AmHeart Hospice - The AmHeart Team

With a 25-year background in hospice care and administration, Mr. Brauss has been a true pioneer in the development of hospice in the State of Missouri. He was on staff, and ultimately directed, the former Lutheran Medical Center's inpatient hospice unit in St. Louis, which was a demonstration site for the Medicare Hospice Benefit in the early 1980s. He was instrumental in starting up several independent hospice agencies in Missouri, and served as consultant to other new programs in Illinois, Kansas and Oklahoma. During a 10-year span from 1988-1998 he served as chairman of the Hospice Subcommittee for the Missouri Department of Medical Social Services; member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Hospice, Home Health and Hospice Standards, for the Missouri Dept. of Health; and board member of both the Missouri and Greater St. Louis hospice organizations.

Prior to establishing her own hospice, Ms. O'Kane played a principle role for 10 years in the development of LMC's hospice. As AmHeart's Executive Director, she supervises the patient care coordinators and all non-clinical hospice staff, participates in all care-team meetings. She oversees all operations of the hospice, is responsible for state certification and annual recertifications, and assures compliance with CMS, Medicare and Medicaid hospice requirements. She is a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Council of Hospice Professionals, the Hospice Nurse Association and was appointed to the Hospice Advisory Board for the State of Missouri.

The AmHeart Team

An Experienced Nursing Staff That Cares

We support and encourage our nursing staff to share their observations and recommendations. We know that they can make a real difference. If a treatment, medication or piece of equipment makes sense as part of the plan of care, we want add it to the plan. This professional respect is part of our "corporate culture" and makes real difference in the way care is delivered.

	The St. Louis Care Team
	The Farmington Care Team
	The Troy Care Team
	The Management Staff

The Patient Care Manager (PCM)

The central figure in our care is the Patient Care Manager (PCM). The PCM is an RN with years of hospice experience. The care nurse and the PCM will be your primary contacts with AmHeart Hospice.

Qualified and Knowledgeable Management Staff

Our management team has 50 years of combined hospice experience. They participate on State committees advocating for hospice patients and help maintain the integrity of the hospice concept of care.

AmHeart Office CareTeams

The St. Louis Care Team (Left to Right)

Top Row:
Linda Heller, Admissions Nurse; Victor Ojeda, Consultant; Nancy Berg, Intake Coordinator; Kathy Kemp, Volunteer Coordinator

Bottom Row:
Katie Knight, Social Worker; Ginger Fitts-Roeckle, Patient Care Manager; Jim Weber, Consultant; Myra Gummersheimer, Chaplain

The Farmington Care Team (Left to Right)

Top Row:
Debbie McMillan, Admissions Nurse; Missy McCarty, Office Manager; Rev Tisha Mundy, Chaplain; Sue Rouggly, Social Worker

Bottom Row:
Lisa Welch, Volunteer Coordinator; Cindy Cole, Patient Care Manager

The Troy Care Team (Left to Right)

Top Row:
Jim Weber, Consultant; Marsh Collins, Patient Care Manager; Dave Rispoli, Chaplain

Bottom Row:
Catherine Davis, Volunteer Coordinator; Mandy Brunnert, Admissions Nurse; Bruce Shepard, Social Worker

AmHeart Leadership Team

Mr. Matt Brauss
Executive Director

Susan O'Kane, RN
Director of Patient Services

Matt is a registered nurse with an associate's degree in nursing from St. Louis Community College and board certification in hospice nursing. more

Ms. O'Kane is a graduate of Lutheran Medical Center's (LMC) School of Nursing with over 20 years of hospice experience. more

Choose the Missouri AmHeart Hospice Location nearest you:
St. Louis - Troy - Farmington