OMAHA, Neb., September 18, 2008 - The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Todd M. Sauer, MD as Hospice and Palliative Medical Director. Sauer will oversee medical services for VNA Hospice and work closely with local physicians and their patients who have advanced or terminal illness.

In addition, Sauer will see patients in the home and in Hospice House. He will be instrumental in helping staff develop a palliative care program, a program for patients who have a chronic or debilitating illness but who are not yet appropriate for hospice care to receive comfort care and symptom management.

“I am excited to join VNA Hospice. The VNA has provided incredibly compassionate care to my patients in the past and it is an honor to be a part of the team. The VNA staff has always gone above and beyond in the care of their patients, and it is that dedication to patient-focused care that drew me to the VNA,” stated Sauer.

James C. Summerfelt, President and CEO of the VNA said, “Dr. Sauer and the VNA have the same passion and vision for Hospice care for this community. Dr. Sauer also brings a wealth of experience to build upon the VNA Hospice’s longtime reputation for quality and compassionate end-of-life care for patients in Omaha and surrounding communities.”

Sauer comes to the VNA from Alegent Health and his position as Medical Director of Palliative Care Services. Sauer did his Palliative Medicine Fellowship training at San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care in San Diego, Calif. Sauer completed his Family Practice residency through University of Nebraska Medical Center at the Lincoln Medical Education Foundation, and received his Doctor of Medicine from Creighton University School of Medicine.

Sauer holds board certifications with the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Board of Family Medicine along with professional affiliations with American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, American Medical Association, Nebraska Medical Association and Nebraska Hospice and Palliative Care Partnership.

Sauer is one of nine Hospice and Palliative certified physicians in the state of Nebraska.  Sauer, however, is the only Nebraska physician that is Fellowship-trained in Hospice and Palliative Care.

The VNA Hospice team of physicians, nurses, home health aides, social workers, bereavement coordinators and volunteers collaborate to provide extensive services for patients in their own homes, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals and at the Hospice House. The team partners with a patient’s physicians at the earliest indication of terminal illness to provide emotional support, pain control and peace of mind.