Lower Cape Fear Hospice has named Kelly Erola as its chief medical officer.
 
In this position, Erola will set standards for the medical component of patient care programs; supervise agency medical directors; provide medical direction and guidance; operate as a member of the agency’s senior leadership team; and make policy recommendations to shape the agency’s strategic direction.
 
As CMO she will also function as the senior medical liaison between LCFH and the medical community, and community-at-large, to build effective relationships with referring physicians and health care systems, officials said.
 
Erola graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, with a degree in physical therapy; received a medical degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario; and completed her residency in family medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is board certified in hospice and palliative care medicine and has been involved full-time in palliative care since 2002.
 
She moved with her family from Canada to Georgia in 1995 and is now a United States citizen. For the past 16 years, Erola was the chief medical officer for Hospice Savannah Inc. and physician leader of the Steward Center for Palliative Care Inc. She was also a clinical assistant professor in the family medicine department at Mercer University School of Medicine and the Medical College of Georgia where she was involved in teaching hospice and palliative care to residents and medical students.
 
Lower Cape Fear Hospice is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the highest level of care and comfort to patients with life-limiting illness; support and counseling to families; and education to the community.