technologies and other innovations. Her commitment has a positive influence on her team and a ripple effect throughout the community.”
Promoting diversity in geriatrics is an essential aspect of Dr. Kao’s career. As Chair of the Residential Ombudsman and Public Guardian Advisory Board (ROPGAP), she advocates for Oregonians with disabilities and helps elevate the caregiver workforce which is predominantly made up of women and BIPOC individuals. In this role, Dr. Kao helps shape the advocacy priorities of the board, which focus on protecting the rights of people with dementia, mental health conditions and intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Invited to present to scores of regional and national meetings and symposia, Dr. Kao has authored or co-authored textbooks on topics in geriatrics, and her articles have been published in leading peer-reviewed medical journals.
An AGS member since 2007, Dr. Kao received her BA cum laude from Harvard and her MD from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, where she served her residency in the Program in Residency Investigation Methods and Epidemiology (PRIME) Internal Medicine and fellowship in Geriatrics. She has been honored for professional excellence by some 20 prestigious awards—including UCSF’s Council of Master Clinicians and, most recently, the Elizabeth Wessinger Award, recognizing people who make a difference for end-of-life care in Oregon and across the nation.
Founded as Benton Hospice Service in 1980, Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care™ is an independent, non-profit community resource providing clinically excellent responsive care for those nearing the end of life. Lumina ensures in-home comfort, compassion, and control for every patient throughout their remaining days—wherever home is.
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For more information about the Clinician of the Year Award or Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care please contact Angela Hibbard at 541-757-9616 or angela.hibbard@luminahospice.org
ONHA Leadership Change, April 2022
From: C.J. Hudson, President
Regarding Leadership Change
On behalf of the board of directors of the Oregon Nonprofit Hospice Alliance I am pleased to announce that Dr. JooRi Jun, ND has accepted the position of CEO of the Oregon Nonprofit Hospice Alliance effective 4/4/2022. For the past two years JooRi has served as executive director of Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County in Port Angeles, Washington. Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County has provided interdisciplinary hospice services to residents of Clallam County for over 40 years relying solely on community support.
Her prior experience includes:
- Serving as Director of Programs for Olympic Community of Health in Port Townsend, Washington where she worked with a wide variety of medical, mental health, tribal agencies to lead a state-wide Medicaid
transformation project. - Serving as a rural primary health care provider in Carnation, Washington.
- Serving as a spiritual care provider at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.
We look forward to benefiting from JooRi’s leadership, experience and skill set in working across organizations to assist our current and future affiliates in achieving our mission of helping community-based, nonprofit hospices in the Pacific Northwest to be stronger together achieving more for their local communities.
Farewell to Andy Kyler
I would also like to extend congratulations to Andy Kyler, RN, MBA upon his upcoming retirement from the ONHA CEO position in April. Andy’s work as CEO of ONHA, and previously Executive Director of Care Partners Hospice, were integral to our success as an alliance. We thank him for his 42 years of service as a nurse, leadership of 4 hospice agencies in Oregon over the past 4 decades, and of course his leadership in founding the Oregon Non-Profit Hospice Alliance. We are in a stronger place because of his contributions.
About ONHA
Founded in 2018, The Oregon Nonprofit Hospice Association is operated by a board of directors composed of representatives from affiliate members. ONHA works with its affiliates to be leaders in the delivery of high quality, innovative hospice and palliative care services with broad community support. Current ONHA affiliates include Care Partners serving the Portland Metro Area, Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care Serving the mid-Willamette Valley and Klamath Hospice serving southern Oregon and northern California.
Three Oregon Community Hospices Join Forces in the Oregon Nonprofit Hospice Alliance
The Oregon Non-profit Hospice Alliance (ONHA) debuted as an organization that helps to sustain and grow community-based hospice agencies in support of seriously ill Oregonians and their families in 2019. Member agencies have been operating in their respective service areas for more than 30 years and embody the original hospice movement’s dedication to put people above profits.
Being part of ONHA means we can do even more for our communities. Alliance members are sharing best practices and working together on innovations to support exceptional community-based hospice and palliative care. ONHA members are proud to put collaboration ahead of competition to ensure that the benefits of non-profit care are accessible to all Oregonians.
ONHA is patterned after successful nonprofit alliances in other states. Ohio’s Hospice, one of ONHA’s models, began in 2013 with three affiliates and has since tripled in size to nine, in addition to entering into joint ventures and partnerships with other community organizations including hospitals, physician practices and health plans.
ONHA affiliates will continue to offer direct care services and raise funds for their local communities. The alliance accepts donations to promote the benefits of non-profit hospice statewide.
ONHA’s members are collaborating in the following areas:
- Adopting common systems (e.g. software), clinical programs and business practices
- Quality improvement
- Physician peer review
- Employee benefits, education and training
- Achieving operating efficiencies and leveraging economies of scale
- Fostering innovation in the provision of palliative and serious illness care
It’s simple: our affiliates provide more care for every dollar spent. We don’t have profit targets set by a financial executive in another state. Our boards come from the communities we serve and give our agencies the latitude to do what’s best to support people through coping with serious illnesses, loss and grief.
About ONHA: ONHA is a registered Oregon nonprofit, representing nonprofit hospices state-wide who are collaborating to achieve mutually-assured success. ONHA’s CEO works with a board of directors composed of each affiliate’s Executive Director and one board member, to ensure equal representation among members.
Media Contact: Andy Kyler, andy.kyler@onhanetwork.org 503-207-3565
FAQ
How is ONHA Structured?
ONHA’s CEO works with a board of directors composed of each affiliate’s Executive Director and one board member. This ensures equal representation for each affiliate. This organizational structure supports collaboration and shared resources to achieve mutually assured success for members of ONHA.
What types of interactions does ONHA handle?
We handle statewide program development, vendor and payor contracting, advocacy, media relations and prospective member recruitment.
What is the relationship between my local hospice and ONHA?
Individual hospices within ONHA continue to provide direct care within the local community with the additional support of funds and resources from ONHA.
Why choose an ONHA affiliate?
Simply put, more and better care!
- Specialized treatment protocols by diagnosis, including services and complementary lines of services, such as Transitions and caregiver support and more not offered by for-profit hospices.
- Supportive therapies made possible through direct donations to our affiliate hospices, such as music and art, massage, and acupuncture. Please see your local affiliate for specific services provided by each affiliate.
- Free care for indigent and uninsured immigrant patients and families
- More visits from experienced staff (lower caseloads and lower staff turnover)
- Decades of experience providing expert hospice and palliative care for Oregon families and meeting the needs of our communities
- Collaboration of affiliates in delivering hospice care that focuses on quality outcomes and best practices
- Training for the next generation of healthcare professionals: internships for medical, nursing, pharmacy, and social work students, who also work on special projects
A customized experience – care the way YOU want it!